# hi im new and desperately need some advice re my cat not using the litter tray



## sizzy_nat123 (Oct 3, 2010)

hi and thank you in advance for your replies. i have a 6 month old kitten, she's called lucy and is fabulous. she has been litter trained since 6 weeks. i had her that early as she was hand reared. anyway she settled in fine and had no problems until she was about 4/5 months old. she started poo'ing in the bath! then she also took a liking to the corner of my spare bedroom. she has 2 cat litter boxes, one upstairs and one downstairs. they arent new, they've always been there and she has regularly used them. i dont understand what her problem is?! im pregnant so my husband is having to deal with the messes she is making and he's not the most patient so he's getting increasingly annoyed with the situation. sometimes she will use the litter tray and then randomly wont. do you have any suggestions? she originally trained with a normal litter tray rather than a box, do you think maybe she just doesnt like being enclosed? also we have over night been filling the bath with water so she wont go in it and closing the spare room door. then she uses the litter tray! but with having small children this really isnt a safe long term solution. any suggestions welcome as im at the end of my tether! :confused1:


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## Miloandmonkey (Oct 3, 2010)

Hi Sizzy- I cant offer alot of advice ( i just posted re a similar problem i am having with my 7 month old kitten!). Have you had her spayed yet and are you planning on letting her outside? I am currently trying to train my kitten to do just that (and struggling! hence the post!) 

I totally feel your pain about the random pooing and peeing around the house! my kitten has a thing for anything that makes a rustling noise (plastic, fabric etc etc-shes just darn lazy sometimes i swear!). We keep her confined to the kitchen now as theres not alot she can pee on in that regard and its working- but as you say- these things are short term solutions.

The only advice i can offer is that if you are planning on training her to go outside get to doing that soon- its the best solution long term. My kitten is certainly testing my patience in that regard (she hates outdoors whilst my other, older cat was a breeze to train). Even tho my kitten is putting up a fight i know she will get there and as they get older they are able to "hold it in" and that combined with the understanding that peeing and pooing are for outdoors should eventually get me to a house trained cat.

As you are pregnant and will obviously have a little one around soon, i definately reccomend getting her started on the transition to outside asap. Best to get that sorted over the next few months before the baby arrives so u dont have that to worry about whilst enjoying your new arrival. have a chat to your vet about how to introduce her to going outdoors etc. 

hope thats a bit of a help!


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## sizzy_nat123 (Oct 3, 2010)

thank you milo. yes she goes outside already and loves it. dont know if she wee's or poo's outside, dh thinks he found some the other day but ive never seen her do it. i presume she must as sometimes she stays out all day. she getting spayed on tuesday so she will be in the house for a while whilst recovering and i am dreading it. im really worried about her behaviour. it just frustrates me so much as i know she's litter trained and she will use it everytime for a wee and as and when she feels like it for a poo. if i block of the bathroom and the spare room she using the litter tray but i cant always have them closed and during the day i cant have the bath full. its just too dangerous with a 2 yr old. why is she doing this to me?? everything was going so well :crying:


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## Guest (Oct 3, 2010)

It could well be the covered litter tray can you take the tops off and see how she goes, also clean where she has been with with a special enzyme cleaner like this and keep the doors closed to the spare room and bathroom, also rather than water you could try scrumpled tin foil in the bottom of the bath as they are supposed to dislike the sound/texture.


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## ambercat (May 4, 2009)

Its possible it might be stress related - she may be picking up on the fact you are pregnant, cats are very sensitive to changes in us, so thats a possibility. Have you tried the Feliway diffusers? if it is stress related, Feliway will help with this. 

I'd also try one or both trays without the lids as Greyhare suggested, just in case its that. Also, I don't know what type of litter you use, but try a different litter, if she's using the litter to wee ok, but not to poo, it might just be that she's finding the litter uncomfortable to stand on for anything more than a wee.


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## Miloandmonkey (Oct 3, 2010)

This is what im following- hope this link helps:

How to Get a Litter Trained Cat to "Go" Outside - wikiHow

Also- i was surprised that my vet told me my kitten was alright to go outside just two days after her op! Shes been fine. They are only quiet for a day or so. I know it will be stressful, but maybe try and confine her to the kitchen for those two days, then follow the advice on the link. Good luck!


