If they poop outside their litterbox on mat, how do I determine the guilty party and also why does it stochastically happen only occasionally and at night?
If they poop outside their litterbox on mat, how do I determine the guilty party and also why does it stochastically happen only occasionally and at night?
Just to clarify, are you asking so you can start containing the cat at night so that they only miss the box in an easy to clean room? Because trying to correct behavior only works if it’s immediately after they poop on the floor, if any time passes they won’t make the correct association.
How many cats do you have?
How many litter boxes do you have?
Is the litter mat kept clean and washed regularly (and not only because it was pooped on)?
There should ideally be at least 1 litter box per cat, plus 1 more to reduce the chance of stress pooping.
As others have mentioned, cats will also sometimes avoid going in a box if they perceive problems with it, eg too much/too little litter, box hasn’t been scooped recently enough, etc.
Also, negative enforcement is not very effective with cats. Punishment just equals “don’t do it when the human is around”, unless you specifically keep watch from outside the room or something. I’m not saying it doesn’t work, but be prepared to spend months on this.
Agreed, which is why I was careful with my wording.