At wit's end

[mservant]

11 days of clear floors is pretty good going and suggests she has broken out of what ever habit she had got in to.  I too am hopeful this was an accident and she will not have felt any happier about it than you.  

 for a further quiet period for you so you can relax a little more. 

 

[candisbrooke]

I use to go through the same thing with one of my cats, China. It was like he knew he was doing something wrong because every time he would use the bathroom right near the litter boxes he would go run and hide! I changed litter,location, and litter boxes! Everything has been normal the past two years! I now use cats pride litter complete 20lb jug. I buy the big rectangle throw away baking pans that you can get for a $1 I buy 3 of them and moved the pans away from their food ad water area. I also out all 3 pans side by side and let the edges overlap. I hope I have been some help and hope sassy gets better!

 

[cocheezie]

Considering the recent past, I'd settle for once every 11 days.

 

[graciethedragon]

OMG after reading this I feel for you.  Why do so many cats have this issue.  We had many cats growing up... none of these problems.   We always had sibling pairs,  They would never even let you see them pee. let alone pee on the carpet.  I have my Gracie crated for peeing repeatedly and fear this will be the only way I can keep her. :-(

 

[billchamb]

Ugh.

Only made it 7 days before this morning's "accident."

4 days away from leaving and STILL having to worry about this.

We had a great day yesterday, her socialization continues to be positive, she took another 2 hour or so nap on my lap.  Mrs. and I stayed up later than usual, and thus cleaned the boxes later than usual which should have been a positive thing, but in the 6 or so hours from bedtime to waking, she had peed outside and against one of the covered boxes.

She had left stool in the open-top, Striker had peed in one covered and buried stool in the other covered.

I just don't get it.  I cannot be on a schedule where I have to set an alarm to get up in the middle of the night to clean boxes.  That's just ridiculous.

 

[mservant]

Could it be all boxes were used when she went to pee?  Could box 4 open top be added?

When you move believe it gives you a fresh start, your cats will be in a new space and you can settle them in to it and these issues may well not continue.  

 

[lrosewiles]

I'm late to this thread, usually hang out in the ferals section (where btw you will find discussions of this very problem - not using the box and "hiney hanging").  I can empathize, lived with several months of  feral rehab large momma Patience pooping and peeing outside the box.  Finally figured out her problem - SHE was in the box, but her behind was not!  Solution (suggested on the ferals thread) was a large, shallow, open "under the bed" storage box in the bathroom where most of the "accidents" occurred.  the downside is litter gets kicked on the floor.  The upside is poops inside the box, or mostly anyway.  Once she got used to the idea, we graduated back to a smaller box - but not a covered one.   Some cats just feel threatened going into a covered box.

 

[billchamb]

Relocation = done.

Sassy & Striker made the 5.5 hour straight through drive with me on Tuesday.

I sprayed each carrier with (2) doses of Feliway before loading them.  Striker kept quiet and sleeping most of the trip, only  "commenting" every now and then, because...Sassy, kept yipping nearly the entire trip.  Every minute or two, interspersed with long wails of lament.  Oddly, when I got west of Columbus, OH, she took a long nap (or at least was quiet), but when she stirred, she kinda freaked out and tried to claw through the zipper on the carrier. 

Isolated each one in a bathroom with their original litter pans.

As of now, early Thurs. evening, they have both been using the pans, although Sassy hasn't produced any stool since before we left on Tuesday.  I have given her a couple doses of fiber/Metamucil over food.  I think it is possible this transition is helping her re-learn what she needs to do with respect to litter box habits.

Striker has been his usual "good" self in all respects, EXCEPT he has taken up residence in the bathroom vanity cabinet, under the sink, in the main bathroom.

Both seem to be eating and drinking reasonably.  I think they are a bit shell-shocked still, and missing Mrs., our furniture and any other suitable places to lay/hide/etc.  I could only bring a few play things in the loaded car, and they don't seem to be of much interest.

We will see what happens when Mrs. and our stuff arrives next week.

 

[mservant]

 Welcome to your new home.  Tightly crossed fingers for you that Sassy has indeed been retrained by her long journey and that both Sassy and Striker settle well in their new residence without any trace of what ever it was that ailed them in your previous residence.  Poor Striker, I hope he comes out of the vanity cabinet in the not TOO distant future.

