Someone Help, Why Is My Kitten Doing This...???

mighty lil milo

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Hello all!!

I am new to this site so I hope I'm doing this right!! ha


I have a fairly new kitty his name is Milo and I adopted him from the Humane Society at the beginning of Dec. Hes about 7 months old now. First let me note that this humane society does not adopt out ANY cats or kittens that aren't litter box trained.

Well anyways... I have had him for a couple months now, and when I very first got him I put his food, water and litter box in the bathroom (this only lasted 2 days, but I just wanted him to get used to the littler box here) well... I let him out and slowly started moving his litter box towards the basement, where it would be kept permanently. He had one accident and went potty on the toilet rug... I understood he was probably just confused because this is the room where he was going potty for the first couple days.... well... that only happened once, no biggy!

So his litter box is down stairs now and I clean it every day or at the very most every other day. He uses it well, theres always potty and poop in there. I had a small rug by my back door that was the same material as the one that is by my toilet and i caught him a few times starting to dig, like he was about to go potty on it, but i stopped him and he went downstairs... so to prevent it from happening when i wasn't there i just took the rug up and put it away. I also have a small rug by my front door, (different material) and it was getting dirty due to muddy shoes so i washed it and put it back out.... HE POTTIED ON IT!!! So i showed him that was bad, and that wasn't where he should go and i washed it again and put it back....HE DID IT AGAIN!!! I once more showed him this was wrong and tried one more time... washed it and put it back out! HE DID IT AGAIN!!! So finally i just washed it and haven't put it back down... so thinking this would solve the problem. Today was the worst!! I had done many loads of laundry but didn't have time to put them away yet, so i placed them on a guest bed... well today when i went to go fold it, I come to find HE HAD POTTIED ON MY CLEAN CLOTHES ON THE BED!!! URGH!!! SO i showed him this was VERY NAUGHTY and put him in the room with his litter box for a time out! (ha, its hard being a parent of something so cute, its hard to stay firm) so now i have to rewash the whole bed, and clothes....

Why is he doing this.... I know hes still using his litter box because, theres ALWAYS both potty and poop in it!! SO why these random acts??? ANYONE PLEASE HELP!!! Have you dealt with this, or how do i fix it???

Thanks Much!!!

Mighty Lil Milo
 

ashley45

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Welcome!

I'm not an expert, but could the litter box be too far away from where he spends most of his time, so its not convenient for him every time he needs to go?
 

xocats

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Welcome to TheCatSite.


There are some excellent ideas that might help you in the thread linked below.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9563

I am sure that soon, other members will offer their feedback, so keep checking back.

With understanding and patience Milo's problem can be resolved.
 

larke

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A lot of male cats like to go on a flatter, non-sandy surface, but being animals, also like to dig on soft stuff (have you tried a different litter?) which may be the rug's attraction. I had a cat who only used the box for #1 sometimes (no idea why not the other times), but preferred the top of a Rubbermaid (or other litter) box with just a dusting of litter in it so he knew where to go, and I kept it near the regular box that my other cat used. It worked a lot better, though of course i had to clean it every day (at least!).
 
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mighty lil milo

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Thanks to everyone who responded... I will def. be trying some of those things!!

If anyone else has any suggestions keep em coming!! Anything and everything would be appreciated!! :-)

Thanks Again!
mighty lil milo!!
 

laureen227

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you have had him checked for a UTI by the vet, right? & he's been neutered?
that said, i've found that the CatAttract brand litter or additive work really well for retraining. oh, & he can probably still smell the urine - [assuming that's what he's doing] even tho you've washed things. you need to use an enzyme cleaner to get it out. good luck!
 

hissy

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He is young, he needs more litter pans than one. You should have two pans per every level of your home. He can't hold it long enough to get to the basement so he just lets go where he is. Add more pans, use plain clay litter and he should do just fine. It does mean you will have to scoop more.
 
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mighty lil milo

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No, milo doesn't have a UTI, hes a healthy lil guy!! SO thats good atleast, which is just another reason the whole thing is a lil confusing!?!? I NEED to get the problem solved fast.... I love him, but i can't have a kitty that potties all over the house, its just not sterile! I do understand he is still a kitten and i'm willing to try some things... but I hope and pray that atleast one of these things i try works!!!

Thanks!
 

teddybaby

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I have this same problem with my 4 m/o Teddy!
Hubby and I are getting fed up with this. he has 2 litter trays (one in the bathroom and one a few mtrs away from his food and water are). He does use them as there is always stuff in them. We scoop 3 or 4 times a day but he still sometimes pees where he is not supposed to. Could this be a way of marking territory? He is only 4 mths so it couldnt be him learning to spray could it?

