Desperate plea for help

**buckner** · 05-25-2006, 11:50 AM

Some may remember a post from me several months ago about one of my 6 cats not using the litterbox properly. Well, since then, it's changed.

Jill does not use a litterbox at all. She is pooping and peeing in our living room. She's destroying our carpets by refusing to use the litterbox. Mind you, there is a litterbox a foot away from where she is pooping and it's EMPTY, and she still poops outside of it. And peeing, oh lord, she pees all over the living room. I'm at my wit's end with her and something's got to give.

We took on my grandmother's 6 cats after her death because I promised her we'd take care of them. We've been looking for homes for 3 of them (Jill happens to be one of them, along with Callie and Jack) and have had no luck. The 3 cats would rather be outside, and we know that, but we can't let them out because this neighborhood has rules about it. And I refuse to take them to a shelter or a pound. But, I don't know what else to do. We've tried to find someone who has a lot of land, but no one wants them. We may move to a larger piece of land, but that won't be for maybe a year or so.. and this cannot wait. I'm going to go insane if I have to deal with this anymore.

What do I do? I'm tempted to just open up the door and kick Jill outside - reguardless of the neighborhood rules. But, what if she doesn't come back? She's not exactly used to this area. Do I feel bad if she doesn't come back? I've tried to find her a home... and that hasn't brought in anything. I feel like a terrible pet owner because I'm giving up on her - but I can't do much of anything else with her. If I put her in the bathroom with water and a litterbox, she just sits in there and cries.. and then I go in there and she's peed outside of the box. So it's not teaching her anything.

I've tried and tried and nothing has work. What do I do? Help?

**moosmom** · 05-25-2006, 12:01 PM

Sounds like the cats need a visit to the white coats to rule out any medical problems they might have. That would be the first order of business.

**buckner** · 05-25-2006, 12:08 PM

They've all recently been. Jake vomitted one night and there were creepy crawlies in his vomit. We knew he had worms, and made an appointment immediately with the vet. They all went in and got checked over, and then got treatment. And then they all went back for a follow-up and another dose of the de-worming medicine. I don't think Jill is sick - I think she's just being a Queen-be little Miss Priss and refusing to go in the litterbox.

**moosmom** · 05-25-2006, 12:24 PM

Is the litterbox in a place where there's alot of foot traffic. By that, I mean, is it in a place where they don't have any privacy and humans are walking by? THAT can also a problem. If it is, try moving the box in a place that doesn't have any activity.

**catnapper** · 05-25-2006, 12:37 PM

Did the vet actually test her urine or are you just assuming she's being a queen bee? The stress of her human dying and being relocated to a new home could be enought to bring on a major UTI or bout with crystals.

She might also not like the litter you're using. Is it the same thing your grandmom used? Are you sure? Some cats are very fussy.

How many litterboxes are around? With 6 cats, you need at least 7 boxes. I don't care that you said they are clean... to YOU they are clean, but to hershe can still smell where 5 other cats went, and she might want a box all her own where she can pee in one, poo in another. I have 5 cats and 7 lkitterboxes and those additional boxes made a HUGE difference on Allen peeing in the wrong place. Also make sure you have them spread throughout the hosue -- one upstairs, one downstairs, etc.

Also, have you tried different litter levels? Some cats like a lot of litter while other like just a little bit.

I agree with Donna too about it being in a high traffic area. The most used boxes in my hosue are ones that are secluded and hidden from human eyes.

**buckner** · 05-25-2006, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by catnapper

Did the vet actually test her urine or are you just assuming she's being a queen bee? The stress of her human dying and being relocated to a new home could be enought to bring on a major UTI or bout with crystals.

She might also not like the litter you're using. Is it the same thing your grandmom used? Are you sure? Some cats are very fussy.

How many litterboxes are around? With 6 cats, you need at least 7 boxes. I don't care that you said they are clean... to YOU they are clean, but to hershe can still smell where 5 other cats went, and she might want a box all her own where she can pee in one, poo in another. I have 5 cats and 7 lkitterboxes and those additional boxes made a HUGE difference on Allen peeing in the wrong place. Also make sure you have them spread throughout the hosue -- one upstairs, one downstairs, etc.

Also, have you tried different litter levels? Some cats like a lot of litter while other like just a little bit.

I agree with Donna too about it being in a high traffic area. The most used boxes in my hosue are ones that are secluded and hidden from human eyes.

No, the vet did not test her urine. But, she is the queen-be of the cats. She's not liked by the other cats because she goes around and randomly smacks whichever cats she wants - she starts it, and the cats don't like her for it. And if the other cats come near her, she'll smack them as if she's in charge. She's always done this; with my grandmother and here. However, I don't see how her having an UTI is an excuse for not using the potty correctly.

Yep, the litter is the same stuff. Exact same stuff. She made the move fine, and was using the litterbox just fine for a couple of months. And then she just stopped and refused.

We don't have any areas for 7 litterboxes. We only had 3 areas (my bathroom, the downstairs bathroom, and my bedroom) and then when we noticed her going in the living room on a regular basis, we put one in there. The living room is not a room anyone uses - it's where a couple of cats sleep, including Jill, every now and then. But we humans don't use the living room. No one ever goes in there, unless we're cleaning out the box. So, we have 4 litterboxes. I'd get more, but we don't have any areas for them.

Believe it or not, we have different levels of litter in the boxes. But, that's due to Jessie and Jake liking to get in the box and just randomly scoop area and litter flying everywhere. And we try to clean it up, so that makes the levels vary. And depending on who refills the boxes (my dad or myself) it'll change.

I honestly think it's just Jill being stubborn, but I don't know how to break her from it. But, having her ruin our carpet is not something I'm willing to let her do.