Cats ticking me off

Miniature Horse Talk Forums

Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

ErikaS.

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 13, 2008
Messages
550
Reaction score
0
Location
Ithaca, Nebraska
I have 6 cats. Only one seems capable of using the dang litter box. I have three clean litter boxes: two in the laundry room, where most cats sleep, and one in the living room. All cats are allowed in the laundry room as they please because it's cold out and I can keep the door closed so they can't get into the main part of the house. Only two cats are allowed into the house as the others are not reliable catbox users. Now my oldest (but healthy) cat (8 years old) has decided that the bathmat is a nice place to poop and pee. My bathroom is very small and there is not enough room in there for a litter box nor do I want one there. I don't want to check every five minutes to make sure the bathroom door is closed. (At this moment I'm happy my son remembers to use the potty and wash his hands.) What do I do?
default_wacko.png
 
It might work not sure, but have heard to spray your scent, so if you have a special perfume you use, spray it on the mat..

Can you put a litter box in the tub?
default_wink.png
 
I would NEVER put a cat box in the tub. I have a persian that pooped in the tub for ever. One day she quit. Each time we had to clean the tub with bleach and other stuff to get rid of the smell. Anyway, cats are weird. They will pick a spot and use it. There is a deterrent spray that you can spray on your bath mat. You may find him doing his business some where else but if you keep at. When you catch him pooping somewhere other than the cat box scold him and put him in the cat box. Then spray the spot he pooped in. Good Luck.
 
That's a tough one... and the more cats in an area the harder it is (they are territorial).

I would remove the bath mat until the problem is resolved consistently for a while. There is something about rubber and plastic that cats (particularly male ones) really are attracted to. And if there is ANY scent on it, they will continue to use that spot so a good cleaner (particularly one with enzyme) is a must.

I don't think discipline works with cats, personally. They just get scared and sulk. They aren't really like dogs in that respect.

Good luck,

Andrea
 
Are they indoor/outdoor cats that have access outside all the time? Or are they usually outside kitties and just come in when it's cold?

Not knowing the usual situation it's hard to pinpoint the problem. Anyway here's my 2cents worth.

My kitties (4 in the house with 24/7 access to outside enclosure) aren't getting along well now it's the middle of winter: Cabin fever it seems...

Cats need a private, quiet place , and a box w/ litter they like to be happy!

Get the 8yr old checked by the Vet to rule out any problems

Keep the litter boxes VERY clean. Have you changed litter brand recently? This could have an inpact.

Maybe the 8yr old is getting "run off" by someone else and doesn't feel comfy going in the other rooms. (My bet)

As suggested, remove the rug or hang it over the tub when not in use, for a while.

I know how frustrating it can be, but process of elimination and perserverence will prevail
default_biggrin.png
Good Luck!
 
We used to have a bath mat problem too. Now we throw the mat(s) up and over the shower door when not in use.

One of our cats also used to like using one of our potted plants. Little mouse traps come in handy, but you need to keep re-setting them. We also discovered that cats don't like the smell of Moth Balls.
 
default_saludando.gif
Hi Erika!

I know or have heard that cats that normally go in the regular spot and then all the sudden start going in another place (where they are not suppose to) have something wrong with them, like a urinary tract infection... something like that... You may want to have the cat checked by the vet to make sure there's nothing eternally wrong...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thank you all for your input.
default_smile.png


Hi Chesa! How are you?

I think I will get him looked at just to rule out anything physically wrong and then I will try out different litters, hang up the bathmat somewhere (we don't have a tub
default_wacko.png
), and pray for summer to come soon.
 
default_saludando.gif
Hi Erika!

I know or have heard that cats that normally go in the regular spot and then all the sudden start going in another place (where they are not suppose to) have something wrong with them, like a urinary tract infection... something like that... You may want to have the cat checked by the vet to make sure there's nothing eternally wrong...
And, also I've read that each cat should have its own litterbox, so 6 cats means at least 6 litter boxes.

I should follow that advice, as with our very cold temps, I currently have 3 cats using one litter box. I just don't have a place to put another box. [Two are indoor/outdoor, one is strictly indoor.] I scoop the box 2-3x daily and change the whole thing weekly during the winter, when all 3 use it regularly; in the summer once daily scooping and once monthly change works fine with pretty much only one using it.
 
Try changing the type of cat litter to something completely different in one of the boxes and experiment with different kinds until you find something they prefer too. Some might prefer the fine clumping kind, some might like the coarser Johnny Cat kind, etc... You may want to keep different kinds in different boxes and see if this helps. Yes, spray the area where they have gone with that deterant and use something to remove the smell so it doesnt pull them back to that spot, and picking up the mat is a good idea to avoid them using it. You may need to clean the boxes twice a day and make sure they are really clean.

I agree, cats are just weird about some things.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top