Here's a nice little message for Sassy:  Do not ever think out side the box again,  

  

   Well, I can always hope she will get it. Best wishes, and may everything go well until and continue after your Mrs and the rest of your belongings arrive safely with you next week.

 

[miss mew]

Glad to hear you made it to your new home!  Hopefully this is a new beginning!  As was mentioned...think inside the box Sassy!

 

[oneandahalfcats]

 
Relocation = done.

Sassy & Striker made the 5.5 hour straight through drive with me on Tuesday.

I sprayed each carrier with (2) doses of Feliway before loading them.  Striker kept quiet and sleeping most of the trip, only  "commenting" every now and then, because...Sassy, kept yipping nearly the entire trip.  Every minute or two, interspersed with long wails of lament.  Oddly, when I got west of Columbus, OH, she took a long nap (or at least was quiet), but when she stirred, she kinda freaked out and tried to claw through the zipper on the carrier. 

Isolated each one in a bathroom with their original litter pans.

As of now, early Thurs. evening, they have both been using the pans, although Sassy hasn't produced any stool since before we left on Tuesday.  I have given her a couple doses of fiber/Metamucil over food.  I think it is possible this transition is helping her re-learn what she needs to do with respect to litter box habits.

Striker has been his usual "good" self in all respects, EXCEPT he has taken up residence in the bathroom vanity cabinet, under the sink, in the main bathroom.

Both seem to be eating and drinking reasonably.  I think they are a bit shell-shocked still, and missing Mrs., our furniture and any other suitable places to lay/hide/etc.  I could only bring a few play things in the loaded car, and they don't seem to be of much interest.

We will see what happens when Mrs. and our stuff arrives next week.

I was just thinking about Sassy and you yesterday, and was going to post an note to inquire about how things were going. 

Glad to hear that the move with the cats went very well, and very good sign that both cats are eating and drinking in the new space!

I think it is normal for bowel routine to become upset or delayed with new changes. Hopefully Sassy will go soon. Fingers crossed that she will continue using the pan, but it would be a good idea from a practical stand-point (and for your peace of mind and sanity) to keep the plan to get a large tray under the boxes, going forward.

That was a pretty long car ride, so I would expect that both cats might be feeling a little tuckered. Striker probably feels safe in the bathroom vanity while he reposes. Hopefully he will venture out of there once he is ready to start investigating the rest of the house, which he will.

All in all, very positive Bill. Hope everything continues to go just as well with the rest of the transition.

 

[kyra walter]

Hello! I use a combination of a tidy cat cedar litter and worlds best and used to mix the Blue walnut but stopped because it has too much brown dust...my four 11 month old females have always used the box even if i just clean it out and don't replace all of it very often...they are on a raw food diet...maybe you could try that...

 

[ghostlyy]

Been following up on your progress here, it's been a little over a week since any info, just wondering how things are going! Congrats on your move, hope Striker and Sassy are doing well!

 

[billchamb]

Thanks, @ghostlyy for checking in.

Things have been hectic and I have wanted to provide an update, because circumstances are good, but in a very odd way.  I am on my way out, and didn't want to neglect your message.  I will try to offer further experiences in a post later today.

 

[mservant]

I am intregued @billchamb.  It is just as well you let us know things are good otherwise I'd be even more on the edge of my seat waiting for the details!

 

[billchamb]

Call it outrageous, call it divine intervention, call it scared straight v.2.3...here is an update since relocating with the cats 17 days ago.

Car travel - ComfortZone/Feliway made 6 hours of car traveling easier, although still not ideal for Sassy, who continues on her daily dosage of Amitriptylin.

Arrival - Placed open-top tub in larger bathroom along with Sassy and her car carrier as a "safe" resting place.  Striker got the smaller downstairs bathroom with the covered box and his carrier.  By the end of day 1.5, they had both used their pans and were freed from isolation.  Neither box has a litter mat under it, just the tile/linoleum floor.  Nightlights were provided at each location.

