Cat running and pooping all over house....please help!!

[CaseyCat]

Our 11 1/2 overweight female calico began pooping all over the house a few months ago. She will start running all around, up and down stairs, through rooms, almost in a panic. Then she will stop, squat, pant with her mouth open, while she starts to poop. Once the poop starts to come, she starts running again, leaving drops behind her. She has rarely used the litter box in the past few months (and not once in the past month).

We have had her to the vet a few times, but he is baffled. We initially thought constipation, so had her on a diet of soft food twice a day with pumpkin and prunes (with hard food at other times during the day). Her stools did soften up, but the problem has persisted. Her stools now are quite soft and she goes 1-2 times per day - constipation doesn't seem to be an issue.

Her anal glands have been cleaned a couple of times (one was quite full) but that hasn't stopped the problem.

She is not able to clean herself properly, so I give her a bath once a week. She is not overly dirty.

She has had a complete blood work up done and it came back normal.

She does urinate in the litter box (except when she is locked in the basement - because of the pooping problem - then she'll pee on the floor). When not locked up, she will go to the litter box to urinate; however, regardless of being locked up or not, she still poops all over the house.

The vet has suggested maybe something behavioural, but even he doesn't seem convinced that is the problem. We're currently on day 6 of a hypoallergenic diet and giving her prednisone, thinking it may have been an inflammatory bowel problem, but no change yet. My gut says it's something physical/medical rather than behavioural.

I'm getting pretty desperate - there has been talk of having to put her down, but I just can't justify putting down an otherwise healthy cat because of this. There has to be an answer out there.

Has anyone else had this problem? Any suggestions? We're running out of money for tests - wondering also what to try next? Enema? Colonoscopy? xrays? ultrasound? Going to call the vet again Monday but wondering if anyone had any ideas...

Thank you!

[Khari]

We have had her to the vet a few times, but he is baffled.

Have you considered taking her to a different vet? Sometimes a new vet may be more insightful. My girl cat was doing the exact same thing your girl was doing for years. My regular vet said it was enlarged anal glands. So he would have to excrete her glands about every 2-3 months. I decided to take her to a new vet a few months ago when the symptoms came back. And the new vet diagnosed it to be constipation and did not think the anal glands were causing the problem. He gave her an enema and removed a huge blockage....poor girl. I am not saying your cats problem is constipation but a second opinion may help....

She does urinate in the litter box (except when she is locked in the basement - because of the pooping problem - then she'll pee on the floor). When not locked up, she will go to the litter box to urinate; however, regardless of being locked up or not, she still poops all over the house.

One thing I wanted to suggest is putting a litterbox in the basement so she does not pee on the floor. Where is the litterbox located right now? Is it in a high traffic, noisy area? Could you put one in a quiet area and one also in the basement? Cats like quiet, hidden areas when going to the washroom. And their food should not be placed near the litterbox.

I'm getting pretty desperate - there has been talk of having to put her down, but I just can't justify putting down an otherwise healthy cat because of this. There has to be an answer out there.

Putting her down b/c she is pooping does not sound like a logical solution to me....When my cat was pooping throughout the house - putting her down was not even a thought....

I hope someone can help shed some light on this for you

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by CaseyCat

We're currently on day 6 of a hypoallergenic diet and giving her prednisone, thinking it may have been an inflammatory bowel problem, but no change yet.

It certainly sounds like she's in pain when defecating. What is the hypoallergenic food that she's on (wet or dry)? What was her diet in the past (wet, dry, brands and flavours)? Other than a diet related issue, which this could still be, the only other suggestion I have would be to maybe think about getting an ultrasound done. It's the least invasive and should be helpful in at least ruling out some issues, even if it doesn't completely diagnose the problem.

[sarahtruly]

I definitely recommend getting a second opinion. I've had several experiences where one vet wasn't quite sure of a situation but the second vet nailed it.

You mentioned she pants... Is she panting like she's having a hard time breathing or panting because it hurts her to poo?

Also I've had an experience where a vet told me to put my cat to sleep (CRF) when she was clearly still exhibiting a zest for life. I got a second opinion and that vet said he would not advise putting her down (which I had already decided but wanted reassurance). Well, long story short, she lived for more than a year after that initial diagnosis!

[CaseyCat]

Thank you everyone for your quick responses

Khari - you said it turned out that your cat had a blockage, but I'm wondering if she would still poop every day? Casey still poops 1-2 times per day, and her stools don't seem hard at all, which has made me think constipation is not the problem. But maybe there is something to this blockage issue? I'll have to run it by the vet. Thanks

[Khari]

It sounds positive that she is having a stool everyday! Back in the day I wasn't really aware of her bowel movements. All I knew was when she started to scoot around and leaving me presents on my bed, couch, carpet, etc. it was time to take her to the vet to get her glands excreted. Now I am very aware of her bowel movements because when she had the symptoms over a month ago I took her to a new vet and he found the blockage....and there have been points since then that she will not have a stool for up to 5 days....so I am trying to get this under control....so far with what i have her on she has been going everyday - yay!

