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Subject: ONE OF MY CATS IS NOT USING THE LITTERBOX! HELP!!!!
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Stephie360User is Offline
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07/12/2008 9:26 PM  

I am having an issue with one of my cats. I have three cats and I know it is not the young cat that I have because his stool has a distinct smell to it. I have a 5 year old neutered female and 14 year old neutered male persian cat. I know it is one of them but I don't know which one! It is driving me crazy! I have 5 litter boxes that are cleaned out twice a day. I have used every litter known to man to see if it was the litter. I had to move in with my parents to help my mom with my dad. I moved in with them a year and a half ago. I have had one cat that is not using the litterbox and I can't catch them. The litterboxes are locaed in a part of the basemnt that is not finished. I have moved them all around thinking it was location of them, I bought a really huge litterbox because my female weighs 15lbs., I have changed litters several times. This cat has used the bathroom on some of my boxes and stuff that I am storing in there and I am really upset. I want to figure out why this cat is not using the litterbox. I never had a problem until I moved in with my parents. Any suggestions? Should I go to the vet? How will I know which cat to take? Somebody please help me! This is a brand new house and I am scared that my cats have ruined it with their bathroom issues.

SunnyCynUser is Offline

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07/12/2008 11:58 PM  

Hi Stephie -

Being an avid cat lover and having owned cats for the better part of my adult life, 30+ years, I can tell you that every cat I have ever owned went through potty issues when ever I moved to a new location.  Your cats look for a familiar smell that reminds them of "home" and will feel most comfortable using whatever holds that smell as their toilet!!  All of my cats got over the issue once they realized that the new location was indeed their new territory and home.

That being said, I moved with my current "gal" to my current residence about 4 years ago.  She initially was seeking out anywhere in the garage other than her kitty box to use as a toilet.  She finally got over that, but still wants to use the "hard cement floor" next to her cat box instead of her cat box every so often.  I read that the outdoor terrain where you are living can sometimes "inspire" a cat to change it's potty habits.  For example, where I currently live, my gated patio area at the rear of my condo, while large and beautifully landscaped, is mostly brick, cement, and red landscape rock.  Since all of that is hard-surfaced area, my gal has learned to use a flat hard surface area to make her deposits rather than digging in soft soil!

I can tell you that I did put a small rug under her kitty box in the garage (the rug was an old rag rug that she had been in my old garage before I moved and had her "smell" on it).  Putting it under her kitty box where i now lived really seemed to help draw her back to using the kitty box.  Also, my gal does get real "miffed" at times with me and when that occurs, she will definitely drop a deposit outside of her cat box!

I wish you luck - just hang in there!  Just make the kitty box area as familiar as possible for the "kids" and they should come around.

Cindy A.

petlanetaraUser is Offline
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07/15/2008 7:39 PM  

Hi Stephanie,

How frustrating!  Cats not using a litter box is a pretty common occurence - and it sounds like you have definitely tried a lot of the tactics that would "normally" work.  The first thing to do is to rule out a bladder infection - frequently a cat not using a litter box is a sign of exactly this problem.  You may have to take all the cats into the vet to be tested, but better safe than sorry.  If finances are an issue, your local ASPCA may be able to help you out with low-cost health care.

Second, changes in routine can occasionally cause a cat to stop using a litter box.  If the move to your parents house is recent (and I apologize that I cannot remember when you said you moved there), the kitty refusing to use the litter box may be either stressed, or attempting to mark his or her territory.  In this case, using something like a pheremone spray (try drsfosterandsmith.com) may help.  I reiterate however that I would absolutely rule out any medical problems prior to trying alternate solutions.

Keep us posted.

sagam1User is Offline
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08/15/2008 3:47 PM  
Ruling out medical problems is key. The next step is retraining them to the box. If you aren't sure who is doing it, you may have to separate them to figure it out. Whichever cat it is should be put in a small room - preferably a bathroom - until they are using the box regularly again. Once that occurs, start slowly increasing the space. I noticed that you initially had the boxes in an unfinished basement - probably not an ideal location. The box may need to be somewhere a little more mainstream for a while. The pheremone spray mentioned above or the Feliway diffuser can also help a lot with the anxiety of the change. Good luck!
LovezCatzUser is Offline
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09/04/2008 2:22 PM  

OMG i just had the same problem with one of my cats! He was peeing and Pooping right outsde the litter box. So, i put another litter box right infront of the other one.  SO far so good. (knock on wood)  Goodluck!

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