hi, I really hope this just maybe an easy fix.....you mentioned 4 cats and ONE litter box is that right??
no matter how often we clean the box its still important to have multi boxes for more than one cat...they just like to have their own and the privacy too..
Make another box available in another separate area of your home, at least one box but 2-3 would even be better...the rule of thumb is one box per cat...
I would start there before going into health problems that could also lead to this behavior..
good luck and keep us updated.
you can also search in the archives there have been many posts over the years with the same issues....♥
I agree with opus88. I have 2 cats and 2 litter boxes. I've had trouble with my male cat pooping outside the litter box, and the problem is always if our other cat has happened to pee in one box and poop in the other - then our male cat decides that he will just go on the mat right outside the litter boxes. Cats are so temperamental about this stuff. I really do think that having more than on litter box would help. Another thing that has been a lifesaver for me is this Arm & Hammer deodorizing powder than you can sprinkle in the litter. It really eliminates odors by just sprinkling it in after you scoop. When my male cat starts going on the floor, I end up making sure that I'm scooping multiple times a day. Usually, I'll realize that I only scooped once the day that he decides to go on the floor. Lastly, I ended up switching to an all-natural clumping litter called Feline Pine that my cats really took to - if yours like the litter you are using, though, then don't bother switching! Good luck!
Yep, I agree with opus and ej too. 1 litter box for 4 cats rarely works, especially when one is an unspayed Siamese. She is looking for her own scent and balks at using the box when the other cats have used it since it was last cleaned, hence she goes back to the spot outside of the box where she pooped when one of the other cats is first to use the box.
I looked at this post because I too have the same problem. However, I have 3 litter trays with only 2 cats. I never had a problem with my 2 year old ragdoll until a few months ago I adopted a kitten. Initially there was a problem, but she has settled down now and plays very nicely with the kitten. Unfortunately the kitten is not that particular which litter box she uses and tends to use all 3. My ragdoll doesn't worry when she just does a pee she goes in without any issue, but she has taken to leaving me a nasty little parcel just outside the litterbox. Perhaps its a territorial thing? I work all day so I make sure before I leave for work that the boxes are clean. I also use the deodorant powder, and recently thinking it was the type of litter I changed the litter to clay clumping litter. Initially she was okey, but she is back to her ways...I wouldn't mind if they were dry poops, but they are wet and leave a mark on the floor, so I have to get down and scrub the floor making sure there is no remains or smell... Do you think it could be that I adopted the kitten?
No so much that you adopted the kitten, but the Ragdoll just prefers to have her own private box. Do you have all 3 in the same place? If so, move one some where else and the next time your ragdoll poops, put her poop in that box. After cleaning the floor, spray that area with a deordorant.