Pooping outside box

[french5029]

We have three cats, two brothers which were adopted last year. We brought home a little girl about a month ago and they all got along great and accepted eachother. We put a new sink in our bathroom and had to move the litter box downstairs and now the little girl poops on the floor instead of in the cat box. We thought that maybe she did not like where we placed it so we moved it but she continues to poop in front of it and not inside. She never did this before, we even got another box, smaller one, to put in the bathroom but no luck. She uses the other litter boxes in the house no problem its the one downstairs that she wont poop in. What can I do so I can stop cleaning it up twice a day. I change out the box every day.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Does she properly use the one you put in the bathroom? And, does she poop in the other two litterboxes as well? Is the litterbox downstairs something you added when you had the sink replaced in the bathroom? If so, maybe just give up on the one downstairs. That would be your best option, especially if the boys are more accustomed to using the ones upstairs anyway.

The only other thing I can think of is that the first time she pooped outside the box downstairs, it was pure accident, but the smell remains so that is like an open invitation to go there again and again. Enzymatic cleaners may be needed to get rid of the smell; and maybe place a washable rug underneath that litter box after ward, if for no other reason than to make clean up easier if she still continues to go in that same spot. The rug can be replaced with a duplicate so you can wash it each time. You could consider puppy pee pads instead of the rug, so that all you have to do is throw it away.

 

[french5029]

The old one we had in the bathroom was an automatic litter box and she did not have an issue using it. We moved it out to the hallway and she will use it sometimes. The automatic one was too big to put back in the bathroom. So we dont need one downstairs and just use the upstairs ones? Would that confuse them removing the one from downstairs. They all use the ones upstairs but the boys both use the auto one downstairs. I will look into the puppy pads for downstairs, thanks so much.

 

[FeebysOwner]

If the downstairs is not an area that you all frequent with any regularity (basement?), perhaps block off the downstairs for a few days - that should re-direct your boys to the ones upstairs. I am guessing if that were possible and none of the spend any real amount of time downstairs, the boys would just go find one of the others to use?

If you can break the habit with her, then it might be that keeping them out of the downstairs area is a temporary thing. Besides, that would also allow you to try different cleansers to clean the area downstairs. If the flooring is concrete, it will take specialized cleaners and drying time.