It’s early morning, and you are starting to get up and ready for your day. You go to turn on the shower, and that’s when you smell it. Poop. You look down, and there it is; your cat has pooped in your tub, and you now have to clean it up.

I have these issues many mornings as my cat Pumpkin just doesn’t want to use the litter box. It’s been this way since he was a kitten. I have fixed it temporarily many times, however, it continues.

The good news, however, is that stopping this habit is easier for most people than you think. Many cats have superficial reasons for pooping in the tub. You just have to figure out what it is so you can handle the problem and stop the behavior.

Why Your Cat Poops in the Bathtub or Sink

There are many reasons why your cat will poop in your sink or bathtub. The most common reasons are Health issues, anxiety, or they prefer an immaculate litter box, and you are not cleaning it enough. There may also have been a change in the environment, such as a new addition to their home, moving, or your cat could just be bored.

Fortunately, you can stop your cat from pooping in the sink or bathtub once you find out why they are doing so. Keep reading to learn more about why your cat wants to use your sink or tub as their litter box.

Health Issues

Constipation

Your cat may not like the litterbox because they have constipation and they now associate pooping in the litterbox with pain. If you think this may be the issue with your cat. You will need to figure out how to get rid of their constipation.

What can cause constipation in cats

Hairballs
Obesity
Ingesting foreign items
Pelvic injuries

Flea’s Worms or other parasites

If your cat suffers from fleas, it may also suffer from worms or another parasite. I battled worms in my cat for a long time. Every time my cats got fleas, they seemed to have worms.

The problem here was I kept using cheap flea medications, hoping they would help. They didn’t, and I didn’t find relief until I started using Advantage II. I didn’t have the extra to spend, but I made myself do it, and I will always figure out how to afford the medication. It’s done wonders, and I have rarely had a flea or worm problem since starting it.

Buy Advantage II on Amazon here

Other Health issues

Your cat may have another health issue affecting its ability to poop in the litterbox. They may have joint problems or another health issue that is affecting them. In this case, you will need to take your cat to the vet to see what may be wrong and hopefully get it fixed.

Don’t forget to check out:

Your Cat is Stressed

Your cat may just be stressed. There are many reasons your cat can be stressed out, and if you can figure out why. You may just be able to stop them from pooping in the tub or sink.

Anxiety

Your cat may suffer from anxiety. There are many signs to see if you have an anxious cat. Besides not using the litter box, you may notice the following:

15 Signs your cat is suffering from Anxiety

Trembling or shaking
Rapid breathing
Licking their nose frequently
Excessive vocalization such as growling, hissing, or yowling
Crouching down frequently
Excessive scratching of furniture
Ears flat against their head
Lethargy and sleeping more than usual
Eating non-food items – such as plastic or wool
Over-grooming
Easily spooked by noises or movement
Diarrhea and vomiting
Weight change
They follow you around the house
They are very vocal. They may meow at you a lot.

Change in environment

Have you changed something in your home? Maybe you got new furniture or got rid of something they loved? Did someone leave the home? Maybe to go to college or because of separation?

These are all changes that can affect a cat. Many cats tend to brush things off however a few cats do respond poorly to change. If you think this is why your cat is acting anxious you may want to spend a bit more time with them and/or get them a new fun toy to play with.

A new addition to home

Your cat may be anxious because you have a new addition to your home. Did you recently have a new baby or bring in a new pet? Your cat will respond to this and sometimes severely.

You may want to plan when you have a new person or pet coming into your home. Find a place for your cat to retreat so they can relax. You can also provide cat trees and scratching posts to help calm them.

Moving

If you have recently moved, your cat may just be responding to the change. You will want to ensure the cat is comfortable in their new home. Bring out a box of old toys for them to play with. Allow them to explore the house and find familiar items to put out quickly so they can have the smells they recognize.

Moving with a cat can be difficult, however, if you have not moved yet, but are planning on it you should check out my post: 5 helpful tips on how to move a long distance with cats

Boredom

Your cat may just be bored. If you work outside your home all day and have an energetic cat, you may find that they miss you and need more stimulation.

The good news is you don’t have to rehome your cat; you just need to find ways to entertain them when you are gone. Buy them toys that will activate automatically. You can get food toys, so they must “hunt” for their food.

You could also consider getting another cat if you don’t already have one. What you need to remember, however, is that this could cause more anxiety in your cat so you will want to consider your cats personality before bringing in a new friend.

Non-health reasons, your cat will not use their litter box.

Do you think your cat is not stressed and has no health issues? So why is your cat pooping outside of the litter box? Stress is not the only reason your cat will not use their litter box there are many more reasons to choose your sink or bathtub. Keep reading to learn more about non-stress-related reasons for cats not using their litter box.

A Dirty Litterbox

Do you clean your litterbox daily? If you don’t, it’s not just you. I can’t do it every day, either. However, a dirty litterbox may be the reason your cat is pooping in the tub and not in its litterbox. If you notice they use it only after cleaning it, you may want to start cleaning it more often.

You can also invest in a self-cleaning litterbox. A few years ago, I invested in a Litter-Robot, and though Pumpkin is still not using it at the time of writing this, my other cat Dixie loves it, and I love that I don’t have to scoop litter anymore. You can check out my Litter Robot review if interested in a Litter-Robot.

Location of Litterbox

The litterbox is next to their food

Cats do not like having their litter box near their food. Think about how you would feel if you had to eat every meal in your bathroom.

I made the mistake of doing this once with my last cat. She never went outside of the litterbox. However, one day while I was still living with my mother, I was cleaning my bedroom. I temporarily moved the food dish next to the litter box to clean it. My mother came up, and we started talking. The next thing we knew, my cat came out in the hall, meowed at us, and peed on the floor.

This event caused me to look at why a cat would pee on the floor, and that is when I found out about the litter box near the food issue I realized that was the problem and fixed it. If you have all of your cat’s things in one spot of your home, you may want to look at moving either the litter box or food to a new area.

The litterbox is in a highly trafficked area

Your cat may just want some privacy when they use the litterbox. If you have your litterbox in an area where many people walk through or hang out, you may want to move it.

This is not always possible. If you live in an apartment, as I do, there is no place to put a litterbox. The good news is you can find some fantastic litterbox furniture on Chewy.com That will cover your litterbox and give your cat the privacy it craves.

Your Cat Hates the Litter You Use

Did you recently switch litter? Your cat may just hate the new litter. Cats are picky animals, and they sometimes have issues with the way things feel on their paws, the smell, or if it’s clumping litter or not.

Try out a couple of different types of litter at once. See what box your cat uses, and then you have the answer and the litter that will make your cat stop pooping in your tub or sink.

If you are looking for a new litter, check out my review: Fresh Step Litter with Febreze Gain Scent Review

You don’t have enough litter boxes

Did you know that you should have a litter box for each cat you own, plus one more? This may come as a surprise to you, but it did to me when I started researching. I have two cats, so I got three litter boxes. This, unfortunately, did not solve my problem, but he would use the litterbox more often.

You may also not have enough litterboxes around your home. You may not think it’s an issue for your cat, but if you have a large house, you will want to put litterboxes in different areas. Make sure there is one on each floor, or if your home is long, one on each side of the house if you can’t put them somewhere in the middle.

Having cat poop outside of the litter box is annoying and frustrating. However, with a few simple tips, you should be able to get your cat back to using the litterbox and out of your tub or sink.