O/T need cat advice

gwenn · July 2007

Im VERY frustrated with my cat. The cat is about 10 years old. He has been litter box trained and has done a great job up until this past May. We went away for 2 nights. When we came back we found that he had peed in the the hallway. He had gone poop in his bed, in the corner of the dining room, in the corner of our TV room and on top of a rug that I have in front of the fire place. We checked his litter box (it was cleaned right before we left) and it had not been used at all. We thought this could just be his way of letting us know he was mad about us leaving. But everyday since May he has gone #2 in the corners of our house. Im getting really sick of it. Im ready to give him to the animal shelter. No one we know wants the cat because who wants a cat that goes on everything. So Im at a loss. I can't have the cat keep going on the carpet. Does anyone know how to fix this or have experience with a cat doing this?

This is not even technically my cat. It belongs to my bf but he is being irresposiable with the cat. I could go on and on about his neglect of the cat. I think he would be ok giving the cat up if he could get someone he knows to agree to take it. Im tired of picking up the cat poop.

Any and all training advice is appreciated.

PS - at the time he stopped using the litter box we had not changed his kitty litter brand. So I don't think that's an issue for him. Since then we have changed it around. He will go pee in the litter box but not #2

saluki · July 2007

Have you changed his food recently? Could it be a food issue? Is he eating a high protein food? Maybe he needs a food more oriented to Seniors at this point in his life and easier on the kidneys?

also have you considered an extra litter box in a different area.

I'm pretty new to cats and trying my best to outwit them. At this point I am seriously considering pulling up all carpeting in the house and replacing it with some material impervious to stains and smells.

If anyone has any information as to what material would do the trick I'd be very interested.

Susie

MinAZ · July 2007

I'm not an expert but know a bit about cats. If you changed the cat food, that could be an explanation. Also, it's not enough to change the litter - you also have to scrub the litter box; I do it weekly with something like Simple Green. And sometimes they show their displeasure by not using the litter box. If you had not left him alone before, that could be the explanation. Try to clean the carpet as well as you can - ask a vet or pet store for a good product. Then try putting his food dish where he messed on the carpet. Maybe put a small dish on each place. They typically don't mess where they eat.... Good luck!

fd411 · July 2007

Is he sick? Are you noticing worms or anything funny in his poop? If he keeps going everywhere but the cat box, make sure the areas where he did go have no scent at all of cat feces or urine. If they can smell it, they might think it's OK to go there.

My cat went through a couple of spells of peeing on this one particular pillow. We washed it and the cover several times adding bleach to the wash. She's 9. I think she smelled the younger cat on there or something. Eventually we threw the pillow away and put a liner on there and she stopped.

Have you called the vet? Sometimes when cats are sick, they won't use the cat box and they'll behave differently.

Ferne

JustOne · July 2007

According to my vet, some cats do, as they age, get a form of senility and unfortunately the litter box becomes foreign to them. I have a 16y/o cat right now that I am dealing with this very problem. Ive learned her habits and try to follow her as best I can. I dont have carpet in my home though, so I can see you frustration.

If you could though, please have a little patience. A ten year old cat is set in their ways and surely would not do well to be moved from the only home they have ever known.

ps-PetSmart has a great product for stains called Nature's Miracle. It's the best I've ever found...

~Pam

Emelee26 · July 2007

My mom's cats stopped using the litter for poop - she added another box and it worked - now they go pee in one and poop in another - just to be safe - take the hood off the boxes and use 3 boxes (or trays). That way there's one for pee, one for poop, and one extra - when the cat feels comfortable that there's always a box, I'm sure you can take 1-2 away. Clean really well also - the smells are alluring I'm sure...PM me if you need help - we've found that as cats get old, they get nervous with one box and the hood on the box suddenly is threatening as if they won't be able to escape if they were cornered - it will work..I promise
Love Marisa

Harley44 · July 2007

Yes, I have read that it helps to have an extra box. I have 2 cats, and I read that we should have one for each cat, plus one extra. We only have 2 boxes, but they usually will pee in one and poop in the other. I don't know how they decide which one will be used for which, but they do. Cats... go figure!

Best of luck to you!
HARLEY

djd · July 2007

Ten years isn't all that old for a cat. I have always lived by the rule that when a cat suddenly changes its litter-box habits, the first thing that needs to happen is a physical exam to rule out an underlying condition.

Also, leaving a cat (or any pet) alone in a house for days is a sure way to push them into distress and cause behavorial issues. I might piss all over the house if I were an abandoned cat

Sierra · July 2007

Cats!

I have heard of this problem
babysat two next door and
one is older.. I was surprised
to see they only had one litter
and it had the top on it. anyway,
they were fine. Mine would not like a top
I just know it

Did you speak to the vet?

Some can get very upset when you are
away. Mine won't even come to me for
a few days.

gwenn · July 2007

These are all really good ideas! Im going to start with taking the cat to the vet to make sure nothings wrong. And Im going to do a cleaning of all the poop areas. My fingers are crossed that this behavior goes away.

dash · July 2007

Gwenn--an exam is a great idea--I hope he's ok. I had a cat live to 18 so 10 isn't very old to me. My two guys are 9 & 10. They have 2 litterboxes and usually only use one of them but it's there if they need it anyway.

One of my cats stopped using the litter box when I changed his brand of cat litter. He knew the difference and didn't like it. Once I changed back, he was fine. Learned my lesson.

Shepgirl · August 2007

First: Take him to vet and have both parasite and blood tests done. Treat if they is a problem. You need to rule out diseases.

Second: If you have changed diet return to his old diet.

Third: Has something change in his life? Your work routinue, another pet introduced, another person in the home, the time you have been able to spend with him, his home enviroment, etc. For example: if there is another cat...some cats will not share a litter box with others. Unlike dogs, cats usually use poop versus pee to mark their territory, so if you have a new pet that is trying to "take over the house". You cat will not want to "bury or cover his scent".

Most pets do not do well with change and act out due to stress. Try to "normalize" his life and see if that reduces the stress. And yes, if he has no medical or diet issues, you can put him on a strict "potty" routinue. ie...he either crated or supervise at other times. He taken out for supervise time with you or potty breaks.

Good Luck

O/T need cat advice

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