So, about a month ago, I made an error that has subsequently had far-reaching consequences. I bought a new litter box. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it - the old box was cracked and needed to be replaced.
This is where I erred, apparently. Instead of buying the exact same litterbox, I thought to myself, I’m a financially-independent adult, I have a good job - let’s go crazy and upgrade to a better litter box. Mad with power, I selected a round litterbox, instead of the standard rectangular ones.
The cat in question is 12 yrs old, and asides from a UTI or two, has had no problems with litterboxes in the past. They exist, he uses them. I scoop periodically and clean the entire thing weekly. Until now. Apparently, his royal highness has decided the round litter boxes are single use only. I am getting very, very tired of coming home from work, or waking up in the morning and discovering crap or urine outside the box. I typically scoop in the morning before I leave for work - it’s impossible for me to scoop during the day what with the whole hoping-to-stay-employed situation. He does use the box - just only one time. It’s doubly puzzling because the round box is significantly larger than the old rectangular one.
What on earth do I do? This is driving me crazy. And before anyone asks, it’s not medically related - he was just checked for a UTI and half the problem is solid waste anyway. All kidding aside, I am starting to get seriously irritated by this situation. If I thought I could get him to stay in kitty diapers, I would try it out.
Why not go out and buy another rectangular box? Keep the round one if you have room for it; you cat might do like mine do and pee in one and poo in the other! Really, getting a new rectangular box is the simplest answer - it’s hard to train cats!
I just went through this with my MIL’s cat. At 16, she just decided to take her dumps in the middle of the floor (the cat…not my MIL). MIL was at her wit’s end. We took the cat to the vet and they did a full panel on her. No health issues came up in her blood. We didn’t bring a stool sample, but the vet thought it might be some sort of bowel irritation. They put her on an antibiotic (an injection that lasts 2 weeks) and some prescription pro-biotic food (that the cat just nibbles at). Problem solved. Go figure.
My SIL (the cat know-it-all) kept telling the MIL that her litter was stinky, blah, blah, and she’s been changing it up periodically. We just told her to go back to what works an tell SIL to suck it. With cats, it’s wise to stick with what works. The know-it-all has 8 cats to tend to, and should leave the rest of us to our tried-and-true devices.
Every night when I scoop the boxes each one of the corners is full of urine or poo. That is obviously their go-to spot for elimination. Get a new box with corners for him. Also think about any other changes you may have made. Did you move the new box to a different spot? Did you move your washer and dryer next to the box? Small changes can make your cat too scared to use the box and cause them to poo on the floor.
Another vote for returning to the other style box. One of my SO’s coworkers had a problem with a cat that was going outside the box and he had recently changed litter. I suggested returning to the old litter, and the cat started going in the box again. Cats can be very picky about their toilets.
Nope - no other changes. Same litter, same location.
The thing that gets me is that he will use it, as long as there is nothing in it. I’m just concerned that he will keep on doing this in a rectangular box. I guess we could try going back to it. I just don’t understand what’s with the new kitty germophobia. And since I don’t understand what’s causing it, I’m concerned that it won’t stop.
Was the rectangular box open and the round box covered? He might be bothered by the smell in an enclosed space. Also, as others have mentioned, it might be about corners. Eliminating in the corner of the litter box might give the illusion of more space, so kitty doesn’t feel like the whole box is contaminated and thus not suitable for stepping in.
Update: purchasing a rectangular box has failed thus far. Yesterday the brand new box was obtained and set up, in as close to the same space as I could get it (I kept the round box too, and they are sharing the same closet space now). Same litter as always. He peed in it once, and then pooped next to it. And then peed once elsewhere in the apartment.
I have no idea what to do. We just had an extensive set of bloodwork done - everything was fine. He’s not diabetic, doesn’t have a kidney problem, etc. I just found a new vet that advertises behavioral health consults, so I guess we’ll be heading there. If anyone has any other suggestions, I’d love to hear them. If behavior health fails…well, my tolerance for this problem is wearing thin.
Since he has peed in other areas previously, he’ll keep going to those places until you totally remove the scent. Hopefully, it’s not carpet. Because you can never fully remove urine from carpet.
Oh, no. Thankfully. He stays around the litter box, which I preemptively covered with plastic sheeting. It’s hardwood underneath, but the plastic is easier to clean.
If he’s anything like my cat you need to scream at him and chase him away from the litter box whenever he gets near it. This will make the litter box irresistable to him and soon he will be living in it full time.
“…which I preemptively covered with plastic sheeting”
