Sushi has a problem :(

[Samantha Puppy]

I am almost 100% positive that it is my Sushi that is having the problem with pooping and peeing outside the litter box. He is a 1 year old Maine Coon boy who never had a problem going in the box prior to my husband and I [stupidly, I admit] moving BOTH litter boxes at the same time. Now he refuses to go in them.

I've spread down newspaper so at least he's not going on the carpet. I've purchased more Nature's Miracle and soak the carpet underneath the papers with it. I've also gotten Feliway spray and spray that in the area as well. Nothing seems to be working and I am out of ideas. What else could be his problem?

Aside from going around the litter box instead of in it, he acts fine. He eats, he plays, he runs and cuddles, he acts FINE. I'm growing increasingly frustrated though... Anyone got any ideas?

[shais_mom]

I think you need to get some Feliway and just keep doing what you are doing.

[catmandu]

I WONDER,IF YOU WERE TO BUT A NEW LITTER BOX,AND MADE A BIG FUSS OVER SUSHI,WHETHER HE WOULD USE,IT ,OR NOT.
I THINK,THAT HE IS A BIT YOUNG,TO HAVE HEALTH ISSUES,OVER HIS BOWEL MOVEMENTS,SO IT IS PROBABLY BEHAVORIAL.

AND PUT,THE NEW BIGGER BOX,AS HE IS A BIG CAT,IN THE PLACE,WHERE THE TWO BOXES WERE,BEFORE.
I HOPE,YOUR CAT,FINDS HIS WAY,AS THERE IS NOTHING WORSE,THAN CAT PEE.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/catmandu/Picture113.jpg

[Glacier]

What kind of litter are you using? He may not like the feel of it on his paws. I have that problem with a couple of mine so I have several kinds of litter in boxes. Twicket likes Yesterday's News. Ivy likes the plastic pellets. Boots likes non-clumping clay. Felicia likes wood pellets and everyone else uses the boxes with clumping litter in them! When Pete was having all his urinary tract troubles, he would only pee on shredded newspaper, so that's what he got in his box!

It's a hassle buying so many different kinds, but it keeps the pee in the box! Might be worth trying a different litter.

[Samantha Puppy]

I use Fresh Step - and I've been using it with all four cats from the very beginning. No one had a problem with it prior to the litter boxes being moved. We've even moved the one back to where it was before, so it's literally rightthere but he just goes behind it and goes on the paper I have down. *sigh* I know it's up to me to figure out what his problem is but I'm running out of ideas and it's getting more and more frustrating everytime I have to go clean up the papers, clean, scrub, spray and put new down.

[catlover4ever]

Did you change you cat litter, get a different box??? anything like that. Are you using a scented litter?

I know when I got Gracie and Gabe they liked a certain litter...of course I was not using that one and Gabe especially would not do # 2 in the litter box. It was not until I did several different trials of litter that he finally started going in his box.

[Samantha Puppy]

Originally posted by catlover4ever
Did you change you cat litter, get a different box??? anything like that. Are you using a scented litter? No, nothing has changed except the location of the litter boxes. They were moved about 10 feet away from where the one in the basement originally was. One of them is still in the new location and one of them was moved back to the original location in the alcove, but like I said - he just goes behind it and goes on the paper.

The litter has been the same from the beginning and the boxes haven't been changed either.

[rg_girlca]

This is just a stab in the dark, but are your litter boxes old? Like really scratched up and well used?

Maybe if you put BOTH of the litter boxes back in their original positions instead of just one and see if that works and take up the paper. If it does, then slowly move the boxes every other day to where you want them to be.

Good luck with this as I can only imagine how frustrating this must be for you guys.

[Samantha Puppy]

Originally posted by rg_girlca
This is just a stab in the dark, but are your litter boxes old? Like really scratched up and well used?

Maybe if you put BOTH of the litter boxes back in their original positions instead of just one and see if that works and take up the paper. If it does, then slowly move the boxes every other day to where you want them to be.

Good luck with this as I can only imagine how frustrating this must be for you guys. We've only had Sushi and Kirin since October so the oldest litter box is that old. The newer one we've had since we got the girls 3 months ago. They're not old or gross or anything. We clean them out constantly - at least 2x a day (both boxes), if not more.

The one that Sushi is going behind has been in its current place (except for the one night we moved it, but then moved it back immediately) since we got him and Kirin. The one that was moved (and stayed moved) was in the spare [soon-to-be baby's room] room that we cannot put back - and we didn't even have that one until 6 months after we got Sushi and Kirin (we got it because we got the girls). We can't move it back to where it was - we'll be steamcleaning the carpets in that room soon and taking down the old wallpaper in preparation of our baby. I'm already afraid he'll start going up there again once we have the door open again - I DEFINITELY don't want that to happen, ESPECIALLY after the baby's born and home. I'm very understanding with animals but I will hit the roof if he "goes" in the baby's room.

[jenluckenbach]

After a thorough vet exam to rule out medical conditions, you may need to confine him. A large cage or very small room. until he regularly uses the box, and only the box. This is HARD!!! I know, I have had to do it. I lived with meowing 24/7 for a month because the cage was "killing" Jim. But it was necessary.

Also......if you have only 2 boxes and 4 cats, my best suggestion is at least 2 more litter boxes. And YES! you can find space for them because making a little space for a litter box is a whole lot better than cleaning up accidents.

Clean your boxes out with clorox. Honestly, cats are addicted to that stuff!

Buy yourself some Cat Attract litter. I understand it works almost too well. Someone told me how they tried this litter, and the minute they filled the box with it ALL the cats wanted to use the box. (LOL)

Is it possible that he is IN the box but the rear quarters are out of the box? (in other words, is the pee or poop close enough to the box for him to be "missing"? If so a larger box or a covered box may do the trick.

[Samantha Puppy]

Originally posted by jenluckenbach
Is it possible that he is IN the box but the rear quarters are out of the box? (in other words, is the pee or poop close enough to the box for him to be "missing"? If so a larger box or a covered box may do the trick. No, it's one of those Booda dome litter boxes.

Confining him sounds like it might work but the only place I could do it would be in the baby's bathroom. Wouldn't that just confuse him more when I let him out and he had to adjust to going back down to the basement?

As for the Cat Attract litter, the punks already love to hop in as soon as I'm done scooping - sometimes they're in there going WHILE I'm scooping! Punks... :)

[janelle]

go to www.thepetprofessor.com and see if they have an answer.