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Thanks for the update.
cat attract litter IS quite expensive, but I found some places offer it cheaper than others.
Also, there is a product to add to regular UNSCENTED litter. http://www.preciouscat.com/attract-l...-your-p-7.html
http://www.healthypets.com/catattract.html
http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Elseys-Prec.../dp/B000IJ9MCU
I have no clue here.. but just thought something to add....
have you tried litterboxes made for rabbits/ferrets.... they are built for corner and have a higher back side... that might work too....( to prevent spraying the wall while using the box)
This is such a familiar problem for me. I have been doing much the same with scrubbing, scrubbing, and scrubbing the boxes I have to get them as clean as possible and putting in all new litter.
I had tried the Dr. Elsley's Senior Cat Attract litter, but it was so darn dusty, I couldn't stand it.
What I'm using now is MIMI Crystals, which is a 4lb bag, and is about $4 from Walmart. I have those ginormous pans from PetSmart, and I put one bag in each box. I changed the entire contents of litter every 3-4 weeks. I've been finding as long as I keep the pans super clean, especially the one I have in the kitchen for Boris (my main pee-er outside the box), it's been much better. I thought I should have been buying stock in paper towels, as there had been pee on the stove and countertops at least 3-4 times a day. I was just so frustrated.
SO, new box in kitchen. It gets totally washed down every 2-3 days, and since it is a sifter box, I can change the bottoms and let the one air out really good as well.
Hope things will continue to improve on your front.
I'm glad to hear that things are starting to improve.:) When I tried the Cat Attract Litter, I just put some of it on top of the old litter that I was using. I also had to add 3 more litter boxes. Now I use Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Litter For Muliple Cats and I only occasionally buy the Cat Attract Litter to put on top of it.
Most of my cats also prefer not to have covers on their litter boxes so now I only have 2 with covers. Sometimes they will spray over them but not as often as on the ones with the covers. I've been putting the puppy training pads under the litter boxes and also in the back of them so that if they do spray over it will catch most of the pee. So far this has been working well for me. Maybe you could also tape some puppy training pads to the wall in back of the litter boxes. Good luck.:)
We have been using storage bins their about 12 in. deep, no cover. Even with our big boys things stay in the box most of the time. The only problem we have is Little Bear and Bart. Bart has steam shovels for paws and I've seen litter go 3 feet in the air (big hand fulls). Little Bear likes too dig for China and makes sure that the litter does not fall back into the hole; she can shoot it almost 5 feet. Bart goes for altitude and LB goes for horizontal shots.
We only use 4 boxes for the 12. 3 are the bins and one is low (3 in) for LB and Lucky only. I did put plastic walls on 3 sides of LB's box, about 16 in high. This way with she with her bad leg and Lucky still a kitten they can get in and out, but the litter can only fly in one direction.
Any time we have tried covers we find more around the house than in the boxes.
Just thought I'd add an update for any interested.
It's a year later now. I did everything, more litterboxes, different litterboxes, different litterbox locations, new urine remover, different litter, and TONS of urinalysis tests on all 7 of the cats.
6 of the cats have problems with urinary crystals and occasional infections, the solution has been to put those cats on Hills C/D food, and do a urinalysis occasionally to check for infections, and treat with antibiotics those with infections.
The peeing slowed down but didn't stop. I mean I had pee on my fridge, my stove, my counters, my microwave, the walls, two sections of my sectional were trashed. :mad:
This all despite cleaning the litterboxes 5-6 times a day, and constantly putting cats in the box anytime they sniffed anything, and using generous amounts of Nature's Miracle. I was having panic attacks over it and had to take tranquilizers.
When I finally reached the point I could do nothing else I took my most suspected pee-er to work with me (Cami) and she had to live in a cage for 2 weeks.
Aside from finding some old pee spots we went those whole 2 weeks with no pee! That verified that she was my only active pee-er. And she used her box in her cage 100% of the time.
I brought Cami home after 2 weeks and put her in my spare room to see if having her noises and scent in the house would cause any peeing, or if her smelling/hearing the other cats would cause peeing.
So far it's been about 6 weeks and no pee outside the litterbox (despite Sassy having a UTI that we had to treat).
I hate having Cami shut up in a separate room, she's so lonely not being out in the main house where the activity is, but apparently she just plain doesn't get along with the male cats, particularly Bear.
I tried letting her out once and following her around constantly. It lasted about 20 minutes. The whole time she went from one spot to another that had been peed on in the past to sniff. In one area I stopped her from spraying (or at least it looked like she was going to.) The entire time she was out, Bear followed (rather stalked) her and she did not purr or seem happy until I put her back in her room again, at which point she started purring and being lovey again. I spend several blocks of time with her every day petting and playing with her and I think she sort of enjoys having my complete attention.
