How to stop a cat from shitting in the wrong place: folk remedies, useful tips, medications, reviews

Sometimes, due to psychological or physical discomfort, a pet stops defecating in the litter box. A person’s screams or poking his muzzle into the tray are ineffective in this case, but the attentive attitude of the owner will help correct the situation as soon as possible - this will be discussed in the article.

Representatives of felines are classified as affectionate, clean animals, for this reason many owners are happy to have a cat. Each pet has its own character. The owner will need a little time to help the animal form the right habits. The most crucial moment is to teach the cat to go to the litter box. If you do not do this on time, then in the near future a problem will arise, how to wean a cat from shitting in the wrong place.

Why does a cat shit in the wrong place: reasons

Before taking any action, you need to find out why the cat began to shit anywhere. Let's look at several common reasons why a cat shits in the wrong place:

Physical discomfort.

With inflammatory processes in the genitourinary system, cats experience discomfort when defecating. Repeated repetition of the problem creates a negative attitude towards the litter box.
The pet begins to look for new places to defecate, causing a lot of trouble for its owner. In some situations, this cat behavior can be regarded as a signal for help.

Finding a solution
Psychological discomfort.

If a cat began to shit during a period of dramatic changes in the personal life of the owners, then this behavior, when the kitten shits in the wrong place, is associated with the psychological discomfort of the animal.
Cats sense the situation in the house well and get used to the usual way of life of their owner. Home renovations, the arrival of a new family member or other living creature, cause stress in the animal, which affects its behavior.

Lack of attention.

Like any pet, cats require attention. If the owners are ruthless towards the animal, then characteristic cats change their behavior. They are capable of holding grudges and doing mischief in order to attract attention.
The simplest thing is to start shitting in the wrong place. The owner obviously won't like this.

It is important to eliminate psychological discomfort
New location of the cat litter box.

If your pet is used to going to defecate in a specific place, then changing the position of the toilet causes him stress. If you want to rearrange the furniture, it is better not to move the animal's tray. Buying a new litter box or changing the brand of litter also often causes a negative reaction from the animal - the cat shits in the wrong place.
When moving to a new apartment, the cat needs to get used to the new territory. Owners must be patient and help their pet, including weaning the cat from shitting in the wrong place.

Protecting your home with special tools

The industry produces many products for correcting animal behavior. At the pet store you can choose them in the form of a spray, powder, or emulsion.

There are drugs whose composition:

attracts to the tray;
scares away from the wrong place;
deodorizes, neutralizes odors;
disinfects;
calms during heat.

If in doubt, you can contact your veterinarian, who will advise the most suitable drug for a particular breed and age of the animal. The fact is that some of them act differently on young or old, healthy or sick, castrated or giving birth animals. Only a specialist can choose an effective and harmless remedy for a specific pet.

Why does a kitten shit in the wrong place?

The appearance of a little kitten brings owners a sea of positive emotions. Before getting a pet, you need to properly organize its time in the new territory . The most important question is how to train a kitten to go to the litter box?
The first days of being in a new family are stressful for a kitten. You shouldn't expect him to obey on the first day. Don't start getting to know your animal with punishments.

Could be stress

A small kitten does not understand where to relieve itself, especially if it was born on the street. In the first days of developing the territory, it is necessary to help the animal form the right habits.
Observing his behavior, you can notice fussy behavior when he wants to go to the toilet. Transfer the kitten to the litter box. Even if the hint doesn’t work the first time, in the future the animal will understand what you want from it.
If the kitten has taken a liking to a specific corner from the first day and the place allows you to place a tray there, then he will definitely take advantage of this opportunity, otherwise you will not be able to stop the kitten from crapping in the wrong place.

Methods to Avoid

Measures for raising an animal must be completely safe for its health.

Absolute taboo:

beating;
poking your nose into a puddle or pile;
dousing with water;
rough pushing towards the tray;
shout.

All this will only frighten, provoke stress and ultimately have the opposite effect. The cat will become insecure and begin to look through all corners in search of something for which it will not be punished.

A little scolding is necessary, but only if the cat was caught “doing this.” Delayed punishment is pointless, because the cat will no longer understand what the owner’s aggression is connected with.

Sometimes it is advised to lock the cat in a cramped room with a litter tray: if it cannot find another place, it will begin to go there. But this method is also quite cruel. Such treatment can frighten, offend the animal and cause a persistent aversion to the toilet.

A cat shits in the wrong place: how to train it to the litter box?

Give the animal a choice.

