Unusual littertray problem- not answered in new thread

jcottonl02

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When we first got Lottie and Lily (mine and my twin's kittens):



We were told they were fully litter trained. Which they were. They have their own little room which was our old kitchen, with their bed, their litter trays (they have two) and their food bowls (away from the litter trays) and their toys.
They had the occasional accident, but otherwise they've been fab for the past couple of months we've had them. But the past few weeks they've started weeing on the carpet in the living room, the hall, and the floor in their room (which is kind of plastic tile stuff, you know lol) and all over the mat in their room, which is a rubber based mat, which I've heard that they like to wee on, but nobody knows why. We just can't keep the mat in there anymore.

It's getting ridiculous now. The last two days we've had to get down on our hands and knees and scrub floor after floor, and some of the old kitchen floor is now stained yellow. So we have to bleach it or something.
Help!
lol why have they suddenly started weeing outside their littertray. They are weeing in it too though.
They have two litter trays. They aren't under any stress- they are clearly very happy, and spend their time sleeping, playing and eating lots of yummy things. I know they have a fab life. We clean the litter trays out often: in the morning when we get up we pick out the solids, and in the afternoon and again before we go to bed (if there's anything in there) and every couple of days we clean the whole thing out properly.

Can anyone help? Would be very much appreciated.
 
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jcottonl02

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Thanks for your reply
Is that likely to be with both cats? I'm not very good with this sort of thing, but if they are both doing it, isn't it more likely to be something like....i dunno....that cat litter being wrong or something? Rather than both having something wrong with them?
We used wood pellets btw.
 

catsarebetter

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I second the vet visit. After that's ruled out though..

Um.. you may have kitties that have to have absolutely spotless litter trays. In this case you might try using scoopable clumping litter (which is more expensive initially but cheaper in the long run because you use less)..

Even if you scoop out the poo, they may still smell the urine and not want to use it.

How many litter boxes do you have? You might want to add a few.

I'd also try to play with them in the areas where they're pottying, as well as give them treats there. If they start associating the spots with play and food, they will hopefully stop pottying there.

To start cleaning this stuff, use bleach on the non-carpet surfaces (a dilution), and most people recommend Nature's Miracle for the carpets.

You may have to resort to retraining them. This will require putting them in a smaller enclosed space, like a really large bathroom or a small bedroom.. I'd start out with the bathroom, though, but try to put their food as far from the box as possible, (water too). Keep them in there for a day or two, making sure they're not pottying *anywhere* but the box. When you know they're using the box consistently, then give them a little more space, like if you can open that bathroom into a hallway and put baby gates up (stacking them so they can't jump or climb over them). Move their food/water to the opposite end of the area from the litter box. As they consistently use the box..you can give them more territory. If they backslide, then you have to go back to the smaller area and start over again (the last amount of space that worked, not necessarily all the way back to the smallest area).

Also, how old are they and what sex?
 
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jcottonl02

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My two kittens (around 4 months) have two litter trays, and used to use them fine. The past month or so they have been weeing around the house occasionally, but mostly around their littertrays. We clean the litter trays out often, so this is really strange. They deliberately go next to the litter tray, and so we have puddles and puddles of wee all over the floor around the litter trays. They use the litter trays as well though.
Why are they going around their tray rather than always in it?
I took them to the vet, before anyone asks, and the vet says that they are fine, and this is just a behavioral thing.
Help- it's driving everyone crazy. We've put newspaper all around the trays but they just go on the newspaper. We can't go on like this- the floor is turning yellow- staining.
 
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jcottonl02

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Also they are both female, not spayed, as they are too young. They are squatting, not spraying, and also poo sometimes in those areas as well - right by the litter tray.
 

katz4life

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Hopefully there is nothing wrong with your kittens
You could try enclosed litter boxes if you don't have them already. Then maybe the kittens won't pee outside of the litterbox...just an idea
 

catsarebetter

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Is there any type of pattern to when they pee outside and when they pee inside?

One thing you might try is changing the surface they're peeing on. They may be liking the smooth floor, so, perhaps try a combination of putting "cat attract" litter additive in your litter, in addition to changing the surface around the litter box so it becomes unattractive to them. If you can find one of those rubber mats with the little spikey rubber things on the bottom that are there to keep it from slipping, try using that but flipping it upside down.

Again, what type of litter are you using and is it the clumping type, or is it the non-clumping type?

Also, are the litter boxes in different rooms, on different surfaces or are they side by side, what location are they in.. do they do this more around one of the boxes than the other one?

