Wit's End. Cat is going to have to go. Help.

[catman1951]

Hi,

I just joined. I have 22 cats,all fixed. All my cats are inside,we have a screened

porch for them. we clean(soap and water) all boxes once a day,and,add fresh litter.

we have 7 boxes around the house. 

Perhaps if your cat is upset it may be rebelling . Perhaps it needs to be in a one cat

household. I had one of my cats called "the cat from hell" when we adopted it out,but,she

is fine with us. She is just high strung. Each cat is different.

good luck.

Mike

 

[bct121]

I spoke to a cat behavior specialist  today who told me that if your having problems like this then you just need to crate them. She told me two weeks in a large crate all the time with litter box, food,water, a few toys and a bed. It seems odd to do this to a cat but she told me that sometimes you just don't have any other option if they refuse you have to make them. You've tried playing nice and now it's time to jump in the mud head first! Her advice of two weeks was for a kitten so it may take longer but she told me if you see the cat going in the litter box, reward him. Praise him and give him a little treat and then let him out in a confined area and play with him for a bit or have some cuddle time and then it's back into the crate. Do not let them get out of your site or let them get back behind somewhere they can commit the crime. You can let them out as many times a day if you see them going in the litter box or see that they have very recently. Also I would suggest getting a blacklight to make sure your getting everything and vinegar is  a good way to remove the smell. Even if you can't smell it they probably still can. I hope this helps. If you are interested in talking to the behavior specialist herself, PM me for her contact details.

 

[taxido]

He may be a cat that will not do his business in any litter box he considers soiled in any way, even peed in. The litter boxes may not be where he wants them. He may not like the cat litter you are using. I think all this behaviour indicates stress on his part and that he would be better rehomed as an only cat.

 

[catspaw66]

He may be a cat that will not do his business in any litter box he considers soiled in any way, even peed in. The litter boxes may not be where he wants them. He may not like the cat litter you are using. I think all this behaviour indicates stress on his part and that he would be better rehomed as an only cat.

Rehoming a cat should be a last resort solution. Many have had cats with problems and have worked them out, even though it took a long time.

 

[otto]

This cat wants clean litter boxes. Scooping every other day with four cats is not enough.

However a cat who defecates three or more times a day? There is something wrong. Cats should not have to poop three times a day. Once every 24 to 36 hours is normal.

This frequent pooping may be because of the diet they are on, (if the food contains a lot of fillers) but if you have four cats pooping three or four times a day, and are only scooping every other day I am not surprised you have a cat who will not use the litter box. I don't mean to sound snarky, but cats are fastidious animals, and many simply will not use a dirty litter box.

Get your cats on a decent wet diet(which will create more pee but less poop), add more boxes, and keep the litter boxes clean with daily scooping.

The problem cat might need to be retrained. This is usually done by keeping the cat in a small room with not much room for anything but a bed, food/water, and litter boxes for one to two weeks. use cat attract litter.

I would also recommend installing feliway plug in diffusers.

Like others who have posted, I also wonder if the cat has been declawed. I hope not, but haven't seen an answer to that question?

 

[msbedelia]

Rehoming a cat should be a last resort solution. Many have had cats with problems and have worked them out, even though it took a long time.

Also, it seems Taxido is suggesting rehoming because the cat is stressed by his cat "siblings", but there's no indication of that other than him avoiding where his siblings have eliminated. That can sometimes be a sign of intercat issues, but here it seems like cleanliness is a major issue. And the cat is likely stressed, but there are a million things potentially stressful in his life other than the other cats. And rehoming is certainly stressful.

I think based on what we know, it seems like Kitty wants to go where he's supposed to and something (pain, lack of cleanliness, etc) is stopping him. Working on removing that barrier seems like the best approach at this point.

 

[merstockgto]

sckwee, We have had multi household indoor cats since 1986, and my wife and I both worked and it really is no problem just going by a litter box (scoop variety) and just put  the waste in a poop bag we keep near the box. We are retired now. It is just a natural thing for us since we want our cats to have a clean box. We use Tidy Cat scoop for a few years and it really cuts down on any odors. I will say we have one cat, Bebe and have had her since she was a baby. She was about 8 weeks or so from Petsmart in Orlando where they get their pets from the local humane society. Anyway Bebe has a habit of peeing on soft things or piles of stuff. We were really getting frustrated as it was getting old. It seems like it was worse at night when she had the house and she would wander around like cats do at night. For the last 9 months or so we shut her in one of our bathrooms with a bed on the counter, food, water and a litter box and it seems to have helped as we see no pee spots since then. A lot of times one just has to think of things and be smarter than the cat. Bebe does not mind going to the bathroom at night as she loves her treats more than any other cat and at 10 pm or so she gets antsy by letting us know it is time to go to bed. She leads us or follows us in there.

 

[fuzz]

Oreo had a problem of pooping out of the box as well with no health issues the vet could find. It seems he didn't like to share a box with other cats(i was staying at a house with two other cats in it for a while.) Each cat had it's own pan but they would use any box they felt like, so Oreo wasn't the only cat using his. Maybe your cat abruptly decided he doesn't want to share?

