Litterbox Issues......

[The_littlest_cat]

Honey and Mr. Fluff seemed to be doing better, then one night when I couldn't sleep I noticed that while the rest of us are sleeping, (Honey included) Mr. Fluff goes out to Honey's food, eats it all and then goes into the bathroom by her litterbox. I shooed him away, but sure enough the next day there was an uncovered pee spot and uncovered pile of poop that didn't look like it belonged to Honey, (she always covers and this poop looked darker and mushier than hers ever had.) Then I saw Honey go over to her box, she sniffed the two spot and started yowling loudly before running out. My boyfriend went out and grabbed her a temporary litterbox from the grocery store, (which she immediately relieved herself in) and then tossed all the litter out of her box and washed it down with soap and replaced the litter. Honey still won't use it and keeps leading me to the bathroom where she then cries. She is also now refusing to use the temporary box. Were not sure what to do?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Did you use an enzymatic cleaner in the bathroom?
I don't know why she's refusing the temporary new box, I'm wondering if she needs to go in to the vet?

 

[The_littlest_cat]

I don’t believe we used an enzymatic cleaner. For the litter box my boyfriend just used soap. I’m wondering if he possibly went in the temporary litter box and we didn’t notice. She was using it perfectly fine at first, and then stopped this morning. I really hope she doesn’t need to go to the vet.

 

[Furballsmom]

It sounds like he did. Can you contain him for a little while so she can get her habits back? I don't know for long term...

 

[FeebysOwner]

Your two cats haven't been together that long, have they? I went back and found your thread on when you started introductions between Honey and Mr. Fluff, and that was about 2 months ago, correct? Given the big difference in their ages, it would seem that 2 months is not enough time for Honey - being older - to adjust to her new room mate, and that Mr. Fluff is now feeling comfortable enough to attempt to assert his dominance over her. He is covering up her scent with his own.

You might want to consider having 3 litter boxes (that is the standard rule of thumb for 2 cats anyway), and see if that will solve the problem. Consider areas of the house that Honey uses more than Mr. Fluff and introduce Honey to a litter box in that location. Leave the other two boxes where Mr. Fluff would consider it normal to find and use. It might also be that if you can manage to cover up Mr. Fluff's 'deposits' (or, remove as quickly as you can) that Honey might not object so much.

Clean the boxes by using some white vinegar in the soap and water - it doesn't have to be much in order to avoid a lingering smell.

Btw, with regard to the food, you might have to weigh the possibility of chip activated bowls to stop Mr. Fluff from eating too much and making sure Honey has enough to eat.

 

[The_littlest_cat]

No they haven’t been together very long, though Honey had started to seem more accepting towards him. Of course since the litter box incident she’s gone back to growling and hissing at him. We’re going to try washing with the white vinegar, my boyfriend also ran out and got another temporary litter box so now we have an extra. I guess we’ll see what happens.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[Hellenww]

I have one cat that likes to gobble, Yoshi, and one that grazes, Sqeeker. I got a cake box at the dollar store to put Sqeekers food in. Sqeeker asks when he wants the lid off and we stay and watch so Yoshi doesn't push him out of the way. Sqeek learned very quickly to tell us when he wants to eat. Yoshi tries to unlock it and has carried it by the handle but hasn't gotten in yet.

I have looked into the chip activated dishes but would go with a chip activated flap installed on a container. Look at the customer images. If Honey is ok with a cover box something like this could keep Mr Fluff out of her box.

 

[Furballsmom]

Yoshi tries to unlock it and has carried it by the handle but hasn't gotten in yet.

LOL

 

[The_littlest_cat]

I have one cat that likes to gobble, Yoshi, and one that grazes, Sqeeker. I got a cake box at the dollar store to put Sqeekers food in. Sqeeker asks when he wants the lid off and we stay and watch so Yoshi doesn't push him out of the way. Sqeek learned very quickly to tell us when he wants to eat. Yoshi tries to unlock it and has carried it by the handle but hasn't gotten in yet.

I have looked into the chip activated dishes but would go with a chip activated flap installed on a container. Look at the customer images. If Honey is ok with a cover box something like this could keep Mr Fluff out of her box.

I think that's a neat idea! Definitely something we could try.

 

[The_littlest_cat]

Honey has gone back to using her regular litter box, unfortunately the only thing that’s worked is to keep Mr. Fluff in the bedroom at night. He has plenty of space, food and toys but I still feel bad and wish we didn’t have to do that. He’ll still sometimes try to go over to her box during the day but a loud clap makes him trot off to another room. It kinda seems like he knows he’s not supposed to do it but I’m not really sure how to make him stop so he can go back out again at night.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Perhaps, over time Mr. Fluff will stop his obsession with Honey's litter box; it hopefully will be as simple as breaking the habit and once he hasn't used it in a while - and as they have more time together to adapt to one another - he will no longer be interested in it. Or, perhaps, by then, Honey will become less bothered by him using it. Time will tell, I guess. Keep the extra box for a total of three, and maybe redirect Mr. Fluff to the third one when he is trying to sneak into hers?

Make sure you give Mr. Fluff some play/attention time before he is confined to the bedroom overnight. Does he like any kind of bedding? If you can get him interested in a nice comfy bed, maybe he will look forward to snuggling up in it at night?

 

[RangersMom]

Not sure what is exactly going on here? One cat using a specific litter box that is for the other cat? Cats can share litter boxes perfectly fine. The rule of thumb is 1 box per cat, plus one extra to be safe. (so 3 boxes if you have 2 cats). Sorry if this isnt helpful I was confused about your question.

 

[The_littlest_cat]

Sorry if the thread is confusing. Mr. Fluff is a new addition and Honey is having trouble adjusting to him. After Mr. Fluff used her litter box Honey refused to go to the bathroom.