Healthy Cat using the shower as a litter box

[mani]

Hi @Little G and welcome to TCS!

It's great that you wrote such a comprehensive post... keep in mind, though, that this thread is over four years old, so you're probably not reaching those who were asking the question.

Would you like to come and introduce yourself here? http://www.thecatsite.com/f/20/new-cats-on-the-block

We'd love to meet you.

 

[nora1]

 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Brooklet425 I don't know. Maybe he doesn't like the way the litter feels? But if thats the case, why does he still poop in the litter box? Plus, I've changed out the litter several times to try different types, including Cat Attract, and that didn't help.

I think this is the crux of it.

They don't squat the same way when they poop.

When he squats, perhaps he squats so low he gets debris from the box on himself. So he's found himself a nice clean place to go. The drain keeps it from getting on his feet.

And don't forget. Cats are the original copy cats. he sees you pee on the toilet and your pee disappears. Why not him?

It's why I think my idea of the metal pan with no litter in it might work., Hmm but wait he would get pee on his feet in the pan. Unless you rig it at a slight angle.

OH I know!

Put a wire cookie cooler thingie (what ARE those called?)in the pan for him to squat on. Or a gravy rack? Then he can pee, nothing will stick to him and it won't get on his feet.

You'll be giving him his own drain!

Awesome idea! I was also thinking something along those lines:

Why don't you put an empty litter pan beside the drain, with a puppy training pad (the type you lay on the floor for puppies) inside the litter pan. That way the litter pan is lined with something absorbent, and it's flat so nothing will touch him as he's peeing. Just change out the training pad every day. After a few days, move the litter pan outside of the shower itself, but still in the bathroom. Maybe eventually you can move it outside of the bathroom. Might take a few days/weeks, but if it works it might be worth it!

Hopefully you find something that works! Best of luck

 

[alarsonphoto]

My cat is doing the same thing and I looked it up, there can be many reasons. Is you box covered? Is it 1 1/2 times the size of the cat (big enough), is it cleaned enough? Does the liter smell?

http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/some-common-reasons-why-cats-stop-using-the-litter-box/

 

[julianne1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hissy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Please get him to another vet and have a draw done of urine directly from his bladder. He is ill- 9 times out of 10 when cats are seeking hard objects to pee on- they are quite ill. Expressing urine doesn't give accurate reads on some bacterial infections.He needs a needle draw and quickly. If your vet refuses, find one who will do it. Ideally, a feline specialist.

They did do a draw directly from his bladder and it came back perfectly fine. They ran one at their in office lab and had a sample sent out to a lab, and both came back fine. I already go to the best vet in this area, and since they've already done this - twice actually - once a few months ago and once a few days ago, I have to believe them when they say its behavioral.

 

[julianne1]

I've been having the SAME problem with my kitty peeing in the shower! Been to the vet & all is fine. She used to constantly be up on the toilet seat and if lid was left open she would reach her paw into it. After I started ALWAYS putting the lid down is when she went to the shower! I think she is imitating and I KNOW that she doesn't like to get her feet wet, which I think is what happens in the litter box. I think, even though humans can't smell it, that there is a constant smell of urine in the bathroom & she thinks this is the place to go! Lol!. ..Sooo.....I just pour BLEACH on it everyday and use the hand sprayer to wash it down. Oh welll......I only shower in there....don't use the tub anyway! LOL!

 

[sheyshel109]

Cats get emotionally stressed over a lot of things, particularly with the introduction of new family members, whether that be of the 2 legged or 4 legged variety. I put stress into the same category as a mental illness if that stress is extreme, so I do have to agree with Hissy that 9 out of 10 times this behavior is triggered by some type of illness.

I had a sink pee-er and had a similar reaction to yours - it could be in a lot worse places. DH and I used to "flush the sink" every time we passed by the bathroom. This went on for at least 8 years until we finally found what his physical illness was. He had an undiagnosed auto-immune disease the entire time - he was bald from the shoulders down and even with repeated skin biopsies, they could never find the cause. They chalked it up to allergies. It wasn't until his disease morphed into something that they were able to diagnose that we were able to treat him and he's stopped this peeing habit completely. No amount of blood work, bladder tests, or biopsies ever found anything until 8 years into his illness.

Another thought I had was this: do you have at least 2 litter boxes for your cat? Some cats simply refuse to pee and poop in the same box. Continue to use Cat Attract, as my cat refuses to use any litter box containing anything else.

Is there anything stressful going on in your household that would affect his emotional well being?

Do you know what auto-immune disease it was that your furbaby was suffering from? We have a cat that sounds very similar to this and we haven't been able to find any reasonable causes for her baldness on her back, peeing in the shower and loud bellowing meows she makes? This has progressively been going on for several years.