Is there any sort of pattern that you can discern? Did they start doing this after any changes in their life that you can think of? A change in litter, a change in boxes.. a change in location of the boxes..new carpet or flooring..after using a new floor cleaner, a change from unscented litter to scented..?
 
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jcottonl02

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Thanks for your replies.

I don't think there has been anything that has changed to make them change their behaviour- nothing has changed. The vertical lines are the two litter boxes, and the diagonal is where they wee. They mostly use the litterbox on the right. Occasionally the left, which has a lid. The right hand one is just open. That mat thing sounds like a good idea........
Hope this helps in some way.

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jcottonl02

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Okay well that diagram screwed itself up. Basically the vertical and diagonal lines are supposed to be to the right. If u dont understand then pls say lol its a rubbish and messed up diagram.
 

catsarebetter

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I think my browser messed up the diagram. I'm getting the impression that they're in the same room, somewhat close together, and the cats are using the area in between?
 
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jcottonl02

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Yeah i know- it worked when I did it but got messed up when I posted it. Oh well lol. Basically if you imagine a square room. The bottom left hand corner is the lidded one, which they occasionally use. The top right hand corner is where the open one is, which they wee in and all around.

That litter sounds like a good idea, but it doesn't seem that they dislike this litter as such. They use the litter tray but also wee around it as well. We use wood pellets, which turn into sandy sort of stuff when it soaks up liquid.
I just don't understand- if they make the effort to go near their litter tray to wee, why do they just go around it? And other times go in it.
 

gingersmom

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Sounds to me like they want to use the box but really dislike the litter. Definitely try kitten attract, then slowly switch it out to a clumping litter.

Also, be sure to completely soak all the areas they have peed on with an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle, otherwise, they will continue to pee in those spots regardless of what litter you change to - you have to eliminate the urine smell - for their noses, not yours.

Good luck - keep us posted! They are adorable!
 
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jcottonl02

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Thanks
They are so adorable (although they do steal things like my bookmark out of my book
) hehehe so cute.
Thanks 4 the reply.
Okay dokay will do.
Do you think it could also be due to the fact that both of them do all their wees in the open littertray, and most of their poos in the other one? So the open one gets all clumpy quickly and is 'dirty' to them, so they try and 'extend' the litter tray to the nice clean area around?

I work at a vets, and I was chatting to the head nurse there, and she is giving me some really good 'urine eliminating' spray that's quite expensive to try, so I'll get that on Tuesday and try it then. They could definately help.
 

catsarebetter

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You might try changing all the litter in one box, maybe the hooded one (and my personal suggestion is get rid of the hood if they're not using it... they may not like it enclosed).. and see if they use the new litter.. they may take to it right away.

I'd follow Ginger's suggestion for slowly changing them over (with the addition of making it a clumping clay litter). Cat Attract has had 100 percent positive reviews from everyone I know of that has used it. It's expensive but you just add a teeny wee bit, from my understanding.

If you're looking for something more organic and environmentally friendly instead of clay litter... here's a new litter that I just found out about but I have not yet tried it so I can't give a review. I am going to try it though.

I don't know if it's available in the UK: https://www.perfectlitter.com/landing.asp

Dr. Esley's makes cat attract, and also a regular clumping litter that I love. It's really very good, low dust, and clumps very well and my cats love it more than any other they've tried. Also not sure that Esley's is available in the UK either.
 

werebear

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Cats like sand. Getting a sand-type litter will solve a lot of problems.

Pellets are too big, sometimes too round, and can't be dug in and used for cover the way cats like. The fact that it worked for you before doesn't mean it will keep working. Cats can take a certain amount of stress, but even the tiniest increase will tip a shaky litter situation over into box avoidance.

Vinegar will take care of the smell problem, I've found.
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by jcottonl02

That litter sounds like a good idea, but it doesn't seem that they dislike this litter as such. They use the litter tray but also wee around it as well. We use wood pellets, which turn into sandy sort of stuff when it soaks up liquid.
I just don't understand- if they make the effort to go near their litter tray to wee, why do they just go around it? And other times go in it.
well, the cat attract actually has an herbal attractant in it that makes the litterbox more attractive than the alternative surfaces.
i know lots of people use the wood pellets, but mayber these guys just don't care for them... all cats are different!
also, maybe one is going in the tray, & the other is going outside of the tray. unless you've seen them both go inside or both go outside, that could be the case. then the cat attract litter would help the non-user to change his/her ways!
 
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