kitten pooing in bed and other cats meow

Question
Hi Kate I actually have two question the first is..

I have had my kitten for about 3 weeks, she is well looked after and recieves plenty of attention. I found her on the side of the road, she is happy (purrs all the time), healthy, playful an spoilt. She has no problem using her kitty litter but occasionally poops on my bed, especially if she is left alone for a while or isnt allowed outside. Its driving me crazy!! I've already had to get a new mattress. I clean her tray regularly and keep the sheets clean. The litter tray was used by my 2 year old cat, but he now goes outside, they also get along really well. Is there anything I can do?

Also my 2 year old's meow has changed, its very rough sounding like he has a sore throat. Do cat's meows change as they get older?

Answer
Hi
Regarding the poop issue. It could be one of two things. The first is a simple one. Sometimes when a cat urinates in a litter tray and then wants to poop as well they won't do it in the same place. My cat is the same so i have to clean the urine out as soon as she does it just in case she wants to do more. This is difficult i know if the cat is left alone during the day. the only thing would be a second litter tray.
the second reason is that it could be what is known as Middening. this is  behavioral problem similar to urination marking but is usually only carried out in extreme circumstances when a cat feels really threatened. (se my page /cat-poo.html all about middening).
Perhaps you will have to keep her in a separate room during the day with her litter tray for a while, this helps to reaffirm where they should go and also helps to make the cat feel more confident in it's surroundings again. Then gradually allow them more access to the rest of the house during the day (see my litter training page /cat-litter-box.html)

I hope my pages will help shed some more light onto this problem for you.

Regarding the meow, i have never heard of a cats meow changing but my cat sometimes sounds like she has a sore throat, i don't really know if thats all it is or if it is an age thing as she is now 14. I suspect that it could just be a temporary sore throat but if it persists then maybe it would be worth checking with a vet just to be on the safe side.

Best wishes
Kate