Desperately Need Help With Litterbox Location Suggestions

[justplainheidi]

I've been dealing with litterbox issues for the past year or so with my 4 year old former stray and although I am VERY stubborn, I'm close to giving up at this point. Rather than run through all of the things we've tried I'll tell you where we are right now...

2 girls, 2 boys. The girl pooping/peeing on the floor gets along ok with the boys (although they tend to bully the other female).
7 litterboxes in 3 different locations (enclosed cabinet w/ littermaid in living room, open littermaid in laundry, some littermaids open and some enclosed in unused garage along with 1 litter robot).
2 different entrances/exits to the boxes in the garage.

Experiment 1: Sterilite box with our usual litter mix in the bathtub with shower curtain partially closed.
Result: No pee/poop on floor, but multiple cats seem to be using it which makes the bathroom stinky and discourages my toddler from potty training in there.
FINAL: Non-littermaid box in the bathtub fixes the littering issues but makes the bathroom unusable for our family.

Experiment 2: Littermaid with our usual litter mix in the bathtub with shower curtain partially closed.
Result: Poop on floor, but no pee.
FINAL: Troublemaker doesn't mind peeing in littermaid when it's in the bathtub, but refuses to use littermaid in other locations. Troublemaker doesn't like pooping in the littermaid, even when it's in the bathtub.

Issues:
1) We can't really keep a litterbox in the bath tub because that is the kid/guest tub and needs to be usable.
2) We have a 14 month old that has just learned to walk so keeping a litterbox out in the open is not an option. Not sure this cat really wants a box that public anyways.
3) With 2 adults and 2 kids we are running out of room in this house for another litterbox location. It took a lot of convincing for my husband to put a dog door in our living room wall to try fixing this problem, so I'm not sure any major home modifications will be possible .

What would you do? I'm happy to run another experiment but not sure what variable to test next.

It seems like this cat suddenly dislikes the littermaid for pooping purposes (which is weird since she happily used them before) so I'm assuming we'll need to get some sort of non-littermaid option. Putting the sterilite into the cabinet in the living room didn't even seem to help with the pooping though so it seems like a location AND a box style preference? Oy vey!

~Heidi

(Original Thread here: Need Litterbox Location Help)

 

[abyeb]

Have you taken her to the vet to rule out any potential underlying medical issues? There are several conditions, including, but not limited to, a UTI, diabetes, and kidney problems that can cause inappropriate elimination in cats.

Litterbox Problems? Here's Why You Should Call Your Vet

When Physical Problems Turn Into Behavior Problems

 

[yeva2292]

Have you tried switching up the brand of litter that you are using? I remember an episode of My Cat from Hell where a cat refused to use the litter boxes and would only go on the bed or bedroom floor. Jackson's advice was to buy different types of litter boxes, fill them with different types of litters, and observe which one the cat preferred the most.

 

[rubysmama]

How long have you had the former stray inside? Has she ever used the litter box?

Have you tried Litter Attract litter? Or putting a bit of unfertilized potting soil on top of the litter so it reminds her of when she used the outdoors as her litter box.

Here some TCS articles that might be helpful:
How To Choose The Right Litterbox
Litter Box Location Secrets
The 10 Most Common Litterbox Mistakes Cat Owners Make
16 Experts Reveal The Most Common Litterbox Mistakes (and How To Avoid Them)
How To Choose The Right Cat Litter

 

[justplainheidi]

Have you taken her to the vet to rule out any potential underlying medical issues? There are several conditions, including, but not limited to, a UTI, diabetes, and kidney problems that can cause inappropriate elimination in cats.

Litterbox Problems? Here's Why You Should Call Your Vet

When Physical Problems Turn Into Behavior Problems

We actually got her checked out when she first started exhibiting these bad behaviors and she is physically fine. I've also tried the litter that detects issues in urine and nothing appears to be amiss there.

