? for experienced cat owners

[laurie31]

Hi

Let me begin by saying I am a dog person I have always had dogs. I know nothing about cats. However, I have married a cat person and he finally convinced me that a cat in the house would not be the end of cleanliness as I know it . We adopted a cat from a rescue organization, and after being assured by his foster home that he was good with kids and dogs we brought him home. He is very tolerant of our kids and loves to be petted (and he LOVES my dog!) but he is just too big (25 lbs!) for the girls to pick up and carry. So my older dd begged for a kitten. Thus my problem. When we got Tux (he's a black and white cat) we brought him home, showed him the litter box, and he has used it ever since. No problems.

Well...I finally decided that one cat in the house was kind of nice, how bad could two be? So I took my dd to shelters so she could find an older kitten that had a personality that would tolerate kids, which she did. She is a beautiful calico cat named Annie. However, Annie seems to have no clue about the whole litter box concept. She goes wherever she is when the need arises. When I catch her in the act, I immediately carry her to the litter box, but usually I find out after the fact, if you know what I mean. Sometimes she does go to the room where the litter box is for #2, but uses the floor near it...or even the TOP of it, for some bizarre reason. (by the way, we do keep it cleaned out, so it's not like it's too "gross" in there for her tastes). And sometimes she does actually use it...but her favorite place for #1 is...are you ready...the heating/ AC vents!!! OMGOSH! Yes, she pees down the vents! We've caught her in the act at least 3 times! It's impossible to clean up and makes the whole room smell like cat pee!

SO...someone please tell me - how do you litter box train a cat?!

This little thing was rescued from a garbage can already pregnant so obviously she's never lived indoors before. I asked some friends at work, but they suggested just making her an outdoor cat, and I can't do that. I do prefer dogs, but I love all animals, and this is my dd's cat, and we could never put her out. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her Iwas hoping she would get some clues from Tux, the way a puppy will imitate an older dog, but...well, it just ain't happening! She's ruining my carpets! Please help me, cat-lovers! You're my only hope!

Laurie

 

[Disney Ella]

Do you have at least two litter boxes? Some cats don't like to share. You can try putting her in a room with just her food, water and a litter box for a few days to help her get the idea that the place to go is the litter box. Just put the litter box at the opposite end of the room from her food. And of course, be sure to visit her so she doesn't feel abandoned.

 

[swanmom]

We had a similar situation. We put the cat in a small area of the basement (about 6 x 8) that we had boarded off. The floor was old linoleum that could be cleaned up easily. The only thing in there was her food bowl, a basket, and her litter box. At first, we didn't fill her food bowl, just water. For the first day, we watched her as much as we could. We caught her just as she squatted and put her in the box -midstream! Then, after that, we fed her.
A couple more times we 'caught' her - either right before or right after. Eventually she started going to the box by herself. We kept her in the space a few more days 'till we were sure she had the right idea. She has been a problem since.

 

[Jinxy23]

TBH I never had a problem with my 2 cats and litter boxes but here is some tips for you, hope it is of some use.

The litter box should be in a private place, but there needs to be an easy escape route for your cat nearby or your cat may not feel safe enough to use it.

The litter tray must be far enough away from your cats food and water

As you have 2 cats two or even 3 litter boxes is best.

The litter box may be too small for her.

Is she happy with the litter? Some cats prefer different types of litter. One way to tell is watch as she digs in it, the more she digs and the more the litter flies, the happier she is.

Also are you using litter box liners? If so it may be an idea to throw them out, they annoy most cats as they make noise and get caught in their claws.

As she is peeing in the same spot you will have to *really* clean it up using enzymatic cleanser. The best way to check if you have cleaned up all old patches is by using a flourescent black light.

To discourage her from using the same spot, try some lemon air freshner sprayed into that spot - cats hate the scent so are far less likely to go toilet there.

Most importantly please be aware that when a cat is peeing outside the litter box it is the #1 symptom of urinary tract problems! It is worth getting her checked out before trying any of the above tips.

Hope this is of some help and good luck

 

[Mimi Q]

I had that problem with one of my cats- not to the extent you do, but getting a larger litter box did help. I know what you mean about the heat/AC register. It smells so bad, but is so hard to clean up. Also, my older cat refuses to share the litter box with the younger cat.

 

[laurie31]

Wow, thanks for the quick replies!!

We have just one litter box, it is far away from food and water, in a the laundry room - maybe she doesn't like the washer?? We don't use liners, (Tux hates them!) but trying a different litter is an idea I have noticed her scratching around - and it doesn't fly up much. Maybe we'll get a second box for her and try a different litter. And I'll definitely ask the vet about the possibility of a UTI! Thanks Jinxy23- I'd have never thought of that. We did have her tested for feline leukemia and something else when we had her spayed, but I don't think she's been tested for UTI.

I just shared your replies with DH and we agreed that we may try keeping her confined in the laundry room when we're not playing with her to help her get the idea (it's a big room, about 12x12, with washer, dryer, sweing machine, deep freezer, etc, and lots of floor space usually taken up with dirty clothes but we can empty it of everything but appliances). Put her bed, food and water on one end, and box on the other. I'm sure dd will stay in there for a bit and play with her, too. I find my biggest problems occur at night while we sleep and she "cats around," so just putting her in there at night would help a lot. I do have special pet carpet cleaner that has enzymes and I'm about to have the carpets professionally cleaned and I asked for enzymatic treatments when I made the appointment. (LOL!! I almost said "PS" instead of "appointment" - I think maybe I'm spending too much time here! naaaaa!)

Anyway, thanks again for the ideas and I'll let you know how they work out

Laurie

 

[Jinxy23]

Laurie, another thing to consider is that Annie may be stressed about something. Does she get on ok with Tux and your dog? ( I am guessing you have a dog as well as the cats)

Cats are more likely to start innapropiate peeing if they are stressed about something.

If Annie still has a problem with the litterbox after being checked out by the vet and trying some of the ideas here you could invest in something called Feliway. This is a unique spray that is a chemical copy of the facial pheromones present in cats. The presence of these pheromones results in an emotional calming, reducing the cat's impulse to mark its territory with urine. You can buy it in a bottle spray or in a plug in form - works like the plug in air freshners. It can be a little bit pricey but some people swear by it.

As for the smell problem there is a product called Nok Out which is meant to be amazing for getting rid of smells, yet is safe to use around pets, children etc. The proudict website is www.nokout.com

If you need any more advise feel free to PM me, I am a bit of a crazy cat lady so anything I can do to hep will be my pleasure

 

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

Definitely get the UTI test one of our cats started peeing everywhere and he had a UTI problem.
We actually had to change his food because of the infection.