Male and female cats cant share the same litter box?

[comithy]

My female cat (long haired, 3yrs) peed blood today. My relative brought her to the vet because I’m out of town and the vet said her bladder was empty, but it could be crystals or a bacterial infection from the litter box. They went on to say that male and female cats actually shouldn’t share litterboxes. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I’ve been raising cats for more than 6 years and I’ve never had a problem with that, and I also can’t find anything about this issue online. Also, any food recommendations/other tips for cats with crystals/bacterial infections?

 

[amethyst]

I have never heard of that, and I've had cats for nearly 40 years, if male and female cats can't share a litter box it would be more common knowledge since a lot of people have male and female cats myself included. I'm not even sure how you would prevent one from using the other's litter box. You should have more then one litter box though, ideally one per cat plus one to allow them to go when needed, I wonder if that is what the vet meant.

Crystals would have to do with diet, it would depend on what kind of crystals, they can be from a couple different minerals so you need to find out what kind first. Most vets should be able to prescribe the proper food for that. I do know increasing wet food is suppose to help as well. If possible increase water intake, adding water to the food if you need to, to get them to pee more often which helps to flush out the urinary tract regularly.

A bacterial infection is possible but would depend on how dirty you allow the litter box to get, if you clean the box regularly that is less likely though. If it's an infection you need antibiotics to treat that, and figure out what caused it in the first place. Make sure you are scooping the box at least once a day, and changing the litter as needed, normally once a week for most litter. If you only have one box I suggest getting at least one more if not two, having to hold it because someone else is currently in the box can definitely cause urinary tract issues. Also a lot of cats prefer not to go in a litter box that another cat has just used, so they may hold it longer then they should or until the box has been cleaned.

 

[comithy]

Thanks so much for the input. Agreed, I’ve never heard of such a thing. I haven’t gotten the full details about the vet visit from my relative yet so I don’t have much more to add about her condition. I’m definitely feeding her more wet food for the next few months until her next appointment.

 

[treeclimber]

Male and female cats can share a litterbox, but only if the female cat is wearing a skirt that’s long enough to reach below the knee, and the male cat is related to her through blood or marriage.

You should also train the male cat to follow appropriate litter box etiquette for mixed company, eg. making sure he remembers to put the litterbox lid down when he’s finished using it.

 

[smbsocal]

I have never heard of this before.

Yes, some cats may prefer their own litter box or prefer to either just pee or poo in a specific box but saying you should have a litter box based on your cats sex is new to me.

 

[fionasmom]

Did the vet offer some treatment or just hurry your relative out of the office with what is a more or less off the wall explanation?

 

[stephanietx]

It's possible that the stress of you being gone and the change in her caregiver and routine has caused her to be stressed and have a urinary issue. My male and female kitties have been sharing a box for 11 years and we've not had any issues. We do have 3 litter boxes in our house, though.

 

[ailish]

Male and female cats shouldn't share the same litterbox? I'm no cat expert, but has this vet ever met a cat? They use whatever litterbox they want.