Kitten waits to pee until I do

[crankydave]

This one is kind of weird. My kitten sometimes will hold it in and not use the litterbox until I go to the bathroom myself. I had settled in last night when after a while, I started hearing uncomfortable mewps from the cat's hammock next to my bed. I put two and two together and got up and went into the bathroom. My kitten (5-ish months old) practically teleported into the litter box next to the toilet and peed a river. Seriously, I'm amazed his bladder held that much. I had gone to bed a little earlier than usual, so I didn't feel the need for a pre-bedtime potty break. A couple weeks back, I sat down on the toilet after figuring out what his meows from the bathroom meant, and he hastily peed... then dug a hole, pooped, and buried it... and then dug a *second* hole and pooped again. I've never heard of two BMs in one litterbox visit. He's never gone outside the litterbox or had an accident, but I'm worried that this might eventually cause a bowel obstruction or something. I know it's bad news when human kids do it for long enough.

He's the only cat and I live alone, so could be be *that* over-bonded or *that* fixated on a routine? This doesn't happen often, but this was the third or fourth time. Aside from a bout of diarrhea earlier, he pees and poops with gusto, so it doesn't seem to be a health issue, just a weird psych thing. I thought I'd see if anyone else has experienced this.

 

[Columbine]

You're not alone! [thread="306340"]​[/thread]

I'm afraid I can't offer any insight as to why your kitten does this. It might help to have boxes in the rooms you spend most time in, in addition to the one in the bathroom. I know it's not ideal, but at least your kitten might then feel able to go when he needs to.

Hopefully, as he gets older and more confident he won't feel that he needs you with him to go.

 

[sneaks1]

I have a main coon cat age 5.i got a christmas tree I won on bid.it had lace on it.never had any problem before.stared noticing a smell around tree.he peed on the lace around the bottom.so had to go move that.any flat boxes or cardboard boxes he's peeing in them.i have a 4 yr old one too.so wondered if he was marking his territory.but have had them for 4 yrs nothing.we don't let them sleep in our rooms at nite anymore because they play around and wake us up.they just had checkup in july and was fine.the youngest one is aggressive at times.maybe this is his way of saying it's mine but still why the lace on the tree.they were abused and abandoned but it's been 4 yrs and all at once.am confused here.they use litter box fine.

 

[catladyky]

That is oddly adorable. How did you go about potty training the kitten? Were you always hovering over while he went? 

 

[crankydave]

 
That is oddly adorable. How did you go about potty training the kitten? Were you always hovering over while he went? 

He already knew how to use the litter box when I took him in at around 6-8 weeks of age as a 2lb, scruffy stray that was full of roundworms and a bot fly larva (ick), though he tended to leap out of the box back then, flinging litter everywhere. 99% of the time, he goes just fine on his own. I work at home, so I keep both boxes scooped at all times, so I doubt it's that.

I sometimes wonder if it's lingering mental trauma from that one time early on when he raced into the bathroom just as I was finishing up and gracefully leaped right into the open toilet... which had not been flushed yet. He flailed around like crazy and took off like a cat out of... a soiled toilet bowl. That wasn't a fun time to de-stink him and everything he ran across in his bid for freedom. Maybe he's scared that the toilet monster will try to finish the job, and he wants me in there to sit on its mouth to keep it from eating him.

 

[brokenheart]

I know someone who's female cat wouldn't eat unless someone human was watching her.

 

[crankydave]

Oh, he's a proponent of Schroedinger's Playtime, too. It's not play unless I'm involved or at least watching. And for a while there, he wouldn't eat until he'd had what he deemed sufficient play. Now, he'll nibble a bit of food to fuel up for what's really important, and then demand at least half of an hour of nonstop running, pouncing, and toy destruction. It used to be more like an hour and a half, so... progress?

I need to get him a tag engraved with "PLAY IS FOOD, PLAY IS LIFE!" or maybe "Brah, do you even pounce?"

 

[catladyky]

 
He already knew how to use the litter box when I took him in at around 6-8 weeks of age as a 2lb, scruffy stray that was full of roundworms and a bot fly larva (ick), though he tended to leap out of the box back then, flinging litter everywhere. 99% of the time, he goes just fine on his own. I work at home, so I keep both boxes scooped at all times, so I doubt it's that.

I sometimes wonder if it's lingering mental trauma from that one time early on when he raced into the bathroom just as I was finishing up and gracefully leaped right into the open toilet... which had not been flushed yet. He flailed around like crazy and took off like a cat out of... a soiled toilet bowl. That wasn't a fun time to de-stink him and everything he ran across in his bid for freedom. Maybe he's scared that the toilet monster will try to finish the job, and he wants me in there to sit on its mouth to keep it from eating him.

Aw, bad scary memory for him then. I'm not sure why the cat would do this. Maybe it's just a quirk. Try moving the litter box somewhere else to see if he waits for you then, too. 

 

[crankydave]

 
Aw, bad scary memory for him then. I'm not sure why the cat would do this. Maybe it's just a quirk. Try moving the litter box somewhere else to see if he waits for you then, too. 

I have a secondary litter box set up in another room, but it's not as roomy as the one in the bathroom. Maybe I'll try swapping them.