The location of the cat litter box is of fundamental importance for many pets. Cats are predators by nature and they have their own natural instincts.
The first thing to do is to ensure that the animal has constant access to the tray. The toilet or bathroom should not be tightly locked with a door, so it is quite possible to wean a kitten or cat from shitting in the wrong place.
Sometimes cats themselves suggest where it is best to place the tray. Most often they choose secluded places. There is no need to resist this state of affairs.

In the wrong place

Proper arrangement of a cat's litter box

train your cat to use the litter box for a long period of time then perhaps your litter box does not meet the animal’s requirements.
When wondering which cat litter to choose, pay attention not to the purchase price, but to the correct parameters of the litter box. A small tray with low sides will bring a lot of inconvenience to both the owner and the pet.
There should be enough space in the cat litter box so that an adult cat can freely turn around and settle into a comfortable position. The height of the sides should take into account that a third of the space will be filled with filler.
The filler for the tray is selected through experimentation. Instead of granular filler, regular finely torn paper may be suitable. Changing the usual litter can be one of the reasons why an animal shits past the tray.

Failure to clean the litter tray in a timely manner may repel the animal. So make it a habit to keep your cat's litter box clean. If you are away for a long time, you can arrange two trays side by side.

Methods of rewarding an animal for correct actions

Cats cannot speak the language of people, but at the level of instincts they are able to perceive our requests and appeals. Praise your cat for being obedient.
Treat your pet with his favorite treats. Perhaps the cat will thank you for your attentive attitude with good behavior and affection.

Let's stop marking our territory

Domestic cats, like any other animal, mark their territory. They also mark all the corners in the apartment, thereby additionally attracting individuals of the opposite sex.

Some experienced cat breeders recommend influencing your pet psychologically and proving your superiority over it. You need to wait for the cat to settle down near some corner to complete its furry business, then grab it by the scruff of the neck and hold it suspended for several minutes. You can sharply flick your pet on the ears. At the same time, he will tuck his paws and tail, thereby submitting to the owner.

It makes no sense to try to wash off the marks and treat the places where they were applied with odorous products. The cat will simply try to cover up the alien smell that is unpleasant for him and will mark even more strongly.

We reduce sexual activity with special drugs so that cats do not mark their territory

If a cat applies marks, it is advised to reduce the pet’s nervousness and sexual activity. For this purpose, specialized drugs are used (Gestrenol, Kot Bayun, etc.). The last resort and most effective measure is castration.

Video: how to protect beds from cats

How to train a cat to use the toilet?

To stop your cat from pooping in the wrong place, you can try teaching it to defecate on the toilet.
It is easier to train him to use the toilet after using the litter box. To begin with, the habit of defecating without litter is formed. The amount of bulk material gradually decreases. Replace a regular trough with a mesh tray.
At the second stage, the tray is raised daily to a certain height until it reaches the level with the toilet. It is important to take care of the stability of the structure. After a few weeks, the tray at height is removed, and a special tab with a small hole is placed on the toilet. Another option is to cut an oval hole in the toilet lid.
If the cat is scared by the noisy sounds of the toilet , then try flushing while holding the pet in your arms. He must see that he is not in danger. If you notice that it is difficult for your cat to sit on the new device, then help her take the correct position.

Training

It will take about a month to train your cat to use the toilet after using the litter box, so be patient.

Cat Urine Odor Eliminators

To prevent your cat from defecating again in the wrong place, it is necessary to completely eliminate the smell of the animal.

How to remove the smell of cat urine? You can use improvised and special tools.

Oxidizing agents will help eliminate the smell of pet feces:

hydrogen peroxide;
iodine solution – 10-20 drops per liter of liquid;
water with lemon juice;
concentrated soda solution;
alcohol solution.

Getting rid of the smell
Professional products that help remove the smell of cat urine:

DezoSan and Zoosan
UrineOff
Complete Pet Stain&Odor Remover
Pet Stain&Odor Remover
Bio-Vax toilet deodorants.

High-quality chemical products must contain enzymes. You can identify stained areas using an ultraviolet lamp. This way you can definitely stop your cat from shitting in the wrong place.

How to stop a cat from shitting in the wrong place: folk remedies

Aromatic irritants are used as folk remedies for re-educating a cat. To stop a cat from shitting in the wrong place, several unpleasant combinations for animals are used.

Any of the following remedies will help stop your cat from shitting in the wrong place:

Fresh mint aroma. A bunch of fragrant plant retains its aroma for a long period and creates a pleasant atmosphere in the room.
Citrus. Don't rush to throw away fruit peels. Place it on pieces of furniture, on the windowsill, near the carpet. Lubricate furniture with citrus oils.

