Cat preferring 1/3 boxes in house..

[peeka73]

Hello all,

I am wondering if any of you have encountered a cat that prefers 1 litterbox (even though there are 3 giant 30gal Sterilite container litter boxes.) My cat Putz pee'd outside the box when her preferred box was occupied last time. I put another box in an adjacent room. The other 2 cats would sometimes use the other box, but the preference is the 1st box. They've all but ignored the one on the 2nd floor. I thouuught adding the 2nd box in the adjacent room was helping until there was another puddle waiting for me last Thurs. I'm at a loss now. Is there a way to help persuade your cat to use the other box? It's also in an isolated corner behind a couch. I don't think it's UTI, but will be taking her in on Monday to rule that out. (and there hasn't been an accident since Thurs, no excessive grooming, etc..) She is due for her anal gland expression, but that's about it?

I'm starting to lose my mind at this point? My friend who also had 2 cats with UTIs no longer has any improper elimination, and they share 1 small litterbox. My cats have 3 huuuuge boxes, I've changed their diet to all canned with about a 1/2 cup water added to their meals, add a dose of UTI-free to their foods, have a water fountain that they stare at but won't use, have a bowl of water that doesn't get touched anymore, added a cat tree and more places to hide and sleep, multiple feliway plugins in the house, and I STILL have improper elimination going on. I have no idea what else to do at this point.

In the past, my cats went through having construction done in the house, getting placed in a basement room while there are showings in the house (while selling my 1st house), and moving 2x in the last few years. NO UTI issues. Now that we're in a house with just ME, with very few visitors or disturbances.. they get UTIs??? The logic fails me. And hearing the vet tell me it's an idiopathic syndrome, a fancy term for WE DON'T KNOW WHY, is not very comforting.

Thoughts? I'm ready to try anything at this point.. even hiring a behaviorist if I have to. I must have missed something.

And thank you guys for reading and responding to my questions/concerns. My friends in RL have heard quite enough and think there is something wrong with me, or I must have done something wrong. It's very frustrating, and I've stopped discussing it.

- Grace
PS: Some history: 2 out of 3 cats had UTI issues, Putz and Tripper. They've all been treated for it, and were given a clean bill of health just in mid-July. Putz (the one that has the preference for 1 box in particular), has no symptoms of UTI this time. So not sure if it's purely behavioral or she may be covertly sick again.. *sighs*

 

[momofmany]

All of my cats have their preferred boxes, and in fact, they have their preferred spots within each of those boxes. I also use large sterilite bins. Everyone pees in the one in our bathroom filled with Cat Attract. Most of them poop in the one in our laundry room with the exception of Muddy, who only pees on the front side of that box. Lucky only poops in the ones in our sunroom. The point is that many cats are creatures of habit and can only go in one place.

In other homes, I've resorted to putting 2 boxes side by side in the rooms where they used them most. That way if one cat is in a box, there is another nearby for another cat to go in. I haven't had that problem where I live now.

Perhaps add a second box near the preferred box?

 

[rarepuss]

I have 2 cats and 2 side by side boxes. Clean meticulously still one box is constantly preferred over the other

. I resort to flipping the boxes once between complete changes so litter is used evenly.

My boy is soo particular! He cleans after my girl, pouts if boxes are not super clean and fussed over them constantly. I've never had a cat so preoccupied! Still, no accidents here, just making me crazy with his kvetching..

 

[jinxywinx]

Cats can be really finicky about things - particularly where they do their "business."
My husband and I bought a $400 self-cleaning litter "robot" for our cats because we were tired of all the scooping. Too bad THAT was a wasted purchase, since only 2 of our 7 cats EVER use it.
One cat will not even go in the room with it. She let us know her not-so-fond feelings over it by peeing on our bed in the middle of the night. Thanks for the hint, Saya!!
But even before the Robot, there was always the issue of them overusing one box in particular.
We are not sure if what makes that particular litter box the most used is a territory thing, or a comfort thing, or just the fact that it is closer to the door. Whatever it is, we have learned to deal with it the best we can!

 

[cat person]

Originally Posted by Momofmany

All of my cats have their preferred boxes, and in fact, they have their preferred spots within each of those boxes. I also use large sterilite bins. Everyone pees in the one in our bathroom filled with Cat Attract. Most of them poop in the one in our laundry room with the exception of Muddy, who only pees on the front side of that box. Lucky only poops in the ones in our sunroom. The point is that many cats are creatures of habit and can only go in one place.

In other homes, I've resorted to putting 2 boxes side by side in the rooms where they used them most. That way if one cat is in a box, there is another nearby for another cat to go in. I haven't had that problem where I live now.

Perhaps add a second box near the preferred box?

Originally Posted by Jinxywinx

Cats can be really finicky about things - particularly where they do their "business."
My husband and I bought a $400 self-cleaning litter "robot" for our cats because we were tired of all the scooping. Too bad THAT was a wasted purchase, since only 2 of our 7 cats EVER use it.
One cat will not even go in the room with it. She let us know her not-so-fond feelings over it by peeing on our bed in the middle of the night. Thanks for the hint, Saya!!
But even before the Robot, there was always the issue of them overusing one box in particular.
We are not sure if what makes that particular litter box the most used is a territory thing, or a comfort thing, or just the fact that it is closer to the door. Whatever it is, we have learned to deal with it the best we can!

I just have to say you both covered everything.

I thought both Panda the DLH and Loki the F3 Savannah where weird cause they try to not only use the same box but the same area in that box. Apparently they are both perfectly normal

. Thanks Momofmany for that insight.

 

[peeka73]

Wow! So it seems that my cat's pickiness with the litter box is not unique! The other 2 cats use both boxes (and totally ignores the one upstairs, sadly), so I thought it was weird.

I'm still waiting to hear back from the vet on the urine test, but if it comes back clean, will have to add a 3rd box to the 1st floor... like.. 7ft from 1 box and 10ish ft from the other. MADNESS!!

Thanks for all the responses!!

 

[minka]

Just put two Right next to each other like was suggested, as even 7 feet away my not be precise enough for picky kitties.. XP