The Best Moment To Poop And Pee Is...

Antonio65

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I'm fostering a kitten I had found 6 weeks ago.
He was in desperate conditions, on the brink of the Rainbow Bridge. I took him to the vets, and the vets were so wonderful to grab him from that brink and save his life.
He's been staying at our home since he was discharged from the clinic, and has become more and more friendly and loving.
He developed a wonderful and strong bond with me, but I've already found a new good home for him and he'll be rehomed on next Monday.

He was a home cat, abandoned before the holiday, a rather normal practice in this rotten country. He was well trained, he knew the litter tray.

But lately he's showing a nasty habit.
When it's time to scoop his tray, I move it outside for a couple of minutes, just the time needed to scoop the litter clean into the waste bin, then I take the tray back inside.
Well, those two minutes are the right moment to poop and pee on the floor, despite all the time he has had until a couple of minutes before.
Luckily my floor is tiled and easy to clean, but nonetheless this is annoying.

I can't understand this habit of his!
Why can't he resist those two minutes, when until two minutes earlier he was quiet and playing?

I'm going to rehome him.
What should I tell the new family about this? Should I tell them to scoop the tray inside? Should I advice them to have two trays to be swapped between scoopings?
I fear that they could return him to me if he misbehaves.

Thanks!
 
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Antonio65

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Yes, I thought it too, but I just can't understand why he pees and poops right when the tray is away for scooping.
Is he trying to say something?
 

jcat

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Your busying yourself with the tray just might remind him that he "has to go". A fair number of shelter kittens will come and use their tray as soon as you start scooping - and it's always that particular tray, not the other(s) in their room. They outgrow it after a while, or simply start using it immediately after you finish.

It'd be best if the new owners had two trays that they scooped in situ.
 

susanm9006

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A second tray would work or you could bring the bin to the box and scoop it out there. Then you haven’t actually removed his box. Or you could wait until he has fallen asleep to clean out the box
 

rubysmama

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It would be best if he didn't take this new habit with him to his new owners.
Before you re-home him, can you try putting down a 2nd litter box, then seeing if it makes a difference.
Thanks for rescuing and fostering him. :petcat:
 

maggie101

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Weird. Something I have never dealt with,thankfully! My cat Peaches is the only cat out of 3 that uses the box in my bathroom. I always worry when I take it out to toally empty and clea it,which is rare, she will go on the floor. Luckily that hasnt happened. Have there been any changes, even small that have made him announce that this is his litter box and won't go anywhere else?
 

Notacrazycatlady

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I thought it was just mine--invariably when I start scooping the litter box, one of them will jump in to leave a fresh 'deposit' for me. With three litter boxes, I usually get a fresh deposit in two of them on a daily basis. On a rare occasion one of them will hit two boxes--a pee and a poop, on the same day.

On the upside, it made it very helpful to monitor their litter box deposits when they both had some diarrhea and the kitten was only peeing in marble-sized clumps. I tried putting paper towel shreds in the boxes to check for UTI, but the cats just tried to eat the paper towels so I put a paper towel by each litter box and when Leo jumped in while I was cleaning, I managed to sneak the towel under his butt to catch his urine (no blood!).

I've always had one more litter box than there were cats in the apartment, though.
 

maggie101

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This made me think of how cats leave a present for their owner like dead birds.

:lol:
 

1 bruce 1

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I have one that will race to beat the devil to pee in a litter less box. Just so she can pee inside of a plastic box.
:dunno:
I would be tempted to use the second box, but place it a foot or two away from where the box "always" is and see if this is a developing "I like to poop on tile" thing or if it's a "box reminder" as someone else suggested.

But really I think they just like making us go crazy so they can go :anticipation:
 

maggie101

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I also have 2 in my bedroom side by side. My cat Coco poos in one,pees in the other.
 

recurringecho

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Seconding trying to put a second litter box. Or if there isn't room to put a second box, replace the old one with a new one before cleaning the old one outside.

I worked at a cat hotel for a while and noticed this with a lot of cats there. Not the peeing-when-tray-is-away, but going to the restroom after their tray has been messed with. They would hold their pee/poop for 12 hours, but as soon as I check their box, they would suddenly remember that they need to go.

On another note, I've once moved one of my cat's litter box to a new location. After a few days, he pooped on the floor where the old litter box used to be. Maybe it's just a "hey, something's supposed to be here" reaction, haha
 
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Antonio65

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This kitten will be rehomed today, and hasn't made any mess since my first post, so I haven't had the chance to do experiments.
Anyway, I will warn the new family to be careful.
Thanks for your time and tips!
 
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Antonio65

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Have there been any changes, even small that have made him announce that this is his litter box and won't go anywhere else?
No, the only thing that changed is that they were two kittens that I was ofstering, and one had been remohed two weeks before my post, and about ten days before the first episode.
He was shocked to be alone at first, but that phase lasted three days, then he was happy to have all the house just for himself :)
 
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