With a new baby on the way last year, we had to remove her favorite litterbox (a littermaid) from the spare room closet (now fully occupied bedroom hehe) at which point she started peeing on 1) the rug in the spare bathroom 2) the recliner in the living room and 3) eventually the kitchen floor once we began closing the bathroom door and putting a scat mat on the chair.

Our family has expanded but our house hasn't gotten any bigger so we've tried to accommodate her preferences but it has been tough (especially since she now seems to be particular about both location AND style of box which is new). Hard to explain to a cat that we've all had to adjust our lifestyles to make way for the new little guy

 

[justplainheidi]

Have you tried switching up the brand of litter that you are using? I remember an episode of My Cat from Hell where a cat refused to use the litter boxes and would only go on the bed or bedroom floor. Jackson's advice was to buy different types of litter boxes, fill them with different types of litters, and observe which one the cat preferred the most.

We've had multiple different types of litter across the 7 boxes and that apparently hasn't enticed her. We've even bought the litter attract in the hopes of luring her back to a box, any box, but it wasn't until we put her old sterilite container in the bathtub (with the normal litter mix) that she began cooperating again. I was happy to try any variety of litter that she would use, but she seems ok with the kind we're currently using, provided she gets her particular box in her particular location

 

[justplainheidi]

How long have you had the former stray inside? Has she ever used the litter box?

Have you tried Litter Attract litter? Or putting a bit of unfertilized potting soil on top of the litter so it reminds her of when she used the outdoors as her litter box.

Here some TCS articles that might be helpful:
How To Choose The Right Litterbox
Litter Box Location Secrets
The 10 Most Common Litterbox Mistakes Cat Owners Make
16 Experts Reveal The Most Common Litterbox Mistakes (and How To Avoid Them)
How To Choose The Right Cat Litter

Maizie has been a spoiled indoor cat for years now. When I first found her, I set her up in the spare bathroom because my husband told me I couldn't keep her (plus I needed to quarantine her from the others) I think that may be why she shows a preference for pottying in the tub? It reminds her of her first couple of weeks here and maybe brings her comfort? (I could just be making that up hehe).

It seems she is ok with the litter mix we're currently using, but she really likes a non-automatic box in the bathtub Not the most sustainable option.

 

[justplainheidi]

After a few more nights of experiments I have SOME hope that we may be able to pry Maizie away from the bathroom, provided we use a non-littermaid box. Her sterilite box is currently in the living room litter cabinet and we haven't found any mess on the floor the last couple of days. That is a HUGE step in the right direction.

I'm hesitant to change things too rapidly, but are there any open, non-automatic boxes that you guys can recommend? The sterilite is ok for transition, but if we're going to have to spend more time maintaining a box just for Maizie, I'd ideally like a self sifting one or something of that sort to make the job a little easier.

Thanks!
~Heidi

 

[KarenKat]

I don't know exactly what litterbox to recommend, we use hooded ones that are all manually scooped (Van Ness Enclosed Cat Litter Pan)

It sounds like things are going better, but I'll put down my initial thought on the original post in case it helps. Sounds like the major issue is moving her litterbox from the room formerly known as spare (congrats on the human addition, btw!). I know you will hate this suggestion, but can you (temporarily) giver her that spot back? Then everyday move the box a foot or two to where you think you would want it to go. Then she has the comfort of her favorite spot and as you move the box her associations with the "good" spot remain with the box? Jackson Galaxy usually recommends this for inappropriate marking.

If you have found a location that is working, maybe use this as a future tool to move it again. Hopefully Maizie continues her new trend!

 

[rubysmama]

I don't have any suggestions for litter box options either. The one I currently use for Ruby is just a regular litter box, though higher on one side.

I was actually wondering the same as KarenKat , and if you could put the litter box back where Maizie preferred and slowly move it to the desired location. But maybe, hopefully, she'll continue with her improved litter box habits, and that won't be necessary.