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## Miloandmonkey (Oct 3, 2010)

Also- can i mention that my vet is the head of british veterinary! so i totally trust his advice. I am taking monkey along to see him tomorrow to have her little stitch removed (from her op). I am going to pick his brains a bit over getting her totally house trained so i will be sure to pass on any tips!


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## sizzy_nat123 (Oct 3, 2010)

thank you so much everyone! i am going to buy 2x feliway diffusers today, one for the spare room and one for the landing plug which is next to the bathroom. she only messes upstairs so they should cover the area plus her litter tray is also next to the bathroom. i shall buy a different type of litter, could anyone suggest a good alternative? i currently use asda smartprice litter and top it with an antibacterial powder. thinking about it she seems to like the llitter better just after its been changed and the powder has been put on, maybe she likes the smell? ive taken the lids off of the trays too. the vets havent told me how long i should keep her in after the op but its reassuring its only a couple of days. i thought it would be a couple of weeks! i know she would miss going out a lot. thanks again everyone!


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## ambercat (May 4, 2009)

sizzy_nat123 said:


> thank you so much everyone! i am going to buy 2x feliway diffusers today, one for the spare room and one for the landing plug which is next to the bathroom. she only messes upstairs so they should cover the area plus her litter tray is also next to the bathroom. i shall buy a different type of litter, could anyone suggest a good alternative? i currently use asda smartprice litter and top it with an antibacterial powder. thinking about it she seems to like the llitter better just after its been changed and the powder has been put on, maybe she likes the smell? ive taken the lids off of the trays too. the vets havent told me how long i should keep her in after the op but its reassuring its only a couple of days. i thought it would be a couple of weeks! i know she would miss going out a lot. thanks again everyone!


I'd ditch the antibacterial powder, for a start its really not necessary if the litter is changed regularlarly, and secondly cats sense of smell is much better than ours and the smell of the powder could actually be putting her off, just a thought.

Not sure what type of litter Asda smartprice is - probably a clay granule type? maybe look for a finer grained one which cats generally prefer. Perhaps Asda does a finer grained one, we don't have an Asda nearby so don't know their range - but the finer grained ones tend to be clumping. Otherwise PAH do a range of finer clumping litters, Clean n Tidy is one. I expect others will have more suggestions for you.


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## butlerclan (Jul 5, 2010)

Hi Sizzy,

Couple of years back we bought the covered litter trays to try them out as they look neater. All of our (4) cats refused to use them. That was £30 down the drain!!

We tried everything to try to get them to use it but without success.

They prefer to use outside, however at times we have to confine a cat after an op. or for some treatment, then we use a brand of pellet that is actually compressed pine wood (Unipack Wood-based cat litter). This also takes care of smell - what a bonus! 

For your info, I gather that cats with diabetis may pee inside - we have had two cases of that. Your kitty sounds a little young for that though.

Hope this helps - bin the enclosed litter tray!


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

butlerclan said:


> For your info, I gather that cats with diabetis may pee inside - we have had two cases of that. Your kitty sounds a little young for that though.
> 
> Hope this helps - bin the enclosed litter tray!


What makes you think that cats with diabetes are more inclined to pee inside?The only thing different about diabetic cats ,and urinating,is the fact that they tend to drink more,therefore need to pee more.


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## sizzy_nat123 (Oct 3, 2010)

i have been and bought the wood pellets to try. she hasnt had a go yet so over night we'll see what happens. ive bought a special behaviour cat collar that has the pheramones (sorry for bad spelling) in so will see how that goes too. was cheaper to try than the diffusers in the first instance. spoke to a lady at my local pet shop and she suggested 'special solution' which apparently is a degerent for this problem. im to clean the bath with it and that should help deter her. 

also thank you for the info re diabetes but its poo'ing not pee'ing that is the problem. fortunately she at least pee's in the right place lol!


