Hi. I have a question about my indoor Russian Blue boys (aged 6.5 years). They have always been brilliant at using only their litter box to eliminate, but for some reason, over the last month, they've pooed in exactly the same spot three times in our living space. The spot is under a bay window - could they be smelling a cat outside the window and trying to mark their territory around the window? That particular window doesn't open. Thank you.
Hi,
Thank you for reaching out regarding your Russian Blue boys. The behavior you described might be Middening which is depositing of faeces without burying them, often in a prominent location which isn’t very common in domestic cats. Middening is likely linked to territorial marking, since it appears to occur in prominent places around the cat’s territory. There’s also evidence to suggest that faeces may also be used in group recognition. However it could also be inappropriate elimination due to inter-cat conflict or environmental stress. To try and figure out the trigger for the behavior, place a camera indoors for about a week. Meanwhile to ease inter-cat tension in the home plug in a Feliway diffuser and if you suspect another cat is lurking outside, block the window with opaque window film or use a scarecrow motion activated sprinkler repellent ( https://www.sureguard.com.au/shop/product/scarecrow-motion-activated-sprinkler-repellent-1414 ) to keep outdoor cats away. Hope this helps, best regards to Memphis and Indy