Help for My Cat

[luvsJack]

I adopted a full grown cat that was either lost or abandoned and came to my work place. She is fixed and was obviously a full time inside cat. I was wanting a kitten, but felt so bad for this cat because of the coming cold so I brought her home.

Now the problem. She uses her litter box for peeing, but the bathtub for the other! I have to make sure the bathroom doors are closed all the time and she still finds the chance to get in there! I am cleaning and bleaching my tubs every day and this is driving me NUTS!

Her litter is cleaned and/or changed every day, so there is no reason for her not to use it. If the bathroom doors are closed all day, I guess she waits until she catches one of us coming out and sneaks in. She hasn't gone anywhere else except the tubs. I am assuming this is something she did in her other home (and maybe why she showed up at my work place)

Anyone have a suggestion to fix this problem??

We just cannot continue to live with this problem. She doesn't seem this least bit interested in moving outside, but I don't know what other choice I have.

 

[AlleyKat]

I adopted a full grown cat that was either lost or abandoned and came to my work place. She is fixed and was obviously a full time inside cat. I was wanting a kitten, but felt so bad for this cat because of the coming cold so I brought her home.

Now the problem. She uses her litter box for peeing, but the bathtub for the other!

Anyone have a suggestion to fix this problem??

Take a sample of "the other" to your vet, she may be trying to tell you something isn't right.

She could have a physical problem that won't allow her to relieve herself quickly and she doesn't want to spend "extra" time in her litter box.

 

[Krista in MA]

....She uses her litter box for peeing, but the bathtub for the other!....

Anyone have a suggestion to fix this problem??

As suggested by AlleyKat, take a sample of "the other" to your Vet, or I would even take your cat to the Vet. From my experience, if a cat goes outside of their litter box, there is something physical going on where the cat associates doing #1 or #2 in their litter box with something bad, so they "tell themselves" - don't go #1 or #2 in that litter box, remember how it feels?

I hope things work out for you and your kitty

 

[MEK]

I bet this cat was locked in the bathroom in her last house. As a protest for being locked in, she subsequently developed the habit of using the bathtub for toileting. My mother has a cat like this. She adopted it from brother and sister-in-law. My SIL locked the cat in the bathroom constantly. My mother was able to break the cat of the habit, but she had to monitor the cat 24/7 in order to retrain her. When the cat is under stress she can still divert back to her old habits.

I guess you could also try a cat scram. Its a monitor that produces a high frequency sound that only cats can hear. The cat activates it when it goes near the monitor. You have to google it and order them on line.

Cats are extremely peculiar about their bathroom habits. Many of them develop bad habits. Everyone who has owned a cat can probably recall an instance of unrination outside of the liter box. This is actually much worse (IMO) then what you are dealing with because once that smell gets into the carpet....ughhhhhhh....I care not to think about it.

I hope you are successful in retraining your cat. Good luck!

 

[luvsJack]

Thanks to you both. I never thought about it being a reason to take her to the vet, I just thought it was a bad habit.

I will be taking her next week, the sooner we get this fixed the better!!

 

[luvsJack]

I bet this cat was locked in the bathroom in her last house. As a protest for being locked in, she subsequently developed the habit of using the bathtub for toileting. My mother has a cat like this. She adopted it from brother and sister-in-law. My SIL locked the cat in the bathroom constantly. My mother was able to break the cat of the habit, but she had to monitor the cat 24/7 in order to retrain her. When the cat is under stress she can still divert back to her old habits.

I guess you could also try a cat scram. Its a monitor that produces a high frequency sound that only cats can hear. The cat activates it when it goes near the monitor. You have to google it and order them on line.

Cats are extremely peculiar about their bathroom habits. Many of them develop bad habits. Everyone who has owned a cat can probably recall an instance of unrination outside of the liter box. This is actually much worse (IMO) then what you are dealing with because once that smell gets into the carpet....ughhhhhhh....I care not to think about it.

I hope you are successful in retraining your cat. Good luck!

I wondered if moving the litter box to the bathroom would help (its in the laundry room).

And you are right. I would much rather have this than her urinating anywhere but her litter box.

 

[kacaju]

I adopted a full grown cat that was either lost or abandoned and came to my work place. She is fixed and was obviously a full time inside cat. I was wanting a kitten, but felt so bad for this cat because of the coming cold so I brought her home.

We just cannot continue to live with this problem. She doesn't seem this least bit interested in moving outside, but I don't know what other choice I have.

This probably the reason you found her. Her owners probably got sick if it and dumped her.

 

[luvsJack]

This probably the reason you found her. Her owners probably got sick if it and dumped her.

I know and I hate to feel so frustrated with her for that reason. I would never dump her but can certainly understand their not wanting to deal with the problem.

 

[DMRick]

Don't just clean up the poo and toss it. Put it in her kitty litter box, and let it stay for a day or two. I had a foster who did the same thing. We put foil in the tub and she didn't like the noise. So she moved to the sink ..yuck! We covered the sink, put the nasty in the litter, and for us it was that easy (second litter pan was in the bathroom already).
Sometimes people report this behavior if the litter pan was near a washing machine and the cat appeared to not like the sound. Others changed food..the poo was hard, and it seemed the smooth bathtub was comforting. I agree with the others, that a stool sample to the vets might help. If the cat was outdoors or had fleas she may have parasites.
I hope you get past this..and thanks so much for adopting (or trying to) an adult cat. Kittens are easy to place, adults, not so much.
I have five kittens coming here to foster first week of March, and their parents (two litters) were feral. I can't wait to see if we got them in time before their mom's trained them 'wrong'.

 

[kacaju]

Why don't you try moving the litter box in the tub for a little while and see if you can train her to use it in there? Then once she is doing it in the box, move the box out of the tub, but still in the bathroom an see if that helps.

 

[Nickimouse]

Why don't you try moving the litter box in the tub for a little while and see if you can train her to use it in there? Then once she is doing it in the box, move the box out of the tub, but still in the bathroom an see if that helps.

I was going to suggest the same thing!

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

ME three on the move it to the tub. Hopefully your cat can be retrained. I have two (yes two) that are bathtub users for number one. It started as one who trained two. I dont mind, at least there not using my floor. I put the box in the tub to retrain them and they pee'd next to the box LOL

 

[Silent1CB]

She might also be one of those cats that uses one box for #1 & another box for #2. You could try placing a 2nd box in the tub & see if she uses it. If so, then gradually move it outside the tub.

After getting her checked at the vet of course.

 

[luvsJack]

Wow. and i thought cats were so easy! I guess I have always had my cats from the time they were kittens and have never really dealt with one that was already trained.

I think I will run to the dollar store and get a second box and then work from there.

she is a bit nervous so the noise from the laundry room might be a factor for her too.

 

[dakcp2001]

I second the tin foil idea. I have heard if you put tin foil down where you do not want the cat, it is pretty effective! But I would check with the vet to be sure she is healthy. Bad kitty!

 

[jmpurdy]

Absolutely, do not put the litter box near the tub. This give her the idea it is OK to do it there. Keep her OUT of the bathroom. Get another litter box. Put it next to the other one. If you have a lid on the box, take it off asap.
Lids were designed for people, not cats. If litter box is in a noisy area, move them (remember you have 2 now). Use only scoopable litter. Sometimes cats like less litter vs. more. Fill the 2nd box with 1/2 litter leaving some of the plastic litter box bottom visible, meaning only cover 1/2 of the bottom. Some cats like to feel the smoothness. Weird, but true.
Keeping the tub wet or with tin foil in it should work till this behavior is broken. Going so far away from the box definitely says there is a reason why if urinating in it is not a problem too. Best of luck!