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## sizzy_nat123 (Oct 3, 2010)

also do you think getting her a friend would help? and/or keeping her in the house more? i must admit since she has been going outside i feel i've lost her a little bit iykwim? would another cat/kitten cheer her up/make her happier? any advice on that one appriciated too. many thanks


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## ambercat (May 4, 2009)

sizzy_nat123 said:


> also do you think getting her a friend would help? and/or keeping her in the house more? i must admit since she has been going outside i feel i've lost her a little bit iykwim? would another cat/kitten cheer her up/make her happier? any advice on that one appriciated too. many thanks


Personally I wouldnt, until you've got to the bottom of the pooing issue at least, to be honest. There are no guarantees that another cat/kitten would make her stay inside, it may well have the opposite effect. She's becoming more independent now, so she will want to do her own thing more, its not that you've lost her, its just she's developing her own little character.


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## butlerclan (Jul 5, 2010)

buffie said:


> What makes you think that cats with diabetes are more inclined to pee inside?The only thing different about diabetic cats ,and urinating,is the fact that they tend to drink more,therefore need to pee more.


Hi Buffie - I said "I gather" because I was told that by a vet. The vet did not tell me the reason why.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

butlerclan said:


> Hi Buffie - I said "I gather" because I was told that by a vet. The vet did not tell me the reason why.


Well I would question that vets reasoning.There is no reason to attribute inappropriate urinating to diabetes.As I said a diabetic cat may drink more water therefore will need to pee more frequently.If there is no litter tray for the cat to use indoors then ,yes,of course it will pee,but that applies to any cat that needs to pee when there is no tray.My last cat was insulin dependant,diabetic for the last 7 years of her life.This had no effect on her ability to be clean,nor was it ever suggested that it could be a side effect.


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## sizzy_nat123 (Oct 3, 2010)

the collar already seems to be making a difference. last night and today she has been so loving. she spent hours sleeping on me, curled around my bump, she's not done that for ages. also she was spayed today and although she doesnt like the neck cone she seems happy in herself. i thought she'd lay down on the sofa and look all sorry for herself but she's eaten and played a bit. she doesnt seem to like the wood pellets though. i'll give them another couple of days but think we may have to go back to clay.


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## catgal12 (Sep 30, 2010)

Hi; Sorry to hear you are having do much trouble. I have read over the posts above and a lot of good advice there. i WILL add one or two extra thoughts. Firstly, it could be an emotional problem as animaLS DO feel emotional as we do. Second, ask your vet if your cat could have a medical problem. nIf a cat has a urinary track problem it could make it hard to get to the box in time.
Hope this helps.


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## bawdentom (Jul 24, 2010)

Hi,

I use this one, it's the bomb 

Has something in it that attracts the kitten to the litter!

Clumping Kitten Litter 7kg by Clean 'N' Tidy | Pets at Home


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## sizzy_nat123 (Oct 3, 2010)

thank you for that! been reading the reviews and it sounds brilliant so ive bought a bag. [email protected] are doing free delivery until 14/10/10 so thats even better! i'll let you know how we get on.......


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## kgb26 (Oct 6, 2010)

Hi,
I am a newbie too, but have owned cats for years, I don't know if this advice will work, but someone told me that if I put a litter tray in each place the cat is regularly pooing, and then gradually take them away that would work. 

Apparantly cats poo in the bath because they are very clean creatures, and their enhanced sense of smell means that in the bath they can smell the drain, and that is why they go there, I don't know if that is true. 

My old lady took to peeing in our log basket for a while..not nice when you come to light a fire, but if you think of it, quite logical from a cat's perspective!

Have you tried actually putting a litter tray outside, to see if she will use it?


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## sizzy_nat123 (Oct 3, 2010)

I bought some of the litter from p&h shop today. Had a bad night with her poo'ing in the spare room and next to the upstairs litter tray instead of in it! Anyway....went shop and got the clean n tidy litter. I just now popped her into it and she sniffed it then had a wee then immediately after had a poo! I was like OMG! I am so pleased! Thats the first time in days, maybe a week I have actually witnessed her poo in her tray. I still have the bag i ordered to be delivered on its way and that will go in the downstairs tray and fingers crossed! Also got a repellent spray that is suitable for use in the bath apparently so just doing a test area, if ok will spray it all over the bath tonight and will leave the door open and she if it bothers her. Hopefully collar, litter and spray combined will sort the problem. With her being restricted to staying in due to her op its actually working out quite easy to try and see the effects these things are having. Thanks for all the advice! :thumbup:


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