I bought a Feliway difuser and plugged it in near the litterpans and it worked perfect.

 

[catsallaround]

Does he get along fine with the other cats?  I have had issues when one cat got ambushed in box by another(playfully).  Also any chance to train him to puppy pads or keep him in a pen of some sort when it gets bad so its all in one place(I would lay vinyl down and put a cage or waht not over that.  I have done this with a dog who drove me nuts at times.  It made clean up easier and kept me sane.

 

[taxido]

While I take on board the sensitive issues raised here about rehoming the cat as an only cat, unless the litter box issues are resolved, what other options are there? Either fill up the house with litter boxes in the hope that the cat will make use of at least one? Clearly, from what has gone before in that the cat has always done this from six months old, I doubt that will happen. Maybe this breed has a predilection for this type of behaviour and (for example) may be better suited to someone who understands this breed. We need to be realistic and not overly sentimental here.

 

[tulosai]

While I take on board the sensitive issues raised here about rehoming the cat as an only cat, unless the litter box issues are resolved, what other options are there? Either fill up the house with litter boxes, or make this cat and its owner's lives happier. The longer this situation goes on, the worse it is becoming. We have to be realistic.

Rehoming a cat to a good forever home with people who take the commitment seriously is very very  hard.  Rehoming a cat as an only cat is even harder because most people up for rehoming an elderly cat already have cats.  Rehoming a cat with a poo problem that may or may not reolve as an only cat is even harder- indeed, nearly impossible, though as has already been stated the fact that this cat is a purebred may help some.

More relevantly, I see absolutely no indication that being an only cat will make this kitty happier- he seems plenty happy with his humans, making biscuits and being super affectionate, and there is no hint he dislikes the other cats.  I think all signs point to that this cat would like a clean litterbox.  Being an only cat has nothing to do with it and IMO (and with all due respect to the OP) being unwilling to clean a litterbox more than once every 48 hours is a very very silly reason to rehome a cat, assuming that rehoming is even a possibility  and that anyone will want him.

 

[taxido]

I agree with what you say. However I feel that it is the only sensible option to be explored in this case. I have just read a site about the Abyssinian cat and it seems they are wonderful people cats and prefer the company of humans to their own kind. It recommended they do best as an only cat. The general consensus of opinion seems to be the cat will not use a soiled litter tray. What other realistic options are there? I certainly cannot think of any others.

 

[furmonster mom]

What other realistic options are there?...

How about the realistic option that this self-proclaimed animal lover and caregiver actually show some love and care by cleaning out the litterboxes?  This person has been given sound and solid advice, and has only come back with poor excuses.  I feel badly for the cat, but if the OP is as experienced as she proclaims, she should know better.  I ain't cuttin' her any slack.

 

[taxido]

I appreciate what you say, but it would still be hit and miss as to whether the cat would use one. Double the amount would be necessary I think to even try and remedy the problem. Unfortunately the situation has been allowed to go on for too long which has compounded it. But at the end of the day, whatever we may personally think, the current situation is now considered to be unacceptable, and that is why people have been asked for advice. We need to be objective, not subjective.

 

[mani]

I appreciate what you say, but it would still be hit and miss as to whether the cat would use one. Double the amount would be necessary I think to even try and remedy the problem.. Unfortunately the situation has been allowed to go on for too long which has compounded the problem. As far as the cat is concerned, he is being extremely fastidious.

Rehoming is absolutely the last resort.  The fact that the OP has posted here asking for advice indicates that she'd like help.  She has been given loads of good advice that is well worth trying.

We still don't know whether the cat has been declawed, which would definitely create this kind of problem.

 

[catsallaround]

I see a huge issue that a cat not wanting to use boxes is now forced into basement to use the only available boxes/area.  that is a long way to travel if urge hits.

I do not think there is a home available unless it is outside only.  As a former vet tech I think that is a bit delusional to think.  At some point the person will tire of it and may just put him outside. 

Was a auto cleaner box ever tried(litter maid or something similar)  Yes they are pricey but if you refuse to clean your boxes then what choice do you have

 

[mani]

Was a auto cleaner box ever tried(litter maid or something similar)  Yes they are pricey but if you refuse to clean your boxes then what choice do you have

The OP has a litterrobot.

Also sckwee hasn't posted in over three days, so we are all really just chatting amongst ourselves here.   

I'm really hoping that they will sift through what's been written and hopefully find a way around this, and come back if we can help at all.

 

[taxido]

Yes I believe she has such a litter box.

 

[tulosai]

The OP has a litterrobot.

Unfortunately some cats don't like litter robots or get spooked by them. I have by now known several people who put a lot of money toward one and had a cat who wouldn't use it even to begin with or else  (more commonly) got spooked by the noise and wouldn't go back.

 

[mewlittle]

Put cat litter boxes were he is peeing on the floor

If you have to put down 10 boxes or more I did these with mine he stopped I scoop twice aday 1 when I wake up 1 before I go to bed
He might be stressed or scared etc cats hide there stress

And if you don't want to stare at cat boxes on tops of we're he is going in the basement put doggie potty grass there it's a fake grass and when he pees on it the pan under the grass catches the urine so it won't go on the floor