Old cats, strange behavior

There may be another answer to your problem. It might be the litter. The formula may have been changed and they may not like the litter that you're using. Or, like in the case of my little Siamese, the litter I was using hurt her feet. It was hysterical for a couple of years after I got Murphy (She is named after Murphy Brown, she is definitely the cat version of Candice Bergen's character.) I was using alfalfa pellets for litter because they kept the odor down and I could dump them over the back fence and the wild critters would clean them up. Well Murp didn't like the alfalfa pellets because of the way it hurt her paws; so for two years she pooped in my Mom's potted plants. I would get up in the morning to the war cry of "your cat pooped in my potted plants"! There was total war fare for that two years until I realized that the litter might be something that Murph didn't like. When cats get older, just like humans, parts of their bodies start to hurt and what they might have liked before they don't like now. If you are using a clay litter that doesn't clump, try getting one that clumps. It is still a clay type litter but it is ground finer and is easier on the cat's feet. I switched to clumping clay litter because of the fact that I bought a litter maid litter box so that the cats would always have a clean box. It has made a world of difference in the bathroom habits of my cats. If the litter change doesn't work, it might be something as simple as a urinary tract infection. I would change the diet to a senior diet so that there won't be as much of the ingredients that cause irritation to bowels, stomach, urinary tract etc. It also is much easier to digest and has the vitamins and minerals that an older cat needs. One other trick you might try, and that is to move their food to the spot where they have been pooping (after you clean the area of course.)cats will not poop or wiz where their food is, so moving the food into the living room for a period of time might change their minds about pooping there. I can relate to the poop problem because of the fact that I got two kittens and they don't like using a dirty box. I had to be out of town for a few days and came home to my rug being decorated by poop. It was my fault because I didn't think to provide a second box for the cats to use, and I used "nature's miracle" on the spots to totally remove the odor so they wouldn't return to the spot. You might want to use something like that on the rug to remove any remains of the odor. Even with steam cleaning the carpet some of the odor lingers in the fibers so you really need to use something that will bind with the odor to remove it. You can find the stuff at a pet supply place like PetCo or PetSmart. The bottle cost me $10 for a quart bottle but it goes a long way and is well worth the money.

My cat does that from time to time and I'm not really sure why she does. But she stops when I fully clean the litter box and thats including cleaning it, washing it with soap and water for her.

oh oh bad sign, take them to the vet they may be sick

My Columbus cat, who will be 12 in September this year, constantly poops on the sunporch floor, something he didn't start doing until very recently. I've tried to discourage him, such as pouring a bit of Chlorox on the stained area, but to no avail. The damn cat still goes there to do it, in spite of a clean litter box.

I agree with what was said before about taking them to the vet. Also, has there been any changes recently as far as rearranging furniture, moving the litter box or someone new in the house closing the door so they can't get to the litterbox? 14 for a cat is "older" but it is not elderly, with many cats living into their late teens and twenties. So it is not necessarily senility, especially if they are only going in one particular area versus everywhere. Also, sometimes cats do it out of spite if you could call it that. When my aunt, who is her cat's favorite person, goes away for a few days and has her neighbor or son (who lives with her), feed and interact with the cat, the cat goes on the pool table or on the bed. When my aunt is home this doesn't happen. It may not be spite, but part of the cat's world was screwed up for a little bit. If you catch them in the act, I would spray them with a squirt bottle of water and try to make it so they don't see you do it. If there is nothing medically wrong with them, they need reminders. Also, it could be if ONE does have a medical issue, the other one could be just following their lead and have nothing wrong.

I am inclined to agree with the poster who said one might have a medical problem. If they both use the same litterbox the other may be able to smell the fact that the other one is not well and will not use the same box. Best to have them both checked out. My cat just passed away last November and did not exhibit any symptoms of aging until then. She was 20 years old. Good luck with your vet visit, I hope everything is ok with the cats.

It could be that they are getting older, and unfortuntely they do lose the ability to control their bowl movements..I would give them a check up at the vets just to be sure its not an infection.

Wow, that IS odd after all this time. I wonder if there could be a medical reason for it, something that is affecting them now because of their age? Might be worth a phone call to ask your veterinarian.