I have tried a covered box. She did not seem to like it much. It was one of the first thoughts I did thinking maybe the dogs were bothering her. Poop incidents increased, and them decreased when I took the cover off.
When you switched her litter, did you swap her out cold turkey? Or slowly transition her?
-If you swapped her cold turkey, you may be able to still use the new litter by starting over. Start over with regular litter (whatever it was she was used to), and just add a thin layer on top of the old...
I'm in agreeance that it totally depends on the cat and situation. I have grown up with cats my entire life. Some were indoor only, some outdoor only, and some indoor/outdoor. If a cat is happy to stay inside, then that is clearly what's best for them. No sense in letting them out if they have...
When we go out of town we take the dogs with us. Usually it's over a weekend. Occasionally a long weekend. So she is usually left for 1, maybe 2 days. If it's longer then that we have someone check in on her. When we first got her, it did stress her out. She would scratch up carpet, and puked in...
Update: I gave the robo-box a deep cleaning, washing the litter basin out with hot water and a kennel cleaner meant to kill animal odor. I also sprayed down the robotic housing with the cleaner. I then followed up with a heavy spray of nature's miracle over the entire box and allowed to dry...
@javi3 Thanks. I'll need to add some training sessions. I should probably be doing this with everyone (dogs too). They all 3 like to sit for treats together and I've even taught her to "sit pretty" by standing up with her paws up. I've taught the dogs "That's kitty's treat!" and they'll leave...
My rule of thumb- If it looks groomed, fed, and well taken care of, it's probably an indoor/outdoor kitty. If it looks scruffy and dirty, maybe even malnourished it's probably an outdoor only or stray kitty.
We both pick on the dogs. Mess with their ears, do things that mildy annoy them. Mostly just so they are used to children as we have friends with small kids. They seem to be gluttons for punishment. And the dog's annoying habits don't bother him nearly as much. The younger dog did have a problem...
So based on what everyone's replies have told me, I'll sum up what I will be currently trying.
So far it could be one or a combination of 3 things.
1) Boxes are too small.
-I did just change out the smaller backup box for a larger one I had on hand.
Next steps- Get an under-bed storage...
She scratches the actual box to clean her feet after going.
I'll have to "catch him in the act" and gently remind him to maybe not pick on the cat. Gotta train your husbands with positive reinforcement after all. :blush:
No correlation there.
I will look into this as soon as I can get ahold...
Thanks I appreciate your detailed reply.
If this was an issue just after the foot injury- then yes I would say it contributed. But it has been an issue the whole time we've had her. And the problem hasn't really changed in frequency since.
With kitty ibs, was that cat's poos normal in...
This grass seed litter sounds intriguing. May be on my next to try list. She loves going outside and with the similar texture it sounds intriguing... Although if we dispose of it outside, it would be dog food in the backyard. :barfgreen:
We've thought about alternative litters such as pine shavings and walnut pellets and the like. Maybe if my silica experiment doesn't work out, I'll move to other kinds of litter next. I'm using the micro crystal kind now. It has a similar feel to regular kitty litter. Maybe I could try a...
True. I'm going to swap out the little spare box for a bigger box I already have on hand (it's an XL), and re-clean the area with Natures Miracle tonight and see how that does. I'll try to by hypervigilant on keeping her box clean. I'll see what that does I guess. It's frustrating though. Miss 1...
Man.. I've spent a good chunk already getting her used to silica litter, lol. I wonder if it would be worth finishing the silica transition first? Or should I just stop mid-transition and go with the cheapest clay I can find and immediately going to swapping her out weekly. I'm tempted to try...
It seems to not have any specific time of day.
Nope. She peruses through the entire house. We do not give her access to the garage or basement(it's unfinished). But she would be there too if we let her.
Yes I let her out during the day. She typically sticks around the house. I have not noticed...
Deep cleaning= Remove boxes from closets and dump old litter. Clean the litter box with bleach. Then soap and water, and dry. While boxes are out of closet, vacuum any tracked litter from carpet. Spray all carpet with nature's miracle cleaner. Put boxes back in closet.
If it's possible she's...
-The injury was a laceration on her foot. I found her outside under the porch injured.(Actually my dog told me by whining and sniffing.) Took her to the vet immediately and got her stitches. She was recovered very well. This issue was already established before this though. And has not been...
Sorry for the multiple replies in a row- I have not figured out how to edit so that everything was in one reply. If it's relevant, the dimensions to the robo-litterbox are 27"L by 18"W by 10"H. It's comparable in size to an extra large litter box. I believe her covered box was an extra large too.
I have not officially tried this. I did however keep her in a crate for the first few days to be able to slowly introduce her to the house and it's resident dog. This was one of those times I watched her get in her box, dig, do a few spins, get out, poop next to it, and cover it with her...