Any cat people in here want to help me?

[JAK Rabbitry]

So I have cat now.

My family hada cat when I lived there but now that I moved out and got my own cat that I alone am fully responsible for, its a bit of a different ball game.

So Ifigure how hard can it be? Food....water....litter. I got this down.

Cat has a litter box but still insists on crapping in front of my kitchen sink. She doesn't poo anywhere else, just in front of the kitchen sink. She pulled up the linoleum tile, and scratched the coark wood stuff underneath all to daylights and then she poos in it. This happens about once ever 2-3 days. And she NEVER poops in her box. Ever. I never see poop in it when I clean it. Not once have I. She pees in it though. Religiously. And uses it like a champ. But when its timet o crap, she chooses my freakin floor!

Should I try putting her poo in the box? I know cats won't use a dirty box but I clean it every 2-3 days at most. And I just cleaned it last night and this morning theres poo on my floor again!!!!

What the hey is going on with my darn cat? How can I get her to stop dropping butt dragons on my kitchen floor?!!?!?

 

[tundrakatiebean]

Try putting a litterbox right where she goes everyday. Maybe she just wanted a change of scenery

 

[JAK Rabbitry]

See I would but it's right in front of my kitchen sink. Not a good place to have a litter box. I'd be stepping in it constantly. And my kitchen is like...old. Back in that time period I guess the ''kitchen'' was justa little cut out section involving a sink and a pantry. So we combined that and the ''dining room'' and made a ''kitchen''. So the ''front of the sink'' area is only like 3 feet wide. Not a whole lot of room for me and then on top of that to have a litter box there....not going to work.


But a good idea though if it wasn't my kitchen she was dumping in.

 

[Snuggys Mom]

tundrakatiebean wrote:

Try putting a litterbox right where she goes everyday. Maybe she just wanted a change of scenery

:yeahthat:

Then you could try moving it a little at a time to a better place.

 

[JAK Rabbitry]

Why did RO censor half of the time I wrote ''p00'' ?

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

tundrakatiebean wrote:

Try putting a litterbox right where she goes everyday. Maybe she just wanted a change of scenery

Try that like today, then maybe this evening move it so it's out of your way against a wall, she is she starts pooping in it, then if she does, move it back where you have it now. Weird cat:shock:.

 

[JAK Rabbitry]

Snuggys Mom wrote:

tundrakatiebean wrote:

Try putting a litterbox right where she goes everyday. Maybe she just wanted a change of scenery

:yeahthat:

Then you could try moving it a little at a time to a better place.


What defines a ''better place"? I'm really limited on where Ic an put the litter box. My house is small....kitchen , 2 bedrooms, and a bathroom. And te only bathroom is attached to the bedroom and I don't allow the cat in there and I keep the bathroom door closed so my dogs don't eat out of the trash in there. (What is it with dogs and feminine products? yuck!)

And I don't want it out in the open in the kitchen...I have it hidden behidnt he china hutch at the moment but I think having it anywhere else in the kitchen might kind of turn people off about eating in my home.


-JAK

 

[maherwoman]

Okay...you know how many cats I've had, and how long I've freakin' had them for, right? Coupla questions:

How thoroughly have you cleaned the area in front of your kitchen sink after Kitty'd poo'd there? Try getting something called Nature's Miracle, and cleaning it with that. It cleans at the enzyme level. Kitty could be still able to smell that she'd "gone" there, and thinks it's still okay (despite the many protests from her humans). Not only that, but she could've chosen that spot because another animal'd gone there...like if the people before you had a cat at any time, and it'd gone there. She would smell that and think she had the green light. Either way, there's some reason she prefers that spot, and because cats function mostly on SMELL, rid yourself of the smell that's saying it's okay, and she'll probably "go" in her box.

One thing on your side about this: cats instinctively prefer litterboxes over other places. (They like to be able to cover their scent.) If the above doesn't work, try getting her checked out, as it could also be a health issue.

