Could Another Cat Solve Tiny's Litterbox Issues?

[sunny578]

Hello!

I've posted on her before about my litterbox averse cat Tiny. In short, she has always had issues with going outside of the box, but we've always been able to get her to return to it. Now though, it's been 14 months since she has used it. We've tried everything. She mostly goes on the floor, but sometimes, especially if I haven't been diligent about spending enough time with her, she will urinate on either my husband or I. It almost seems like a bonding experience for her--she'll jump on the bed, blink and purr while we pet her, then pop a squat.

So, we have every type of litter box situation imaginable, including grass patches, pee pads, empty boxes, and boxes filled with dirt. In the past, she's favored an empty box. We have uncovered, covered, large, small. We've got lots of phermones. Cat attract didn't work. She's on raw food, and has had cystitis in the past and is on special cystisis herbs and homeopathic remedies.

My other cat died a few months before Tiny's last no litter box streak started. They weren't particularly bonded, and they didn't use the same box, but I'm wondering--could another cat help Tiny get back into the box? Like maybe she'd want to cover the other cat's urine? Or copy her? We just moved into a new house, and she ruined the floors and 3 couches in the last house, so she is stuck in the basement until we figure this out. She's a little lonely down there though, so I'm feeling desperate.

Thank you!!
Annie and Tiny

 

[Elfilou]

That's really sad Sorry you and her have to go through this! I can't imagine how adding another cat would help, but maybe someone else can give you more insight on that. If you think it'll help, well, maybe. Since she stopped doing it when the other passed. Just don't have high expectations about it.

Have you always had just one or two boxes around though? Like, have you marked the places where she used the bathroom and tried putting boxes there? Or just putting down multiple boxes at the same time to see if she wants to be at a specific spot? Is she using the boxes in the basement? Do you have routines set in place with her? (Eating routines, playtime routines or whatever - just to rule out that this is stress induced)

I think the longer you keep her in the basement, the more desperate she will be to eventually spread her scent everywhere once she is allowed in the socially important areas. To counter that I would provide her with A LOT of opportunities to use either pads, cardboard boxes and litterboxes to see if she will use any. Either way, to me it doesn't really sound okay to lock a cat away in a basement but I'm really not judging you here - I empathise and can imagine your struggle with her must be very exhausting.

 

[sunny578]

Thanks so much for your response! We just moved, so her routine is off. She does better with going in the same spot when she has a good play time routine, but in our old house, the best we could get her to do was go on the hardwood floor instead of the beds, couch, etc. No box usage for over a year for urine, and over five years for #2. We don't even care about #2 anymore! It's so easy to clean, so whatever! But the urine totally ruined the flooring in our last house, and three couches.

She's got maybe 10 different litterbox/surface options to go on down there, but so far, no luck. I've tried following her around and placing a variety of boxes where she goes, but then she just picks a new spot. Actually putting a box somewhere insures that she won't go in that spot! We have a bed in the basement, and yesterday my husband took a nap down there, and she urinated on him. You're totally right--she can't stay down there forever, and I'm so worried that the longer she's down there, the worse she's going to get. She seems to urinate on us more when we haven't been spending enough time with her. I thought maybe if we got another cat with good litterbox habits, she might try to cover his or her scent in the box, but idk. That's prob a long shot.

Thanks again! I feel like one of these days I've got to come across some solution that works for tiny!

 

[Columbine]

You really are trying everything I'd normally suggest. There are only a couple of things I can add. Firstly, have you tried confining her in a small space for a little while, with litterboxes pretty much everywhere? The idea being to make so she almost CAN'T make a mistake and go outside the box. This technique is generally used when litter training young kittens who are having a little trouble with getting the right idea, but it might work here too.

The other suggestion is anti anxiety medication. This really is a last resort, but if she's insecure enough to be peeing on you (assuming that she's got the all clear health wise, and isn't in a cystitis flare), then she obviously needs a little extra help.

Getting another cat just now would be a bad idea - it's far more likely to make her peeing worse rather than better, as it will only up her stress levels.

Good luck with her. I really hope you find a solution soon

 

[Elfilou]

Oh wow, I'm so sorry you guys are going through this. I really have no expierence with this and can't think of anything behavior wise to curb this. I do think it might be time to try her on medication if she is that anxious, and since its been going on for that long. I really feel for you guys.

 

[sunny578]

Thanks so much Columbine and Elfilou. We tried confining her to a small bathroom with only litter boxes, but she was really stressed out in there and after the third night she started howling to get out. The first night she used the litter box! but then nights two and three she went in the space behind the toilet where I'd been putting her food. I then tried just putting litter on the floor, but before we got to give that a real go, she got out and made her way to the basement.

She doesn't seem to have any real anxiety issues outside of going to the bathroom. It's crazy to me that it only took her three days of constipation 5 years ago to give up on litter boxes for #2 forever. She's now on some calming chinese herbs and something that's supposed to make urinating more comfortable. She seems happy in the basement for now--it's so hot out and we're still unpacking so we are all hanging out down there a bunch. There are a couple of windows, so it's not too dismal. Her favorite human bed is down there, so she is sleeping and eating on that and (mostly) urinating on the concrete floor under it. I've got a bunch of box options under the bed, but she keeps going around them. Yesterday she went on one of them, so that was improvement! I'm wondering if I could keep her going under the bed if making some kind of floor panel that I could slide out to clean might be a solution. My new thought is that she might be done with litter boxes, but there's got to be some acceptable/cleanable surface that we could get her to go on so I don't have to panic every time she hops on the couch.

Urinating on us seems like a bonding experience for Tiny. It's so strange. It happens when we haven't been spending enough time with her. She'll come find us, purring and blinking and them bam.

Thank you for your thoughts! What a weirdo I have here