the story thus far:
i've known my 6-8yr old rescued female cat, Coco, for just over a year and a half. i volunteer at the no-kill shelter from which i adopted her six months ago, and in that time she has never had a litterbox issue.
after bringing her home, she started peeing on the floor, so we changed her litter and that solved the problem.
a few weeks later she started pooping in the bathtub, so we changed her litterbox and that solved the problem.
we bought her a special time-released feeder and kitty fountain and started feeding a higher quality of food (changed gradually over the course of two weeks) and she pooped in the bathtub repeatedly until she adjusted to the new stuff, which she now adores.
often times, if locked in the bathroom overnight, she would meow and scratch at the door like wolves were chasing her.
so we put Sticky Paws on the door. and she pooped in the tub.
during this time we were locking her in the bathroom (where her food, litter, and bed already are) and ignoring her for a day every time she pooped in the tub. after a day of being ignored, she would show signs of guilt and wouldn't poop in the tub for at least a few days.
recently, we've been giving her more and more trust around the house as the tub-poop attacks have been getting less frequent. the other night she started scratching on our bedroom door. she knows she is not allowed in our room, as that is where our rabbit lives. if the door is open, she won't even attempt to come in. we reprimanded her for scratching at the door, and she stopped for an hour or two, only to begin again. this cycle continued until we locked her in the bathroom for the night, where she immediately pooped in the tub and peed on my boyfriend's clothes that he'd left in the bathroom. the standard "lack of acknowledgement" punishment resulted in another tub-poop attack today.
this cat is overweight, though otherwise healthy (she suffered from depression at the shelter), and her actions always seem malicious. she is very very intelligent and knows words like her name, no, simple instructions (go lay down, dinner time, time for bed, get the toy, etc.), and where she is or is not allowed. normally she's very outgoing and loves having people around. she always shows signs of guilt after doing something bad. she will ONLY poop in the tub if she has been locked in the bathroom, and she'll usually warn us with meowing and scratching at the door before pooping in the tub. if the door is opened, she'll step out, look around, and go back into the bathroom and use her litterbox.
it feels like she's trying to punish us for punishing her. how do i make this stop without teaching her that she can get away with anything she wants?
