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Ozzie giving me a hard time (poo/pee)

post #1 of 14
5/3/11 at 5:40am
Thread Starter 
Hello,

This is my first thread so I'll introduce myself.

I have two adorable cats. Ozzie and Felicia.

Ozzie is an independent cat and seeks constant attention (he's gorgeous!), while Felicia is more of a lovy dovy type of girl. She's adorable!

Recently (the past couple of months), Ozzie hasn't been the "ideal" cat and I joined this forum to see some advice. He has been either pooping or peeing outside the litter box.

In the picture I have attached, I've circled the places where he has done either of them. He still does it inside the litter box sometimes, but as you will notice not always.

I've tried so many things and still nothing has changed. I changed the actual litter, groomed him (something I do yearly), cleaned so many times around to kill the smell so that he can focus on the litter box and still no hope.

I don't know what triggered this. All of a sudden, one day, I saw some poo outside the litter box and it kept going on and on.

I've had them both for over 3 years now and never did I face such a problem until recently.

Can someone please advice me on what to do?

Thank you and much appreciated.
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post #2 of 14
5/3/11 at 5:56am
Hello and welcome to the forum! When cats begin to avoid the litter box it is because something is wrong, and we have to be the detectives and figure out what it is.

The first thing to do is to take Ozzie to the vet. When a cat begins to avoid the litter box it is often a health problem.

However there are some things at home to consider. How many litter boxes do you have? One per cat plus one is the "rule of thumb". So for two cats you should have three litter boxes.

Many cats prefer one box for poop and one for pee. Many cats also will not use a box if it already has something in it.

Do you keep the litter boxes clean? With two cats, three boxes you should scoop at least twice a day, and dump them weekly to clean the boxes themselves.

The soiled areas will need to be cleaned with an enzymatic cleaner specially made for pet odors or he will smell them and continue to use them.

However a trip to the vet is the first thing, as he may be trying to tell you he is sick.
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post #3 of 14
5/3/11 at 6:00am
Thread Starter 
Hello,

Thanks for replying.

I have one litter box but it is an automatic one, so whenever any of them dumps anything it will automatically rotate and cleans itself. The picture which has been removed from the moderator showed that. But I guess the vet will do.
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post #4 of 14
5/3/11 at 6:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by someuser View Post
Hello,

Thanks for replying.

I have one litter box but it is an automatic one, so whenever any of them dumps anything it will automatically rotate and cleans itself. The picture which has been removed from the moderator showed that. But I guess the vet will do.
I viewed the picture and didn't see any litter box or anything remotely connected to a cat, thus the picture was removed.
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post #5 of 14
5/3/11 at 6:07am
Thread Starter 
Hi again,

I have uploaded the picture again, please let me know if you see it. It has red circles to mark where Ozzie is peeing/pooping.

The litterbox is shaped like a globe, as it rotates whenever dumping occurs.

http://tinypic.com/r/sku9l1/7
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post #6 of 14
5/3/11 at 6:17am
It may be that Ozzie does not like an enclosed litter box, it could be too small for him, or it could smell (enclosed boxes hold in odors)and he doesn't like the smells.

Or it could be going on while he is still in there, if he is taking a long time to poop or pee (straining, which is a serious health issue)


In addition to taking him to the vet, add a couple of plain ordinary litter boxes.
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post #7 of 14
5/3/11 at 6:20am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by otto View Post
It may be that Ozzie does not like an enclosed litter box, it could be too small for him, or it could smell (enclosed boxes hold in odors)and he doesn't like the smells.

Or it could be going on while he is still in there, if he is taking a long time to poop or pee (straining, which is a serious health issue)


In addition to taking him to the vet, add a couple of plain ordinary litter boxes.
If I get another litter box, do I place it next to the current one or do I put it in a complete new location?
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post #8 of 14
5/3/11 at 8:11am
My apology - I do see the litter box now. Does the box make a noise while rotating? That could be a cause of him not using the box. I would put the litter boxes in different places. Some cats prefer to pee in one box and poo in the other. You could also buy some Cat Attrack litter and add it to your current litter.
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post #9 of 14
5/3/11 at 12:49pm
Thread Starter 
It does make a sound, yes. However, he's used it for at least 2 years now with no problem.

The other thing is, sometimes he does either of them inside or out. It's not both in or both out, you know? he choses a way everything...

What's cat attract, if I may ask?

Also, is there a REALLY good product I can use on the couch to clean it up? Unfortunately the side of the couch is sued into so I can't remove it and clean it properly...

I actually had to get mothballs to somehow kill the odor in the room.
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post #10 of 14
5/3/11 at 12:53pm
Thread Starter 
Also I will add, he always seem to enjoy peeing on "soft" surfaces, other than the couch for example, I had a bed cover in the toilet to be washed, the next morning he had peed on it...
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post #11 of 14
5/3/11 at 1:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by someuser View Post
Also I will add, he always seem to enjoy peeing on "soft" surfaces, other than the couch for example, I had a bed cover in the toilet to be washed, the next morning he had peed on it...
He needs to see the vet. This is a sign of urinary tract problems. UTIs HURT, and he will blame the box for his pain. Which is why he avoids the box.

Male cats are in great danger when they have urinary tract problems. The urethra of a male cat is very narrow and blocks very easily. Once blocked, kitty will die within 24 hours without emergency medical attention. Excruciatingly painful way to die. This should be treated as an urgent situation, get him in to see the vet without delay.

Make sure he has a full bladder when you bring him in so the vet can get a good sample. Do this by feeding him a watery meal and putting him in his carrier at least an hour before his appointment.
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post #12 of 14
5/3/11 at 1:42pm
Thread Starter 
wow, thank you so much. I will take an appointment as soon as possible
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post #13 of 14
5/4/11 at 8:09pm
I do agree that he might have an UTI. I would also like to suggest that you get a large open litter box, maybe two. Put one next to the automatic and another one somewhere else. I have heard of many cats frightened by auto litter boxes due to the noise and also because they are too small. If your cat does have an UTI he will now associate that litter box with causing him the pain and might not go back to it even after he is cured. So I would add a couple of other boxes for him. Good luck at the vet and keep us posted
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post #14 of 14
5/4/11 at 8:19pm
Thread Starter 
Hello, thank you so much for your message.

The thing is, I cannot say that it's from the noise because he's been using it for 3 years almost. So the question is, why is he bothered from the noise? Today I got a litter box (regular standard one) and he hasn't used it yet, so I am assuming he hasn't gotten used to it. He did sniff it and so on but I think he still needs sometime.

Can someone please tell me more about UTI? What are the symptoms etc...? Because I never heard Ozzie be in pain or any of that for the past 8 months (ever since this thing started), he's still the attention ____ that he is and loves all the love I give him...

I did take an appointment for the hospital and they will run urinal checkup. Even though one of the doctors said it's most likely behavioral rather than physical illness.

One other thing, can someone recommend a product to clean cat urine from couches? The odour is disturbing and no one sits there anymore...

Thank you so much people. I wanted to upload a few photos for Ozzie and Felicia but I realized the forum doesn't allow me to do so.

J
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