Cat toileting issues

One of my cats' over the last few weeks was randomly starting to poo in the kitchen sink. She's never done this before. She would usually do it at night when I was asleep so I have to keep the kitchen door shut at night now. She doesn't do it during the day, even when I'm gone away to work and they're alone, she won't do it, only at night. There was also two occurrences where I left the bathroom door open and she'd pee in the shower, so now that gets kept shut also 🤣 The only thing I can think of is stress, because I moved house with them two months ago. But I thought they all seemed settled in? Other two cats are perfectly fine and have had no issues. Since I've kept the doors shut, she hasn't had any incidents and she hasn't gone anywhere else that's inappropriate. Her behaviour is still normal, she's naturally a lazy cat anyway and she's my oldest one. She still gets bursts of energy and she's eating normally, she has a great appetite. She has had a UTI before but she hasn't had any problems since being put on Hills prescription diet. I'm basically just wondering is this something that should be checked out incase there is something wrong or would it just be stress related from the move? Cause once I keep the doors shut she doesn't do anything, it's not like she's going anywhere else in the house, it was always just the sink and the shower. So I'm just confused 🤣 Picture of the culprit 🥰

Let's answer your last question first - inappropriate urination is most commonly a sign of stress, but it can be a sign of a few other things (diabetes for example), so it's worth letting your vet run a urine sample.  When you say 'is there something wrong or is it just stress?' - Stress is the very manifestation of there being 'something wrong' and it's definitely worth paying attention to.   More following.

Cats look pretty chilled out much of the time, but they have social lives as complex as ours.  In particular, they are very sensitive about where they go to the toilet.  In a multicat household, there will be a heirarchy of where each cat can go to the toilet and there is often competition for toiletting sites.  It can be important to some cats that they are not overlooked, or not urinating on another cats' territory, or even not having to cross another cats' territory to 'go' - and hence the stress, and searching for novel solutions.  Of course, holding urine can ultimately lead to.cystitis.  we used to think that cystitis cats had infections; now we know that a really high percentage of them are just stressed.

Interestingly, a lot of vets think that black and white cats are more prone to cystitis than others.   This could be because they are slightly more prone to stress on the inside.  Cystitis is much more common in households with 2 or more cats; more societal pressures.  It sounds as though your whole feline household has recently had to rip the whole rulebook up and start again as far as territory is concerned, and someone has ended up with nowhere to go at certain times.

I am tempted to suggest letting her pee in the shower, but obviously there may be other concerns with this!   Perhaps you could put a litter tray there for her?  The reccommended minimum as far as litter trays are concerned is 'one litter tray per cat and one more,' but experts also say that the more the better - you can always remove ones that aren't used.

So, to recap, my plan for your loved one... would be:  1) talk to your vet, who may want to examine her / check a urine sample   2) discuss changes that could be made to the housing and litter-tray situation    I hope that something there is useful.

If you type 'cat,' urinate, blocked bladder, litter tray, cystitis etc into the Vet Help Direct site blog one by one, you should be able to find a range of interesting articles on this subject.   icatcare also have good resources.

I have concentrated on urination here, mostly because of the risks of cystitis - but the social 'rules' of cats also apply to them deafecating.  They are simply not as well adapted to living in close proximity as dogs are, and the stress often becomes apparent around the toilet.

Hey there! That sounds like a real head-scratcher with your kitty using the sink and shower as her new litter box! Cats can be such creatures of habit, and sudden changes can definitely stress them out. Moving two months ago could absolutely be the culprit, even if they seemed settled in. If it is stress, there are things you can try at home to help her feel more secure. Feliway diffusers are supposed to release calming pheromones that cats pick up on. Maybe setting up a cozy hidey-hole in a quiet corner with a soft blanket could be a comfort zone for her. Extra playtime and cuddles can't hurt either!