Cat pooping on carpet

Question
Hello, our 9 year old cat has started to poop in our 'toy room' during the evening when we sleep. It happens about 2 or 3 times a week. At first they were very dry and old looking - almost as if he carried them from his litter box and placed them there. However, last night he pooped 5 times and they were definitely not old. We've used the same type of litter box and litter since he was a baby. Any advise/suggestions? He just had his checkup and everything was fine.

Answer
Hi Jody,

Thanks for your question. Have there been any changes in the cat's environment (e.g., new cat in the neighbourhood, new people/animals in the home, etc.)? This is often a trigger for this type of behaviour due to the stress it can cause for the cat. Try to identify what was different on the nights he did this, maybe there was some reason he did not feel comfortable going in his normal spot, or maybe he got some sort of a fright when he was using his litter tray one night and is now too scared to go there at night. If this is the case you may need to move the tray to a 'safer' place or make some other change to make the cat feel safe again.

I suggest you leave another litter box in the 'toy room'. Ensure the litter boxes are kept very clean (cats tend to be extremely fastidious about this) - maybe take out any poop that is in the tray before going to bed at night.

You could also try to feed him less at his evening meal (increase other meals) and to feed him earlier in the evening so that he is less likely to need to go after you have gone to sleep.

Hope this helps you to solve the problem.
Regards, tania