Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve been having a problem off and on for about a year, mostly "on" for a few months now, and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve read a lot of the suggestions in threads here and have tried some of them, but Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m really desperate for some help specific to my situation. This will be long, but it took me a while to get to this point. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m just not sure what to do next and my catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s place in this family is in serious jeopardy in my husbandâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s eyes.
Household: Two adults in a decent size house with one dog (male, age 4) and three cats: Mojo (female, age 5), Griswold (male, age 9) and Tao (male Siamese, age 11). I have had Tao and Griswold since they were kittens, so they grew up together and have lived several places with me. They have been around Mojo since she was a kitten, and around the dog since he was young. They have all lived together for about three years.
Tao has always been a little ‘edgyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji], perhaps common for Siamese. He is very loving and friendly. He gets along with all the other animals, even the dog. He will rub and lick the dog when he is laying down, but when the dog makes any sudden movement Tao startles and runs. I think he's just a nervous cat in general.
In recent months he has started pooping outside the litterbox, in the hallway and along baseboards in a couple of the bedrooms. A few times he has peed, but mostly he just poops. We have two litterboxes – one upstairs and one downstairs. Tao spends most of his time upstairs, I see the other two cats using the downstairs litterboxes more. One of the cats also goes outside some. These incidents have happened just steps away from a freshly scooped litterbox. Yesterday was the last straw. I came home to poop upstairs, after several days of no problems. I admit it, I yelled (I KNOW that doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t work, itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the first time I have snapped). This morning we discovered he had peed in a fresh basket of laundry (this has happened before – I think this behavior is emotional) and had pooped in two bedrooms. All overnight.
Things I have tried or considered:
* First of all, he went to the vet two months ago regarding this and all tests came back fine.
* I have treated all the areas thoroughly with enzyme cleaners, several times. I have tried a few deterrents, commercial and citrus scents. He visits the same 3-4 spots regardless.
* I have considered putting food at one of the more commonly-soiled spots, but their main feeding area is elevated to keep the dog from bothering it or them, and so Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d have to get creative to try that.
* I have a bag of Worlds Greatest Litter… I wonder if he might prefer the softer feel, maybe that is what draws him to the carpet? I plan to put that in a new litterbox (though, the box in there – a modified Rubbermaid storage bin with tall sides but no lid – is only a few months old… maybe itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s still not big enough!?).
* For a few days, a few weeks ago, we started confining him while we were gone to a small area with a litterbox, bed, food, water, etc. I made sure it wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t the bathroom where his upstairs litterbox is, so he wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t associate that room with confinement. But he actually would go into the confinement area willingly as we left for the day! Then we felt so bad about that, we stopped, and the pooping started again. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll have to do that again this weekend just to appease my husband and get a game plan in place.
* I wonder if he has the issue of not wanting to pee and poop in the same box. I canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even imagine where we would put a another litterbox upstairs… maybe just two small ones next to each other? Would an automatic box that ensures a fresh box every visit help with that?
* We briefly used the Feliway diffuser, but my husband hates how it smells. He has a really sensitive nose (not a good thing in this situation!). I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t believe he was smelling the Feliway, and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve tried to sneak it back in and he always smells it before he sees it. Would it really help with this??
* Although the vet tested his stool, I think it seems too “hard†– or, maybe it has just dried up when I find it on the carpet! I wonder if some supplement would help soften it for a better pooping experience? I wonder if it has hurt him in the litterbox in the past.
* Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m really wondering if an anxiety med would help calm him down? Or, maybe a supplement like Rescue Remedy – does that really help? My instinct is that some of this behavior is due to him being ultra-sensitive to things around him. I hate to do that, but Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m really desperate!
What complicates this is that we are trying to start a family! When I am pregnant, my husband will be on full litterbox duty. He doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t mind that, but he has lost patience with cleaning up poop from all corners of our upstairs. He has indicated something needs to improve, or Tao canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t stay when there is a baby in the house. He is not heartless, it has taken him quite a lot to get to this point. And, obviously, a new baby would bring more stress to the house, and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m really worried about how Tao will handle it. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d like to help him NOW while our lives are simple!
