3 Litter Boxe's And No One Is Peeing In Them!

[Shutterbug]

Hello,
So, I am at my wits end, and hope someone here can provide some useful and helpful tips to resolve my cat troubles.

General living overview: 3 Cats, 1 Dog, 1 Human; in 1 Small Apartment of appx 690 Sq feet.

Intro to the crew:
THE DOGGY:
I originally only had my 1 senior doggy who is now 16yrs old. He loves cats and does well with them since he was 4 weeks old. So no trouble there.

THE TENURED CAT:
About 4 years ago, I rescued a 3 legged 6week old kitten. He is very independent and loves to snuggle, is playful and an avid hunter. Otherwise, pretty chill.

THE FIRE SURVIVOR CAT:
Then almost 2 yrs ago, while at a friend's dinner party; I ended up rescuing an badly injured/dehydrated/starving cat that survived an apartment fire. Initially, I took this poor little soul in as a foster situation but quickly realized it would be too much for her to rehome. It took her nearly 1 year to get comfortable in my own home, and a bit longer to recover from her medical care. She still has minor respiratory issues due to the fire and smoke inhalation damage to her lungs and I was told it may likely always be the case. She has no teeth, due to when found she had a severe infection and in her gums and had lost 95%of her teeth. Her age is hard to gauge, the vet says if we go off her tests and bloodwork she could be about 7-8 years old. If we go by her physical condition (primarily her teeth) she could be about 15-17yrs old. Aside from this she is perfectly fine and healthy little girl and is very loving and more interested in Human interaction than feline.

THE KITTEN RESCUE:
October 25th 2017, I rescued this kitten trapped in the engine undercarriage of a random SUV parked in my neighborhood. I've vetted him and they put him at about 8-10 weeks old. My intention with this one, was to take him to a no kill shelter, or find someone within my social network to adopt him; since I am at capacity in my own home.... A month and half later and I am still fostering the little guy. Due to Hurricane Harvey all rescues, foster homes, and shelters I've checked are at capacity and cant take him in. After all he has been through, I dont want to turn him in at a kill shelter, as it will likely end up, in him being euthanized. He is full of energy, lovey and very smart, and even though he is a kitten; already he is almost grown to be as big as my 4 yrs old cat!

THE ISSUE: Both adult cats are no longer using the litter box to urinate. Only to poop.

THE DETAILS:
About 7 months ago, fire rescue kitty was finally able to roam the house outside of her crate 24/7. At first she and my tenure cat used the 2 litter boxes normally. He had his own, and she had hers. They didnt use each others. Slowly, she began to use both and so did he. But, no issues.

About 2 months pass, and I catch the girl cat peeing on my sofa. I take her to the vet, and all comes back fine. No health issues are causing her "accidents". The vet suggests getting a large low level entry litter box, as he thinks maybe it's her age and jumping to use the Clever Cat litter box bothers her.

I hesitate to do this because, the very reason I got 2 clevercat boxes is because it prevents my dog from his dietary indiscretions of eating cat poop. Plus, I am thinking she has no problem jumping on the counter, sofa, and litter box to poop; so I don't think that's the case.

Instead I decide to just monitor the issue, and replace the couch with a gently worn one. Not less than 24 hours and girl kitty pees on the new couch! So, I buy potty training pads to minimize the damage to the couch. I notice my tenure cat is now taken to guarding the litter box by laying down in front of it or inside of it; and stopped using his...and now only uses hers (the one he guards). Girl kitty won't use the other box either.

Now, somehow it's okay for her to poop in the box, without issue. But, she won't pee in it?? I don't understand.

Meanwhile tenure cat has been using it no problems. While she keeps peeing on the potty pads on the couch.

I give in and buy a 3rd large low entry open box. Both adults use it, but girl kitty is still peeing on the couch.
I caught tenure cat laying inside the low entry box once this week (guarding it I assume?), and I shooed him out of it.

Now kitten has been kept in the bathroom for the first 4 weeks, and has his own litter box. I have been gradually socializing him to my babies. These last 2 weeks kitten has been allowed more time in the rest of the house and this has resulted in tenure cat and kitten wrestling each other (mostly on my bed). Tenure cat was caught using kitten's box too recently.

Today, while cleaning boxes I notice that no one has been peeing in the 3 boxes (excluding the 4th kitten box). There is only poop in 2, and nothing in the 3rd (original box) most private one.

