Hi everyone
My name is Julie, and i am new to this forum. We have 3 cats. One of my cats seems to be afraid of using the litter box. She goes outside of the box, and if I try to put her in the box she behaves as though I'm putting her in a bath (I know you know how that is!). Her bad box behavior began when she entered puberty so I do not know if this is related to hormones, or if it is a fear thing like something happened to her in the box. She has been spayed but that did not solve the litter box problem. We have 4 boxes and I scoop them every day. Any suggestions?
Julie
cat afraid of litter box?
Re: cat afraid of litter box?
How old is she?
How long has she been avoiding the box? Does she urinate and defecate outside of the box, or only one or the other?
What type of litter are you using? Have you tried changing it? Is she sensitive to litter? (some cats are, they don't like the feel of the litter on their paws and therefore won't use it) How big are the litterboxes, are they too small for comfort?
Where are the 4 boxes located? Are they all together, or are they in seperate rooms of the home? Are any of them near large appliances or foot traffic?
Have you taken her to your vet to rule out urinary tract infection, etc?
How long has she been avoiding the box? Does she urinate and defecate outside of the box, or only one or the other?
What type of litter are you using? Have you tried changing it? Is she sensitive to litter? (some cats are, they don't like the feel of the litter on their paws and therefore won't use it) How big are the litterboxes, are they too small for comfort?
Where are the 4 boxes located? Are they all together, or are they in seperate rooms of the home? Are any of them near large appliances or foot traffic?
Have you taken her to your vet to rule out urinary tract infection, etc?
..........Traci
Re: cat afraid of litter box?
She is about 2 years old. Last vet visit did not indicate any medical problems. She used to urinate ok in the box, but now she will not do anything in the box. Does both right outside of the box.
all litter boxes in same area. have tried placing a box in a different area to no avail. Have tried changing litter. Actually right now we are in the process of trying some new litters in some of the boxes because I'd like to get away from clay clumping litters. Currently have 5 boxes - 4 in same area, and 1 on a spot where she was urinating on our tile floor in another room. 3 boxes with old litter, 1 box with pine pellets, and 1 box with "PaPurr" litter. 4 of the boxes are standard litter box size; 5th is small. She is a very small cat, so I don't think the standard boxes are too small for her.
Julie
all litter boxes in same area. have tried placing a box in a different area to no avail. Have tried changing litter. Actually right now we are in the process of trying some new litters in some of the boxes because I'd like to get away from clay clumping litters. Currently have 5 boxes - 4 in same area, and 1 on a spot where she was urinating on our tile floor in another room. 3 boxes with old litter, 1 box with pine pellets, and 1 box with "PaPurr" litter. 4 of the boxes are standard litter box size; 5th is small. She is a very small cat, so I don't think the standard boxes are too small for her.
Julie
Re: cat afraid of litter box?
Is she intimidated by one or more of the other cats?
Again, where are the boxes located?
Why are you avoiding clumping litter? If she will use clumping, it would probably be best to use it for her.
You could try simply placing paper towels (folded over) in the litterbox to see if she has a paw sensitivity. If she uses the paper towels in the box, chances are, she does not like the feel of some of the litters you are using. I personally do not like pellet-type litter, and many cats don't either.
Some of the new "natural" type litters are hype, and may contain scents or feel strange to a cat's paws, and therefore should be avoided.
If she hasn't been evaluated by your vet in the last 6 months, I'd make an appointment for her and rule out UTI or other problem. Has she had any prior injuries that could be making her joints painful? What is the consistency of her stools? Does she strain in the litterbox or have anal gland issues occasionally? Is there occasional stress in the environment or daily routine? Do all the cats get along comfortably?
You could be right about her being fearful of the box, try to think back to determine if some sort of event occured in that particular area, no matter how minimal it seems to you. Is the area private? Is it near heavy appliances, furnace or air conditioner, etc? Is the area dark? Usually, when a cat attempts to get to the litterbox but eliminates just outside of it, it is usually indicative of a dislike for the litter type or location of the box. (pending ruling out UTI or other health issue)
Again, where are the boxes located?
Why are you avoiding clumping litter? If she will use clumping, it would probably be best to use it for her.
You could try simply placing paper towels (folded over) in the litterbox to see if she has a paw sensitivity. If she uses the paper towels in the box, chances are, she does not like the feel of some of the litters you are using. I personally do not like pellet-type litter, and many cats don't either.
Some of the new "natural" type litters are hype, and may contain scents or feel strange to a cat's paws, and therefore should be avoided.
