Cat(s ?) Pooping Outside Litter Box.... AGAIN!

Question
I am writing to you because I am in desperate situation with my two cats.... we seem to have come across some sort of litter box issue, for the second, third, maybe even fourth time. I have been researching online all day and I really am not finding an answer that is specific for my issue (old cats, sick cats, etc.). You probably need some background info for this.

I have two cats right now. One is about a year and a half old, and I have had him since he was a kitten. He was a rescue, and he only had a few minor litterbox issues when I first got him that cleared up immediately. When I moved, he was about a year old. In my new apartment, he began peeing on dirty clothes, and ONLY dirty clothes. I have had him at the vet several times, I was a vet tech myself, so I was always able to bring him to the clinic if there were any issues. He is completely, 100% healthy. He has had antibiotics in case of any kind of issue, xrays, multiple exams, etc, so I am very confident in ruling out health problems. I felt this peeing on the dirty laundry deal was purely a behavior issue and was because he was stressed out from the move. I moved the laundry, problem solved. Within the last few months, I rescued another cat (a female, about 2 to 3 years old, most likely spayed). I kept her separated from my current cat for over a month. She was in a bathroom with the door shut, and I would feed the cats by the door so they could get used to each other and their scents. That worked out fine. I decided to keep this rescue I was fostering, and very slowly introduced them to each other. They fight a lot, but I think most of it is because my male cat (who is neutered) is still very young and extremely playful, and he thinks it is a game. He does the same thing to my dog. They typically do fine and even sleep next to each other on my bed. Our newest problem is that I keep finding that one of them has pooped outside of the litter box, and I cannot tell who. The first time I figured it was the new female, so I put her back in the bathroom for a while on her own again and the problem was fixed. I reintroduced the cats, and a few days later, same problem. At first it was pretty random and not a consistent problem so I just cleaned up the mess and dealt with it.

Fast forward a few more weeks... and now I am finding them pooping outside the litter box more frequently, sometimes twice a day. Previously I thought maybe the cats did not understand where the litter boxes were, so I moved them to more convenient (or so I think) locations for the cats. We have THREE litter boxes. One on every level. One of my cats really enjoys pooping outside of the litter box downstairs, and only the one downstairs. So, I closed both cats off in one room together, with two litter boxes and toys and things while I tried to solve this problem. I cleaned my entire apartment, cleaned the rugs, shampooed the rugs, and I even used enzymatic cleaner to destroy whatever scent was left behind. So after a few days I let the cats out again to be free in the apartment, and, within about two days, we discover SOMEONE has pooped downstairs in the same spot. It is also important to know that I did not even put the litter box back downstairs where the original problem was, I left the litter boxes in the cat room so they knew where they were. One of my cats still keeps sneaking downstairs to go and poop in this same spot. It is driving me absolutely insane, and I feel like it is mostly behavioral. They are now both shut in their own room again, and I have also found that one time one of the cats pooped outside the box in the corner up there too. I have no idea what the deal is.

I highly suspect it is my male cat (who is of course neutered) who might be doing this, because he is quite moody and I think he is upset about having the other cat. Maybe this isn't the case. But something changed with either the move or when I introduced this new cat. The female does get pretty stressed out sometimes and is still skittish, but doesn't seem to have the same personality the male cat does. She is quiet and keeps to herself, she doesn't really sneak around and get into trouble like my other cat. Everyone is still healthy, they are eating very good food (Orijen six fish and Evo Salmon and Herring), and they both get supplements. They do not have diarhhea or anything, and they act totally normal. One or both of these cats is just pooping outside the litter box to try to tell me something, and the message is not coming across very clearly.

I have tried adding more litterboxes, adding larger boxes, changing the litter (texture, smell, everything), changing the food, and changing the litter box location. I have also attempted to barricade the entrance to the basement (where one of the pooping problems is) but the cats break through or sneak around and find a way down there. It is not like there is a door I can shut to keep them out, it is an open area. I do not want them to have to live in this room together forever more, but I am sick of this pooping wherever they feel like deal. They also really seem to enjoy doing this on dirty clothes (mostly peeing with that) or dirty towels that I have left on the floor. It really encourages me to pick up my laundry right away, but it can be quite annoying when a towel simply falls on the floor after hanging on the shower and gets pooped on by one of the cats.

Please help!

Answer
Hello Christa,

Wow, that was a long read! You definately, in my opinion, have a urine marking and middening problem here. Before I give you some advice, is there anyway that you can give me some kind of lay-out of you home, marking out where they leave the faeces and urine, and where they each spend the most time? This tends to be extremely helpful to behaviourists to get a better idea of the territory lay-out, entries and exits and routes to recourses. They are basically marking as a way of communicating to each other where their own territory and recourses are, including marking objects in the house to reinforce their own scent.

If you cannot do this, I would highly suggest hiring a behaviourist to come to your home for a consultation, marking behaviours to this extent need alot of information gathering for further assesment. To simply throw some techniques at you without gathering the correct information may make the problem worse.

Thank you

Kelly