- Joined
- Feb 13, 2016
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So ten years ago I got my first cat, he was about two months old and I immediately paid to get him fixed. For about a year he was chronically weird about the litterbox: pooing in a closet, peeing in sinks bathtubs etc, and occasionally the box. I changed litter type a few times and he seemed to like old-fashioned clay. A new roommate moved in with his own female cat, and they both used the litterbox. Then I moved to a new apartment in a different city, and things still worked out. I had been a little worried since one of my roommates also had a male cat, but they both used it successfully. Then I moved to another apartment with different roommates and no other cat. He used the litterbox for a while, and then there was just a total breakdown. Peeing on couches, beds, basically every soft surface he could get a hold of until the final month I lived there I was just forced to move him into my room where he ruined my mattress and I lived with the smell of cat pee. All that time I tried everything I knew to do. Paid for professional cleaning of everything, kept the box scrupulously clean, tried new litter, went to the vet, all that.
Finally I moved to a house in a different city and started letting him outside and eventually built him a cat door. I didn't like him going outside but he was happy. I was happy it didn't smell anymore and nothing was being ruined. However, I just was in a nasty breakup and had to move to a new apartment. My cat is still at the house with my ex, and in the interim I got a new male cat who does use the litterbox regularly. I was trying to secure a different apartment in a neighborhood where I would feel comfortable letting him out, but a) I'm a broke graduate student and b) ground floor access apartments aren't always the safest for people. So I'm tempted to try keeping him inside again.
It was only recently that I was thinking through the problem and realized that he was pretty good about the litterbox when there was another cat around who used it. Maybe there's some sort of peer pressure thing? Regardless he's been fully indoor/outdoor now for around 3.5 years. So what to people think, is it possible to take an indoor/outdoor cat and make him a happy indoor-only one, especially given his history of making my living space smell like pee? What's the best way to do this if I try it? Is this foolhardy, and I should just try and find a different apartment and pay far more than I should?
Finally I moved to a house in a different city and started letting him outside and eventually built him a cat door. I didn't like him going outside but he was happy. I was happy it didn't smell anymore and nothing was being ruined. However, I just was in a nasty breakup and had to move to a new apartment. My cat is still at the house with my ex, and in the interim I got a new male cat who does use the litterbox regularly. I was trying to secure a different apartment in a neighborhood where I would feel comfortable letting him out, but a) I'm a broke graduate student and b) ground floor access apartments aren't always the safest for people. So I'm tempted to try keeping him inside again.
It was only recently that I was thinking through the problem and realized that he was pretty good about the litterbox when there was another cat around who used it. Maybe there's some sort of peer pressure thing? Regardless he's been fully indoor/outdoor now for around 3.5 years. So what to people think, is it possible to take an indoor/outdoor cat and make him a happy indoor-only one, especially given his history of making my living space smell like pee? What's the best way to do this if I try it? Is this foolhardy, and I should just try and find a different apartment and pay far more than I should?