Problem With Retraining to Litter Box, Please Help

bloob & valo

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"...isolate the cat into a quiet room (a spare bathroom is ideal). The bathroom should be big enough to place the food and water at least five feet away from the litter box. Keep the cat housed in this bathroom for 3 days while you retrain your cat to use the box. Each day you will enter to clean and feed. Make your visits quiet without a fuss. On the third day, invite the cat into the entire house. If kitty uses the box appropriately, then all is well. If kitty poops outside the box, place kitty back in the bathroom for one more day. The next day invite kitty back into the house."

Hi, I live in a one-bedroom apartment with one small bathroom. We're having increasing problems with kitten Blueberry peeing on furniture and pooping on the floor. I want to do Hissy's advice (above) on retraining to the litterbox. The problem is, where to do the retraining?

*Flashback* to the Original Problem:
Older cat Valentine starts pooping and peeing in the bathtub. The kitten copies and starts pooping in the tub (not peeing). (The litterbox is up against the tub, the only place it could fit in our bathroom.) I try putting the food and water containers in the tub, but Valentine pees in the tub, and it runs right over the food. I take the litterbox out of the bathroom and keep the bathroom door shut.

Flashback Ends, Back to Present Time:
The bathroom is small, and their isn't 5' of space between the litterbox and where food could be placed. And then there is the original bathtub issue. And
if I use my bedroom as the isolation room the kitten may pee and/or poop on my bed. (He's already peed on my daughter's bed.)

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks

Thanks,
Breindel
 

mamacat

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I'm a little unclear as to whether you are needing to retrain both cats or just the kitten. Anyway, obviously not an ideal situation with the space you have, but you work with what you've got. Would it be possible to corral your kitty in a part of the bedroom that doesn't include the bed, using baby gates perhaps?
 
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bloob & valo

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Hi Mamacat,

Thanks for getting back to me. Sorry that was unclear. The older cat is OK, as long as he's not in the bathroom...he only goes in the tub, so as long as the door is closed, he's going in the litter box.

You're right as far as ideal situations go and making the best of it. Doesn't really work with baby gates, because the room is too long. Right now I have him in the bedroom with the door closed. He keeps trying to get out but now when I open the door and he tries to make a run for it, I shout "no!" and then he runs under the bed (where, btw, the older cat is currently napping!)

I just put the food and water in there, on the opposite wall from the litterbox. So let's just pray...Also it occurred to me that if I clip the kittens nails he'll have a harder time climbing onto my bed...

Thanks again, any more suggestions are welcome!
 

tru

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I'm just curious if you are sure this is behavioral or could there be a health issue causing the problem? If it is health then retraining will be next to impossible I would think.

As far as the cat peeing in the tub where it runs over the dishes can you put the dishes at the other end of the tub?

Good luck to you getting your potty issues ironed out.
 
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bloob & valo

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Hi Tru,

Thanks for writing! I thought of that (a health issue) but so far it doesn't ring true, though I'll keep a look out. It all coincides with the past couple of weeks when we switched the litterbox into my room because my daughter had a slumber party in the living area and the cat got locked out of my room accidentally for several hours. Then the litterbox came back into the livingroom, but at the other end. Then it was moved back into my room when we had some friends sleeping over again, and again the kitten was locked out for several hours. So I think once he was forced to poop somewhere else that started things off in the wrong direction. But now the door is open, the litterbox is clean, and yet he's peeing on the furniture (my daughter's bed and a cushiony computer desk chair) and pooping on cardboard that was left on the floor...
 

tru

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Hi Breindel,

It is possible that the stress of not being able to get to the litter box those times has thrown the cat into a UTI. I understand from reading here that such things do happen.

It may be worth a visit to the vet just to be sure and save you a lot of grief over the long run.

Also.... could you possibly find room to add another litter box to your home?
One, it would prevent the cats from being separated from their toilet and also, some cats like to do their business in separate boxes.

Another thing to consider would be trying a different litter. Maybe some Cat Attract to help draw the cat to the right place.

Again... Good Luck to you with this problem.
 
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bloob & valo

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Hi Trudy!

Those are some really great suggestions. I'm going to do that, get a second litter box. One for the living room and one for my room. And I'll consider the UTI possibly as well.

Hope you're having a great day!

Breindel
PS Do you really have 11 kitties! (You don't live in a one-bedroom apt, do you!
)
 

purrpaws

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Don't just consider going to the vet, make it definite. You have to rule out a health issue before attempting to correct the problem behaviorally.
 
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