Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m having a problem with one of my cats pooping on the floor.
Hereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s some background info: We have two cats and one dog. Our female dog (a wheaten), the “middle child†of the house, has been housebroken since her puppy years. We also have a kitten (5 months old), who uses his litter box religiously. In fact, he even tries to cover the problem catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s poops with newspapers or sheets, etc. The problem cat, the “oldest child†of the house, poops on the floor religiously and pees in her litter box religiously.
We found her in a field when she was about eight weeks old. We brought her to the vet, got her shots, and brought her home. At the time, we had a different dog and an old cat. Both the cat and the dog were litter trained and house broken, respectively. At first, she acted as any well-trained cat would; she pooped AND peed in her litter box ALL the time and NEVER had accidents. Then, one day, she started pooping on the floor some of the time. The problem gradually became worse and for the last three years, she has pooped in her box twice, literally. She still pees in her litter box religiously. The catsâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] food and litter boxes are in the second-floor loft area, while the dog has reign over the first floor of the house.
We have been tolerant of it so far, as our house has only wood floor and tile therefore making her messes relatively easy to clean. However, she has recently taken to pooping on our dining room table. She once pooped on a pile of freshly graded research papers (try explaining that one)!!! This we cannot accept. I feed my baby niece and nephew there!! Generally speaking, there appears to be no discretion in her choice of spot, except that she only poops in her loft area and on my dining room table (grrrr).
A vet tech at a local kennel suggested that I take the dogâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s crate out of storage and place the problem cat, her litter box, and her food/water inside. She told me that cats do not like to urinate or defecate near their food/water and will eventually learn to use the litter box. She also suggested switching her scoopable litter with a more “natural†litter such as cedar or even combination of soil and leaves. She has experienced success with this when dealing with feral cats.
Do you all think this will work with a formerly feral cat of her age? If not, any other suggestions??
Hereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s some background info: We have two cats and one dog. Our female dog (a wheaten), the “middle child†of the house, has been housebroken since her puppy years. We also have a kitten (5 months old), who uses his litter box religiously. In fact, he even tries to cover the problem catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s poops with newspapers or sheets, etc. The problem cat, the “oldest child†of the house, poops on the floor religiously and pees in her litter box religiously.
We found her in a field when she was about eight weeks old. We brought her to the vet, got her shots, and brought her home. At the time, we had a different dog and an old cat. Both the cat and the dog were litter trained and house broken, respectively. At first, she acted as any well-trained cat would; she pooped AND peed in her litter box ALL the time and NEVER had accidents. Then, one day, she started pooping on the floor some of the time. The problem gradually became worse and for the last three years, she has pooped in her box twice, literally. She still pees in her litter box religiously. The catsâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] food and litter boxes are in the second-floor loft area, while the dog has reign over the first floor of the house.
We have been tolerant of it so far, as our house has only wood floor and tile therefore making her messes relatively easy to clean. However, she has recently taken to pooping on our dining room table. She once pooped on a pile of freshly graded research papers (try explaining that one)!!! This we cannot accept. I feed my baby niece and nephew there!! Generally speaking, there appears to be no discretion in her choice of spot, except that she only poops in her loft area and on my dining room table (grrrr).
A vet tech at a local kennel suggested that I take the dogâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s crate out of storage and place the problem cat, her litter box, and her food/water inside. She told me that cats do not like to urinate or defecate near their food/water and will eventually learn to use the litter box. She also suggested switching her scoopable litter with a more “natural†litter such as cedar or even combination of soil and leaves. She has experienced success with this when dealing with feral cats.
Do you all think this will work with a formerly feral cat of her age? If not, any other suggestions??
