Pet psychology

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I have a family member who hits our house cat when it occasionally poops on the sofa? The breeder said this is a good idea?!

It is not a good idea. Cats absorb emotional energy from their owners and when they become anxious, they poop to exert control over their territory. Cats need psychological therapy and petting/affirming when they poop, not receiving hits or anger from their owners.

Hitting a cat is barbarism.

I am not being asbtract here, this is a literal situation and is about a biological cat.

Yeah, that sounds like animal abuse. They are more likely to injure or kill the cat than get it to stop pooping on the couch that way. It would probably be best to ensure they stop doing it, or maybe it would be best for you to look into finding a safer home for the cat failing that.

People can certainly face criminal action for abusing their pet, does your family member know this?

Cats do have an habit of jumping into places you might not want them to be, whats wrong with just picking them up and placing them down somewhere else. Sounds like it doesn't know how to use a litter tray, or it doesnt get out enough. My cat never did anything like that.

Pooping on the sofa/chesterfield is not normal behavior and if my cat did that I'd have it put down. It's probably the owner's fault it does that. I suppose you could make the cat a full-time outdoor cat though. You're not going to be able to change the behavior.

OK if the sofa is the only place it poops you could maybe get rid of the sofa.

This person shouldn't have a cat though.

I used to volunteer at a cat shelter and during my time working there I interacted with a variety of cats from different backgrounds. During that time, I saw poop everywhere - including the walls on a couple of the pens. Most of the cats weren't like this and would use their trays properly, but some would poop where they shouldn't. I remember one cat in particular that was so traumatised, that whenever people came in his pen he'd sit in his litter tray and stay very still. No noise. Even if the tray had been used, he'd sit in it. I asked about him and found out that his previous household used to scream and hit him and he was scared to make noise in case we did the same. That his tray was the place he'd seek refuge to since he saw it as a safe place.

How old is your cat? Any previous litter training? From what you've said about the breeder, the kind of training this cat has been exposed to (if any) has likely been negative so far. As you've pointed out, hitting is unnecessary and cruel. It's also ineffective. Doing so would only be teaching the cat I shouldn't be caught pooping, otherwise I will be hit. The cat is not going to make the connection of using the box instead. Why would they? The cat isn't a mind reader.

Does the cat also use the litterbox as well as the sofa, or does the cat solely use the sofa and /or other places to do so? Have you noticed any signs of skittishness or anxious behaviour?

Cats are pretty easy to litter train, so I don't think it's the cat with the problem, it must be the owners. And the more the owners hit him/her, the more he/she will do it on the sofa because he/she is probably frightened.

If a cat that previously used a litter box has started not to, then this is a behavioral reaction to something. It's a big ole "Hey, something is wrong!!"

Hitting a cat to stop a behavior is never a good idea, nor is it going to do any good. It will be more likely to aggravate the situation plus instill fear within the cat of that individual.

Questions to be asked:
When did the behavior start?
Where there any changes in the home when the behavior started?
What is going on in the home when this occurs?
Is the cat fixed?
Are there other animals in the home?
When was the last time it went to the vet?
Is it declawed?
How often is the litter box cleaned?
What kind of litter is being used?
Where is the litter box located/has it always been there?
If there is other cats in the house, how many litter boxes are there?
How large is the box in comparison to the cat?
Any feeding changes?
Fresh water availability?
What is the consistency of the poo? Is it really hard or loose?

This website+article(+$20 PDF booklet) are geared toward a cat peeing outside the litter box, so it might not be a great fit to your problem. That said, IF there are other animals in the house or IF something the litter box is unpleasant or unavailable to the cat, I'd definitely give this a read:

https://catpeeingeverywhere.com/
&
Five Simple Ways To Manage The Water Intake Of Your Cat – And Thus Nip Bladder Problems In The Bud
https://catpeeingeverywhere.com/articles.html

Not sure if this follows the thread, but at least the last five minutes (linked below) bring up a point: instead of anthorpomorphizing animals to be more human, can we not empathize that they likely could have their own deep feelings and thoughts... just perhaps in their own language?

Why Koko (Probably) Couldn't Talk (Sorry) | The Deep Dive

twist 1- i very strongly dislike the word pet - it's a baby-word isn't it,
2- pet is for petting, highly domesticated, and conditioned, beings
obviously bound to psychology the fact that we-humans- are conditionned to mostly-to-uniquely 'empathize' with said DOMESTICATED consumers, heaven and hell fall upon you if they should be doing "work"
(imo by big pharma-media-complex, called advertising, or 'pharmaceutical social engeneering' my preference)

the fake empathy test, crying is for crocodiles

& mind your hivemind

This is really upsetting, especially that the breeder not only condoned such behavior but encouraged it. You should never hit an animal.

I've studied a decent amount about animal behavior and started training to be a service dog trainer. Any trainer or vet will tell you hitting an animal will only exacerbate a problem.

What Alterity suggested is the best way to start. Investigate any changes. Try to remedy anything that may have caused it. For example, changing the litter or box. Moving the box to a different location. When she does go in said box, praise her and give her a treat.

When she's caught going on the couch, simply pick her up mid poo and set her in her box. Have a rag or something ready so you don't get pooped on.

A trip to the vet would be wise. Holding it in for days is not safe. Also, there could be a medical issue that started all of this. Animals tend to not show pain the way humans do. instead they either hide an injury or act out because they can't speak our language to tell us what's wrong.