Litter box situation! Need advice

[sev116]

Hello,
I am new to Pet Talk, but after reading so many of the posts, I thought perhaps you could help.

My brother (and roommate!) has 2 cats that he rescued several years ago. Both kitties, unfortunately, having issues consistently using the litter box. When I first moved in, there was a definite cat pee situation and we have spent much time and effort getting rid of the evidence around the house (ripping up carpet, bleaching the floor underneath, replacing padding, etc.). The cats have since been secluded to his bedroom, and now are isolated in his bathroom. Even in the bathroom, they will sometimes go in the bathtub. Both kitties have been checked out by a vet to rule out any medical issues that could be causing this, I think it just has more to do with their situations early in life, being neglected and not having a litter box when they were young.

I feel so bad for them being stuck in the bathroom by themselves all the time! They are very sweet, affectionate and loving kitties. But the fact is that they cannot be trusted and it's not okay to have cat pee all over the house! We have thought about making them outside cats, but we already have 2 outside kitties that they do not get along with. And plus, they are also very shy and timid, and have been inside all of their life- there are many other neighborhood cats and I'm afraid they just won't do well outside. We don't want to give them up to a shelter or other group, 1)because we don't want them to be put down, and 2)even if they do get adopted to another home, they will pee in the house again, and their new owners will not want to keep them and then they will have an uncertain future and either be continually displaced or worse.

My brother has tried various litter boxes, but so far nothing seems to make them only use the box (they do use the litter box, but just not 100% of the time).

Does anyone have any suggestions?? The kitties are lonely and isolated but we really don't know what else to do.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts!!


Sandy

[moosmom]

Sandy,

First thing you need to get them checked out at the vet to make sure they don't have UTI's, urinary tract infections. Once that is ruled out, get another litterbox. One box per cat. That's the rule.

As far as getting rid of the smell, Nok-Out is sold online and works great. If not, try Nature's Miracle, sold at any pet store.

If it's a behavioral problem, you can get a can of Feliway. Cats don't mind being in the bathroom as long as they have food, water and a litterbox (or two). Spray the bathroom with the Feliway (follow the directions on the can). It has an enzyme in it that calms them right down and will help of it's a behavioral problem.

I had both problems and that's what I did. Good luck. Let us know how you make out!

[Karen]

Yes, one litter box per cat, and being scrupulous about cleaning it (some cats are VERY picky, and won't use a box they deem 'too stinky'), and I do think Moosmom's advice is apt. Once the situation is better under control, he can work on expanding their zone of free reign, and I am glad you haven't just given up on them or made them outside cats when they are obviously inside kitties. I am glad they have been to the vet, so now he can work on the behavioral issue.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

[Medusa]

All good advice but I'll add one thing: if you've done everything that was suggested and the problem still continues, you might want to talk to your vet about medication. All of my cats are rescues and a couple of the boys had a pee war going on for a while. After doing all the things that you did, tearing up carpet, scrubbing floors, etc., I'd had enough. They were checked out, it wasn't physical so that means it was behavioral. My vet suggested a med called Clomicalm. It started out as a med for dogs w/aggression or separation anxiety issues but it's now routinely given to cats for behavioral issues. I give them 5 mg. at bed time. (You can't miss a dose or they may relapse.) Since then no side effects, no problems whatsoever and the pee problem is history. They've been on it for several years and I have blood work done yearly just to be safe.

I know you probably don't want to resort to medication; I didn't either but the alternatives that you mentioned just weren't viable for me either. Try all the other options first and if they work, great, but if they don't, Clomicalm has saved my house and best of all, it saved my cats from being secluded in the basement. I would never rehome them for the very reasons that you mentioned. Good luck and keep us posted. And btw, welcome to Pet Talk!

[sirrahbed]

I am sorry to read this but so glad you are looking for ideas to try and you will get very good suggestions here. I will simply repeat a few ;) The one cat box per cat always seemed excessive to me but I have learned it is VERY important, especially to some cats. You might also try using one HUGE box. I have five cats and use three huge rubbermaid containers that hold 40# of litter. Also keep the boxes meticulously clean as some cats are very picky. I prefer clumping litter but even clay litter can be kept clean with care - getting every log & pee biscuit out daily or more often. (Pee biscuit = well, you get it:D) Keep trying things Sandy and thank you for caring about your brother's kitties. Oh yes and as moosmom mentioned there are some great enzyme cleaners that get even old stain and smells neutralized. I like nature's miracle and used it recently when we had some granddogs visiting.

[catmandu]

Sad to say , but Tubster Panther have litter box issues and there could be 100 boxes , he wont use them.
He pees all right , but poos by the box .:eek:
At least it is on newspaper!:love:
We are sending prayers that your Friends can learn to be Clean Cats and be out and play with one and all.:love::love::love:

[columbine]

Some people have had great success with Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Litter. I myself haven't had occasion to try it, but it gets rave reviews.

