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Cat wont pee unless I'm nearby?

post #1 of 6
1/15/12 at 6:27pm
Thread Starter 

Ok I've got a strange situation that I've been dealing with ... My cat "Roary" has a small issue in that he will not use the litterbox unless I'm standing nearby it like some kind of protection..is he afraid that box will swallow him whole or something? I have absolutely no idea!...

 

Unfortunately this is a difficult sitation because as Roary begans to wail and cry,he'll walk around in circles screeching until I escort him to the litterbox..if I refuse to do this?...he will simply pee or poo right next to the litterbox.

 

Help!...Sugggestions?..Ideas?...Theories?...

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post #2 of 6
1/15/12 at 7:06pm

Is the litter box covered?  Is it in an open or secluded area? 

 

I'm just trying to imagine what sort of factors would cause this...

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post #3 of 6
1/15/12 at 7:20pm

Mine are super picky about what litterboxes they like, too.  They didn't like covered until a couple of years ago.  They kind of like the privacy now I think.  Maybe they didn't like it because it left them vulnerable?  They were trapped in a way... Cats hate that feeling of being backed into a corner and trapped.  They refused to use it for about a year when I got it.  (I also had uncovered ones and they used those instead. 

 

Now, and I should say, I can't really blame them... They hate the robotic self cleaning litterboxes.  That would freak me out, too, if I were a cat.  I would be worried about it hurting me or it someone getting me. 

 

My advice here is to get a different looking litterbox and see if that makes a difference.  It could be a fear of the litterbox itself. 

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post #4 of 6
1/16/12 at 8:51am
Is Roary your only cat, and if not, is the other cat harrassing him when he tries to use the litter box? That's usually the top issue when I hear of a cat doing this.

Your story reminds me of my boy Muddy. Muddy developed chronic cystitis and stopped using the litter box for a while. To entice him back to the box, I started carrying him to the litter box, placing him in there and praising him when he peed in it. Muddy is a rare cat that likes to please me so he complied. It worked so well that he almost always peed upon demand. But then I had the problem of having him dependent on me to be with him when he peed, and I couldn't spend my entire day waiting to see a signal from him that he had to go. So for a while, I set up a peeing schedule with him and would carry him to the box about 3-4 times a day at the same time each day. Fortunately, he outgrew his need for me to be there for him once his urinary issues were under control.

But that makes me think that there might be a medical issue with Roary. If he has any urinary tract issues at all, it can be painful and your presence might be calming. Perhaps its time to make an appointment at the vet for him.

Just my thoughts......
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post #5 of 6
1/16/12 at 12:41pm
Thread Starter 

Ok Here's some more Info...

 

My litterbox used to be one of those big ones with a cover..now I had to get rid of cover cause at first neither of my cats would use it with the cover..I suppose it might have been scary? so yes I disposed of the cover.

 

Now my other cat "Gizmo" does have some odd habits of teasing/bothering "Roary" during pee time..sometimes Gizmo will sit nearby and stare like some creepy stalker kitty..in the early days He'd sit real close and fwap a paw at Roary..thankfully I broke him of this habit..but Gizmo still stalker sits and watches Roary pee..

 

I've taken both to the vet and there's nothing wrong with either of them ..I'm afraid this has come down to the psychological.

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post #6 of 6
1/16/12 at 4:58pm
How many litter boxes do you have? The rule of thumb is to have 1 box per cat plus an extra. The reasons for this are to help address any territory wars around a litter box (Gizmo taunting Roary), and because cats in the wild typically do not pee and poop in the same place, thus the need for a minimum of 2 boxes.

It's good that you took the lid off your box. Add another box if you can and you might want to try what I did with Muddy - take him to the box a couple times a day, praise him when he starts to pee, then start walking away earlier and earlier in the process.
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