I’ll begin with some background. I’ve had Timmy for 8 months. She’s was spayed and declawed early February and although she was a little groggy and listless for the first few days, within a week she was my happy little fuzzy butt again. Everything was completely normal and until very recently I’ve had no problems with Timmy.
A few days ago, Timmy stopped using her litter box. She went into the spare room and did her business in the center of the room right on the carpet. At first I thought her litter box was dirty or something and I just cleaned up the mess and went to look at her box. It was clean. I picked up the cat and put her in her litter box (just in case she forgot where it was or something) and forgot about it. Fast forward a day - Timmy does it again. This time the spare room door was closed so she left a little present for me, right outside the little closet that holds her litter box on the floor. At least she got a little closer, but still not quite right. She’s been leaving little presents every day in a new spot since then.
A little more background on my home -
Recently we’ve gotten new furniture, had the carpet steam cleaned and painted the walls in the apartment. We tried moving the cat’s food and water to a different location (away from the litter so she doesn’t get litter into her water bowl anymore) but have since put everything back to where she likes it. I though maybe the cat was rebelling due to the fact that her water/food bowls were in a different location, but I’ve put them back, apologized profusely to the cat and she’s still not using her litter box. I’m starting to get worried that she may be sick. She doesn’t appear to be sick and since she was at the vet’s a little over a months ago, I doubt that there’s anything physically wrong with her. Just to be sure though, she’s going to the vet this week.
Finally, my questions. If she’s not sick, how does one discipline a cat? If it were a dog, I know what to do, but I have no idea how to do the same for a cat. I know that cats will stop using their litter boxes if they are dirty, but as I said before, it’s clean. We are using the same litter as always, she’s getting the same food, in the same bowl, and except for the color of the walls and the furniture inside, it’s the same apartment. I’m a little worried and basically just wanted to know if this is normal cat behavior, and what I can do about it?
I apologize for making this so long, but I wanted to try and include as much detail as possible.
Thank you.
Did you change litter brands? That is what often freaks out kitty. They get used to Brand Y and you bring in the differentlky textured Brand X
Sickness. Timmy may not look sick, but if TImmy is having some kind of bowel/tract trouble Timmy may start associating the litter box with pain, and thus will not use it. I had a cat with bacterial induced diahhrea who left gifts over a splotchy, brown & tan colored Oriental carpet. We usually found the gifts the hard way.
There’s really no way to discipline a cat into using the litter box. Some “no go” products might work, as might covering the area in the pepper.
Cats actually have an instict to spread their waste around when they are ill. The function result of this behavior is to avoid concetrating bacteria, etc. I believe.
Urinary tract infections are pretty common (esp. in neutered males) and asymptomatic from the owner’s perspective ie the cat doesn’t look or act “sick.” The first sign is usually inappropriate peeing.
Poopin’ outisde the box is usually one of three things:
Behviour issue. Kitty is upset about something. Kitties have limited vision when it comes to colors, so the color of the walls might not be a problem but the fumes from the paint might be aggravating her much-more-sensitive-than-ours nose. And changing furniture and steam cleaning carpets? Well, you may as well have moved! – You’ve taken away some of the familiar smells that tell kitty “I’m home!”
Sick cat. Stomach problems such as colitis can leave a cat looking fairly healthy, but with a really upset stomach and really uncomfortable bowels. Make sure you bring a poop sample to the vet with you, so they can take a close look at its contents.
If kitty looks like she is trying to pee everywhere it could be a urinary tract infection. But that’s more a “peeing issue” than a “tootsie-roll-outside-your-door” thing.
As Miskatonic said, some cats are insanely finicky about the litter. A different brand or type (ie/ regular clay vs. clumping or silicon) can occasionally be met with staunch refusal.
Unless there is evidence of illness, I’m inclined to think it’s more along the lines of issue number one. When kitty poops on floor, pick up poop, pick up kitty and put them both in the litter box nicely. Give her heaps of attention and reassurance until she settles in to the “new digs.” It may be the same place but with so many new smells and changes, it can still feel “new and strange” and be traumatic for a younger fuzzball (I’m assuming she’s yonger if she was spayed recently).
Thank you all for all of your suggestions. Timmy has an appointment with the Vet on Friday (it’s the soonest one they had) so we’ll see what the vet has to say then. She’s not really peeing outside of the box, at least I haven’t found any pee, only little poopy presents.
I’ve given her extra doses of love and attention just in case she’s feeling a little lost in our new/old apartment. I’ll post again after her vet appointment, just in case anyone is worried about her.
Do you use Fresh Step brand cat litter? It’s anecdotal, really, but my mum swears that the cats she’s had won’t use it - something about the odor releasing crystals every time she steps ™ abusing their noses. For this reason, I always stick to Tidy Cat. It might be worth a go if it applies in your situation.
Really, this happened to my brother. He had just gotten his beloved Vertigo (this when V. was much younger and slimmer) and called Mom, seriously depressed that his kitten didn’t like him. She wouldn’t use the litter box, he said. “Is it Fresh Step?” asked Mom knowingly. It was. He switched and had much better results.
Otherwise, go with the suggestions about repainting - that has changed the scent in the place and she might not be used to it. Can you relocate the box or try to mask the scent somehow? Lots of towels with your scent on them tacked up may help.
Good luck!
Snicks (who’s username is courtesy of her beloved Snickers, best cat in the world)
I think your problem is due to the carpet cleaning. After a steam clean, the carpet stays damp for quite some time. You don’t notice it because you mostly go around shod, but to Timmy, who spends most of her time at floor level, it probably feels nasty, cold and damp. She might be expressing her displeasure about being forced to live in such conditions, or she might just be terminally confused: she equates cold, damp feet with standing in her litter box.
If she were my kitty, I’d try picking up the “presents” and Timmy and depositing both in the litter box, so she gets the idea there’s only one place for this sort of thing, and tell her “good kitty*” while she’s in the box. I’d also get an enzyme cleaner to remove any odors from the places she’s used. With any luck, the problem will resolve itself once the carpet is completely dry again.
*This is a bit problematic because some cats don’t give a damn about being a “good kitty.” She’s still a kitten, though, so it might just work!
I used to have a fluffy, white cat, the green/blue crystals in those odor control type brands turned his paws bright green. We stopped using it, because he stopped using it.