Okay, so I think it's confirmed (??)....Bitsy's 2 episodes of inappropriate peeing (on freshly washed bath mat, then on pile of CLEAN unfolded laundry)....and then this weekend inside an empty shoe box..............I think what just happened now confirmed it; she's a little bit confused about litterboxes. Oy.
I have a pie plate that's filled with dry food in my kitchen nook. With 5 cats I try to keep a variety of dry food around. I don't think anyone really eats from this bowl, well it's definitely gone now.
I've never seen Bitsy eat from it. I can hear her rustling around in the bowl. I then see her front PAWS smack dab in the MIDDLE of the bowl (okay, more like a plate)......I think to myself, "huh?"....then I see it.....she's sitting in the position a female cat sits in when they're about to pee. MY GOD! She was going to p*ss in a bowl of food LOL
I instinctively hollered "NO!" and all cats in the vicinity, including her, went running. That bowl is gone for good. The other dry food bowls are smaller so not worried about those.
She was obviously making the 'digging' motion with her front paws in the kibble, the same way she'd do it in the litterbox when preparing to pee.
I then took her downstairs and over to the litterboxes and of course she peed.
Whew.
Some had suggested that the recent shoe-box incident was likely because she was so used to such a small litterbox at the Humane Society that it confused her.
Wow. This is a new one for me. I've had cats all my life, many were skittish strays who'd been on the street for some time but NO cat I've ever owned has been confused about the litterbox.
What is next? The top of my bed? (she sleeps on the foot of it every night, as do 2 of my others)
So I can't leave ANY clean laundry on the floor (to be folded), terrified to leave any clothes piled on my bedroom or closet floor, no shoe boxes or similar, nothing that could be construed as a litterbox........any other things to consider? Now I'm afraid she'll start peeing in the cat beds. I have several of them, very nice ones....but boy, that could be confused with a litterbox maybe? DO I take them all away?
How do I help get her over this?
She's a good 1 yr old.
Will she ever get over this?
Is this a sign that I should put a litterbox upstairs somewhere? (I hate to do that because I feel that once I do, I'll have to leave it here forever and not crazy about that in the least)
Would appreciate any feedback or suggestions. Is there any hope for her? LOL
Thanks
Lisa
I have a pie plate that's filled with dry food in my kitchen nook. With 5 cats I try to keep a variety of dry food around. I don't think anyone really eats from this bowl, well it's definitely gone now.
I've never seen Bitsy eat from it. I can hear her rustling around in the bowl. I then see her front PAWS smack dab in the MIDDLE of the bowl (okay, more like a plate)......I think to myself, "huh?"....then I see it.....she's sitting in the position a female cat sits in when they're about to pee. MY GOD! She was going to p*ss in a bowl of food LOL
I instinctively hollered "NO!" and all cats in the vicinity, including her, went running. That bowl is gone for good. The other dry food bowls are smaller so not worried about those.
She was obviously making the 'digging' motion with her front paws in the kibble, the same way she'd do it in the litterbox when preparing to pee.
I then took her downstairs and over to the litterboxes and of course she peed.
Whew.
Some had suggested that the recent shoe-box incident was likely because she was so used to such a small litterbox at the Humane Society that it confused her.
Wow. This is a new one for me. I've had cats all my life, many were skittish strays who'd been on the street for some time but NO cat I've ever owned has been confused about the litterbox.
What is next? The top of my bed? (she sleeps on the foot of it every night, as do 2 of my others)
So I can't leave ANY clean laundry on the floor (to be folded), terrified to leave any clothes piled on my bedroom or closet floor, no shoe boxes or similar, nothing that could be construed as a litterbox........any other things to consider? Now I'm afraid she'll start peeing in the cat beds. I have several of them, very nice ones....but boy, that could be confused with a litterbox maybe? DO I take them all away?
How do I help get her over this?
She's a good 1 yr old.
Will she ever get over this?
Is this a sign that I should put a litterbox upstairs somewhere? (I hate to do that because I feel that once I do, I'll have to leave it here forever and not crazy about that in the least)
Would appreciate any feedback or suggestions. Is there any hope for her? LOL
Thanks
Lisa