pooping in the laundry

Question
my cat keeps pooping in my childrens dirty laundry no matter how clean her liter box is and its not from being alone because we had another cat.its very frustrating and im concerened because we will have a new born in the house soon.

Answer
Hello.

Congratulations on your baby-on-the-way!
.....I see your concern with these problems.

Generally I reccommend that you first find out if there's any medical problem.
A platter of health issues can cause cats to defecate outside the designated litterbox.. and UTI is the most common reason cats' decide to start urinating outside of their litterbox.
So, if you can take kitty in to the vet for a check-up, you may be able to rule out the problem entirely!

Sometimes, though, it's in no way a medical issue.
First off, take the laundry baskets and move them to another area in the room. Where the laundry baskets were previously at, place your cats' litterbox. This may encourage her to potty in that area.

Since you have a newborn coming, you might not feel like spending a month training her on WHY it's bad to go outside of her litterbox.
You might consider buying a cover for your laundry basket, so to keep the cat out of it and eliminate the problem entirely.
Or, just taking the dirty clothes directly to the laundry room\washing machine. Or even emptying the basket more often! :)

Sometimes as cats get older they forget things more often....they can also go blind in one eye, or deaf in one ear--which is confusing, and can cause anger, aggression, and frustration. That might cause her to behave in ways we don't understand!
It helps if we can be patient, and understand that our cat isn't trying to make us upset...but rather, really has a problem that she needs our help with!!

Placing more than two litterboxes in various areas around the house can help with cats who have memory problems, or weak bladders--making it easier to find litterboxes wherever they are.

Make sure the litter boxes are in a low-traffic area, where there's not a lot of noise or commotion. Also, make sure they're all clean and have at least 3 inches of litter in the bottom.
You might consider, also, buying a hooded litter box! They can cut down on the feces odor, and they give cats a sense of security--which may be why yours is going potty inside the dark laundry basket.
When cats get older, I often find that your average low-sided, open-topped box, just doesn't do it... I have several covered boxes around my house, and a few of them even have flaps on the front area. Most of my cats feel more comfortable in them.

HOWEVER! There are a few cats who despise these boxes. They're often afraid to enter, and this will cause more problems than before! If you get a hooded box, be sure you observe your cat for the first few days and make sure that she's defecating regularly and without problems.

Also...check your cats' feces for abnormalities. Like blood, mucus, or even see if it's diarrhea or has a normal shape.

If she begins showing other problems or signs of illness..make sure you get her examined right away!

And best wishes :)
Lionel