Diabetic Cat Started Pooping Outside Of Litter Box
An owner is worried that her diabetic cat has started pooping outside the litterbox. The cat was diagnosed with diabetes about three weeks ago and the owners are doing everything they can to cope. Is this pooping anything to do with the diabetes? Here are some replies from other owners:-
“Have you made any litterbox changes lately? Different litter? Scent? Added or removed a hood? New location? Switched from AC to heat for the season? anything? Sometimes little changes are enough to make fussy box users go elsewhere. Try unchanging whatever you’ve changed recently and see if it helps (if you’ve switched from A/C to heat, check for drafts)”.
“our dearly departed diabetic cat, Sam, often used urinating outside the litter box to let us know his sugar was out of control. He’d pee on the floor, we’d test him and, sure enough, his sugar would be too high. So, even if you find an aesthetic problem with the litterbox, you might check Cecelia’s sugar when she poops outside the box too, just to see if there’s a relationship.”
“Usually its peeing thats related to the diabetes.. did it start with the diagnosis? Did you or your vet change her food at diagnosis? Changes in food can cause upset like diarrhea. so can addition of meds, antibiotics for urinary tract infection.. many newly diagnosed diabetics have urinary tract infections. Has anything disruptive happened in your home? Visitors, stay over relatives? I ask because doorways and windows are frequently targeted when a cat is feeling insecure about arrivals or departures, or when they smell/ see other cats at windows. They want “interlopers” to know that its their house, so the first thing a visitor sees is the poop marking that “THIS IS MY HOUSE””
“Remember that you must use an enzyme cleaner on the spot. When a cat is repeatedly going to the same spot it may not have been cleaned thoroughly. No diss to you here, cats can smell pee and poo when you cant, and an enzyme cleaner breaks down the organic material. All enzyme cleaners are not created equal tho. I like Anti Icky Poo..”
Some great advice and observations above. The bottom line is, yes there has been huge disruption, the diagnosis of diabetes and the subsequent treatments and diet changes can trigger many things. Before the diabetic diagnosis the cat had a very stable predictable life but then things get turned upside down….blood testing…insulin injections, vets visits….new diet etc. etc. So a ‘diabetic cat started pooping outside litterbox‘ is one of those strange occurances that people tend to mention now and then.
