Behavior Changes after Vacation

[deb25]

I recently went on a week-long vacation. My 2 11-year old cats were home, and a pet sitter came in daily. The pet sitter didn’t stay long, as my cats hide from visitors anyway. This has been the longest I have ever been away from them.

When I returned home, it was evident that this was a stressful experience for them. There were multiple vomits to clean up, and I found 3 poops outside the litter box in 3 different spots in the house.

Their behavior was back to normal pretty quickly, except one of the cats continued to intermittently poop in the same spot 3 additional times. So I set up another litter box near that spot. Since then, no more inappropriate pooping. But now both cats have shown a definite preference for the new litter box and almost never use the original.

Here are my questions. Can their original box still hold on to some scent that reminds them of the stress? Should I just get rid of that old litter box and maybe put the new box back in the original spot? I’d really like to get them back to their traditional litter box area. Thanks!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
I'd remove the old box, --if it isn't all scratched up maybe keep it, disinfect it and try putting it back into use in the future.

I've read that by very slowly, --in small increments of a few inches/maybe a foot at a time, moving a litterbox over a couple weeks towards the place you want it, this can help the cats acclimate to that location.

The sitter didn't tell you any of this? Maybe try Cat Music for a few hours daily next time (there are a lot of varieties so if they don't respond to one type, try another), and set up a camera or two so you can see what's happening.

 

[deb25]

I really wasn’t exactly pleased with the sitter. This was only the 2nd time I’d used her, and my last trip was only 4 days. I’m going to have to come up with an alternative plan for my next vacation. Fortunately there's nothing planned just yet. It s such a catch-22. I know they would not have responded well to being boarded.

 

[neely]

I really wasn’t exactly pleased with the sitter.

You said the pet sitter came in daily but how many times did they come in each day? I always have our sitter come a minimum of two times a day and fortunately never had a problem. Since you only have one litter box for two cats it's possible the sitter was not there often enough to clean it up. The recommendation is one more litter box than the number of cats, e.g. 2 cats = 3 litter boxes. Here are two helpful Articles that discuss some of the more common litter box problems and mistakes:
The 10 Most Common Litter Box Mistakes Cat Owners Make - TheCatSite
16 Experts Reveal The Most Common Litterbox Mistakes (and How To Avoid Them) - TheCatSite

 

[deb25]

The sitter came in once daily. These 2 cats have shared the same box without incident since they were kittens. I scoop it in the morning, so that part of the routine was unchanged. This was clearly a response to being alone for 8 days. It’s tough because they hide for visitors.

 

[Eurocat]

Hi there
Sorry to hear that.
I tend to agree with Neely.
I‘m sure your cats were understandably stressed when you were away and someone else came in to look after them. I have a semi-feral who hides from mostly everyone else or who needs a long warming up phase, so I understand it‘s difficult for the cats when their human is away and they‘re out of their routine.
So in my opinion that‘s exactly the reason that possibly things should be set up slightly differently for when you‘re away. The cats may be fine with one litter box when you‘re there, but as you’ve seen, things are different when you‘re not. They may be more nervous and poop more, have diarrhea etc. And being fastidious creatures, this could cause more stress or stress related problems like litter box avoidance.
For this reason the next time in your situation I would, if possible, either a trusted live in sitter who the cats are used to - or who they can get used to - or have the sitter come more often and/or have at least 3 boxes set up with a good amount of litter.
I only have one cat with 2 huge litter boxes (I even find the normal recommended litter boxes are far too small to allow a normal sized cat move around) which I clean immediately when she does something (and I‘m at home). If I don’t clean immediately her normal behaviour is to move to the next box once the one box has been soiled. If I‘m ever worried that I may be late coming home, I even leave her 3 litter boxes in the morning.
I really think that having a good litter box culture is an essential aspect of keeping stress levels low. Just imagine - if our main contact disappeared and we were left with one unflushable toilet to share with our friend, it wouldn‘t really add to our feeling of well being.

All the best!

 

[deb25]

Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I completely agree that I need to rethink for the next time I go away.
My main issue is that my cats are now avoiding their original litter box in favor of the one I set up to stop whichever one of them continued to poop inappropriately several times after I returned. Could the original litter box have some type of odor or scent that they still associate with the stress they felt while I was away?

 

[Eurocat]

Hi there
I just think your cats associate the old litter box with stress and discomfort. Maybe it wasn’t scooped enough in your absence, so they opt for the new one.
The avoidance may change and it may not. I‘d just keep on offering both (and maybe even another one?) and see what happens. I really believe as time (and life) goes on routines have to be adapted. For things to stay the same on the outside, things often have to change on the inside.
Here again is another informative link for a youtube video regarding litter boxes:


I also totally understand the going away problem and worry if you have shy cats.
As my little ex semi-feral is extremely skittish of strangers yet very bonded to me, I, like you, abandoned all initial ideas of putting her in a cat hotel when I had to go away as it would have totally stressed her out.
My approach is then either having my partner or friend (or cat sitter who I would trust) stay at my place to look after her. As all cats, my cat is most confident in the later evenings and if someone is there at this time and is quiet and sensitive she will show herself and interact (to the extent she knows the person). The longer the person is there, the more she will interact. But it’s a slow process and depends on the person of course. If a stranger is at my place alone, my kitty spends all day in hiding so even if a cat sitter came past even twice a day, they would never see my cat. I would accept someone just coming in and scooping and feeding for maximim 1 overnight (which I’ve done) after that I would not want to leave her alone at home - especially as she has no other cat company (at least your cats have each other )
This of course makes all trip planning more challenging as first I have to find someone I trust with my cat who has time and capacity to stay at my place.
Only then can I plan my trip. And then of course I have to make sure that everything in my home is laid out so someone else feels ok there and finds their way around.
So far I‘ve been very lucky with my good, cat friendly friend having been able to stay when my partner goes away with me. And my cat, although slightly unsettled, was doing well when I came back and was overjoyed to see me (was mutual - I really miss her when I’m away). In summer now a lovely colleague has agreed to stay for a week too when we go on holiday - one week her, one week my other friend.
Alternatively I‘ve also adapted my holidays to take my cat with me, which has worked very well so far (touch wood for the future)
Good luck to you and your kitties!