For about the first week, they used their individual pans, respectively, no sharing.  Neither was introduced to the other's pan, but Striker has an innate tendency to locate them anyway.  However, he does not like the open-top tub because is has no lip on which to perch while taking care of business.

I'm honestly not sure I can pinpoint when things changed.  I think it was the first night Mrs. was able to join me.  Me, Striker and Sassy had been cohabitating well, albeit with no furniture except and air mattress and folding camp chair.  At some point, Sassy discovered the covered littler box in the downstairs bathroom and began using it responsibly.  She had ONE overnight accident where she peed outside the covered box (although not on it or under it).  Despite our best bedtime cleaning efforts, the two of them had an over-productive night in both boxes and she did not have a clean place to go.  This would have been remedied if I had happened to be awake at 2 or 3 am, but...

Since then (or thereabouts), SASSY has completely given up on using the open-top tub, and using/sharing the COVERED box with Striker.  For about a week now, there has been NOTHING to clean out of the open-top box.  We, of course, have had to be much more diligent about cleaning.  Her eating/drinking are well under control,AND...not even a HINT of diarrhea!?  (WHA??)  Every stool she has passed has landed in the box and been formed and healthy-looking.  NO diarrhea.

They were SO confused when Mrs. arrived.  The very next day the movers delivered our stuff while Sassy and Striker were hunkered down in the upstairs bathroom.  After the movers departed, the furniture was arranged, they were released and seemed overjoyed to see things they recognized!  Sassy immediately took of her position on our bed after it was made.  They have both settled on our couches.  Normalcy, of a sort, has returned or been re-established.

Observation regarding Sassy abandoning the open-top tub:  it is placed in the main, upstairs bathroom.  It is next to where the heat blows from, and its been blowing a lot, thanks to Winter.  However, as I noted previously, Striker has taken to hiding/sleeping in the vanity cabinet in the bathroom.  For a while, Sassy actually joined him there, side-by-side, during our first week.  Safe, secure, warm...

Part of me wonders if she abandoned it because Striker is such a bathroom "creeper" in this place.  Part of me wonders if the new environment alone got her through.  Because of some litter-dust concerns in our primary bathroom (and I am NOT changing litter type/brand at this point), we are thinking we should remove the unused open-top and replace it with the second covered box, since it seems Sassy is perfectly at home using one.

So...all of that to say me, Mrs., Striker and Sassy are happily adapting to our new (although temporary) home.  The next relocation is unscheduled as it will depend on how long it takes us to find and purchase our own home.  At least that move will be only minutes away, and can be accomplished over a greater, better mediated span of time.

[EDIT] P.S. - both Striker and Sassy are back on 100% ZD dry.

All is well.

Thanks, again, for all the support, encouragement, interest and conversation on behalf of the four of us!

Bill

 

[mservant]

I love this happy humans happy cats stage you have achieved. 

   I can't help wonder if it was something about that basement or whatever was on the floor but no one will ever know....  Great to hear the current home seems to be to Sassy and Striker's liking and all well at this point.  I hope you and Mrs... feel free to celebrate with some of that whisky collection now. 

 

[oneandahalfcats]

Wonderful to hear that things are going SO well Bill. Sounds like the new place has been well-received, which must be a huge relief for you and the Mrs.

Re. removing the open-air, I think it might be good to leave the open-air in place, for a little while longer anyway.. The rule of thumb is one box per cat plus one. If its not in the way, it can serve as an extra for Sassy to use IF she feels she needs to, particularly if she finds no vacancy with the two covered boxes some nights.

All in all, a great happy ending for you all. Now you can relax and turn your attention to more interesting, FUN things.

 

 

[ghostlyy]

Very glad to hear that things seem to be transitioning well! I would also leave the uncovered box just in case, just to see what happens with the new covered box. Perhaps there WAS something about that basement that she just great to dislike? Perhaps it was haunted? (Just a cute suggestion, kidding, lol). Cats are sensitive creatures, we may never know! Let's hope this good streak keeps up! Perhaps the move was just what Sassy needed. 

Hope to hear more positive updates in the future!

 

[therese]

Very Very happy, Bill....to hear that things are settling down.  With the move behind you, ( at least until you buy  a house )  things sounds like they are calming down and the cats are doing much better.  I am so glad. !