3 year old fixed male using the bathroom in our shower, help

[kamijo]

Our 3 year old fixed male Poe keeps pooping in the shower after someone uses it. It never fails and we don't understand why.

He uses the litterbox just fine but about 20 minutes to an hour after someone uses the shower he will run and poop in it. It's very annoying because we only have one bathroom with a shower and it's also the same one where guest will go if we have any over.

My husband is getting really mad about this because he showers every day due to work and I just don't know what to do to make it stop. We have 2 water dishes in the bathroom for the other cats and I'm not sure if Poe is trying to claim them for himself or just trying to say he doesn't like us showering.

Any advice would be wonderful!

 

[ArtNJ]

Why won't closing the bathroom door work? I've had kittens that unrolled TP rolls, cats that fell in the toilet if left open, and cats that knocked over the bathroom trash, so we got in the habit of closing the door. Never had your specific problem, but the solution should be the same. Just something cat owners have to get used to sometimes.

As to the why of your issue...don't know, will leave that one to others.

 

[kamijo]

Why won't closing the bathroom door work? I've had kittens that unrolled TP rolls, cats that fell in the toilet if left open, and cats that knocked over the bathroom trash, so we got in the habit of closing the door. Never had your specific problem, but the solution should be the same. Just something cat owners have to get used to sometimes.

As to the why of your issue...don't know, will leave that one to others.

At the moment we don't have any air conditioning and have fans going so if we closed the bathroom it would be a lava pit when we go in there. Otherwise, I would close it.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I agree about closing the bathroom door, but understand you would have to move the water dishes elsewhere until the shower dried. And, I just saw your response above... I can't quite fathom why he would poop in the shower only when it is wet as a way to claim the water dishes. Does him doing this stop the other cats from drinking from those dishes at that time?

The only thing that comes to mind is that he prefers a nice clean, fresh smelling area to poop in - and, while he will use the litter box, that is not his preference. How many litter boxes do you have for all of your cats?

Perhaps, you could consider towel drying the shower stall and see if that stops him? When guests are not there, you could also place a litter box in the shower stall just to see what he would do then. Other than that, I am out of ideas.

Hopefully other members will have some suggestions/thoughts!

 

[Pjg8r]

What about devising a way to keep the floor of the shower covered in water for a few weeks? I don’t necessarily mean blocking the drain, maybe using a plastic storage container top. I’m guessing your shower has a curtain not a door? Is there a way to Velcro the shower curtain edges to the wall to keep him out?

 

[kamijo]

Hi. I agree about closing the bathroom door, but understand you would have to move the water dishes elsewhere until the shower dried. And, I just saw your response above... I can't quite fathom why he would poop in the shower only when it is wet as a way to claim the water dishes. Does him doing this stop the other cats from drinking from those dishes at that time?

The only thing that comes to mind is that he prefers a nice clean, fresh smelling area to poop in - and, while he will use the litter box, that is not his preference. How many litter boxes do you have for all of your cats?

Perhaps, you could consider towel drying the shower stall and see if that stops him? When guests are not there, you could also place a litter box in the shower stall just to see what he would do then. Other than that, I am out of ideas.

Hopefully other members will have some suggestions/thoughts!

I could dry the shower after use. Yes, the other cats won't even go into the bathroom after he poops in the shower.

We have 4 cats and 8 litterboxes. They get changed twice a week because my husband has a strong sense of smell.

We use unscented litter and it's dust free because of my asthma.

 

[ArtNJ]

We have 4 cats and 8 litterboxes. They get changed twice a week because my husband has a strong sense of smell.

I've only had 6 cats total in my life, but in my experience twice a week, with a 2 to 1 box to cat ratio, is kind of the minimum you can do without having problems get a lot more likely. 2x a week with a 2 to 1 ratio is literally what I do now, so I'm not judging, just saying I think its a threshold beyond which its not prudent to go. Since you are already having a problem, it might be prudent to try doing it more often.