"Teaching" cat to pee correctly?

[torinsmom]

I know, it sounds like a weird question, but my cat is driving me crazy. She is 18 months old. She pees in the litter box, or I should say she gets in the litter box to pee. Then instead of putting her bottom down to pee, she just stands there and pees. She prefers to stand by the edge of the box, so the pee often goes straight out and onto the floor or on the cabinet beside the litter box. I was hoping she would observe the other cats, who go in the squatting position, and copy them, but she is still doing it. When I catch her doing it, I yell and she runs, but of course, she doesn't know why I'm yelling.

Anyone have any advice to help? I have thought about covered litter boxes, but I have three boxes without covers, and I would need to buy three new boxes with the covers, and who knows if my cats would adapt to those?

Marsha

 

[ilovejack02]

Mine did just fine when we went to box with the top on it.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I'm also going to suggest the litter box with the top. We had the same problem with pooping cats. They'd poop, and then it would go over the side of the box, and then they'd sniff around for literally minutes because they couldn't find their poop... and then just bury the clean litter.

It was funny to watch but ultimately a PITA to claen up!

 

[HeatherH]

Yelling at her, as you discovered, is NOT going to help and can actually make the problem worse.

I would try one of the very high edge litter boxes. High enough so that even if she does stand up, the pee will just hit the edge of the box but still go in. You really CAN'T teach a cat how to urinate. Or poop for that matter. One of my cats STANDS on the edge of the box with three legs to poop. He makes it most of the time, but sometimes he leaves a little "present" outside the box.

Lots of cats hate the covered litter boxes, so that may create more problems than they solve. I would try the high edge box first.

Good luck!

 

[torinsmom]

Yelling at her, as you discovered, is NOT going to help and can actually make the problem worse.

I would try one of the very high edge litter boxes. High enough so that even if she does stand up, the pee will just hit the edge of the box but still go in. You really CAN'T teach a cat how to urinate. Or poop for that matter. One of my cats STANDS on the edge of the box with three legs to poop. He makes it most of the time, but sometimes he leaves a little "present" outside the box.

Lots of cats hate the covered litter boxes, so that may create more problems than they solve. I would try the high edge box first.

Good luck!

All the litterboxes we have are high edged. This kitty is tiny, maybe 8 lbs and her butt is till higher than the edge. She pees straight out too.I have never seen a cat go like that.

My bengal puts his front legs on the edge and squats like a person. It is hilarious. I got the covered litter box and he is the only one who has used it at this point. Poor thing bumped his noggin on the door when he tried to squat! Only thing about this box is that I can't get the flap to work. It does not move freely, so either you can get in or get out. I took it off for now, but I bet peepee kitty will back her butt up to that hole and pee out!

 

[rszdtrvl]

I had to convert an 18 gallon storage bin into a litter box for my cat. It looks wierd, but he is a big cat (18+ pounds) and doesn't really fit into a normal litter box.

He, at times, also has issues with a normal litter box when he does his potty. He was spraying onto the wall.

With the storage bin, I can make it as deep as I want it to be by cutting the entrance hole higher up on the bin. Plus, it is nice and high, so even if he has an "issue" while going potty, it stays in the bin.

 

[loveysbydesign]

We have 6 cats...4 of them we have rescued within the past 2 years...one bengal who had major pottying issues! What worked best for us is to take a rubbermaid container and cut a hole in the long side to use as the litter box. works better then litter boxes out the on the market and is cheaper too. We leave the lid off ours and the cats put their front paws on the top rim and pee that way. The high sides also keep them from kicking little all over the place. I know others who have done this too, but they leave the lid on but we leave ours off!
http://petprojectblog.com/archives/cats/make-your-own-cat-litter-box/

http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm

We cut our hole on the other side of the bin like this, so they have to walk in all the way to use it instead of hanging their butt out!

 

[asta]

All the litterboxes we have are high edged. This kitty is tiny, maybe 8 lbs and her butt is till higher than the edge. She pees straight out too.I have never seen a cat go like that.

It sounds like your cat is actually marking things instead of just peeing. We recued a small kitten from a shelter who I think adopted this habit from watching stray cats in our yard. She does this when she sees other cats as a territorial behavior. She stands with her back to something raises her tail and sprays. Good luck if this is the case. We took our cat to the vet and I even talked with an animal behaviorist about what we could do to stop it. The vet tried cat valium but that did not help. The only thing that has helped is to remove the stimulus - we closed the shutters when the stray cats were in our yard or kept her confined in a room without windows. It was a long process, the strays finally died and we think after several years that she has stopped. I don't think many people would go through what we have with this terrible habit. The vet even said that he thought she might just have to be an outside cat but we couldn't do that.