Yes, taking it and putting it in her box is an excellent move. After handling any scents there by the sink, that'll help guide her to the right place. Also try picking her up and putting her in the box once you've put her poop there.

Another thing you can try, if the Nature's Miracle doesn't handle it (which is like blue moon territory), try buying some stuff called Comfort Zone (it has Feliway in it). It's supposed to calm down nerotic cats...has pheromones and all that good stuff in it. I've heard nuthin but raves. The bad thing: its about $30 for a small spray bottle of it...the good thing: it's awesome!

Okay, after all that...let me know how it works, ok? I've other ideas, but that's the most often solution for something like this...so let me know if it doesn't work, and I'll break out my other ideas for ya.

Last thing: you got Kitty a vet check, right? Just in case it's a health issue...

Love ya to bits!

Rosie*

 

[JAK Rabbitry]

Yeah Mercy has been to the vet a while ago. During the crapping problem. She had a couple fleas and was kind of skinny but thats it.


By cleaning her cat box I mean dumping the entire thing in a bag and throwing it away and putting new litter in it. I use that pine pellet litter...there's no scooping it. And it just poofs and becomes unusable after like 2-3 days.

I don't know if the people before us had a cat or not but it wouldn't matter because our landlord tore up the floor and put a completely new one in.


But try everything else though thanks Rosie.

 

[maherwoman]

Couple more ideas:

Try some clay litter instead. Most kitties will have a hard time wanting to use Feline Pine (or other wood pellet litter). I haven't had any success trying to get my two to use it.

Also, when you clean the box, leave in a bit of dirty litter...so she smells it's her box. At least while training.

Cleaning that way, dumping and refilling...is best. I prefer doing that to scooping out poop. Just leave some dirty litter in there for her to find her box easily.

How old is Mercy?

 

[JAK Rabbitry]

Mercy, I don't know how old she is. She wsa free at the pet shop. She's like still a kitten but she's bigger. The vet said she's under a year old. She's still little.

I don't want ot use clay litter because the dust irritates my eyes and nose and also I let my bunnies run around the kitchen a lot, I don't want them exposed to it. Or eating it. I'd prefer something natural...like...pine.

 

[maherwoman]

You could also join here and ask them. Loads of nice people there. Mention me? (maherwoman there, too)

Hugs!

 

[seniorcats]

maherwoman wrote:

Couple more ideas:

Try some clay litter instead. Most kitties will have a hard time wanting to use Feline Pine (or other wood pellet litter). I haven't had any success trying to get my two to use it.

Also, when you clean the box, leave in a bit of dirty litter...so she smells it's her box. At least while training.

Cleaning that way, dumping and refilling...is best. I prefer doing that to scooping out poop. Just leave some dirty litter in there for her to find her box easily.

How old is Mercy?

Ditto everything Rosie has said her posts. I would also add a few things. Keep her one box with the pine pellets - it's great she is peeing in it. Get a second box, possibly a covered box (WalMart) and use clay litter in it. When you wash your boxes, make sure torinse really well to remove any small from the cleaners.

Another thing, Cat Attrack litter. It is sold at PetSmart and other places. It's a bit more expensive. Everyone I know who has used says it is a miracle. Cats who have gone outside the box for years will use the box with the cat attrack litter.

Also, I agree with Rosie on the check up issue. Cats who poop in public are trying to tell you something. Sometimes it can be that they have tape worms or other worms. Would you mind staring at your cats rearend for a while and seeing if any tapes come out? Ha ha! Hope you appreciate that. A lot times tapes do not show up in a fecal floatation so you need to do a butt check. If she is outdoors and going after mice and rabbits, 10 to 1 she has tapes. Also, cats get 'em from fleas.

Now for more visual excitement.... is the poop solid and well formed? Is it runny?Let me know


More on Cat Attrack litter http://www.preciouscat.com/

 

[JAK Rabbitry]

I can't use clay litter I think i'm allergic. And if my cat can get in it so can my bunny. Not an option but a good idea.


