When you decide to adopt a cat (or dog), this means that you take on a responsibility to care for that animal to the end of its days in the best way possible. You don’t get to give up unless you have extenuating circumstances.
When it comes to the litter habits of your cat, be observant and know what peeing and pooping are typical for your cat. Remember, everyone and everything poops, including your cat. And, it is not unusual for a cat to poop more than once a day and possibly three times.
It is wise to know how often your cat poops. This knowledge helps to pinpoint any digestive or other health issues.
Is your cat not pooping enough, or is your cat pooping too much? Establish as soon as possible what is normal for your cat to poop?
Why Does My Cat Poop So Much?
Excellent cat care means that you must know everything there is to know about that critter, and you keep your vet updated on your cat’s health issues.
- Its general attitude
- Its mannerisms
- Its health history, if possible
- Its litter box habits of pooping and peeing
- How often and how much it usually pees
- How often and how much it usually poops, color, and consistency
- Provide dental care
- Provide wellness exams and treatment when needed.
An observant cat parent is good news for cats, as their parents are monitoring them for health changes. That cat is fortunate indeed to have loving, caring human parents.
Cats usually poop once a day. If your cat poops up to three times a day, it still is not an immediate problem unless the cat has diarrhea. The diet you feed your cat could cause this to happen.
If you buy store-brand food or lower-quality cat food, it causes too much pooping. If the food you buy is high in fiber or carbs, this could be the problem.
When buying cat food, look for cat foods labeled low in carbohydrates. Low carb foods help to decrease the frequency and amount of waste your cat poops.
Typically, low-quality grocery store brands fall into this category. Look for higher quality food that is labeled to be lower in carbohydrates to decrease the volume and frequency of poops.
The following may be some reasons that cause your cat to poop so much.
Food
- The type of food you feed your cat can cause it to poop more frequently or have more significant bowel movements.
If you feed your cat low-quality cat food, this may cause your cat to poop more often. This happens because most of the food it eats is excreted by the body.
- If your cat overeats food, it will have more frequent bowel movements.
- Abrupt changes in food may cause more frequent bowel movements.
Health Issues Can Cause Too Much Pooping
I have two cat sisters, whom we call the “Twisted Sisters.” Isabella developed too much pooping, diarrhea, vomiting, and weight loss.
She was diagnosed with IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome in 2020. IBS is as common in cats as it is in humans. This took us a while to figure out.
In 2022, Izzy’s sister showed signs and symptoms of IBS, and the vet was not surprised. Both cats are taking probiotics. I did notice that when Izzy eats foods with grain, her IBS symptoms become worse. This is the type of monitoring and investigation cat parents must do.
All I can do about this frequent pooping diarrhea is to try to get the medicine down, buy grain-free food, and keep the litter box clean.
Additionally, a Vitamin B injection every month and a steroid shot when the symptoms become worse. It took the vet and me several months to discover what worked and what did not.
Stress
Stress can cause your cat to poop too much. Stress upsets the digestive tract.
Ingestion of Toxic Substances
Anxiety
Depression
Cat related illnesses
Hyperthyroidism
Colitis
Cancer
Dairy Products
Cats cannot digest dairy products, so you should not give dairy to your cat. Dairy products can cause diarrhea and vomiting.
Gastritis
Ulcer
Changes in Living Environment
Cats are creatures of habit, not change unless they initiate the change. Examples are moving to another house, a new baby, or a new pet.
Parasites such as worms can cause too much poop.
H-3 What Should Healthy Poop Look Like?
Healthy poop is dark brown in color. The consistency is not mushy or too soft and indeed not too hard.
What To Do If My Cat Is Pooping A Lot?
When your cat shows unusual issues like pooping too much, your first step is to take your cat to see its vet. Give your vet a straightforward story of its life, routine, and changes. I started out with this first step for our cat Isabella.
If the vet gives your cat a clean, healthy slate, you need to start investigating other possible reasons.
Investigate one possibility at a time. I always tend to think of the worst scenario. I wondered if Izzy had cancer or a tumor in the digestive tract. She certainly had enough of the symptoms of cancer.
The vet ran the gamut of holistic treatments, steroid shots, vitamins, probiotics, dewormers, flea treatments, and grain-free dry and wet food.
We pulled all the information together and what worked and forgot what did not work. This is what you must do to find out why your cat poops so much.
Take note of what types of food you feed your cat and decide if you are going to use grain-free food or a cheaper type.
- Did you change your cat’s food recently?
Always introduce new food by adding a larger ratio of traditional food with the new food starting out. Every time you add food to the bowl, add less of the traditional food and more of the new food. This allows the cat’s digestive system to become used to the food.
- Give your cat time to adjust to the change.
- Your cat’s amount of pooping could be due to behavioral issues surrounding your cat feeling unloved, lonely, or bored.
- Pay more attention to your cat. Give it plenty of love and hugs. Brush your cat, and be sure to set aside playtime. This additional attention could be what corrects this behavior.
- The problem could be a health issue.
Always get a clean bill of health for your kitty by taking it to your vet for an exam. Possible health issues could be, for example, depression or anxiety.
The vet may order medication to help decrease pooping. Your investigation will tell you if the three times your kitty poops every day is normal or not.
- Keep your cat’s litter boxes cleaned out daily?
- Report any blood, mucus, or worms spotted in your cat’s poop to the vet for treatment.
Perhaps your cat is getting too much fiber. The type of food you feed your cat makes a difference. Wet food is bulkier than dry food choices. Wet food fills the stomach and intestines quickly and causes the kitty to poop more often.
If your cat’s poop looks normal as described, however, your cat is pooping up to three times a day. I would monitor for a while. However, it is always better to have your vet check your cat as the first step towards better health.