 

[nuke]

We bought a litter box called Clever Cat. It's basically a rubbermaid tub and the lid has a hole in the top. The cats have to jump through the hole into the box. They seem to like it because they have privacy and I love it because there is little litter outside the box and everything stays in the box that belongs in the box.

 

[Imzadi]

I'm also going to suggest the litter box with the top. We had the same problem with pooping cats. They'd poop, and then it would go over the side of the box, and then they'd sniff around for literally minutes because they couldn't find their poop... and then just bury the clean litter.

It was funny to watch but ultimately a PITA to claen up!

OP, your cat may not like the litter, or thinks it's not clean enough, so instead of standing in the middle, she's way off to the edge, trying not to step on anything.

I'm not the most diligent in keeping my kitty's litter my clean. God love her, she will still go in it, even if it's not very clean, but she will go tearing out of it as soon as possible. The NASA space shuttle would be envious of her take offs.

When it is clean, she will squat right in the middle then spend days burying her messes. She doesn't cover at ALL, if she thinks it's the least bit dirty.

You might also try waiting till she has to go. Most cats have to go within 5-10 minutes after eating. When she's in the box and you see her heading for the edge, instead of yelling at her, gently nudge her to the middle of the box. (If she will even allow you to get close.) This way, she might be retrianed into the correct position.

 

[wdw_girl_18]

Yelling at her, as you discovered, is NOT going to help and can actually make the problem worse.

I would try one of the very high edge litter boxes. High enough so that even if she does stand up, the pee will just hit the edge of the box but still go in. You really CAN'T teach a cat how to urinate. Or poop for that matter. One of my cats STANDS on the edge of the box with three legs to poop. He makes it most of the time, but sometimes he leaves a little "present" outside the box.

Lots of cats hate the covered litter boxes, so that may create more problems than they solve. I would try the high edge box first.

Good luck!

I would also suggest the high edge litter box. Petsmart has them. With the covered ones the pee still seeps through the cracks where the litter box top and bottom meet, and it just creates another mess.

 

[torinsmom]

Oooh, the box with the hole in the top sounds cool. I will try that next(make my own) if the covered one doesn't work. I really don't think she is marking, because she doesn't do it anywhere except when she gets in the litter box. I have a nose for that, believe me.

I clean the three litter boxes at least once a day, so they are always clean. I have also seen her be the first one in and she still does it. I honestly don't think she knows how she is supposed to position herself to pee.

Marsha

 

[Imzadi]

I have also seen her be the first one in and she still does it. I honestly don't think she knows how she is supposed to position herself to pee.

Maybe the box is too small for her? I know you said she is a small kitty. But, in her world, she may need more space in front of her.

My kitty actually prefers TWO boxes side by side, even when they are absolutely clean. She will pee in one, then have to walk over and poo in the second box. She likes having that extra space to walk around, away from the pee/poo, then turn around and cover. (Even when the box is clean.)

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

i have 3 cats. 2 of them we got when they were only 8 weeks old, the 3rd we got when she(and the other two) were a year old.

we originally had the kittens in a large cage when DH or I were at work, so they didn't get stuck or into anything they shouldn't have, and we had their litter box and food in there with them.

obviously they got older, we didn't use the cage anymore, but we still had the plastic piece that was on the bottom of the cage, and we have it under one of their litter boxes.

the girls are fine with using the litter box without accident(once in a while if they're sick or they get spooked they might miss a bit, but we really don't scold them) but our boy has issues with going #2 RIGHT at the edge of the box, so it ALWAYS lands on that plastic piece. we usually just clean it up, because i know he's not doing it on purpose. and he only has that issue once every few weeks.

my suggestion to you is possibly getting a larger litter box if you can. if not, they have ones with deeper sides, so it's harder for it to get out.

and i know others suggested the box over the top, that might work as well.

good luck!

 

[torinsmom]

The litter boxes I have are really big. My bengal is 18 lbs and LONG, so I had to make sure they were all big enough for him to get in and do his business. Two are the largest regular litter boxes you can buy, and one is an under the bed storage box that is actually even bigger than those. That one was not as deep, so its the one I replaced with the hooded box I just bought.

Blythe(the mis-guided pee-er) went in and peed in it a few minutes ago, so I am hoping this will work out. I guess if it does, I will replace the other two, or maybe make one with the hole in the top.

