Im not sure if this problem has been covered before so forgive me if it has. Im having problems with Daisy and her tray. She wont seem to use it twice;She will pee in it fine, no problem there but she will not poop in it at all she will poop next to the tray insted. Even if its dried, she will not use the tray again. I have two trays, one large one and a slightly smaller one in the bathroom. She has only started this a few months ago,and i dont know what to do. Im having to clean the floors every time she does this and cleaning the tray straight away every time she has "just used it" And it's costing a fortune in litter !! I dont know if it's just that she has developed a very sensitive nose or what. Does anyone have any ideas??
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HELP!! Litter tray problems
- Thread starter caitsith
- Start Date
Which tray is she using the big one or little one? Will she use the one in the bathroom?
I wonder if adding another tray would help. They say a cat box per cat plus one more.
Have you had her to the vet to check for UTI? If she has a UTI, she could be associating using the box with pain and is avoiding the box.
I wonder if adding another tray would help. They say a cat box per cat plus one more.
Have you had her to the vet to check for UTI? If she has a UTI, she could be associating using the box with pain and is avoiding the box.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
She prefers the little one and is happy to use it in the bathroom. I will try another tray. She pees absolutly fine ,just wont poop in the tray,after she has already used it ( even if she has pooped in it ) unless it's "just" been cleaned out compleatly. I was told she has been checked for UTI, she and her sister were from the Cats Protection League. They are both strictly house cats.
What litter are you using? Is the box open or closed?
Also, if you add another box, try adding it on the place where she poops- I guess that would be next to the box she pees on?
Also, if you add another box, try adding it on the place where she poops- I guess that would be next to the box she pees on?
Try adding another small tray maybe she wants a tray for pee and a tray for poo. You never know.
I'm just throwing out suggestions but have you tried switching to a different brand of litter? Or have you switched in the last couple of weeks and she would prefer the other stuff.
Another thing, try to remember back when this first started. Has anything in your life changed around that time? New pet, work done on the house, guest over for a visit, moved their litter boxes to a different location in the home? Little things like that can stress out a cat. If you feel she might be stressed you can try rescue remedy. A few drops in her water bowl or even rubbed into her pads of her feet and on her ears.
Otherwise you might want to try Feliway plugins. It's expensive but it might do the trick.
I'm just throwing out suggestions but have you tried switching to a different brand of litter? Or have you switched in the last couple of weeks and she would prefer the other stuff.
Another thing, try to remember back when this first started. Has anything in your life changed around that time? New pet, work done on the house, guest over for a visit, moved their litter boxes to a different location in the home? Little things like that can stress out a cat. If you feel she might be stressed you can try rescue remedy. A few drops in her water bowl or even rubbed into her pads of her feet and on her ears.
Otherwise you might want to try Feliway plugins. It's expensive but it might do the trick.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. The tray is an open one and the litter brand has not changed. There is nothing that i can think of to stress her out. I will give her another tray though. Can anyone tell more about " Feliway Plugins? and Rescuse remedy?? I have to say she does look a bit fed up now an then. Just put it down to putting up with Tabitha and her pestering antics!! Could this have something to do with it? She is fine otherwise,plays, eats drinks,sleeps normal.
Can you possibly get another box and put it in a different room? Maybe she doesn't like them being so close together. (I really have no idea about this, just making a suggestion.) You might add some Cat Attract litter to the box as well.
We use Feliway all the time in my house. They help reduce stress. I would try the Feliway diffuser before the Rescue Remedy. I've used both and the RR put my cat in a trance-like state, which I really didn't like.
http://www.entirelypets.com/feliway.html
I usually have a coupon code from them, but I don't have one at the moment, if you decide to order from them. If you're in a hurry, you can find the diffusers at most pet stores like PetCo and PetsMart. Order the refills online though as it's much less expensive!
We use Feliway all the time in my house. They help reduce stress. I would try the Feliway diffuser before the Rescue Remedy. I've used both and the RR put my cat in a trance-like state, which I really didn't like.
http://www.entirelypets.com/feliway.html
I usually have a coupon code from them, but I don't have one at the moment, if you decide to order from them. If you're in a hurry, you can find the diffusers at most pet stores like PetCo and PetsMart. Order the refills online though as it's much less expensive!
I've used both the RR and the feliway. Here is a pretty good site about the rescue remedy. http://www.rescueremedy.com/
Of the two I would try the cheapest route first which would be the RR. But that's just my opinion.
Now as for Tabitha, she could be driving Daisy a little stir crazy. You might want to play with Tabitha an extra bit in the morning and evening just to wear her out and maybe she won't bug Daisy so bad.
We do this with our Bengal boys. As long as they have a good round of play time in the morning they seem to leave the other cats alone. We do it at night as well right before bedtime. They get into less mischief if I wear them out.
