Hi! My six month old kitten has been using a litter tray perfectly for months, but a week or so ago started doing a balancing act on the side of the tray when going for a pooh. She sits with both her front paws and her left rear paw on the side of the tray, leaving only her right rear paw inside the tray; this causes pooh to go all down her back leg, as she's slightly tipping on a side. A couple of days ago no-one was in the room when she went to do her business, and only found out that she'd yet again done her balancing act when we found tracks of pooh on the bed and window-sill.

I have never heard of this problem before, so I have no idea what's caused her to start doing this. I don't know if she has some problem or has just got into a bad habit.

Anyone got any clues??

Could be she doesn't like the feeling of the litter on her paws. What litter do you use? You could try using a different type and see if the balancing act continues.

Great minds and all that, i was thinking the same!
Is her poo runny then?
If not and she's having difficulty passing poo then maybe in that position she's more comfy

Like Alan and kateyblue said, it could be the litter she doesn't like.

Cats are very clean animals and this could be another reason why she is doing this, as it's stopping her from standing in her stuff.

My other cat used to put her front paws on the side of the litter tray, but not any of her back legs.

She may have just gotten into a habit of doing it this way like you said.

Maybe try changing the litter, see if that changes things or try buying a wider/longer litter tray... if none of that works you could try a closed litter tray? that way she wont be able to stand on the sides ... but I suppose there then could be a chance she wont like the hooded litter tray at all! lol.

Oh and as for finding tracks of poo, all I can think is she must have soft stools? Unless she some how trod in it and a lump got stuck to her foot...

A cat with loose/soft stools does tend to get a messy bum and can leave a line of poop if they aren't cleaned up.

Maybe she should be woopsing outside now.. Or you need a bigger tray.. My cat used to do that and I bought the recycled paper type litter and it went everywhere as she tipped it up.. Not good..

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I'd been using Catsan for a couple of months without any trouble. On the advice of her breeder, I bought her a larger tray and a couple of weeks later I started mixing new litter in with her Catsan (a paper-based pellet-type). She managed with the new litter mixed in for the first week, but after it had been in for a few days in the second week she started her balancing act. I figured that she was probably trying to tell me that the litter was getting too low for her, so I cleaned out the tray and re-filled it with the Catsan and Paper-litter mix. She managed with this again for a day or two and then started perching on the side again. This time I knew that the tray wasn't low (still loads of litter left) and it was still clean, so I assumed that she maybe didn't like the new paper-based litter that she was getting mixed in her tray. So when I cleaned and re-filled her tray after that accident I swapped the paper-based litter for wood-based litter (I'm trying to gradually get her off Catsan, as it's not always available in my local shop). Maybe I've changed too many things for her in too short a time, though??

That's one of the things I'm worried about. She has had loose poo a couple of times the last couple of weeks, but I can't recall if any of these times have been during her balancing acts. I'll definitely watch out for that in case she's having trouble going properly. Thanks for mentioning it.

Strangely, my kitten has always placed her front paws on the side of the litter tray when she goes for a poo; it's only recently that she's decided to place one of her back legs on the side, too (when she goes for a wee she just sits straight inside the tray on top of the litter). The litter tray she now uses is one of the biggest ones I know of, but you may be right about trying out a hooded one if all else fails...

My cat is an indoor cat; only going outside on a harness to walk and play, so I can't let her do her business outside.

Thanks for all the help, guys!

Just a quick update: This morning my kitten went for a poo with both back legs inside the tray, but she's still standing up to go instead of squatting, so she made a bit of a mess of her bottom but her leg remained clean (her poo is not runny or loose in the slightest). Something kateyblue stated eariler got me thinking, though: "If not and she's having difficulty passing poo then maybe in that position she's more comfy." All this balancing stuff started within a few days after she'd been spayed (she was spayed 10 days ago). Could she be finding it difficult to strain since being spayed, or maybe her tummy is unomfortable at the scar, or something? Should I contact her vet?

I'd switch to a bigger hooded litter tray and also wait a bit longer in case it is caused by her op.

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My neuter boy always stands up with his front paws on the edge of the litter tray..
we have covered litter trays and the open type.. he does the same with both..
My girls do it sometimes too...I think its just they way they find the best position

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bandit also does this and after he has finished his poo he scrapes the wall hahaha. maybe its just because he is a bit uncomfy from being desexed hun. i would wait a bit longer before i would worry

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