Litterbox issue

[runninlow3]

HI everyone. 

Quick background...we've been fostering a female cat who's 2 1/2yrs, Jasmine. I have a cat who I've adopted since he was a kitten, Simba. He'll be 5yrs this July. We've had Jasmine for a couple weeks now, the first week we kept them separated so Jasmine can get adjusted. Once they met, Simba was hesitant at first but got over it within a couple days. They get along rather well. 

We have two litterboxes, one in the bedroom (which was Jasmine's safe room) and Simba's is near the front entry. We live in a 1 bedroom condo. What we noticed is that jasmine tends to use the litterbox in the middle of the night, but when she does go, she tends to revisit the litterbox a few times as if making sure she has everything covered. This will go on for 30-40minutes. I don't mind a very tidy cat but being her litterbox is in our bedroom and my wife is a light sleeper, it doesn't make for a good combination. Has any experienced this before?

Is it too soon to relocate her litterbox near Simba's, so that it'll help my wife not hearing Jasmine 'doing her thing' in there? I would also like to add that I noticed that Simba uses Jasmine's litterobx in addition to his own but so far Jasmine doesn't seem to mind and continues to do her own business in there also.

Any advice/input would be helpful...thanks!

 

[lamiatron]

1) fact that simba is using jasmine's litter box, could be the reason why she keeps revisiting her box after using. she only wants her scent in there. and she's trying to make sure it stays that way. that's why she keeps "checking"

2) i dont think it would be a good idea to move her litter box next to simbas, maybe you can try a different part of the house....but as i've mentioned before, i think the fact that simba is using her box...could be her main issue

3) you can try using some other type of litter. maybe an all natural one, or something that does not make as much noise when kitty is digging through it? clay litters tend to be heavy and noisy. something to consider.

hope others chime in with some more advice...

good luck!

 

[oneandahalfcats]

 
HI everyone. 

Quick background...we've been fostering a female cat who's 2 1/2yrs, Jasmine. I have a cat who I've adopted since he was a kitten, Simba. He'll be 5yrs this July. We've had Jasmine for a couple weeks now, the first week we kept them separated so Jasmine can get adjusted. Once they met, Simba was hesitant at first but got over it within a couple days. They get along rather well. 

We have two litterboxes, one in the bedroom (which was Jasmine's safe room) and Simba's is near the front entry. We live in a 1 bedroom condo. What we noticed is that jasmine tends to use the litterbox in the middle of the night, but when she does go, she tends to revisit the litterbox a few times as if making sure she has everything covered. This will go on for 30-40minutes. I don't mind a very tidy cat but being her litterbox is in our bedroom and my wife is a light sleeper, it doesn't make for a good combination. Has any experienced this before?

Is it too soon to relocate her litterbox near Simba's, so that it'll help my wife not hearing Jasmine 'doing her thing' in there? I would also like to add that I noticed that Simba uses Jasmine's litterobx in addition to his own but so far Jasmine doesn't seem to mind and continues to do her own business in there also.

Any advice/input would be helpful...thanks!

I have a female who is very fastidious in covering her deposits in the litter box even when this may only be a dime-sized bit of pee. I often remark to her that 'you've done a great job Maggie, can't see a thing' 

 

It could be that the girl kitty likes the quiet of your bedroom, and so I would suggest rather than moving the litter box just yet, is to introduce a new box in another location that would be similar in that it is quiet and safe for her, and introduce her to it. Hopefully she will start to use this right off the bat, and then you can remove the other from the bedroom. Its not a bad idea to have 3 boxes. One for each cat plus one.

 

[runninlow3]

 
1) fact that simba is using jasmine's litter box, could be the reason why she keeps revisiting her box after using. she only wants her scent in there. and she's trying to make sure it stays that way. that's why she keeps "checking"

2) i dont think it would be a good idea to move her litter box next to simbas, maybe you can try a different part of the house....but as i've mentioned before, i think the fact that simba is using her box...could be her main issue

3) you can try using some other type of litter. maybe an all natural one, or something that does not make as much noise when kitty is digging through it? clay litters tend to be heavy and noisy. something to consider.

hope others chime in with some more advice...

good luck!

