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At our old house our cat always went to the toilet outside, however I always had a litter for her but at this house she started using her litter. Now she has taken to going to the toilet in one particular corner of the dining room! I constantly clean it and she goes straight back there to do it again every day.
How can I stop her?
put her litter tray there then slowly day by day move her tray a few inches away until it is where you want it to be!
hmmm - maybe move her food there? or the litter box?
Moe did this for a long time until I got some citronella spray and srayed that on the pee spot. it must have masked his odour because he never went there again.
Maybe she is feeling anxious about the new home? Ask Christy the Mod she'll have some good ideas.
Nae x
WE've been here over 2 years and this is a new thing, well in the last 4 or so mths anyway.
Good idea about the litter tray. I would so put her food there except the dog would eat it. She has to eat up on hte bench so the dog doesn't get her food.
:rofl: ahhh pets always keeping us on our toes :lol: i wish I could offer something else but I am clean out of ideas.:
I've put her tray there so hopefully she uses it. It's had clean litter in it for 4 weeks and she hasn't gone near it!
Bloody animals!
Also don't clean the area with bleach.. Apparently the ammonia smells like other cats urine so it attracts them to pee right on top of it..
I like the idea of putting her food there...animals generally don't pee where they eat
May cat is very, very fussy about the type of letter we use. She likes one that is soft on her feet and does not smell (we use a clay one now).
When we used a litter she didn't like walking in, she would poo anywhere and TOTALLY refuses to use her tray!
Try some sawdust even. We resorted to that until we found a litter she liked. It does smell a little more but is very, very soft on their tootsies.
Maybe that's the problem.. I never thought of her not liking hte litter. I use the crystal one cos it absorbs it all and it's easier to clean. GOod idea, I might change the litter.
Also I alwyas clean with bleach so no wonder she's still going there.
AHHHHH.
it was the crystal one that my cat hated. I think the little rocks are too sharp on her feet and she flatly refuses to use it.
So yeah I'd say try a new litter and make sure she knows it's changed (just show it to her) :-)
You can get round crystals, easier on their feet.
If she's used to using the dirt outside, she may not realise that it's litter for her to use. Whenever I change brands of cat litter, I make up a mixture 70% old, 30% new for a week, then 50-50% then 30-70% and finally 100% new litter. To do this I put a layer of the new litter on the bottom, then spread the old ( eg dirt) on top so there's something familiar there to use for the cats. When I'm on the last bit of 30-70% mix, I mix it together loosely so there's only a hint of the old litter.
If she had a particular spot in the yard she used, get some dirt from there so it has her scent in it.
Also, to get rid of the smell, get "urine off" from the vet (black bottle) - exxy, but well worth it.
good luc2dk
The vet told us that the crystal litter can cause urinary tract infections too and not to use it. We have a white chalky one which the cats like but they leave little white footprints on the wooden floorboards!If you are in Sydney Tinkerbell I can give you some cause when DH's grandma died last year she left over 900kgs in the shed!
No I'm in Melbourne. Thanks for the offer though, thats a whole lotta kitty litter lol.
Is it possible she has a UTI? Often cats will do this when they have a UTI.... maybe try some of the suggestion's here and if there is no improvement's, take her to vet just to be safe.
As for litter, we use a saw dust base one, and it is flushable, so we just flush our's down the loo!!! SO much easier............
I hope you can figure it out....
We're having issues with our kitty too. All of a sudden he decided he doesn't want to use the litter anymore and will do his business on the carpet, he does wee in the toilet though so he's a pretty clever kitty. I think he may be protesting the litter so we've changed it to a new type, hopefully he gets the message.
I guess we just have to give them lots of praise when they do the right thing.
Good luck!!!
Where does your kitty sleep? Some cats don't like their litter tray to be too close to where they sleep or eat.
A lot of cats don't like the crystal if they had something different before. It feels different underfoot and it also makes a funny sound when they pee on it which scares some cats and they won't go back again.
With cat urine stains in the carpet its true about bleach, don't use it because cats will always go back and use that same spot again. You can use an enzymatic cleaning agent like Biozet which is available in the laundry section of the supermarket. It breaks down the stain and neutralises the odour as well. I used to work in the animal health industry and this is what we recommended our customers use when cleaning cat urine stains.
HTH;)
Sarebear yu do have a clever kitty!
The cat sleeps on my bed. Her litter is in our ensuite under a bench. The bedroom and ensuit are HUGE. She goes ot the toilet (both no 1&2) in the cnr of the dining room on floor boards which are startng to warp from the moisture becuase sometimes I just don't get to it instantly. She will also go around hte litter tray and occasionally in it.
Up until a few mths ago she was fine and always went in the tray. I have been using htat brand of litter for about 3 yrs.
does she have any other symptoms? i.e off her food/meowing different or more quiet?
or has something happened in your ensuite that maybe has spooked her?
Cats, especially female cats, are VERY fickled family member's. The slightest thing can put them off where they normally go. I have 5 cats, 2 of them girls... the difference between males and female's is huge.
Also, has anything big happened within the family? cats are very sensitive to that, just like kids, they pick up on change's within a home, be it small.... big... in-different (physical/emotional) and this can make them act out!
Where you don't want your cat to pee put something citrus there - citronella, orange peel etc. They apparently hate the smell! It doesn't mask their urine smell though so you have to keep the citrus up until you have managed to remove the urine smell.
Apart from the crystal litter thing (I have heard this is quite common) cats that suddenly change habitual behaviour usually have either got a medical condition that you may not be aware of, are reacting to a change in their house or it is a power play with you.
If it is a power play thing, you have to nip it in the bud or put up with it forever, plus lose the respect of your cat. Some people end up having to give their cats away if this happens because they can't regain that respect. Sometimes this comes from a change in the household too, so if anyone has come or gone from your household, or you have moved their sleeping or eating places this may be contributing. Just one of those cat things!!
If it is a medical condition, it could be anything from a UTI to cancer. Cats have this very naughty habit of hiding symptoms, especially if they are very close to the owner. One of my cats did this, when I finally realised something was wrong, I took her to the vet only to be told she had bowel cancer and she only had a few days left. I was so devastated, and even now I look back and still can't recall any symptoms that would have prompted me to go the vets earlier. So if you can't think of anything that may have upset your cat, then it may be worth just getting the vet to check her out just in case.
Good luck!
Sarebear - how did you get your cat to do that? Did you have one of those potty trainer trays that go in the toilet?
Mummytummy, we used the training system called the litter kwitter, Otto is much happier to wee in the people toilet than to stand in the litter. Only problem is that because we have 3 cats the other two didn't catch on as quickly, so it was a bit stop start with the training. If we put him on the toilet he'll do number 2 there too, he just doesn't volunteer it. The other two decided it was easier to just wait and go outside!
I'm hoping that Otto is just sensing that we are about to have a new family member, any day now, and that he isn't hiding the fact he's not well. I may take him to the vet though just in case...
I'm so sorry to hear about your cat, that must have been so sad for you.
How's your kitty Tinkerbell?
Well last night I was sitting here with my puter and the cat came out from the bedroom and DID A POO IN THE DINING ROOM NEXT TO HER LITTER!!!!!!!!! While I was in here!! I was so angry so i put her outside. I will get some citrus oils today and clean the area with that, will also get some softer litter. SHe's doing my head in I tell ya!