Bad cat behaviour

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
We have a 5yr old cat that has been in seemingly good health. She was an indoor cat, but when I move out of an apartment and into a house about two years ago she enjoyed spending time outdoors. Now she sleeps inside but is usually out during the day while we're at work and no longer has a litter box inside. When we go away over the weekend however she is locked indoors, with a litterbox and my father in law comes to feed her. The last three times we have been away she has pooped on our lounge. But she has also used the litterbox. This time it appears to be diarrhea, but hasn't been in the past. She also dug up a pot plant in the living room and pooped in it a couple of months ago and we were at home! I will take her to the vet, but I'm presuming the issue is most likely behavioural, not medical.  
Many Thanks, Carina

ANSWER: Carina,

It is good to have a cat checked when there is a noticable change of behavior to first rule out a medical issue.

The behavior she is exibiting is common behavior by some cats when left alone. That is the cat's way of showing you she is VERY upset by it. Cats do not know the concept of revenge, but the act of pooping outside the litterbox is a form of it. The diarrhea could be from the stress.

Her pooping in the potted plant coul,d have been because she was upset by something else or sensed you were leaving. Spray a blended mixture of orange peels and water around your plant. Cats don't like it and should avoid the area.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: HI,

Thanks for the advice. What do you suggest we do when we go away to prevent this from happening in the future?

Answer
Carina, (pretty name!)

You may want to think about getting a kitty friend for your cat. 2 cats are easier to care for than one because another cat takes the pressure off of you to keep your cat amused and they are less destructive than one bored, lonely cat. It's not good to have a cat too dependant on humans for company and attention.

Cats need a friend to play kitty games with, to snuggle with, and to keep them company and give them comfort when they are alone.

Or you may want to talk to your vet about 'kitty Prozac' to use when you are going to be gone to keep her calm. You can try a very popular cat calming spray and plug-in called Feliway or Comfort Zone with Feliway. It is available at pet stores or on-line. It copies relaxing pheromones that cats produce from rubbing their faces on things.

There is another cat calming product that you can add to her food that reduces anxiety called Bach's Rescue Remedy. It is available on-line and in health food stores. Here is a link about it: (copy and paste, or type the whole links into your address bar)
http://www.bachflower.com/Pets.htm.

Give her new toys before you leave. Get a 'kitty condo' and put it in front of a window so she can climb up and look out. Get an aquarium or gerbils that she can watch. Things to help her pass the time and keep her mind off of you leaving her.

A 2nd kitty about her age and temperment would probably still be the best thing (after about a 2 week adjustment period!)

Make sure your father-in-law spends time with her, pets her, and plays with her. Don't let him 'feed and leave'. She needs all the attention she can get.

She is sensitive and and she's dependant. That is her personality. You may need to put newpapers down and hope for the best.

You can also harness train her. Here are 2 good articles on how to do it:

http://www.hdw-inc.com/leashtraining.htm
and
http://cats.about.com/cs/behavioralissues/ht/leashtrain.htm

That way your father-in-law can take her outside...and that should make her happy..er.