Love, Columbine

[jennielynn1970]

I wish I knew the answer.... I have one older cat who refuses to use the litter box to poop in. REFUSES!!! I have 6 boxes and 4 kitties in the house as of now. He'll poop next to the box, but not in the box. Even does it when I'm right here staring at him. Loud clapping deters him, but only for a while.

I hope you can find something to help your kitties use the box.

For Odor clean up, I used BAC A ZAP, which is non toxic for cats, but will clean any bio hazard that may come up, and even works on hard wood floors!!! I ordered mine online, just look for BAC A ZAP.

[sev116]

Thanks for the replies. We've considered getting something like the Catgenie, that is connected to the toilet and flushes it away immediately. It's pretty expensive though, but has anyone used it or had success with something like that?

Oh, and Nature's Miracle is a staple in this house with our 2 dogs and 3 inside cats =) We've used Feliway before to help calm them down when introducing our cats, but haven't tried it for the improper elimination. All good ideas. I don't love giving them meds, but I'm also not opposed to it if it doesn't hurt them and helps the problem!

[moosmom]

Meds, I've been told by my vet is a last resort. I tried meds on my cat Casey (RB 2001) that made him cranky and withdrawn. I finally had to rehome my other cat, Tucker, now known as Otto. Tucker was sabotaging Casey when he was in the litterbox and it made him quite nervous.

Thank you for not giving up on your cats. Establishing a pecking order can be difficult. I adopted Bad @$$ Buddy after his owner abandoned him. He had an issue with my other 4 cats and began peeing on my kitchen floor. After a vet visit, ruling out a UTI, the vet gave me Feliway. It worked wonders. That and making sure Buddy knew he was home for good helped the transition. His weight was low and he was bone thin. He's now a healthy, happy, muscular cat with his very own kitty, LuLu.

[Catty1]

Have the cats been checked for a bladder infection? Just wondering.

[sev116]

The cats have been checked out by a vet, definitely seems to be behavioral. :/ I know the story about one of them, Tigger - he was about 8 months old when he was found with his litter, and his poor little paws were chewed up because the kittens were so hungry =( They must have been neglected and confined, otherwise they would have been able to hunt for food. So I'm thinking that he was inside but just not cared for, and never had the pleasure of someone to scoop his litter box. He probably grew up just going the bathroom wherever he wanted or could.

The update is that, we talked more about it tonight, and he decided to purchase the Catgenie! Apparently they have an updated model from when he last looked a few years ago, and it seems a lot better than before. We will see how it goes! Hopefully, with a constantly cleaned and sanitized litter box (that is just about as big as a regular toilet), they will be happier and we can trust them to leave the bathroom! Then they will have more opportunities to roam and socialize! I will let you know how it goes.

Still welcome any other thoughts!! Thanks! I think we still may try to feliway again in the meantime..

[krazyaboutkatz]

Hi and welcome to PT.:D I've had to use Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Litter before due to peeing issues and it worked right away for me. My vet recommended it and all I had to do was to put some of it on top of the litter that I was using at the time. You can either buy it online or at Petsmart. I guess they also make a Kitten Attract litter now too.

I now use Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Ultra Litter which is unscented clumping litter and both I and my cats love it. I have both uncovered litter boxes and a few covered so that my cats have the choice to use the ones they prefer. I use the pet enzyme Simple Solution which you can buy at most pet stores. I scoop at least 2 times a day. I hope that you'll be able to solve this horrible problem once and for all. Here's an excellent link to help solve litter box problems: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=litterbox. Good luck.:)

[heidiv]

Some people have had great success with Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Litter. I myself haven't had occasion to try it, but it gets rave reviews.



I had an issue with our little Chloe she was very ill...But the resolve was... I used unscented litter I have 1 litter box/cat + one extra(BIG RUBBERMAID Tote) used the Litter attract (They LOVE IT) Clean, Clean, Clean....But I would have them evaluated by a vet I thought it was behavioral but she was truely sick.... Sounds like you are doing a very good job on keeping an eye on the kitties!!

[Catlady711]

http://www.catinfo.org/?link=litterbox

All you ever wanted to know about litter boxes and cat preferrences.

I for one ended up having to sequester one of my cats to a separate room. Turns out that she simply just did not get along with the other cats. She's been by herself for over 10 months and has had 100% litter box use!!

I also give a rave for Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter!!:D

[sev116]

Well, we did get the CatGenie, and it is pretty awesome! It took the kitties a little while to start using it consistently, but they are now. So now they have a huge litter box for the 2 of them that is always clean and disinfected after every use.

However, we finally gave them some freedom into the bedroom, once they were being consistent with the new litterbox, and after a day, one of them peed on the bed =(