- Joined
- Jul 11, 2019
- Messages
- 24
- Purraise
- 38
Hi everyone, new here. Not sure where to start, but I’ve always loved cats! As a kid I’d bring home random ones, feed them, and wanted nothing more than to own one. My mom never allowed me, but finally when I started college and was gong through depression, she let me. As soon as she said yes, I immediately went to an adoption center (was nervous my mom would change her mind) and within 2 days had brought home Rose, a beautiful kitten.
It was extremely hard to train her to use the litter box. I cleaned up pee and poop constantly from all over my room for at least a whole year. Sometimes I would cry from the stress of it, but I still loved her so much so it was always okay in the end. She began to usually use her litter box. I was thrilled! She’s friendly, adorable, and I love her.
She did have a health scare with a horrible reaction to some cat food ingredients, and was in and out of the vet’s office for months until we figured out the cause. I used to cry so much out of fear of losing her. She recovered though and it was fine! Similarly, I’d panic so much on the rare occasion she’d escape to the wild outdoors until I’d find her again. One time she became slightly overweight, and boy did I ever monitor her feeding like no tomorrow until she was just fine again. Overall, there were plenty of hiccups but I loved her through each one! I took extremely good care of her, still do. Even when it means 5AM feeding time! Always.
However, her litter issues never fully went away. She always had moments here and there, but used the litter box (which has always been spic and span every single day and fully washed out regularly) enough that I would just deal with it. I went to the vets but Rose was in great health and none of them found an actual problem or reason for this behaviour. Tried all kinds of litter but it never helped.
We finally had a good year one time with her almost always using the litter box. But as usual, it started happening again. The litter box has almost always stayed in my room’s bathroom since there’s no other place for it, and it’s been incredibly hard to deal with the odour because Rose never buries her poop, never really has. I clean out the litter pretty much the same minute she’s finished, but the scent is way too strong, no matter which litter or spray I’ve tried. Maybe the strong odour is due to her food as well, but I can only feed her that particular food due to her allergies. Additionally, it was awful whenever I’d have my friends over in my room, because when she’d poop in the litter box it would smell horrible like I mentioned, to where my friends’ faces would scrunch up. Further, though not a huge deal but still, it was a bit awkward when Rose would start pooping while I was hanging out with the friends there.
So! We tried moving the litter box in a hallway but again, we don’t really have room for it anywhere besides my room, but finally for a little while I got to experience a normal room again. As in, no more poop or pee to worry about and the air was fresh. I used to always get comments about how my room smelled bad and I had to breathe in all of it everyday.
However, Rose didn’t like the litter box placement. She started doing her business everywhere - the living room, any carpets, peeing all over any carpets, pooping under the dining table, I mean it got BAD.
We ended up moving the litter box back to my room and well, now that the scent is back and everything, I’m just a bit angry. Her behaviour is also still bad, like every other year how it gets.
Over the years (it’s been 5 with her), I’ve slowly become exhausted from all of this. The other day I was getting ready to go out, and she started peeing on my carpet. I stupidly grabbed her to try to take her to her litter box quickly but instead it just sprayed everywhere. So I had just minutes to get dressed, but now had this pee everywhere all over my carpet. I broke down. It’s like I can never win. Her behaviour never changes for real and it’s always been like this. Every time I’m in bed and she makes a scratching sound, even if it’s 4am I will bolt awake out of panic that she’s about to pee or poop on the carpet again. I’ve began to resent her. I still take amazing care of her, but most of the time I feel exhausted, stressed out and depressive about it all. I am sick and tired of scrubbing and bleaching all these random areas of my carpet and it’s come to a point where my room smells no matter what I do and I can’t even tell if she peed overnight somewhere.
I got so upset, I finally looked up my city’s website to see if anyone was looking to adopt a cat. But who would even want one with litter issues? She would probably end up abandoned. Honestly I’m so stressed about this, it feels like I’m raising a wild child or something, that never learns. I don’t know what to do. I’m at my wit’s end. I feel that finally, after these 5 years with her, the stress has overcome my desire to have her, because taking care of her always becomes a full time middle-of-the-night job that drains me and makes me cry. It’s terrible because other than the litter issues, she’s the PERFECT cat. So sweet, so cute, so good.
