Frankly, the question in the title irritates me, which is why I am writing about it. It is a question asked on social media (quora.com). The person should not be asking the question in the first place because they are directing the question at people who are not veterinarians. They are seeking advice from anybody. …
Introduction: The problem of domestic cats not using the litter box is the source of millions of articles. It is euphemistically called “inappropriate elimination”. It is an inaccurate description because from the cat’s standpoint it is entirely appropriate because there’s a reason behind their behaviour and this article sets out 14 different possible reasons. Many …
14 suggestions about domestic cats not using the litter box Read More »
Do domestic cats sometimes defecate when they are scared such as when on the veterinarian’s consultation table? The answer quite definitely is yes. I have personal experience of this when I took my then three-legged black, male cat to the vet because of what transpired to be a tumour behind his eye. He was a …
It’s a simple question and it probably justifies an equally simple answer. I can think of two possible reasons; the first of which is probably the correct one. Your cat is using the litter box and it is not uncommon, as you might imagine, for domestic cats to walk on their poop when they are …
My cat is perfectly clean but smells of poop. What’s up? Read More »
Here is a very typical “bad cat behaviour problem”. And, in reality, it is not a bad cat behaviour problem at all but a human-created problem. Husband and wife have a baby and the baby sleeps in the bedroom with them. All very normal. For years the family cat slept in the bedroom with them …
This is a philosophical question even if it does incorporate poo which is quite a nice juxtaposition. It is said that humans are hardwired to be repulsed by their own excreta. And apparently Charles Darwin identified human beings’ disgust at excrement as an essential human emotion. Further, Prof Valerie Curtis, a self-styled “disgustologist”, argued that …
Why are humans disgusted by their faeces but cats aren’t? Read More »
This is one reason why cats are better than dogs. I fully realise that dogs in some respects are better than cats. This is about dog poop. Here are 6 points about dog poop: In the UK, people have to pick up dog poop under bylaws. You see it all the time; owners wearily picking …
Poop: one good reason why cats are better than dogs Read More »
A least once and perhaps twice in a 24-hour period is the answer. It’s likely be more if they have mild diarrhoea. Cats are often active at night and therefore I am interpreting ‘a day’ as meaning 24 hours not just daylight hours. A veterinarian would say that ‘most cats have one or two stools …
I’m reminded by a story from California that it is the foul ammonia smell emanating from homes in which there are too many cats which always exposes these homes to the authorities because at the end of the day a neighbour complains as the smells constantly waft into their home. They might accept it for …
Foul ammonia odour exposes homes where there are too many cats Read More »
The question in the title is not strictly accurate because it implies that domestic cats always bury their waste and they don’t. By waste the questioner must mean faeces and urine. Sometimes both these waste products are used to mark territory and when they are used for this purpose they are not buried because they’re …
Middening in cats is the depositing of faeces in prominent places as an alternative form of scent marking. The others are urine spraying, squat marking with urine (to be distingusihed from cystitis) and scratching. Scratching leaves both a visual signal because the surface is damaged and an olfactory message because there are scent glands between …
As someone said, it is the little things that make the world go round and in this case put a little smile our face. SOME MORE ON CAT POOP!
Joe Rogan has complained bitterly on his Instagram page about stray cats at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) shitting and pissing all over the sunroof of his truck which he parked at the airport for 11 days while he was away on holiday in Europe. His posting on his Instagram account made headlines. It’s been …
Did stray cats shit and piss over Joe Rogan’s truck parked at LAX? Read More »
This is a cute little story which really could be told in one sentence and one photo but I have expanded on it as this form of cat behaviour is interesting. The cat’s owner (guardian) accidentally closed the doorway which provided access to her cat’s litter tray. Just outside the closed door was a bag …
Cat smart enough to make his own litter tray when access to his was barred Read More »
This is a question about “inappropriate elimination”. That’s a euphemism because from the cat’s perspective the elimination is appropriate because he or she is probably anxious, fearful and stressed because of a specific reason. Anxiety and fear are often the main factors driving cats to defecate indoors outside the litter tray. Dr Bradshaw in his …
How do I get my cat to stop pooping in my bath tub? Read More »
