Just wondering if anyone has any experience of this or could possibly help figure out what's causing it. Might be a little gross...sorry.

I have a cat who is coming up to 16 years old, he's always been very clean but as of late that has completely changed, before I go any further he has been taken to a vet who said there is no medical reason for this new behaviour.

He has started pooping all over the place, he could spend ages outside and as soon as he comes in the house he will poo, sometimes not just once, the other day I had to clean up four piles of it within an hour, the back door was open so if wanted to go out he could've done.

It's getting quite annoying now because he has been house trained since he was a kitten, is it possible it's just because of his age? I can understand if is but I'm confused as to why sometimes he will specifically come in just to poop and then go back outside

Maybe something outside has upset him? Or it could be a bit of dementia.

We had a cat that started to poop next to the litter tray in his final years, we used to have to put newspaper all round it. Not sure why he did it, I'm sure a touch of dementia was among his very numerous health problems (but the vet said that, despite everything, he wasn't in any discomfort and he was keen for food right up until the final day).

my parents 19 year old cat does that. we reckon, along with going senile, she knows what she is doing as she does it just after someone ignores her and she has a litter tray. She is a little senile though as she will just wander for no apparent reason.

Have you got a litter tray for him? Maybe he doesn't like doing it outside anymore it is a bit cold at the moment.

He has a litter tray but uses it very rarely, he will poop next to it or in other areas but not actually in the tray itself. I never thought about him possibly going a bit senile in his old age but it does actually make sense, he's become quite forgetful with things like where his food bowl is, even though it's always been in the same spot.

Our oldest cat is 20, and so far, he generally uses the litter tray. There are occasional accidents, but I don't know whether to blame him or his 15-year-old mate! Fortunately he's never made a mess anywhere else in the house, he waits until he's allowed outside.

I think older cats do get a bit senile. Ours will go out of the cat door at the back, come round the front of the house, yowl on the doorstep until allowed back in, and then repeat the whole process! (He's just turned up there again now, howling away! )

He does remember where his food bowl is, though, he still eats like a horse. He's very deaf now, so he won't come when he's called, but fortunately he sticks pretty close to home and to his routine.

Aww my cat does that as well

Im afraid he may be going a bit senile, but it's worth taking him to the vet for a check up just to make sure it's not something else, eg a mini stroke caused by high BP. or a bowel problem if he's been four times in an hour !

Does sound as if it's senility.

Also, a good tip I read on here if he seems to be forgetting where his food bowl is,or losing his appetite, is to give him smelly foods such as sardines, as their sense of smell goes with age

I've managed to get an appointment for Friday afternoon, with a different vet's office, just to get a second opinion on his physical health.

Old cats are a bit like old humans, I suppose. Ours has a pretty good quality of life, and he can still defend himself and jump onto fences when necessary, he's just slowing down. He doesn't groom as well as he used to, so he's a bit scruffy as he won't let me brush him, otherwise he seems happy enough. If it did get to the stage of him being incontinent, though, I might have to think again. Hope it doesn't.

Just something else to consider, our cat, who's 16, also started to poo in the house for no apparent reason, the vet said there was nothing physically wrong with her, but she could be suffering from stress from other cats outside, ie scenting in her garden, trying to get in the house. Etc etc, he told us to try feliway which is a ferrimone ( I think that's how you spell it) you just plug it in and it seems to release a calming scent around where the cat sleeps and eats. Don't ask me why but it worked a treat, worth giving it a go.

Thanks Daleboy, I'll give that a try! There are a lot of cats in our neighbourhood and they're always roaming around all of the gardens.

Just an update, we took him to the vets earlier after noticing blood in his poop. They are keeping him in to do all of the usual tests and will get back to us to let us know what is going on.

i suppose its a possibility that hecould be stressed too by the thing with your brother my two are very intuitive if i get upset and dont likeraised voices either hope he is ok x

Could be, he's always been on the timid side.

I will update when there is any news from the vets.

That was another thing our cat had (blood in poop) and he had perpetual diarrhoea in the last few years. Though we mentioned it to the vet he never had anything for it, but at our cat's age (mid 20s) it could only ever have been pills or injections, I don't think he would have survived an operation. For the last two and a half years we reckoned he only had a few weeks to live.

An update, my dad spoke to the vet this morning and Tiger is completely incontinent, so it wasn't just random pooping he was actually leaking. They listed various things it could be and asked my dad to make a decision on whether or not he (we) want Tiger pts.

Apparently no matter how much we attempt to groom him, as he can't do it himself it won't be enough, and rather disturbingly come summer time the matted fur could become infested with maggots. My dad and I have spoken about what is best for Tiger and have booked an appointment for later today to have him pts.

This is him from a couple of years ago

http://i41.tinypic.com/1zog50l.jpg

That's really sad, but I think you've made the right decision. When an animal gets to that stage, it's the kindest thing to do. Having had to clean up my cats after various bouts of digestive illness, it's really not something that you can do on a long-term basis, and it's distressing for the cat.

Tiger looks lovely. You will have lots of happy memories.

So sorry to hear the outcome, he's a beautiful cat. As hard as it is to make the decision, you know in your heart it's the right one and done out of love for your cherished friend. Will be thinking of you on this sad day.

A fine cat. I am sure that the thoughts of all readers of this thread are with you at this time.

It's been strange today, I keep expecting to see Tiger roaming around or waiting for food.

My dad stayed in with him, I cuddled him and made a fuss then went to sit outside. We buried him in his "sun spot", a little patch at the end of the garden where he used to spend the majority of the day during summer time.

I think maybe or I might just be slightly mad, but it seems that the dog and other kitty know. They sat on the patio watching when we were burying Tiger, both are nosey little things but neither of them have gone to investigate what we were doing, which is unusual for them.

aw so sad xx