Having a cat is something that can bring you a lot of joy in life, and you likely wouldn’t trade your cat for the world. However, there can still be problems that you’ll encounter as a cat owner along the way.
If your cat is pooping in places where it shouldn’t be, then you might be wondering what’s wrong. When you wake up to discover that there is cat poop on your couch, it’s going to be normal to be a bit angry.
You could start wondering if this is happening for a reason as well. If your cat has pooped on the couch more than once, then you might be starting to think that there is a reason for it.
Read on to learn about potential reasons why your cat will poop on the couch. After reading through the information below, you should have a better idea of what is likely going on.
1 – Medical Issues
There are times when cats will develop medical issues that cause them to have trouble with getting to a litter box in time. Your cat could be a little sick and might have diarrhea, and this could make it so that it feels as though it has to poop when laying on the couch.
Another possibility is that your cat has been constipated, and this can cause a cat to poop on the couch when it finally feels that it’s able to. There are many health issues that can cause cats to defecate in unusual places, and you can get your cat checked by a veterinarian to be safe.
Before assuming that behavioral problems are to blame, it’s likely going to be wise to talk to your veterinarian. They can give your cat a thorough examination to see if there is anything amiss.
Generally, a veterinarian should be able to help your cat with whatever issue they’re experiencing. If your cat’s problem isn’t health related, then it’s likely a behavior issue.
2 – The Cat Could Be Drawn to the Fabric
Some people speculate that cats are drawn to certain types of fabric. Common spots where cats poop outside of their litter boxes include rugs and couches.
They might like the way that the fabric feels, and the fabric could be easy for them to knead and paw while they’re doing their business. If they’re doing it for reasons such as this, then you’ll just have to discipline the cat and try to get it to understand that it needs to use its litter box.
3 – Litter Box Issues
Are you a busy individual who doesn’t have enough time to clean your cat’s litter box regularly? Cats are very clean creatures, and they aren’t going to like it if a litter box gets too messy.
Sometimes litter boxes will become undesirable when they’re not cleaned well, and this will cause cats to avoid them. If your cat is pooping on your couch now, then it could be related to a litter box issue.
Try cleaning the litter box thoroughly and then getting your cat to use that again. If you can pay more attention to cleaning the litter box, then you might be able to keep this from happening in the future.
It’s also possible that your cat might not like a specific brand of cat litter. Sometimes something as simple as changing out the cat litter can make a difference.
Another thing to mention is that your litter box could be a bad size for your cat. If a litter box is too small, then a cat might not want to use it because it feels inconvenient.
Even the location of the litter box can make a cat more or less likely to want to use it as intended. You need to take everything into consideration when you’re trying to figure out if there are litter box issues.
If you can change things up with the litter box, then you might be able to solve this cat poop problem. Try cleaning the litter box first, but if things don’t improve, changing the litter box or moving it around might be a prudent choice.
4 – Stress
Stress issues can cause cats to lash out and do strange things as well. Your cat might be pooping on the couch as a way to express its displeasure to you.
Did something change in your home environment recently? Did you bring a new pet into the home or make any other significant changes?
When cats get stressed, they will sometimes become moody and do unusual things. Even something such as your work schedule being particularly busy could cause some alterations in your cat’s behavior.
5 – Marking Territory
Marking territory is another reason why cats will poop in a particular spot. If your cat smells another animal’s scent on the couch, then it might poop there in some sort of an effort to claim the area.
This might sound rather ridiculous, but animals think of things in different terms than humans do. You could have cats trying to claim territory by taking turns marking a couch.
Granted, marking with urine is the most common thing that you will find cats doing, but this doesn’t mean that some won’t use feces for the same purpose. If this is happening, then you’ll want to do your best to stop it so that your couch won’t be ruined.
Make the Necessary Changes
Make the necessary changes to try to get your cat to stop pooping on your couch. The information above should help you to troubleshoot what is going on, but it’s going to be up to you to decide what to do next.
Sometimes it’s easy to get your cat to start using the litter box again, but certain cats might be more stubborn than ever. You should be able to turn things around with enough patience, though.
Your cat is a great pet and a part of your family, but this doesn’t mean that these issues won’t be annoying. Hopefully, you’ll be able to take care of this problem once and for all so that you can go back to just enjoying spending time with your cat again.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard. I also like photographing wild birds, especially birds of prey.