The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Cat refusing to use the box
matt has a problem
Points to 'off'Points to 'on'Registered User regular
Points to 'off'Points to 'on'Registered User regular
We have two cats, both about to turn 2 years old. They're sisters from the same litter. We've had them since they were kittens, and they've been using the same box the whole time. Just recently, one has begun peeing in front of our bathroom door, instead of in the box. We assume she's still pooping in the box, since we're not finding little turd piles everywhere.
We've cleaned the spot she pees in with bleach, and used an enzyme cleaner on top of that. She gets the usual "show her the spot and smack her butt" punishment, followed by carrying her to the litter box and putting her in it, but it's been going on for a little more than a week now and nothing's changed. All the google results I came up with were for new cats not using a box, I didn't see any that talked about a cat who had been using a box that just decided to stop.
So, any ideas? I don't want to kennel her, we really don't have room for it since we're just in a 1 bedroom apartment.
We've cleaned the spot she pees in with bleach, and used an enzyme cleaner on top of that. She gets the usual "show her the spot and smack her butt" punishment, followed by carrying her to the litter box and putting her in it, but it's been going on for a little more than a week now and nothing's changed. All the google results I came up with were for new cats not using a box, I didn't see any that talked about a cat who had been using a box that just decided to stop.
So, any ideas? I don't want to kennel her, we really don't have room for it since we're just in a 1 bedroom apartment.
matt has a problem on
0
Posts
We have a cat who used to only pee outside the box. In your situation, I would use a clumping litter (so you can see when she pees), and buy a new box and put it by the bathroom. Maybe she just really wants to go over there.
You can also buy a pheromone spray to put on the place where she pees. The idea is that the pheromones attract her to the spot and she'll feel comfortable there and view it as a living space, not a litter box.
Of course, what one cat likes the other might not.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
And, you should definately have two litter boxes anyways. I had a one bedroom apartment with two cats, and we managed to fit in two boxes without any problem.
After that, make sure you completely replace the box every 6 months or so, make sure your cat is using it's preferred litter (changing brands is bad if they like their current one) and the box is always nice and clean.
If there's been a change in social structure between the two cats you may need a second box. For 2 cats, some people even recommend 3, but personally I have not had trouble with just 2 cats, 2 boxes.
I would do this before going to the vet.
My wife and I own two cats, sisters from the same litter, and after 6 months or so, one of them started shitting on the floor instead of in the litter box. At the time we were only using one litter pan, so we thought that the other cat might be preventing the first one from using the box. The problem stopped as soon as we put in the second pan and we haven't had a problem since.
I'm willing to concede that this works for one-time effective discipline, especially if the cat's doing something dangerous (I did whack my girl cat on the head when she thought "don't chew that wire" was indicated in jest), but making it a "usual" punishment over the course of a week when it's clearly failed to fix the problem? Not so much.
And as far as discipline goes, i dont think hitting is going to help the situation. I know Cesar Milan (Dog Whisperer) has a great philosophy on how to raise dogs so i tried using it with our cat. Whenever i dont want her to do something like eat the bouquet of roses or eat the christmas tree, lol, i just stand up and snap my fingers to get her attention, then she stops. When i want to praise her, i make another distinct noise to call her over and pet her. While you're disciplining, you should act like your the lion and she's the cub. i know it sounds wierd, but its always worked for me and i've never hit my cat or even done anything physical to teach her a lesson.
I've had cats my whole life. As a kid my parents usually had between 5 and 8. Aside from the usual kitten issues, and the occasional territorial issue, one box worked just fine for them.
The litter is the same we've used since getting them, Feline Pine. The box is an open box. Actually, it's a box with a top that we don't use the top for. The same cat that is currently peeing by the bathroom had box issues when we used a regular rectangular box. She'd put her front paws in the litter, her back paws on the edge of the box, and pee all over the floor. So we got a lidded box that had a higher back than front, tossed the top to it, and put it in a corner next to a bookcase.
The only recent change we've made was we moved the couches from against the wall out to the middle of the living room. They're still sleeping on the couches like always, there hasn't been any change to their access fo the apartment.
Our problem is we're not home enough to encourage her when she pees in the box. We've caught her peeing by the bathroom twice now just by sheer luck (or, sheer un-luck maybe...) which was the only way we knew who was doing the peeing. Usually we just find dried urine on the floor when we come home from work or wake up in the morning.
This is an extremely strong willed cat too, as odd as it may sound. She doesn't "get" discipline. You'll catch her doing something, tell her no or snap your fingers, and she'll look right at you and continue doing it. We don't let her in the bedroom any more, because the last time we did she promptly jumped up on my side, looked right at me, and peed on my pillow.
We thought it might be a case of one keeping the other out of the box, but the dominant one is the one doing the peeing. We had to set out a second food and water bowl for our other cat, because she was being scared away by the one we're having trouble with peeing now.
I'll check into the possibility of it being an infection though, I hadn't heard of that being a cause.
Thanks again for the ideas guys.
Face it, what you know to do hasn't been working at all. Also, animals change. Sometimes for no discernible reason they won't like what they've had before.
the cat is stressed about something. Try to find out what.
OR
It has a urinary tract and/or bladder problem.
If they are litter mates, they shouldn't have a problem using the same box. But, it might help if you put another one in there. the "rule" I've heard is 1 box per cat + 1. so two cats would be 2+1 or 3 boxes.
I would just put another one in a different part of the house
Our male cat started pissing a lot on the carpet when we move the furniture to clean... hrm.
We are only left with the STICK :evil:
or
We could try some mutual communication to find out the problem. o_O
Stop posting in H/A until your posts contain some form of useful help or advice, please.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
It's up to you of course, you know her best - but you might even want to consider a series of cardboard boxes (just for cheapest cost) cut shallow with some different litter types. See if the problem child suddenly falls in love with crystals or a corn-base like world's best (which I must admit, I'm obsessed with).
Generally, I've heard that a submissive cat buries their litter, and a dominant cat may leave it uncovered. In my household, my idiot blond cat often leaves her litter unburied. Her younger (but much bigger, heavier and stronger) housemate waits outside, whacks her on the head when she's done and goes in and buries it. Technically he's the dominant one although their power struggles continue.
I wonder if your submissive cat is pissing (pun not intended) off your dominant cat with whatever he's doing in the box. I think you might want a second box. Just my 2c.