Cats can't stand the smell of citrus fruits

Sprigs of dried rosemary. Make small bouquets of rosemary and lavender. The cat will not want to be in this room.
Cinnamon. Spicy seasoning can be diluted in containers with water or purchased cinnamon oil.
Onion and garlic. Ideal for the kitchen. Cut the bulbs into several pieces and place them in places where the cat defecates. The garlic clove can be ground into a paste. Lasting aromas will repel the animal and will not irritate the owner.
Concentrated perfumes. Choose a perfume with a strong smell and treat the area where your cat likes it. Even if it doesn't work the first time, continue with your idea.

You can experiment with any strong-smelling products, including household chemicals. You can try to re-educate the animal using gentle methods. Transfer the cat's excrement into the tray with him, gently point his muzzle into the pot, have regular conversations, place the animal and the pot in an isolated space.

If your pet is acting inappropriately, we also recommend reading the following topics:

How to stop a dog from littering the house?
The cat climbs on the table: how to wean it off?

What not to do

Sometimes the owner thinks that any method is good in raising a pet, but this is not so. Some actions may, at best, not change the situation; at worst, they may greatly aggravate it.

Yelling at the cat, scaring it and hitting it is inappropriate. The animal will think that the owner is angry at the very fact of relieving himself, and will begin to do his natural things away from the owner. How unpleasant it will be to find “mines” under sofas and cabinets.
Poking your face into stool is not the best method. Cats do not know how to draw parallels, and the animal simply will not understand why the owner does this.
If the owner catches a cat red-handed , you should not make him run away in panic, scattering his “gifts” along the way, but take him to the litter box and finish the job.

How to stop a cat from shitting in the wrong place: reviews

Reviews from those who managed to wean porridge from shitting in the wrong place:

Anna: A cat has been living in my house for more than a year. From the first day I went to relieve myself in the litter tray in the bathroom. Then she suddenly started peeing in the tray and pooping on the tiles next to it. The reason turned out to be her excessive cleanliness. We placed two trays side by side, and the cat began to use both. The problem has disappeared.
Inna: Once every six months I go on a business trip. The cat stays with her husband. After a long absence, the cat begins to shit in the wrong place. His behavior can only be leveled out with the help of additional attention. When I hear scratching in the corners, I change my intonation. After defecating in the tray, I praise him. A week later the cat gets better.
Evgenia: I came to visit my grandmother. After visiting for a week, I noticed that the cat sometimes relieves itself in the corner behind the TV. I purchased Zoosan odor eliminator from a veterinary pharmacy. I processed the corner and covered the floor with foil. The cat stopped shitting there.
Andrey: Our cat got into the habit of peeing in a flower pot. We changed the soil - it didn’t help. The citrus peels in the pot didn't scare me away either. They put this pot in another place, the cat shit in another place. The only thing that helped stop the cat from shitting in the wrong place was double-sided tape on the windowsill. She stomped on the adhesive tape once and now walks around the window sill.

Useful tips for the owner

Some of the following tips may help correct the situation.

Every cat has favorite places where it poops instead of the litter box. In addition, ordinary washing of the floor in such cases does not deprive the cat of the opportunity to continue following the smell - these cunning creatures have an excellent sense of smell. To eliminate the smell, you need to use vinegar or any product with a strong chemical effect. The worse the smell, the less likely it is that the cat will dare to shit there. This is especially true for cat urine.
The smell of citrus fruits, and especially lemons, is not liked by cats and repels them. This can be used to educate mustaches. If you put lemon peels in prohibited places, the violator of discipline will think twice before relieving himself there. There are special citrus fresheners that cats also really dislike.
Some cat lovers offer this harsh but effective method: leaving the pet alone with the litter box for several days. Of course, the cat will have to be taken out to feed 2-3 times a day. But after 7 days, the problem with the toilet will be solved once and for all. At least that's what experienced cat breeders say.
No matter what the cat does, he still considers himself a clean and intelligent animal. He will not shit where his bed or food is. The place that the cat has chosen as a toilet must be disguised as the cat’s “dining room” or “bedroom”. To do this, you can stick pieces of cat food on paper and secure the paper around the place of the main events. You can rub the cat with a damp towel, then wipe with this towel all the corners of the place where the pet most often shits. But this method is for those owners who are not too lazy to be creative.
Are you taking good care of your pet's litter box? Some owners believe that the stronger the litter box stinks, the greater the chance that the cat will relieve itself there. And this opinion is wrong! To understand where the toilet is, a cat only needs the subtle smell of its own feces. The owner may not even feel them, but the cat will catch these aromas from afar. But a stinking litter box, where the filler does not change for days on end, will scare away a clean cat, and he will find a cleaner toilet. Under the closet, for example. Some owners even buy 2-3 trays if there are several cats in the house.
If the owner cleans the “wrong” toilet with products containing chlorine, the cat will like the smell and will love this place even more.