If she hasn't been evaluated by your vet in the last 6 months, I'd make an appointment for her and rule out UTI or other problem. Has she had any prior injuries that could be making her joints painful? What is the consistency of her stools? Does she strain in the litterbox or have anal gland issues occasionally? Is there occasional stress in the environment or daily routine? Do all the cats get along comfortably?
You could be right about her being fearful of the box, try to think back to determine if some sort of event occured in that particular area, no matter how minimal it seems to you. Is the area private? Is it near heavy appliances, furnace or air conditioner, etc? Is the area dark? Usually, when a cat attempts to get to the litterbox but eliminates just outside of it, it is usually indicative of a dislike for the litter type or location of the box. (pending ruling out UTI or other health issue)
..........Traci
Re: cat afraid of litter box?
4 boxes are in a large bathroom which is also laundry room. 5th box is in living room on a spot where she chose to urinate intermitently. She is not urinating there anymore, instead is back to urinating right next to the other boxes. We have tried locating boxes in other rooms before, and in no case has that alleviated the problem. She seems to be ok going in that bathroom, just not in the boxes.
One of the other cats is her sister, and they are best friends. third cat does not like her at all, so it is possible that an altercation between them could have caused this problem. the "sister" cat is a dominant cat, does not cover her feces, etc. and insists on using all litter boxes for herself.
We are not avoiding clumping litter - it is what we have used, and we currently have 3 boxes with clumping clay litter in them. the problem cat is not using the clumping litter. That is one reason we are looking to change it. Other reason is that prevailing opinion is that it is not necessarily the most healthy choice for cats due to danger of ingestion and resulting blockage. Also it is most definately not healthy for rabbits, which we also have (one of our rabbits uses the cat boxes). The "PaPurr" litter is the same texture as clumping litter and clumps, but is not made of clay. We have tried many other alternatives already, including a variety of different clumping litters and also yesterdays news. When we try new litters we always offer 1 box of a new litter, and all others of the old litter, so to see if she will choose the new litter as an alternative to the old litter or floor. because it would be impossible to keep the rabbit away from these litter boxes, we have to make litter choices that are both cat safe AND rabbit safe.
I will try the paper towel idea. I had not thought of that.
Julie
One of the other cats is her sister, and they are best friends. third cat does not like her at all, so it is possible that an altercation between them could have caused this problem. the "sister" cat is a dominant cat, does not cover her feces, etc. and insists on using all litter boxes for herself.
We are not avoiding clumping litter - it is what we have used, and we currently have 3 boxes with clumping clay litter in them. the problem cat is not using the clumping litter. That is one reason we are looking to change it. Other reason is that prevailing opinion is that it is not necessarily the most healthy choice for cats due to danger of ingestion and resulting blockage. Also it is most definately not healthy for rabbits, which we also have (one of our rabbits uses the cat boxes). The "PaPurr" litter is the same texture as clumping litter and clumps, but is not made of clay. We have tried many other alternatives already, including a variety of different clumping litters and also yesterdays news. When we try new litters we always offer 1 box of a new litter, and all others of the old litter, so to see if she will choose the new litter as an alternative to the old litter or floor. because it would be impossible to keep the rabbit away from these litter boxes, we have to make litter choices that are both cat safe AND rabbit safe.
I will try the paper towel idea. I had not thought of that.
Julie
From their site:
The only time one should be concerned with ingestion of litter is when the cat is a kitten and too curious, or when the litterbox is not scooped daily and wet clumps end up stuck in paw pads and grooming risks ingestion. Scooping more than once daily should prevent this problem. "Natural" type litters should NEVER be ingested, for the reasons above, toxic oils and citruses.
Perhaps training the rabbit to use only one box with rabbit-appropriate litter (pellets or paper litter, like newspaper only) would also help. The rabbit's box should be placed near his/her cage or area most frequented by the rabbit. (but not too close to food and water dishes)
Do try the paper towels in one box and see what she does, but you will need to change the paper towels several times a day.
Again, when exactly was her last vet visit?
Which means, if there are any natural oils in the processing, these can be toxic to cats (as well as to your rabbit), despite their claims of "all natural". It could also be an unpleasant scent, since most oils and citruses do contain a scent not always detectable by a humans but equally as offensive to cats. Citrus oils are also toxic to cats.PaPurr® contains 100% non-toxic ingredients. Its scent is derived from naturally occurring oils and it is colored with food-grade dyes.
The only time one should be concerned with ingestion of litter is when the cat is a kitten and too curious, or when the litterbox is not scooped daily and wet clumps end up stuck in paw pads and grooming risks ingestion. Scooping more than once daily should prevent this problem. "Natural" type litters should NEVER be ingested, for the reasons above, toxic oils and citruses.
