Please Help! Blind cat pees on the floor

[drgigantor]

We have two cats, about 5 and 6 years old. One was born blind, and she refuses to use the litter box, even though she knows where it is. She used it on and off for the first 3-4 years, but now she almost never does. I believe this is because she detects the scent of our other cat in the litter box. The other cat is often mean to her. She's begun to pee mainly on our carpet, and she's ruining the carpet in several places--living room and bedroom. I've tried a second litter box, but the other cat will use that, too, which means the blind cat uses neither. I've tried yelling at the blind cat when I catch her peeing. Nothing seems to work; meanwhile, our carpets are getting stained, and our house smells like cat pee. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

 

[feralsrule]

A few ideas that might help:

1) Get a third litter box. It is generally recommended to have one for each cat plus one extra
2) Don't shout at him/her, it won't help. Instead try rewarding her with a treat every time you catch her using the litterbox. This should greatly help the situation after a few weeks.
3) Try different litter. Perhaps your cat doesn't find your particular brand/texture appealing. Try various brands and textures over the course of a couple of weeks to see what might work.
4) I've heard (though I can't verify it) that there are some spray products in the market that make the litterbox smell more appealing to cats. Perhaps this might help.
5) Keep the litterboxes far enough from each other and scoop them regularly.

Meanwhile use an enzyme-based cleaner for the carpet. There are specially formulated products that break down the smell of cat excrement and should greatly improve the smell of your carpets and rooms.

 

[drgigantor]

Thanks for the suggestions! I tried the reward strategy for a while, but I'll try it again along with your other ideas.

 

[feralsrule]

Good luck :-)

A combination of a third litterbox and different litter might be enough, I'd try these first.