My cat just had a checkup like a few weeks ago. And she was wormed. Byt he vet. She's an indoor cat. She's also on flea prevention stuff.



And my cat's poop is awesome thank you very much. She craps excellance.





Now for more visual excitement.... is the poop solid and well formed? Is it runny?Let me know


More on Cat Attrack litter http://www.preciouscat.com/

 

[naturestee]

Also, try giving her a second litter box. Seriously, some cats prefer one litterbox for pee and a different one for poop. Maybe she's just that kind of cat.

Also while we are on the subject of cat butts, I love cats but I'll take bunny butts any day! Much more... discreet, you know? Especially since cats like to stick it in your face when you're petting them. James had trouble getting used to that, LOL!

 

[maherwoman]

Hehe!! Yeah, I have to say that I agree there, Angela...bunny butts are MUCH more discreet!

 

[okiron]

How about crystals if you can't use clay? Still a lot easier to dig than feline pine but not clay to bother your eyes.

 

[seniorcats]

naturestee wrote:

Also, try giving her a second litter box. Seriously, some cats prefer one litterbox for pee and a different one for poop. Maybe she's just that kind of cat.

Also while we are on the subject of cat butts, I love cats but I'll take bunny butts any day! Much more... discreet, you know? Especially since cats like to stick it in your face when you're petting them. James had trouble getting used to that, LOL!

Absolutely great advice. Cat behavioralists recoommend 1 litter box per cat PLUS one. Even if you have only 1 cat, 2 boxes are recommend. I would suggest 1 regular box and one covered box like you can get at WalMart. Doesn't need to be fancy. I have 17 cats and 20 litterboxes, no kidding on that. There is some nice furniture for concealing boxes plus we have 3 floors to place the boxes.

Cats really like privacy when they pooping! No kidding. They don't even like being stared at. The boxes need to be in an area that isn't heavilytrafficed.

I know it sounded flippant to say look at your cat's backside. Now I'll tell you why - my cat Casey started pooping outside thebox. I suspected tape worms because he also was having a flea allergy problem. He had 4 stool checks and the worms never didshow up in the test. I just happened to see the tapes coming out his back side. Some times they will cling to the fur. A visual butt check by you costs $0 as opposed to a vet run stool check. It's an easy way to solve a problem. Selena and Harry, who are constatly mousing, may get tapes 3-4 times a year so I am always doing a daily butt check. Maybe I'm weird but with 17 cats, I need to catch the problem fast.

What the poop looks like is also important because cats, like people, can get irritable bowel. Sometimes irritable bowel causes them to poop outside the box. If kitty has loose poop and is going more frequently, then there is a chance of irritable bowel. One of the biggest helps for this is adding more fiber to the diet. If the poops look the same as alswys and are the same frequency, it's probably not irritable bowel.

Now Angela....how can anyone prefer bunny butts to cat butts! Having a cat butt in your face is the ultimate cat to human bonding!

 

[maherwoman]

PERFECT advice, SeniorCats!

I agree...try using different kinds of boxes, if you're using litter liners (plastic liners), try going without using them (as many cats don't like them). Try putting the catbox in a low-traffic area, if it's not in one. Feline Pine actually has a scoopable version of their litter now, and that might make things easier for Mercy to adjust.

Everyone's advice is really great...

 

[maherwoman]

Hehe...you're not kiddin'! It's akin to "Hey, sniff my butt...I SWEAR I'm a nice kitty!" I would say it's good they don't try to sniff ours...but my Hobbes certainly tries!! Hehe!!

seniorcats wrote:

naturestee wrote:

Also, try giving her a second litter box. Seriously, some cats prefer one litterbox for pee and a different one for poop. Maybe she's just that kind of cat.

Also while we are on the subject of cat butts, I love cats but I'll take bunny butts any day! Much more... discreet, you know? Especially since cats like to stick it in your face when you're petting them. James had trouble getting used to that, LOL!

Now Angela....how can anyone prefer bunny butts to cat butts! Having a cat butt in your face is the ultimate cat to human bonding!