Cat Wants an Audience For LItterbox

[samisydney]

Hi there.

I have two female cats who just turned 1 years old.  I live in a three level town home. I have two litter boxes and one litter box upstairs in my master bathroom.

I work from home so I am home a lot.

Sydney will cry at the top of the stairs (to the basement) or outside the bathroom door (upstairs) until I follow her and watch her go potty. She doesn't cry in the litter box. she simply wants an audience. 

I am not sure how to break her of this. I try to ignore her crying, but eventually I give in and go with her. 

Has anyone experienced this before? I have had cats for 25+ years and have never had this. 

 

[samisydney]

I meant to say that I have two litter boxes in the basement and one upstairs in the master bath. I clean all three litter boxes 1-2 times a day. 

 

[catlover73]

 
Hi there.

I have two female cats who just turned 1 years old.  I live in a three level town home. I have two litter boxes and one litter box upstairs in my master bathroom.

I work from home so I am home a lot.

Sydney will cry at the top of the stairs (to the basement) or outside the bathroom door (upstairs) until I follow her and watch her go potty. She doesn't cry in the litter box. she simply wants an audience. 

I am not sure how to break her of this. I try to ignore her crying, but eventually I give in and go with her. 

Has anyone experienced this before? I have had cats for 25+ years and have never had this. 

Has Sydney always wanted an audience or is this a new behavior?  Has Sydney had a vet check-up to rule out this being caused by a possible medical issue?  One of my friend's had a young adult cat that started doing this suddenly and it turned out the cat had a UTI.  My friend's vet told her that the crying out was caused by the pain from the UTI.  Once the UTI was treated the behavior stopped and an audience was no longer required to use the litter box.  My friend caught the UTI quickly and it went away with antibiotics.  There were no other signs that anything was wrong other than the cat suddenly demanding an audience to use the litter box.

 

[samisydney]

She's been doing this for quite a while. As a kitten, she had diarrhea from being on Orijen cat food, so I was often checking on her when she was going potty to check her stools. I don't know if I accidentally TAUGHT her this behavior (LOL).

Her stools are fine, and her urine appears to be fine. She is not crying when going potty or straining or anything.  She literally just wants me to follow her and watch her.  She is due for her shots in  couple of weeks, and I can get a urine check done, but I am fairly confident this is behavioral and not medical. There are no other signs of symptoms of her being sick and this has been going on for several months. 

When I am gone for the day or for a few hours, there are never any accidents....so I know Sydney knows how to go.  I never see her sisterSami go potty, but I know she goes.....

 

[losna]

Sinbad does this. 

He will sit at the top of the stairs leading down to "his" litterbox (we have multiple cats, they each have their own favorite litter box) and cry until either I or my husband goes down to keep him company. Usually though he just waits until one of us is near the box - it's in the laundry room so he uses it usually while I am folding laundry - but if it's been a while he will beg for an audience.

He's just a super social cat though; he also refuses to eat alone and wants both my husband and I in the room with him when he eats. So we moved his food bowl to the living room. 

Bêlit prefers to have an audience as well, but she doesn't beg for one, she just zips into the bathroom to use the box when one of us in there. She'll use it without us if she has to go, but Sinbad really goes out of his way to avoid using his box alone whenever possible.

 

[samisydney]

Thanks Losna! Your post makes me feel better.

Sydney is a very social cat and always looking to get into things. She too, likes me to be around, when she is eating even if it is just in the same room. I know in May of this year, I was gone every day for 8-10 hours  day taking care of my mom, and Sami & Sydney were home alone. There were never any accidents, and there are no signs of her being sick.  She just seems to want me to go with her when she has to go.  I'd gladly take her to the vet if I had the inkling she was sick, but she's not acting sick at all. 

 

[losna]

Hello! Glad it could help. Cats are very social little creatures, and yes, you may have trained her to expect company while her uses the litter box. 

I accidentally trained Bêlit to expect shoulder cuddles after she eats, so now once she is done eating she will climb a particular ledge and just sit there   until I come in and carry her around on my shoulder. If I take too long, she will come find me and determinedly scale me for her shoulder cuddles. It doesn't matter what I am doing at the time, she will just climb right over it to get up onto my shoulder.  And my husband trained Sinbad to expect praises whenever he climbs onto a stool, any stool, anywhere, so I know what accidentally training a behavior is like. Although it is cute to watch Sinbad jump onto a stool and sit there proudly, waiting for his praising. 

 

That said, any changes in litter box behavior should be taken seriously as a potential medical problem and are cause to speak with your vet. But if it's not a new behavior, then it may well just be a social kitty who enjoyed the times she was watched over and guarded her in vulnerable litter box moments.