So now. I am left wondering where is tenure cat peeing and why are they behaving this way when I have a surplus of clean boxes for them?

I have no clue what to do and why this is going on. I don't have a lot of space and growing more and more frustrated.

Anyone know what's going on here?

Sorry for the super long post, just trying to give as much detail as possible. Thanks!!

 

[Chibisaurus]

There can be several reasons the cats are no longer using the litter box.
First off, Don't yell at them for not using the litter box, they will become scared of even using it.

Have you recently changed brand of litter?
Have you taken them to the vet? No longer using the litter box can be a sign of disease. (if one or both have a UTI peeing in a litter box can be painful for them)

 

[NewYork1303]

I would worry that the space is just too small for three cats to really feel that they have their own territories, which could cause inappropriate peeing. Are there raised spaces the cats can get to so that they can get away from each other easily? Are the litter boxes far away from each other or next to each other?

 

[Shutterbug]

There can be several reasons the cats are no longer using the litter box.
First off, Don't yell at them for not using the litter box, they will become scared of even using it.

Have you recently changed brand of litter?
Have you taken them to the vet? No longer using the litter box can be a sign of disease. (if one or both have a UTI peeing in a litter box can be painful for them)

No I do not, and have not yelled at them. No changes in litter brand, either. Also. no UTI or other urethra or kidney issues. All in good health. :/

 

[Shutterbug]

I would worry that the space is just too small for three cats to really feel that they have their own territories, which could cause inappropriate peeing. Are there raised spaces the cats can get to so that they can get away from each other easily? Are the litter boxes far away from each other or next to each other?

Yes. My concern is that my apartment is just too small for 3 of them.

Tenure cat has my bedroom as his "territory" and my bed. Girl kitty won't come in to my room other than to the entry area. Girl cat has the living room.

As for the litter boxes. 1 is in a corner of the dining room (about 6-7 feet away) from the other which is in the living room. The 3rd one is right next to the one in the living room, because I have no place else to put it. I thought of placing one in my bedroom, but not sure where I can fit it.

The kitten's box is in the bathroom.

 

[Shutterbug]

Oh, and yes they have 2 cat trees that elevate them.

 

[Chibisaurus]

It might just really be the size of the area they have.

 

[NewYork1303]

Spreading litter boxes out is often helpful and it sounds like they do have established areas at least, so maybe not so bad. I just can't think that it would be something other than being territorial. I definitely think it would be better to place the kitten with someone else if possible (though I get that that would be a challenge). I have seen more cats exist in a space that big without getting territorial, but it may just vary greatly with the personalities of the cats.

 

[Cat_mediator]

It seems like they do have some territorial problems here. If the tenured cat is guarding the litter box, for sure the other cats won't dare to use it. In addition, once a bad behavior is established, it will be hard to change. I'd properly redefine their territories first. Since you have 3 cats, you will have to have at least 4 litter boxes. Put them separately in the main area of the home but away from the resources (like food, resting, and play areas). I know it won't be easy since you live in a small place. Are all the boxes opened? Cats prefer that. Make sure the area is well-lit as well. Clean the sofa very well, and put a plastic cover on it, so she won't do it again. It is hard to give you more advice when I can't see the set up of your house. The area that you put the litter boxes is very important. You can't put it in a high traffic area and you can't put it in a remote area of the house either. Just let you know that cats don't usually like to poop and pee in the same box. They like to separate number 1 and number 2. Clean the boxes twice a day and use retraining litter in the meanwhile. Cats hate to share any resources. Make sure you provide plenty of resources around the house (food, water, toys, litter boxes ,and resting areas), so they won't have to share anything.

 

[di and bob]

I would change the litter in one or two of them to see if that helps. If one is 'guarding' he may be keeping all of them from going in the other boxes too.Watch and see. You may have to 'retrain ' the one that is peeing on the couch, keep her in a small room for a while with a litter box until she is constantly using it. There has been a big change with the addition of the kitten, did it get worse then? Try to put one box high up and see if that helps, maybe the dog started to bother your little female, through no fault of it's own. There is always a reason for cats to suddenly avoid litter boxes. Stress, a change in the household or family dynamics,the placement of the boxes, or the boxes and litter themselves. I hope you find teh solution, keep us posted!