We live in the downstairs part of a 2 story house and today he snuck upstairs and did a number 2 on the beanbag! Hubby was furious but my guess is that he didn't think he would b able to make it down and the beanbag is soft like his litter???

I dont know what to do! we give him treats when he goes in the litter tray etc etc. And i cant seem to find litter attractant for him over here (australia). Please help!!
 

larke

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Make sure your litter boxes are as far from their food as possible - they don't like them anywhere near each other (and who can blame them).
 

xocats

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Originally Posted by hissy

He is young, he needs more litter pans than one. You should have two pans per every level of your home. He can't hold it long enough to get to the basement so he just lets go where he is. Add more pans, use plain clay litter and he should do just fine. It does mean you will have to scoop more.
hissy is an expert...
read her post carefully.

I agree about keeping the litter pans away from food.
 

brokenheart

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Originally Posted by TeddyBaby

I have this same problem with my 4 m/o Teddy!
Hubby and I are getting fed up with this. he has 2 litter trays (one in the bathroom and one a few mtrs away from his food and water are). He does use them as there is always stuff in them. We scoop 3 or 4 times a day but he still sometimes pees where he is not supposed to. Could this be a way of marking territory? He is only 4 mths so it couldnt be him learning to spray could it?

We live in the downstairs part of a 2 story house and today he snuck upstairs and did a number 2 on the beanbag! Hubby was furious but my guess is that he didn't think he would b able to make it down and the beanbag is soft like his litter???

I dont know what to do! we give him treats when he goes in the litter tray etc etc. And i cant seem to find litter attractant for him over here (australia). Please help!!
Is he neutered yet?
 

denice

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The first cat seems to be attracted to things that have just been washed. Are you using bleach or anything that is leaving a bleach like smell? Some cats react to the smell of bleach. Also I agree you need the extra boxes upstairs as well.
 
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mighty lil milo

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My lil 7mo old Milo is neutered
I only have one liter box in the basement... so i think i'll get another one... but my house really is not that big... just about 1000 sq. ft... and there really is no where, where i could put a liter pan upstairs.... do you all think it would be worth it or help at all to add another one to the basement by the first one????


Thanks!!
 
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mighty lil milo

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As for the Bleach... Only on the whites do i use a lil bleach... Perhaps a citrus scented dryer sheet or something... I read somewhere they dont like citrusy smells... there for perhaps no urinating on them????

Teddy Baby aka. Australia... Have you tried like a PetCo, or Petsmart Online website to see if you could purchase the liter their and have it shipped?? Or for that matter... even enter it in to a search engine like "Google" or "Ask" Heck you could even see if anyone is selling it on Ebay!! Good Luck!!
 

white cat lover

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You said he doesn't have a UTI, did you have him to a vet to have his urine tested? (I say that because they can appear healthy, yet still have a UTI)

I suggest a 2nd litterbox. What litter are you using?
 

jeanw

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A 1000 sq foot house is a big place to a small kitten. He is still just a baby. I would put another box with a lid and a different kind of litter in your bathroom or in a closet.

Have you taken hiim to the vet since this problem started? One of the most common reasons for not using their box right is due to a health issue. It would be a good idea to have him checked again even if he seems healthy.

Make sure his box is very clean. Dump the entire litter as often as you can - I dump it weekly - and wash the box with water and non-toxic soap. Then fill it again with new clean litter. Cats are really put off by a box that's not clean. Also make sure you put enough litter in there so that he has room to "dig".

Good luck. Keep us posted.
 

bonnie1965

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Please don't become furious with him when he has an accident. How would hubby react to an infant or toddler who has an accident? Anger is not the answer. It just confuses the kitten. Cats learn best with positive reinforcement, love and tolerance


The backing material on some rugs (the scent of it) is attractive to some cats. Have you had him checked for a UTI? There is no way to know for sure unless the vet tests the urine.

Good luck and please let us know how it all goes for him.
 

xocats

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Originally Posted by JeanW

Make sure his box is very clean. Dump the entire litter as often as you can - I dump it weekly - and wash the box with water and non-toxic soap. Then fill it again with new clean litter. Cats are really put off by a box that's not clean. Also make sure you put enough litter in there so that he has room to "dig".
All good points...
cats will refuse to use an unclean litter box.

Dexter is a digger. Digging equals a happy cat.
 

cattiew

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waht you guys use to clean the litter box? it's it ok to use normal soap? do i need to use specialised soap to clean up the urine smell?
 
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