Would you consider going to a different vet for a second opinion?

[CaseyCat]

Thanks for the info Khari...the vet we're working with is very good - he's open to suggestions so I'll talk to him on Monday about a blockage. He may have already looked into this and just hadn't mentioned it, since she is pooping every day. Thanks again!

[karank]

My seven year old male cat Santino is having the same problem. The vet suggested that he may have injured his back since cats have a hard time controlling the anal muscles with a back injury. Santino has struvite crystals and I have him on Hill's SD. Both problems happened at the same time so I feel it's related. He has gotten sooo much better after 1 1/2 months on the food so I'm gonna keep monitoring him for improvements/changes. He's going in the litter box now when I show it too him and I give him treats after. Good Luck and let me know if you find the answer!!!

[Kristine7]

I'm sorry if I missed something, I only briefly skimmed through the threads, but did you ever find out why this was happening or find a way to stop it? I have the exact same problem only my cat is a baby, just turned 1. She does the running & panting and pooping in very odd places. She also hides under covers a lot now and has pooped under the covers. I also cannot fathom why she would be pooping in bed where she sleeps! Was there any conclusion on this

Thanks.

[reanne]

I didn't read this whole thread, I just wanted to say that YES it IS possible to have a partial blockage when an animal (or person!) is still passing stools (called by-passing). Soft and liquid stool can still move through a partially blocked intestine.

[vusery]

OMG.... My Male 8 year old cat is doing the same thing. Only he is hissing instead of panting. But running around pooping.... He has had blood tests, x-ray, been on different meds.... nothing is working!! He has to be hurting, I feel so bad for him. It has helped reading some of the posts. We take him to another vet next week. I'm hoping another vet will have a different suggestion. We've gotten his poop soft enough, that it shouldn't be causing pain... but something is sure going on.

[Barkingdog]

Do you have and small kids in your house? I am wondering if something was pushed up her and causing to hurt.

[scottyxx]

Not sure I can help diagnose, but my kitty is having poop issues.

Mine cries every time it comes upon him, and he starts to scratch and run. Its like explosive diarrhea, basically it comes on so fast he cannot make it to the litter tray. What might help is putting the kitty locked in a room, with a separate litter tray. I have 1 in the basement, and 1 upstairs. So when he panics, he has one close to him at all times.

You could also try a fluffy rug..weird..I know..but if he cannot find either tray he instinctively goes for a rug, I found when he is really upset he uses our fluffy bath mat - i guess it soothes his red hot bum

This might help at least control the poop issue until you can get a diagnosis.

[Kristoph]

My cat does this every day, has for years. My cat is an incredibly high stress animal and we (vet and I) think there maybe a combination of issues that caused this behavior to become learned. When this first started he had severe constipation and hard bloody stools. This caused pain he would scream and run while pooping. He also had a break down when my brother stayed with us (high stress). There seems to be a multitude of factors as he also has food allergies, and I can't switch food due to it being high fiber. Which has helped immensely with the pain issues but it is still uncomfortable for him. due to the over large droppings. He is a very codependent animal (as are the other two) which is a great thing in this case.

What we do daily is walk him to the litter box and hold him in while calmly praising him. At first it was long hours locked in the Bathroom with him. It was the only small space I could be sure to get to him in time. After four plus hours I finally got him to go. I continued this over the next week bringing him into the room and calmly repeated holding him in. Now he goes every day, most times he whines or scratches to let us know it's potty time. He still freaks out so holding him is a must 90% of the time, and we still have the occasional accident about once a month.

My suggestion is to Do almost the same get them in a small easily controlled space and start a new routine of assistance and comforting while you wish you were any where else.

[kittykatie4353]

Hi Everyone:

Since August 2014, I noticed that My Izzie lulu has been leaving me presents around the house. Wet poops, dry poops, diarrhea She pees and occasionally she poops in the box but for the most part She has been running really fast, stopping pooping and then running again all over the house, I have tried, Dr. Elsyes litter guaranteed to put your cat in the box but to no avail. I have taken her to the vet and been told this is behavior because of the other cats, I have purchased her old litter, a new 2 new litter boxes with a lid. She has now taken to peeing on my body pillow at the top of my head while i am sleeping. but my heart tells me something is wrong with her. Recently, i noticed that she has circled the furniture, like a train choo choo choo choo 3x then she stops behind the couch and poops. then there are all these little pieces all up the stairs. I am finding dry poops on my desk, my printer/fax machine, under the beds, But today, she had blood on her fur around her butt. My izzie has never been so sucky, clinging to me like a small child who doesn't want to be released to a family member or worse the dr. who is going to give her a needle. The vet wants me to bring her in for observations. There goes another $200.00 i don't have. If anyone has found the problem please let me know. she has had samples taken, I have used feliway to keep her calm that didn't work either. I recently purchased rescue remedy and put it in the water which won't work unless she drinks the water like the rest of the cats. Please someone if you know what is wrong. i will be happy to take it to the vet or another vet.

