My cat is using my dogs pee pads

[MamaKatRoxs]

We got my son's cat about 1 year ago as a kitten. He was using the litter box but started spraying until we got him fixed. Ever since then he has been good with using the litter box. He didn't even have problems when we changed it over to wood pellets. My son's cat and my dog have become best friends. We do have pads out for our dog in our house which she uses on occasions. Just recently I have found that the cat is now peeing on the pads. At first I thought he was just covering up the dog's pee. But then I saw it with my own eyes last night that its the cat that is peeing on them as well. And tonight was the first time I caught him after he pooped on the pads. He still uses the litter box as well. So my concerns are him starting bad behavior again if I let him use the pads. I wanted to see if anyone has any feedback on this issue. Thank you!!

 

[FeebysOwner]

What is the timing between changing the cat's litter to wood pellets and when he began using the dog's pee pads? And, how long have you had pee pads out for the dog before the cat starting using them? It could be that the cat's doesn't much care for the pellet litter and has now realized he can use the pads. It could be that his litter box isn't being kept as clean as he would now like (cat's preferences about this can change at any time). It could also be him covering up the dog's scent with his own.

If it is the latter of these, the only thing I would know to do is buy washable pee pads and replace each pad once it has been used with a clean one. Having the dog's scent removed by replacing the pad might stop your cat from wanting to use them.

You might also consider adding another litter box with regular litter and see if that makes any difference.

 

[danteshuman]

I would add another litter box & switch to cat attract litter. A lot of cats hate the wood pellets & a single cat needs 2 litter boxes. Most cats prefer a lidless box to.

Honestly my guy has only one super sized box atm because he kept kicking the litter out of his boxes. So I gave him a giant tub with a smooth bottom/sides as a super sized box & I’m looking for another tub to give him a second one. If you have an extra tub, it may be an extra box temporary solution for you. Since I had an extra plastic storage box just like mine; I gave it to my mom to replace her smaller litter plastic storage box.

Picture of my cat’s litter box tub & a picture of my mom’s cat using his old little tub litter box.

 

[MamaKatRoxs]

Thank you for the replys!! The pads have been out ever since we brought him home. So nothing new with the pads. He took to the pellets really good and seems to love his littler box. He has been using the pellets for about 4-5 months now. I would say he just started using the pads just this past two weeks. It feels like he may be mimicking the dog. They are besties. He is an indoor cat but will watch my dog go outside and make her business on the lawn. He alerts me when she is ready to come back inside most of the time. It’s kinda cute. And my dog now has some of the cat traits. They both hang out on his cat tree to look outside. And my dog does a back kick thing after she poos. Which has never happened before. So I’m not sure what to think about it. The cat does land right on the pad which I’m thankful for. And no other bad behavior has been witness or found since he got fixed.

 

[Willowy]

A lot of cats do like to use pee pads. If you're willing to buy them for him, there's no problem letting him use them. Some people try to train their cat to use pads on purpose, to avoid buying/cleaning litter.

 

[FeebysOwner]

They are besties. He is an indoor cat but will watch my dog go outside and make her business on the lawn. He alerts me when she is ready to come back inside most of the time. It’s kinda cute. And my dog now has some of the cat traits. They both hang out on his cat tree to look outside. And my dog does a back kick thing after she poos. Which has never happened before. So I’m not sure what to think about it.

Uh oh!! As long as nothing escalates in terms of health issues, you might have to learn to live with it! Any reason why the dog needs these pads? If it is a small dog, you could go in the opposite direction and teach her to use a litter box (with pee pads inside). I have known many folks with small dogs that use litter boxes - with dirt, pee pads, and even litter!

 

[fionasmom]

I have had pee pads on the floor for the dog, a GSD, forever. We do/did it with all our dogs as no one stays outside if we are not home. I have one cat now who used pee pads, but in a litter box, and frankly it did not bother me. I knew if she had anything suspicious in her elimination, etc. She has since transitioned to litter when I placed a litter box next to her pee pad box. She was a feral who lived in any alley and never used dirt at all, only concrete, so she did not understand the concept of covering her waste.

Cute how they are friend. A now deceased cat used to go with my dog into the pantry and climb up on the shelf and toss treats to the dog. Dog got treats, cat got to throw things around. A win/win situation for everyone.

 

[ladytimedramon]

Just from my experience, my cat seemed ok with pellets at first, but I noticed that she wasn't really covering anything or digging her spot in the litterbox like she did with other litters. Right now I'm using World's Best and she seems much happier with it.

 

[Kflowers]

all of our dogs liked to kick arrows pointing to where they pee and poo. Unlike cats, dogs want the world and his brother to know they were there. It seems to be a dog thing and not something wrong.