Litter Box Problem Help

[missburton]

Hello, My 1 and a half year old Cat Mogwai has been having problems with going to his litter box, since he was born and learning how to use the litter box he will pee in the box but poop outside his box.

The current set up we have is his litter box is on a camping mat in a room, we have 1 litter box in there and using the Tidy Cat litter.

Things we have tried: 2 litter boxes, different litter that some resulted in him not peeing in his box, moving the box but he wouldn't pee in it then, taking him to vet ( vet said he is healthy and might be a behavior thing) , putting his poop in the box to show him.

We have 2 other cats in the household but they are not allowed in the room where he is, one cat is his mother and other is an older Male cat that he doesn't get along with.

Also, He will scrape on the mat once he poops to try to hide it. I clean his box daily and the mat where he poops on.

Any help on this problem would be terrific, the vets seem to be no help and I am not sure how to break this problem if it is behavioral.

Below image is the litter Set up.

Thank you!

 

[ArtNJ]

I see the logic and necessity for the set-up, but I wonder whether the texture/looseness of the mat & taped on carpet covering is part of the problem. Cats like stuff they can kneed beneath the paws, gives the illusion of burying the waste. Also, habit is a thing with cats. So perhaps you should do a reset in a closed room with a hardwood or tile floor, if you have one, letting him back in the house at large after a successful week with no accidents. Are you using an enzyme cleaner on the mat? If not, the smell is probably lingering to the cat nose.

Presumably your vet cleared the cat medically, but there is still the possibility this could be anxiety related. You mentioned he is isolated, but that doesn't completely rule it out. How is his behavior?

You should also tell us more about the fighting. From the picture, the room looks tiny (well I'm not sure exactly what we are looking at) and not a great place for a young playful cat. I realize you felt like you had few options and am not judging. But perhaps we can help with that as well.

 

[susanm9006]

Try using a puppy pad in his litter box, no litter, just the pad.

 

[kashmir64]

I would go back to basics. Clay non clumping litter on a tile or wood floor. (tile is easier to clean if there is an accident). Re-teach him how to use the box. Pretend you are teaching for the first time. Put him in it, and take his paws to 'scratch' the litter.
If he gets the hang of it, then you can go back to clumping and your old setup after a week or so.

 

[missburton]

I see the logic and necessity for the set-up, but I wonder whether the texture/looseness of the mat & taped on carpet covering is part of the problem. Cats like stuff they can kneed beneath the paws, gives the illusion of burying the waste. Also, habit is a thing with cats. So perhaps you should do a reset in a closed room with a hardwood or tile floor, if you have one, letting him back in the house at large after a successful week with no accidents. Are you using an enzyme cleaner on the mat? If not, the smell is probably lingering to the cat nose.

Presumably your vet cleared the cat medically, but there is still the possibility this could be anxiety related. You mentioned he is isolated, but that doesn't completely rule it out. How is his behavior?

You should also tell us more about the fighting. From the picture, the room looks tiny (well I'm not sure exactly what we are looking at) and not a great place for a young playful cat. I realize you felt like you had few options and am not judging. But perhaps we can help with that as well.

I am currently Living with other people in the household so i do not have the option of putting him in another room with hardwood floor unfortunately. Is there another way to do a reset without having to put him in another room, also i use a cleaner called nature's miracle cat orange to clean the mat.

For his behavior, he is fairly attached to me, he normally is pretty close to me whenever i go. When i do leave and come back home he normally comes up to me and is purring and wants love. But, when i wasn't working and home most of the day too he would do the same thing and pee in his box but poop on the mat , so not too sure if it is anxiety.

As for the fighting, he will chase after the older cat and corner him but will just be hissing at each other. They normally do not hit each other so i think its more of a playful chase then aggression based.

I have attached a photo of the entrance to the litter area, but the litter box is in a separate attached room to the room he is staying in so has lots of room to run and play.

 

[Kefa]

Get one of those cut cardboard boxes that hold cases of soft drinks, and put some of the matting in that. You know, a box that has sides that are really low, about an inch high, so it looks like it is barely even a box. Take away all the other matting. If he uses that, then try sprinkling the mat in the box with litter. If that works, then very sneakily get boxes with higher sides and add more litter, but keep the mat in there too. Eventually maybe you can trick him into realizing he can do both things in the same box. Obviously right now he thinks the box is for one thing and the mat is for the other.

 

[ArtNJ]

I didn't realize the pooping was only on the mat, because it looks like you have put some kind of protective covering over your carpet in the liter room. What happens if you take the mat away, he goes on the carpet if it isn't covered?

Trying Kefa's idea sounds reasonable. The mat is a habit at this point, so if removing it outright doesnt work, you need to try the sort of plan Kefa outlines.