WHAT SHOULD I TRY NEXT? ANY NEW IDEAS??
Household: Two adults in a decent size house with one dog (male, age 4) and three cats: Mojo (female, age 5), Griswold (male, age 9) and Tao (male Siamese, age 11). I have had Tao and Griswold since they were kittens, so they grew up together and have lived several places with me. They have been around Mojo since she was a kitten, and around the dog since he was young. They have all lived together for about three years.
Tao has always been a little ‘edgyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji], perhaps common for Siamese. He is very loving and friendly. He gets along with all the other animals, even the dog. He will rub and lick the dog when he is laying down, but when the dog makes any sudden movement Tao startles and runs. I think he's just a nervous cat in general.
In recent months he has started pooping outside the litterbox, in the hallway and along baseboards in a couple of the bedrooms. A few times he has peed, but mostly he just poops. We have two litterboxes – one upstairs and one downstairs. Tao spends most of his time upstairs, I see the other two cats using the downstairs litterboxes more. One of the cats also goes outside some. These incidents have happened just steps away from a freshly scooped litterbox. Yesterday was the last straw. I came home to poop upstairs, after several days of no problems. I admit it, I yelled (I KNOW that doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t work, itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the first time I have snapped). This morning we discovered he had peed in a fresh basket of laundry (this has happened before – I think this behavior is emotional) and had pooped in two bedrooms. All overnight.
Things I have tried or considered:
* First of all, he went to the vet two months ago regarding this and all tests came back fine.
* I have treated all the areas thoroughly with enzyme cleaners, several times. I have tried a few deterrents, commercial and citrus scents. He visits the same 3-4 spots regardless.
* I have considered putting food at one of the more commonly-soiled spots, but their main feeding area is elevated to keep the dog from bothering it or them, and so Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d have to get creative to try that.
* I have a bag of Worlds Greatest Litter… I wonder if he might prefer the softer feel, maybe that is what draws him to the carpet? I plan to put that in a new litterbox (though, the box in there – a modified Rubbermaid storage bin with tall sides but no lid – is only a few months old… maybe itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s still not big enough!?).
* For a few days, a few weeks ago, we started confining him while we were gone to a small area with a litterbox, bed, food, water, etc. I made sure it wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t the bathroom where his upstairs litterbox is, so he wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t associate that room with confinement. But he actually would go into the confinement area willingly as we left for the day! Then we felt so bad about that, we stopped, and the pooping started again. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll have to do that again this weekend just to appease my husband and get a game plan in place.
* I wonder if he has the issue of not wanting to pee and poop in the same box. I canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even imagine where we would put a another litterbox upstairs… maybe just two small ones next to each other? Would an automatic box that ensures a fresh box every visit help with that?
* We briefly used the Feliway diffuser, but my husband hates how it smells. He has a really sensitive nose (not a good thing in this situation!). I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t believe he was smelling the Feliway, and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve tried to sneak it back in and he always smells it before he sees it. Would it really help with this??
* Although the vet tested his stool, I think it seems too “hard†– or, maybe it has just dried up when I find it on the carpet! I wonder if some supplement would help soften it for a better pooping experience? I wonder if it has hurt him in the litterbox in the past.
* Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m really wondering if an anxiety med would help calm him down? Or, maybe a supplement like Rescue Remedy – does that really help? My instinct is that some of this behavior is due to him being ultra-sensitive to things around him. I hate to do that, but Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m really desperate!
What complicates this is that we are trying to start a family! When I am pregnant, my husband will be on full litterbox duty. He doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t mind that, but he has lost patience with cleaning up poop from all corners of our upstairs. He has indicated something needs to improve, or Tao canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t stay when there is a baby in the house. He is not heartless, it has taken him quite a lot to get to this point. And, obviously, a new baby would bring more stress to the house, and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m really worried about how Tao will handle it. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d like to help him NOW while our lives are simple!
WHAT SHOULD I TRY NEXT? ANY NEW IDEAS??