Sometimes we work them so hard chasing D'bird that they are breathing hard and panting as well.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
It would be a little awkward to get another tray in but will try it. Thanks
Ive just checked out the Rescuse remedy link and i don't belive it !! I was given some of this a to help me with panic attacks when i was ill !!
I will try all of your sugestions and they are appreciated very much. I have just washed Daisy's tray again, and was just about to do Tabitha's ( Which is in the kitchen) and caught Tabitha about to use Daisy's tray. Could this be a possible cause ? If Tabitha has done this before without me kind of knowing ( like while im out etc ?)
Ive just checked out the Rescuse remedy link and i don't belive it !! I was given some of this a to help me with panic attacks when i was ill !!
I will try all of your sugestions and they are appreciated very much. I have just washed Daisy's tray again, and was just about to do Tabitha's ( Which is in the kitchen) and caught Tabitha about to use Daisy's tray. Could this be a possible cause ? If Tabitha has done this before without me kind of knowing ( like while im out etc ?)
Sharing a litter box shouldn't be a problem, but if one doesn't like the smell of the other's waste in the box, that could be the issue. My 2 share 3 boxes and don't have a problem.
Great suggestions by the posters
Some of the small changes may help this problem.
Are you sure she is not constipated or have enlarged anal glands? This can also cause a kitty to poop outside of the litterbox. I have a cat with this experience.
She may not like pooping and peeing in the same box but does not like the bigger box either. It is perfectly fine for the resident cats to be using the same litterboxes. Do not punish her for using the other cats box. It kind of tells me that maybe she doesn't like pooping near where she has peed? And that is why she went in her sisters litterbox. And maybe placing her second one in another bedroom or hallway closet may help. I could never imagine having seperate litterboxes for both of my cats. I have 2 for them and they do fine. They even went with sharing one litterbox for years.
You could also try different type of litters in each box. She may be okay with peeing on one type of litter but not pooping on it as it may hurt her bum??? Or try putting puppy pads/ newspaper inside one litterbox to see if she prefers to poop on this instead of litter.
Maybe placing 2 Feliway diffusers throughout the house will calm her fears down? My sister has two plug ins in her one bedroom apartment and it is working great. No spraying from her sprayer cat - yay! Entirelypets, Ebay, Amazon have great deals on feliway plug ins. My sister buys in bulk and has them shipped to Canada and still saves over $70 off of what she pays at the vets office.
Are you sure she is not constipated or have enlarged anal glands? This can also cause a kitty to poop outside of the litterbox. I have a cat with this experience.
She may not like pooping and peeing in the same box but does not like the bigger box either. It is perfectly fine for the resident cats to be using the same litterboxes. Do not punish her for using the other cats box. It kind of tells me that maybe she doesn't like pooping near where she has peed? And that is why she went in her sisters litterbox. And maybe placing her second one in another bedroom or hallway closet may help. I could never imagine having seperate litterboxes for both of my cats. I have 2 for them and they do fine. They even went with sharing one litterbox for years.
You could also try different type of litters in each box. She may be okay with peeing on one type of litter but not pooping on it as it may hurt her bum??? Or try putting puppy pads/ newspaper inside one litterbox to see if she prefers to poop on this instead of litter.
Maybe placing 2 Feliway diffusers throughout the house will calm her fears down? My sister has two plug ins in her one bedroom apartment and it is working great. No spraying from her sprayer cat - yay! Entirelypets, Ebay, Amazon have great deals on feliway plug ins. My sister buys in bulk and has them shipped to Canada and still saves over $70 off of what she pays at the vets office.
Thinking like a cat:
Pooping right outside of the box, and peeing inside is the biggest telltale that the kitty does not like that box. It can be the litter, the box itself, or the cleanliness... It is very likely not a behavior problem, nor a health problem... So this should in theory be the easiest type to fix...
First thing is to offer another box - make it bigger
. If this box is closed, remove the lid. If the litter is scented, get an unscented litter (I stronlgy advise Dr. Elsey's products, initially cat attract, and then moving to Precious Cat. If the litter is course, get a finer granule litter...
In essence, offer a completely different box. Place the box at a visible spot, where the kitty doesn't feel cornered....
Clean the original box with a mixture of soap and warm water...
Good luck!
Pooping right outside of the box, and peeing inside is the biggest telltale that the kitty does not like that box. It can be the litter, the box itself, or the cleanliness... It is very likely not a behavior problem, nor a health problem... So this should in theory be the easiest type to fix...
First thing is to offer another box - make it bigger
In essence, offer a completely different box. Place the box at a visible spot, where the kitty doesn't feel cornered....
Clean the original box with a mixture of soap and warm water...
Good luck!
Something else to remember is that eventho you may clean your boxes often, they need to be replaced periodically because the plastic will absorb odors. If you scratches (and what litter box doesn't after being used, scooped, and cleaned??) the scratches will tend to absorb the odors. We replace our boxes about every 2 years. So, maybe a whole new set of boxes will help.