[Barkingdog]

http://cats.lovetoknow.com/Feline_Ge...bular_Syndrome



It could be vertigo , I met a woman and her dog was running around in circles and standing a corner of room like he was stuck there . The dog had vertigo and was given some meds .

[sugarcatmom]

kittykatie4353, what does Izzie eat?

[Mamaof3bees]

Hello, I am totally new to this but am at my wits end. My poor sweet kitty Mavis has been very sick. It started with explosive diarrhea, out of nowhere. Followed by the development of a deep tissue abscess and severe anemia. The weekend after thanksgiving she was lethargic and unresponsive. By Tuesday that week I decided that the end was near and made an appointment. Needless to say after sobbing all day, she suddenly stood up and kissed me. My vet and I decided to continue nursing her back to health.

She has an obvious neurological deficit of which we can't figure the cause. The abscess finally cleared up after two weeks of treatments. The diarrhea continues to plague her. She is just three years old this month and is a tiny girl to begin with, now back to her 5 pounds. She is eating, drinking, peeing in the litter box but can't seem to make it with the poop.

She is currently being treated for a possible active case of toxoplasmosis. All her tests, every single one is within normal limits. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? This has been financial taxing and is breaking my heart. We all love her dearly and want to see her recover.

Thank you so much.

[Winston]

Have you tried pure pumpkin. It works both ways as a stool softener or it firms them up. It must be pure stuff not pie filling. I put the leftovers in an icecube tray so it doesnt go to waste. A little bit on their food for a couple of days should help.

[arichey]

Have tried pumpkin, no change. Stool is not hard or too soft. But he seems to need to run and jump to get it out. I don't know what to do first. Enema? Ultrasound? xray? All the above? He is eating normally and otherwise seems ok. This all started about three weeks ago. Before that, he would poop very rarely out of the box. Now it is every day.
Thank you

[healingpets]

besides the holistic vet idea, did you consider energy healing for the pain and the pooping?
a lot of times it takes the entire trouble away. google has lots of healers listed. try finding a certified pranic healer, willing to do pets!
still no go, ping back.

[Reg]

Hello Mamaof3Bees:

Welcome to the forum.
I was wondering if you have ever tried Slippery Elm Bark for any of the bowel issues? I've used it in the past for diarhea and had good success with it. It might be something worth looking into.

I'm enclosing a web site for Little Big Cats that will describe the application and how to prepare.

What I found was buying bulk Slippery Elm seemed to make a better product than using capsules and do taste it before giving it to the cat to make sure that it meets Little Big Cat specs.

Couple of other things that I have some questions about. What type of food is the cat on? Has she been on antibiotics before for any reason and when was the last time it had vaccinations? In the past I've had problems with my cats with over prescriptions of antibiotics along with the vaccinations. Is the cat strictly an indoor cat, or does it go outdoors as well?

As Hazelrunpack mentioned - cats and antibiotics don't mix well due to their digestive systems - it's extremely high in healthy bacteria for digestion and antibiotics aren't selective. If it's bacteria, it kills it. If it's in the stomach, it can cause irritable bowel problems big time.

The month long prescription for antibiotics without having confirmed lab tests, diagnosis indicating that they are necessary, just seems to be a bit much, especially for such a small cat. The side effects are the major problem, according to my pharmacist.

http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/slippery-elm/

[tipsey]

My 6 year old female Medium hair cat part Maine Coon has over the years pooped outside the litter.
Symptons: She doesn't poop for several days and runs around the house with poop falling. After she hides and pants a bit. It happens every year and lasts for months.

What I've tried:
1. First couple of years on daily lactoluse
2. Changed for fibre response food (which worked for the first year)
3.Tried Lacteeze for cats
4. Tried human grade restoralax
5. Changed litter type to corn(bad), back to clay based
6. First year took x-rays but found nothing
7. Tried Cysperide to make her try and poop more frequently. She's still on that with no success

Results:
1. Poop is segmented, firm but not too hard
2. With Lactoluse, the poop gets watery and too loose
3. She still pees in the litter (alot of pee)

I'm sure this is Megacolon but the treatments are getting more ineffective each year.


