Hi all,
I was married once and had 5 cats. When we split last year, my ex took 3 cats and I took 2. Recently, one cat began having problems with my exes other animals so I took her in. For the past month or so, everything has been fine. Yesterday and today, one of my cats poo'd and peed on the floor in the bedroom - the litterbox is right next to the bedroom. The litterbox is clean. The cat has no medical problems, so all I can think is that for some reason, she refuses to leave the room to use the litterbox now.
She did this before and we just kept her locked up in a room during the day with a litterbox, but my current apartment is really small and I don't want the smell of litterbox in my bedroom all the time.
Any suggestions?
Kitty not using the litterbox anymore
Re: Kitty not using the litterbox anymore
Besides the divorce, what other stresses have affected the cats? Be specific please. (a small apartment might be one of them, and for example, having the litterbox in an area OTHER than a closed, private room - etc, but what about you, about your schedule, about your own stress they may be picking up on).
You said you "took her in", but was a complete urinalysis done by the vet? How old are the cats, and the one who visited the vet? Did she have bloodwork done? Is she the cat who eliminated on the floor this time, or a different cat? And, how do you know, did you see it occur?
You said the ex has 3 cats, you have two, but stated one cat is "having problems with my exes other animals", ? How many do you have? Are all the pets in the same area again or ?
You said you "took her in", but was a complete urinalysis done by the vet? How old are the cats, and the one who visited the vet? Did she have bloodwork done? Is she the cat who eliminated on the floor this time, or a different cat? And, how do you know, did you see it occur?
You said the ex has 3 cats, you have two, but stated one cat is "having problems with my exes other animals", ? How many do you have? Are all the pets in the same area again or ?
..........Traci
-
gypsydancer
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 5:40 pm
Re: Kitty not using the litterbox anymore
All of my cats are current on their vet visits.Traci wrote:Besides the divorce, what other stresses have affected the cats? Be specific please. (a small apartment might be one of them, and for example, having the litterbox in an area OTHER than a closed, private room - etc, but what about you, about your schedule, about your own stress they may be picking up on).
You said you "took her in", but was a complete urinalysis done by the vet? How old are the cats, and the one who visited the vet? Did she have bloodwork done? Is she the cat who eliminated on the floor this time, or a different cat? And, how do you know, did you see it occur?
You said the ex has 3 cats, you have two, but stated one cat is "having problems with my exes other animals", ? How many do you have? Are all the pets in the same area again or ?
There are no stresses in the apartment. All my animals get along. There's no hissing, no growling, no fighting. They all play together and often sleep together and always sleep with me at night. I've been living here almost a year now. My schedule has been the same since before I lived here. The litterbox has been in the same place since I moved in. I've been using the same brand of litter since she was a kitten.
The kitty that I took in isn't the one that is doing the peeing/pooing. I mentioned it in case it was a factor (even though it's been a month).
All three cats lived together when I was with my ex - along with two other cats. I took in my third because one of my ex's cats started viciously chasing her and trapping her in spaces.
I know which cat it is because she's done this before. After about 5 months of living in my past house, she one day started doing the same behavior (there was no changes or stressors) and refused to leave the bedroom. She didn't have anything medically wrong with her then and she does not now. She just decided that she had no desire to leave the bedroom anymore and would just do her business in the bedroom, since she would not leave to use the litterbox.
I have three cats total - one eight, one seven (the pee-er) and one two and a half (rejoining the pack). The third kitty is not new, they've all lived together before. None of my animals fight nor have they ever.
Re: Kitty not using the litterbox anymore
Just to clarify, DID you take her to the vet and get a complete urinalysis and/or complete bloodwork? If so, exactly when? When inappropriate elimination occurs, it's imperative the cat is examined immediately to rule out UTI's etc. Also, any cat over the age of 7 should have yearly (or twice yearly) bloodwork done, including urinalysis and thyroid function testing.