Sometimes certain cats just plain don't get along no matter what you do.
Now the question is, does she have to live in the spare room until Bear passes away (8-10 years) or can she be re-integrated into the house?
At this point I'm not rushing anything for fear of the peeing starting up again.
Hard to say...could Bear be put on a mild tranny so he doesn't stalk her?
I am sure you have done the blacklight/deodorize the pee spots. Just a suggestion: get Bear treated (even try a mild tranny for a couple of weeks), find all the pee spots you can and neutralize them, and THEN try letting Cami out and gradually reintegrate her.
I think dealing with Bear's attitude might help. Or - he should be the one in the room. Is Cami the only one he bothers?
I am sure others here will have ideas too!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catty1
No, unfortunately.
All the male cats stalk and pounce on her.:( Bear is just the worst and most persistant one. So apparently spay/neuter doesn't help any here.
Everything was tolerable when Dusty was still alive because everyone (including Cami) pounced on her instead. Trooper that Dusty was she took it without problems until the last week when I separated her to spend her last days in peace. That's when they started turning on Cami and that's the week the peeing started.
Gosh...give ALL the boys chill pills!
My take...keep Cami in a room with MAYBE another kitty that she gets along with?
Or - get Nancy Efrusy to do a reading on the gang. She's a pet psychic who proved amazingly helpful with another cat here on PT. Boo, who is owned by Laura's Babies (she's away on the boat right now).
Also, our own Brody's Mum does readings - you can PM her. Her rates are very reasonable - and the money goes directly to help animals.
I have used the storage bins, like Gill, for a few years now and it is the best system I've used in a long time. The litter I use is Feline Pine pellets and it works like a charm.
I am proud and impressed at all the hard work you have done to try to alleviate this problem. MANY people would have given up long ago.
Some cats simply get picked on by everyone. Can't say why. :confused: But one of my fellow rescuers has the some problem. And her girl stays in her own separate room...ALWAYS.
That may end up being the best solution.
I wish you continued good luck.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jenluckenbach
I can't just give up on any of my kitties without trying everything within reason first.
So far it's been like 9-10 weeks and still no pee outside the box by anyone. :):):D
My mom has a theory that Cami marks because she's the only cat (other than Dusty who was first, and at one time only kitty) that came into the house as an adult. The rest of the kitties were added to the house as kittens.
Cami is bummed being away from the main activity in the house but seems calm and non stressed in her room. I discovered that she's apparently 'daddy's kitty'. It was my hubby who first found Cami, and he's the one that named her. I didn't realize how much she prefered him until the other day.
I mentioned that Cami no longer would eat any tid bits of people food I took her (she's ALWAYS been a food begger), and how she talks alot when I'm in there (not like her). I had hubby come in with me for some kitty time and she was like a whole different cat! She ate some goodies from him without hesitation and was non talkative and she paid no attention to me, only to hubby!!:eek:
Hmmm, have a cat for 4 years and never realize she's a daddy's cat. :rolleyes:lol I should have known that too, considering she'd always get in his lap not mine, but then again several of the kitties spend alot of time in his lap because he sits still longer than I do. I guess I just never realized it was a personal preference not who sits still the longest. lol
Glad to hear things are better....who knew that Cami just wanted Daddy all to herself! :D
and gets really ticked off, at me. This is a girl that does not like litter, any kind. She likes news paper. So we have our standard storage bin with litter for the crew a next to the one in the front room there's a litter box with news paper. Even with that if she has decided that I am not doing what I'm supposed too do, she goes out side the box, right next to it. She likes to lay on my chest with her head on my shoulder. I if I try to move her I will get growled at and the nails dig in, then it's out side the box. If I don't go to bed on time, it's out side the box. By the way she does not sleep with me, but wants my chair to sleep in. If I don't give her a scratch in passing , it's out side the box. Some times I don’t even know what I did, but she does, because it’s out side the box. It keeps things interesting around here. She wants nothing to do with my wife. When Lucy gives her a hug, maybe thats why it's out side the box
I know how you feel about having to have her confined to one room by herself all the time. I am dealing with that with my "loaner" cat, G. But when I let him out him and Paizly get into it and he chases her under the bed or chair (he's too big to fit). I don't want him stressing out the resident of the house so he gets put back in his room. Paizly doesn't seem too stressed with the occasional encounters with him so we will continue as is.
I am glad that your house is becoming pee-free. It sounds like Cami is enjoying her one on one time and being alone for the most part. What ever works, right?