Perhaps training the rabbit to use only one box with rabbit-appropriate litter (pellets or paper litter, like newspaper only) would also help. The rabbit's box should be placed near his/her cage or area most frequented by the rabbit. (but not too close to food and water dishes)
Do try the paper towels in one box and see what she does, but you will need to change the paper towels several times a day.
Again, when exactly was her last vet visit?
..........Traci
That would be awesome if it were that easy! Rabbit has full house priveledges during limited times of the day. they have a box in their room, but this rabbit also comes downstairs, which is where cat boxes are. It would be completely impossible to limit her to upstairs, and also completely impossible to prevent her from entering the room with cat boxes without also preventing cats from entering that room. This rabbit can leap over a "large dog" type of gate.Traci wrote:
Perhaps training the rabbit to use only one box with rabbit-appropriate litter (pellets or paper litter, like newspaper only) would also help. The rabbit's box should be placed near his/her cage or area most frequented by the rabbit. (but not too close to food and water dishes)
At any rate, as stated before my attempt at changing litters is to find a litter that this cat will use, so clumping clay versus anything else is not the issue. We have always had a clumping litter available to the cats, since they first came to live with us. There has never been a time when it was not available. Your issue with PaPurr is noted, obviously it is not a product you endorse; however since I only just put it in one box yesterday for the first time ever, I don't think that litter is the issue either. Its just somethign I am trying.
last vet visit was about a year ago, so we are due to go again. however this problem was brought up at last vet visit and no cause was determined. Vet suggested trying different litters, adding boxes, moving boxes, we have tried all of those suggestions. SO... time for another trip to vet, but hoped someone here might have some other ideas also.
J
Re: cat afraid of litter box?
It's not a matter of endorsing a product or not, it's a matter of safety. We often advise against natural oils, citrus, essential oils, etc on this forum, and their risk of toxicity to pets, particularly cats.
Are there stressors in the environment, think back and try to determine what may be causing her undue stress or apprehension. This can be nearly anything and might seem minimal to you, but a huge stressor for her. It could also have been a certain thing or event that happened months ago yet she is reacting to it now.
Are there stressors in the environment, think back and try to determine what may be causing her undue stress or apprehension. This can be nearly anything and might seem minimal to you, but a huge stressor for her. It could also have been a certain thing or event that happened months ago yet she is reacting to it now.
..........Traci
Re: cat afraid of litter box?
well the behavior has been going on for quite some time. It was originally only defecation. From my observation the behavior began when she had a heat for the first time. Shortly after that heat we had her spayed. Since the vet has not discovered any health reasons, I originally made the conclusion that whatever hormonal change occured during the heat was to blame. Unfortunately the problem did not correct after she was spayed. I do notice, however, that she seems scared and tense if I try to just put her in the box. That makes me think something bad happened when she was in there. If that could be the case, then how would I re-train her to not fear the box? We have already tried buying new boxes. I don't feed my cats treats and they won't eat them anyway, so I can't entice her with treats. Could i take her in there once a day every day and give her lots of cuddles and pets to help her associate the box with nice things? I will definately take her to the vet this week but if it is behavioral and not health I want to be ready with some other ideas. I have seen her use a box within recent times but she steps into it very hesitantly, like it is going to swallow her up.
J
J
Re: cat afraid of litter box?
Try the paper towels first, it very well could be that she does not like the feel of the litter types. I have a cat like that, she will not use ANY type of litter whatsoever. I simply use a liner in a small box that belongs only to her, and place 4 folded over paper towels in it, change them several times a day, and she uses it faithfully.
I doubt this is a spay-issue learned behavior, unless something unusual happened at the clinic during the spay to stress her unduly.
The fact that the laundry room/bathroom also serves as the litterbox area might be a factor. Washing machines and dryers are loud, noisy, sometimes clunky and do scare cats. Use another box with the paper towels in a non-dark area, one that is private, not near appliances, not near foot-traffic, etc. Also, in the event you use bleach in the wash frequently, or use plug-ins for bathroom use, the scents could be putting her off.
I doubt this is a spay-issue learned behavior, unless something unusual happened at the clinic during the spay to stress her unduly.
The fact that the laundry room/bathroom also serves as the litterbox area might be a factor. Washing machines and dryers are loud, noisy, sometimes clunky and do scare cats. Use another box with the paper towels in a non-dark area, one that is private, not near appliances, not near foot-traffic, etc. Also, in the event you use bleach in the wash frequently, or use plug-ins for bathroom use, the scents could be putting her off.
..........Traci