And again, how do you know which cat it is if you didn't actually see him/her in the act? Just because this cat in particular has done this before doesn't necessarily mean it is she who is doing it this time. Any of the cats could be, due to stress, pain, illness, etc.
What food are you feeding, and are you free-feeding or feeding on a schedule?
How many litterboxes do you have? Have you considered adding a second box? This is oftentimes necessary and as a rule of thumb, it is one box per cat.
What type of litter are you using? Is it kept scooped on a daily basis and thoroughly cleaned/rinsed on a weekly basis? Are you using enzymatic cleaners, or heavy scented household cleaners? The latter can put off cats where they won't use the litterbox. Where is the litterbox located? Is it right out in the open or is it in a secluded, private area? Cats prefer their litterboxes in a private area, away from foot traffic, heavy appliances, and not in the direct pathway of other pets. Intimidation by the other cats and avoidance of the litterbox can occur if the litterbox is not placed in an appropriate area.
Are any of the cats overweight? Are the two oldest arthritic by chance? (this can cause pain and discomfort and cause them to avoid the litterbox if it is not easily accessible, the box has too high sides, etc)
Moving and relocation are extreme stresses for cats, and they can hide their stress for months until another stressful event or illnesses causes the stress to exacerbate where health or behavior problems develop. The first time this occured could have been due to moving. This time however, it sounds like you might be missing some other source of stress. Sudden behavioral changes or elimination habit changes are oftentimes due to illness or stress, and due to the two oldest cats' ages, you truly need to rule out illness.
You say there are no stressors in their environment, but are you certain about that? Just because YOU cannot determine sources of stress doesn't mean they don't feel differently. Cats do not handle stress and even minor changes in the environment, they prefer their environment stable, with virtually nothing changed that would cause confusion, unhappiness, anxiety, withdrawal, etc.
Lastly, don't dismiss the fact that bringing in the third kitty hasn't actually been a stressful event for one or both of the other cats. As stated, cats can hide their stress for some time before it actually manifests into a behavioral or health issue.
And again, how do you know which cat it is if you didn't actually see him/her in the act? Just because this cat in particular has done this before doesn't necessarily mean it is she who is doing it this time. Any of the cats could be, due to stress, pain, illness, etc.
What food are you feeding, and are you free-feeding or feeding on a schedule?
How many litterboxes do you have? Have you considered adding a second box? This is oftentimes necessary and as a rule of thumb, it is one box per cat.
What type of litter are you using? Is it kept scooped on a daily basis and thoroughly cleaned/rinsed on a weekly basis? Are you using enzymatic cleaners, or heavy scented household cleaners? The latter can put off cats where they won't use the litterbox. Where is the litterbox located? Is it right out in the open or is it in a secluded, private area? Cats prefer their litterboxes in a private area, away from foot traffic, heavy appliances, and not in the direct pathway of other pets. Intimidation by the other cats and avoidance of the litterbox can occur if the litterbox is not placed in an appropriate area.
Are any of the cats overweight? Are the two oldest arthritic by chance? (this can cause pain and discomfort and cause them to avoid the litterbox if it is not easily accessible, the box has too high sides, etc)
Moving and relocation are extreme stresses for cats, and they can hide their stress for months until another stressful event or illnesses causes the stress to exacerbate where health or behavior problems develop. The first time this occured could have been due to moving. This time however, it sounds like you might be missing some other source of stress. Sudden behavioral changes or elimination habit changes are oftentimes due to illness or stress, and due to the two oldest cats' ages, you truly need to rule out illness.
You say there are no stressors in their environment, but are you certain about that? Just because YOU cannot determine sources of stress doesn't mean they don't feel differently. Cats do not handle stress and even minor changes in the environment, they prefer their environment stable, with virtually nothing changed that would cause confusion, unhappiness, anxiety, withdrawal, etc.
Lastly, don't dismiss the fact that bringing in the third kitty hasn't actually been a stressful event for one or both of the other cats. As stated, cats can hide their stress for some time before it actually manifests into a behavioral or health issue.
..........Traci