Marsha

 

[denisem]

If all else fails and she doesn't take to covered boxes, what about putting a standard litterbox INSIDE an under-the-bed box to catch the overflow? (Honest, I'm not laughing at you - if you have a bengal, you HAVE to have a sense of humor!)

We had two bengals - our late Millie was a hoser. We ended up using a Home Depot mortar box/trough as a litterbox. Larger, deeper, sturdier than normal litterboxes, with curved ends so they didn't stand so close. And LOTS cheaper (less than $10).

Our Rocko sounds like your bengal - he's a boy and stands up to pee, thankyouverymuch!! Puts his paws on the edge and looks like a prairie dog.

Good luck!

 

[honugirl]

For those of you with bengals, can you actually train them? My friend has a bengal and man, that cat is dumb as a post. It runs into the sliding glass door, gets up on things constantly (even after being told no)... they've tried those scat mats, but it doesn't work. It's a very hard cat to live with because you can't have her running lose when you have food out. You can't have plants around the house because she'll kill them. Can't have anything on the walls because she pulls it off the wall. I really want to like this cat because she means a lot to my friend but dang it, you just can't have anything nice around with her because she ruins it. They do have toys for her and a kitty condo/scratching post thing and stuff so it's not like she doesn't have cat things around the house to play with, including another cat...

 

[torinsmom]

If all else fails and she doesn't take to covered boxes, what about putting a standard litterbox INSIDE an under-the-bed box to catch the overflow? (Honest, I'm not laughing at you - if you have a bengal, you HAVE to have a sense of humor!)

We had two bengals - our late Millie was a hoser. We ended up using a Home Depot mortar box/trough as a litterbox. Larger, deeper, sturdier than normal litterboxes, with curved ends so they didn't stand so close. And LOTS cheaper (less than $10).

Our Rocko sounds like your bengal - he's a boy and stands up to pee, thankyouverymuch!! Puts his paws on the edge and looks like a prairie dog.

Good luck!

I don't know if little Blythe could get INTO the big bin to get to the litter, LOL. She has to hop to get into the covered one. She seems to be doing okay with it.

Pharaoh, the bengal, decided he doesn't like the covered box. What he does sounds similar to your bengal----two front paws on the edge, front part of the body hiked up, with this look of deep concentration on his face. He pees a gallon twice a day, I swear, but he never misses. He is my sweetie pie. I guess he can't get in that position in the covered one.

For those of you with bengals, can you actually train them? My friend has a bengal and man, that cat is dumb as a post. It runs into the sliding glass door, gets up on things constantly (even after being told no)... they've tried those scat mats, but it doesn't work. It's a very hard cat to live with because you can't have her running lose when you have food out. You can't have plants around the house because she'll kill them. Can't have anything on the walls because she pulls it off the wall. I really want to like this cat because she means a lot to my friend but dang it, you just can't have anything nice around with her because she ruins it. They do have toys for her and a kitty condo/scratching post thing and stuff so it's not like she doesn't have cat things around the house to play with, including another cat...

Bengals are typically smarter than the average cat. They get into things BECAUSE of that. I didn't have to train mine to do anything really. My son did teach him to climb the ladder to his loft bed in five minutes and he climbed up and down every day for the five years we had the bed. He can open doors and has ever been known to jump up and turn on a light(don't know if he meant to do that, but he's done it twice) He walks on a leash. Best of all, he is the softest, sweetest cat I have ever had, and he is a big snuggle bunny at night.

Bengals are active, so they either need an owner who is home a lot, playing with them, or another Bengal or high energy cat to keep them exercised. Otherwise they will get into everything. Oh, and the running into the door may be because he is bored or trying to get out. My bengal constantly climbs the door jambs of all my doors and sometimes he will run and slide into walls when he can't stop fast enough, LOL. We got two kittens 18 months ago, and he loves having someone to play with.

Marsha

They need a lot of exercise

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Those rubbermaid totes are the coolest things I have ever seen!!!! I will remember that the next time I get cats. I have dogs now.

Thanks for the pics loveysbydesign!

 

[loveysbydesign]

Those rubbermaid totes are the coolest things I have ever seen!!!! I will remember that the next time I get cats. I have dogs now.

Thanks for the pics loveysbydesign!

And cheaper and stronger than litterboxes at the store! You can cut the hole in the lid just like the litterbox another poster posted too but I knew my cats wouldn't like that as they hat the hooded/lid type!