I remember the first day we opened the gate between the bedroom and the rest of the condo to formally introduce them, the first thing Simba did was go pee in her litterbox, as if he was marking his territory. Then he went over to her food bowl and ate some of her dry food.

I use a self clumping litter. I can always try a different brand or a natural one as you suggested.

Thanks!

 
I have a female who is very fastidious in covering her deposits in the litter box even when this may only be a dime-sized bit of pee. I often remark to her that 'you've done a great job Maggie, can't see a thing' 

 

It could be that the girl kitty likes the quiet of your bedroom, and so I would suggest rather than moving the litter box just yet, is to introduce a new box in another location that would be similar in that it is quiet and safe for her, and introduce her to it. Hopefully she will start to use this right off the bat, and then you can remove the other from the bedroom. Its not a bad idea to have 3 boxes. One for each cat plus one.

I thought maybe Jasmine has ocd for cleanliness. lol

She definitely likes our bedroom, that's her 'go to' place whenever she gets scared and/or wants to be safe. Being that our condo isn't that large, adding a third litterbox can be tricky due to the space we have available. If I did add another litterbox, Simba would probably just go use that one too?

Thanks!

I can sleep through anything, however my wife cannot...I'd hate for this to become the reason why we don't adopt her.

 

[oneandahalfcats]

 
I remember the first day we opened the gate between the bedroom and the rest of the condo to formally introduce them, the first thing Simba did was go pee in her litterbox, as if he was marking his territory. Then he went over to her food bowl and ate some of her dry food.

I use a self clumping litter. I can always try a different brand or a natural one as you suggested.

Thanks!

I thought maybe Jasmine has ocd for cleanliness. lol

She definitely likes our bedroom, that's her 'go to' place whenever she gets scared and/or wants to be safe. Being that our condo isn't that large, adding a third litterbox can be tricky due to the space we have available. If I did add another litterbox, Simba would probably just go use that one too?

Thanks!

I can sleep through anything, however my wife cannot...I'd hate for this to become the reason why we don't adopt her.

I am a light sleeper too and so know how the least noise can be a challenging barrier to sleep .. Some soft earplugs may work if no other options present themselves. My little female is quite a skittish little girl but she has adapted to sharing litter boxes with my other two who are both males. Sometimes it just takes time for cats to adjust. If you can introduce the third box for the purposes of transitioning her elsewhere, you may not need to have it in place permanently. Once she is used to the new one, she may not need the one in the bedroom, so you can remove it.

Best of luck with this! ...

 

[runninlow3]

 
I am a light sleeper too and so know how the least noise can be a challenging barrier to sleep .. Some soft earplugs may work if no other options present themselves. My little female is quite a skittish little girl but she has adapted to sharing litter boxes with my other two who are both males. Sometimes it just takes time for cats to adjust. If you can introduce the third box for the purposes of transitioning her elsewhere, you may not need to have it in place permanently. Once she is used to the new one, she may not need the one in the bedroom, so you can remove it.

Best of luck with this! ...

Jasmine is also rather skittish...she was a stray then taken in by a shelter. I'll discuss those options with my wife tonight so we can help resolve this issue. Hopefully in due time she'll adjust further.

Thanks again!

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Would a sound machine or some other white noise help your wife sleep through it?  My son sleeps with a white noise CD I got off Itunes and burned to a disk.  I'd be hesitant to move her box just yet since you say she still runs to your room when she is scared.  It's hard when you have limited space.

 

[runninlow3]

 
Would a sound machine or some other white noise help your wife sleep through it?  My son sleeps with a white noise CD I got off Itunes and burned to a disk.  I'd be hesitant to move her box just yet since you say she still runs to your room when she is scared.  It's hard when you have limited space.

I don't think that would help my wife, being that when I watch tv in bed, while she's sleeping, I'll wear headphones so the tv doesn't disturb her. I will tell her about this idea anyway, thanks.

I won't move her litterbox yet.

Definitely hard with limited space!