I really need some help

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fallonbabe@comc

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Originally Posted by mschauer

Sure sounds she doesn't like that box. I wouldn't ignore this...

Again, how long ago did this behavior start? Did *anything* in the house change at that time?
sorry, I would say it's been going on about 7 months but like I said it's only on shoes out of place (I mean they have to perfectly straight and up on the rack), Clothing that may fall on the floor, or a rug she doesn't approve of. I know I could just never own another rug, always make sure the shoes are out of her reach, and make sure no clothes ever touch the floor but I really need the problem to stop.
 

mschauer

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Originally Posted by fallonbabe@comc

sorry, I would say it's been going on about 7 months but like I said it's only on shoes out of place (I mean they have to perfectly straight and up on the rack), Clothing that may fall on the floor, or a rug she doesn't approve of. I know I could just never own another rug, always make sure the shoes are out of her reach, and make sure no clothes ever touch the floor but I really need the problem to stop.
So up until 7 mos ago she always used the box?

I seriously doubt she has any concept of things being out of place. That is not the reason she is peeing on them. Cats naturally prefer to do their business in something nice to dig in. In absence of that they will find something else to go on or in. I really think you should concentrate on finding out why she doesn't like the box. I second trying the Cat Attract.
 
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fallonbabe@comc

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I know she isn't targeting these items, but that's where she chooses to go she uses the box whenever the other cat isn't around and honestly if things aren't where they belong she pees on them, it maybe a coincedence but either way I have o make it stop. I know the pet store I use carries that litter, I was always wondering about it, if you all think it works I'm willing to give it a shot
 

mschauer

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Originally Posted by fallonbabe@comc

no she's fixed but not declawed, I was afraid she was to old (3)
They are too old for declawing from the day they are born. Please remember that.

You might take a good look at her paws to make sure they haven't become sensitive for some reason.
 
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fallonbabe@comc

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Originally Posted by mschauer

They are too old for declawing from the day they are born. Please remember that.

You might take a good look at her paws to make sure they haven't become sensitive for some reason.
I had a bad experience when my male cat was declawed as a child so I am against it but it was suggested to me once before that that might be why she is acting up now, I thought that was what you getting and I didn't want to really debate, I had to leave another forum because of a should I shouldn't I fight so I thought it would just be easier to say I thought she was to old, I'm sorry
 

mschauer

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Originally Posted by fallonbabe@comc

I had a bad experience when my male cat was declawed as a child so I am against it but it was suggested to me once before that that might be why she is acting up now, I thought that was what you getting and I didn't want to really debate, I had to leave another forum because of a should I shouldn't I fight so I thought it would just be easier to say I thought she was to old, I'm sorry
I thought that was an odd reason! You would get the opposite reaction on these forums.

Just to reiterate, I really think you need to focus on why she doesn't like the litter box. As someone else said some cats won't use a box that has been soiled by another cat or that has been soiled at all.

That she stands on the rim of the box to defecate says two things to me: #1 There is some reason she doen't want to stand *in* the box and #2 she still wants to use the box and is willing to go to great lengths (standing on the rim) to do so.

Did anything change 7 mos ago that might have triggered this??
 
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fallonbabe@comc

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well it's gotten worse since the baby was born but other than that no change
 

mschauer

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Originally Posted by fallonbabe@comc

well it's gotten worse since the baby was born but other than that no change
Do you clean the box less often because of being busy with the baby?
 

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can you get her a new box and put it in the little girls room>???
 
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fallonbabe@comc

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Originally Posted by mschauer

Do you clean the box less often because of being busy with the baby?
no I still try to do it everyday
 
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fallonbabe@comc

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Originally Posted by sharky

can you get her a new box and put it in the little girls room>???
I think I'm going to get her a new box but there's no way to put it in the room with the kids, the door is shut to often and there really isn't a good place for it there because the kids share a bedroom so it's pretty full at this point. Do yu know of a way to keep the other cat out of the new box?
 

mschauer

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Originally Posted by fallonbabe@comc

no I still try to do it everyday
I think a second box, located away from the other one and possibly with Cat Attract, is your best bet.

Good luck and please let us know if you find a solution (or don't).
 
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fallonbabe@comc

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thank you, I'm going to get her a new box tonight and fill it with the cat attract, I will put it as far as I can from the other box but I'm afraid it will end up having to be in the same room as the other. Any ideas about that comfort zone thing or should I just try the new box first?
 

sharky

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Try the new box ( less$$ ) and see with the cat attract litter if that works...
 

mschauer

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Originally Posted by fallonbabe@comc

thank you, I'm going to get her a new box tonight and fill it with the cat attract, I will put it as far as I can from the other box but I'm afraid it will end up having to be in the same room as the other. Any ideas about that comfort zone thing or should I just try the new box first?
I've heard mixed reviews of it. Some say it does absolutely nothing, others swear it is a miracle product. I've tried it and belong to the first group. It is intended to help in situations where the cat is stressed for some reason. It doesn't sound to me like that is the case here. It is expensive so you might want to the try the second box first. Locating it across the room from the other might be good enough.
 
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fallonbabe@comc

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thanks guys, I'll let you knonw how it all goes
 

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My sister has a cat that does the same thing. She and her vet are trying to figure out how to solve it. She was told to have a least on litter box for each cat. Also, have a variety of different types of boxes, open and closed. A variety of liter....my sister has scoopable and some natural wheat (they don't use the wheat so much). You should also have a liter pan on every floor of your home.

Good luck!!!
 

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I have two thoughts- the first is to have her nails checked to make sure she does not have some nail fungal irritation because as mschauer pointed out, it is sort of odd for her to straddle the lid like that.

Second, assuming she accepts new litter and you are able to see her standing in it to defecate regularly instead of standing on the lid- you might want to put a cover on the box so the other cat cannot bother her when she is in there. I would not do this unless or until you see that she is ok with the new litter.

The thing about soiling your clothes: I had a cat that would do that too and I also thought she was obsessive compulsive. It turned out she had irritable bowel disorder. I think you might have a situation where she is feeling very stressed and maybe it is upsetting her stomach. The poops may be painful and she may be choosing not to use the box because she associates it with an upset stomach. Or it could just be that the other cat bothering her at the box is making her look for other possible places -or some combination of all the above.

Pooping on your fallen clothes and "moved" shoes probably does not have any significance other than she is finding a spot other than the bare floor and the normal things on it- i.e. places she knows would be inappropriate. I think she is honestly trying to find another "ok" place to poop because she is not liking the box.

The issue to resolve is what does she not like about the box- the litter, the other cat, is she in pain using it (nails/litter, irritable bowel)?

It would certainly not hurt to spend more time playing with her and the other cat equally during this transitional time following the move and the new baby. Cats are creatures of structure and it looks like she is trying to solve some problem on her own. Bringing her and the other cat both back into your world and routine a bit more, to the extent possible, may help eliminate stress for both of them and may be just the thing to resolve this problem in addition to the other changes you are making. The other cat didn't suddenly start harrassing the one cat for no reason, so you would do well to work with both of them right now- regular short play sessions and get them on an even keel.

Good luck. It is great that you are taking so much time to work this all out
.
 
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