I spend more time stressing out than I do enjoying having her, because every other day she does these things and even though I try to watch her as much as I can, I can’t possibly spend my days staring at her every move. What should I do? Am I wrong for wanting to rehome her some days? Maybe I would completely be full of regret, I don’t know. But this is a lot on my shoulders. I feel like how in the beginning when Rose took away my depression, she has now been giving me depression instead. I love her so so much but this is so so hard. I love her to pieces and I never thought things would end up here.
It was extremely hard to train her to use the litter box. I cleaned up pee and poop constantly from all over my room for at least a whole year. Sometimes I would cry from the stress of it, but I still loved her so much so it was always okay in the end. She began to usually use her litter box. I was thrilled! She’s friendly, adorable, and I love her.
She did have a health scare with a horrible reaction to some cat food ingredients, and was in and out of the vet’s office for months until we figured out the cause. I used to cry so much out of fear of losing her. She recovered though and it was fine! Similarly, I’d panic so much on the rare occasion she’d escape to the wild outdoors until I’d find her again. One time she became slightly overweight, and boy did I ever monitor her feeding like no tomorrow until she was just fine again. Overall, there were plenty of hiccups but I loved her through each one! I took extremely good care of her, still do. Even when it means 5AM feeding time! Always.
However, her litter issues never fully went away. She always had moments here and there, but used the litter box (which has always been spic and span every single day and fully washed out regularly) enough that I would just deal with it. I went to the vets but Rose was in great health and none of them found an actual problem or reason for this behaviour. Tried all kinds of litter but it never helped.
We finally had a good year one time with her almost always using the litter box. But as usual, it started happening again. The litter box has almost always stayed in my room’s bathroom since there’s no other place for it, and it’s been incredibly hard to deal with the odour because Rose never buries her poop, never really has. I clean out the litter pretty much the same minute she’s finished, but the scent is way too strong, no matter which litter or spray I’ve tried. Maybe the strong odour is due to her food as well, but I can only feed her that particular food due to her allergies. Additionally, it was awful whenever I’d have my friends over in my room, because when she’d poop in the litter box it would smell horrible like I mentioned, to where my friends’ faces would scrunch up. Further, though not a huge deal but still, it was a bit awkward when Rose would start pooping while I was hanging out with the friends there.
So! We tried moving the litter box in a hallway but again, we don’t really have room for it anywhere besides my room, but finally for a little while I got to experience a normal room again. As in, no more poop or pee to worry about and the air was fresh. I used to always get comments about how my room smelled bad and I had to breathe in all of it everyday.
However, Rose didn’t like the litter box placement. She started doing her business everywhere - the living room, any carpets, peeing all over any carpets, pooping under the dining table, I mean it got BAD.
We ended up moving the litter box back to my room and well, now that the scent is back and everything, I’m just a bit angry. Her behaviour is also still bad, like every other year how it gets.
Over the years (it’s been 5 with her), I’ve slowly become exhausted from all of this. The other day I was getting ready to go out, and she started peeing on my carpet. I stupidly grabbed her to try to take her to her litter box quickly but instead it just sprayed everywhere. So I had just minutes to get dressed, but now had this pee everywhere all over my carpet. I broke down. It’s like I can never win. Her behaviour never changes for real and it’s always been like this. Every time I’m in bed and she makes a scratching sound, even if it’s 4am I will bolt awake out of panic that she’s about to pee or poop on the carpet again. I’ve began to resent her. I still take amazing care of her, but most of the time I feel exhausted, stressed out and depressive about it all. I am sick and tired of scrubbing and bleaching all these random areas of my carpet and it’s come to a point where my room smells no matter what I do and I can’t even tell if she peed overnight somewhere.
I got so upset, I finally looked up my city’s website to see if anyone was looking to adopt a cat. But who would even want one with litter issues? She would probably end up abandoned. Honestly I’m so stressed about this, it feels like I’m raising a wild child or something, that never learns. I don’t know what to do. I’m at my wit’s end. I feel that finally, after these 5 years with her, the stress has overcome my desire to have her, because taking care of her always becomes a full time middle-of-the-night job that drains me and makes me cry. It’s terrible because other than the litter issues, she’s the PERFECT cat. So sweet, so cute, so good.
I spend more time stressing out than I do enjoying having her, because every other day she does these things and even though I try to watch her as much as I can, I can’t possibly spend my days staring at her every move. What should I do? Am I wrong for wanting to rehome her some days? Maybe I would completely be full of regret, I don’t know. But this is a lot on my shoulders. I feel like how in the beginning when Rose took away my depression, she has now been giving me depression instead. I love her so so much but this is so so hard. I love her to pieces and I never thought things would end up here.