I'm at wits end since it's getting expensive and she is still fairly young.

Anyone else has this experience?

[Reg]

Welcome to the forum Tipsey.

Hope we can get some ideas for you.

What type of food is she on - dry or canned? Has she had any recent blood or urine work done? If so was there any issues?

When you were using the Restoralax, how much were you using per day? How heavy is she?

When you say she "runs around the house with poop falling", what exactly do you mean? Is it hanging from her anus, or is it like a diarhea, or is it hung up with hair in the digestive system?

Has she been seen by a vet in recent months, and is your vet just a standard vet or integrative?

Some answers to these questions might help the members to help you.

I'll see if I can come up with some ideas to look at.

[Longblades]

Slippery Elm powder helped my old girl and eliminated the need for Restorolax. After about a week on it her innards were recovered and she was able to resume her normal bathroom habits without help. I was surprised all to heck that she would eat the stuff, mixed in her canned food, but she did with no trouble at all.

[tipsey]

Wet food in morning, fibre response dry food throughout the day. The poop literally shoots out of here when she runs around. The Vet believes it's irritable bowel syndrome and she's had bloodworks which came back negative. She's had some luck pooping in the litter but fails to bury it. I brush her almost daily since she's medium hair and she weighs about 5.5 kg (not overweight) but she's a big cat (part maine coon)

[Reg]

We had our late Missy with the same problem that you are going through.

In regards to the litter box, what we found was Missy would accumulate a lot of gas, and with the diarhea when she passed gas sometimes it was forced out with a fluid drive of disentery which was not intended. And it ended up on the floor outside the litter box. She would pass gas in the bathroom where the litter box was, and you'd hear her down the hall in the living room.

When Missy had diarhea, she wouldn't cover it either. I think the reason was because she didn't want to get it on her paws. Cats are very clean animals and when this mishap occurs outside the box with the diarhea - what i had noticed - upset Missy and I would suspect it would be the same with your girl.

We found that we had to change the food and get away from kibble. That was pointed out to us by several vets. I would think that you are going to be in the same boat.

Is your vet integrative? If not, I would be thinking strongly of looking for a vet who is both conventional and alternative. The reason is the alternative vet will have more knowledge on species specific feeding. Mainly because they have stepped outside the box to learn rather than take the pet food industry's teaching.

Be very careful with vaccines - keep them to a bare minimum. I did away with them altogether. Something else that is dangerous is antibiotics. The side effects can raise havock with the digestive flora in the gut - weakening it and causing more problems.

Here are a couple of web sites for you to check out. The feline-nutrition one gives a break down of the gut floral and what's happening and some suggestions on feeding.

I suspect that you have done a lot of research. Hopefully this information is of some use.

https://feline-nutrition.org/health/...-and-treatment

This one is information from Dr.Lisa Pierson. I've followed her web site almost from the beginning. This article is on IBS, but there are other articles that are well worth the read.

Go to the top of the page and on the green side bar - down about 3 - is an article on prescription diets which is also worth a read and I've had vets tell me the same thing, just not in as many words.

http://catinfo.org/#Inflammatory_Bowel_Disease_(IBD)

Keep us posted.

[Keyser&Sebastan]

The vet ran numerous tests and couldn’t find anything wrong with my cat (Keyser). This has been going on for awhile and no solution! Finally, after doing a lot of research on my own I believe he has IBS, which in cats is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning it is arrived at after all other potential causes of a kitty’s digestive symptoms are ruled out. I am going to begin treating him for IBS, which includes some changes to his diet and environment.. I’ll let you all know how it turns out. But for those having similar issues with their cats I recommend looking up IBS.

[Punchbuggy]

Hi all.....from reading this thread our Mother cat (unsure of age as she belongs to Daughter) took her as daughter moved and didn't want her to be brought to a shelter.

Anyways, I have seen our Namine lay there, her back near her tail flinching like she's irratated. I get her to stop and rub her like she's itchy or something. This has been going on for a bit, then she goes days all good. She runs like something is chasing her,then stops then runs.

Now we are starting to find poop. Little spots up the stairs then find a big "blob". She has done it on our bed, under the bed pretty much every part of the house.

The little blobs are very smooth looking in texture and the big blob one time was runny and then it seemed like it had liquid around it. No blood.

She does go pee in box, no change to diet. She had a litter 2 years ago. 4 kittens. We got her and 2 other we kept fixed. They all had a clean bill of health, now this with the Mother.

[hazelrunpack]

Hi, Punchbuggy. If this is an ongoing thing, it might be worth a trip to the vet just to get Namine checked out. Changes in litter box habits can sometimes mean health issues. If you can, bring a stool sample with you when you go to the clinic--the vet will probably want to check it for worms and parasites.