help solve middening problem

[Beverly]

Hello, all. I am new to the forum and need help with my two 5-month old Persian kittens, one male (Yoda) and one female (Sheba), who we bought from the same litter at about two months of age. Both have had behavioral problems where the litter box is concerned, and although I have grown to love both of them dearly, I am at my wit's end. Yoda, the male, has been caught pooping on our bed and peeing in the bathtub, so I have had to close off these rooms. Sheba has been caught pooping on the carpet, sometimes even right in front of the litter box. I have had to dispose of comfy little cat beds because they have been urinated on. When Yoda does use the litter box, he will not cover up his faeces, and I have seen Sheba, the female, covering it up later. I have two litter boxes available within close proximity of one another, but they both seem to prefer to use the same box. I have tried changing brands of litter, but that doesn't seem to make a difference. Both of them were spayed and neutered about a week ago, and after a few days of recouperation, I began getting the unpleasant surprise of finding poop on the bed again and now also on the carpet in a heavy traffic area of our home. I have resorted to keeping both kitties closed up in one room overnight, and although they will urinate in their litter box, they will wait until I let them out in the morning to do their "business" where they are not supposed to. When I catch one of them misbehaving, I give him or her a firm "NO" and put them in "time out" in their room, but nothing I do seems to have a permanent effect on them. What else can I do to get them back on track, for good?

[Ash]

It's really a nuisance when they get into the habit of doing this, and from what I hear (haven't experienced it myself) it's hard to break.

You seem to be doing all that is usually advised.

Since locking them in at night doesn't solve the problem I would cease to do that as it might only add to whatever stress they experience. Is your home large enough for two cats? Have both enough space to withdraw alone if they feel to do so? Are there fights between them about food or about you? Do you play and entertain them enough? Are they left alone often? Does one family member not like them?

You could try putting the second litter box in another place, far away from the first one. You could also try garden soil as litter, maybe they like that.

I assume they have been thouroughly checked by your vet and there are no health issues?

To make it easier on you, keep the bedroom door locked at all times or remove the bedding in the daytime. One woman I heard of put easily washable mats in the places they preferred to poop in, and just tossed them in the washer (she had several mats, so always put a fresh one in place).

Can you remember what happened around the time they started doing this? Were there changes in the house, work going on, any other kind of stress, noise, someone leaving ...? This is often a protest, so try to put yourself in their place and figure out what they might be protesting against.

Since the neutering/spaying has only been done a week ago there is a chance they will change in time, as the hormons will still be in their body for quite some time after the operation.

[Beverly]

Thank you for your suggestions. The troublesome behavior started with the female, Sheba. She got a stomach virus, had diahrreah and refused to use the litter box then. I took her to the vet and he gave us some medicine but before she got completely well, the male got it. Then he started the behavior. They passed the virus back and forth until shortly before their surgery when we gave both of them doses at the same time. Both are well now. We have a two bedroom, two bath home with plenty of space for both kitties, as it is just myself and my husband. I office out of my home, so I am here the majority of the time. My husband and I are both very loving with them and we have a happy household. The kitties play fight together and they are good about sharing their food, but they do show a little jealosy, especially over me, it seems. They are all over my work area during the day, and I pet them frequently and we have play time and treats every evening when my husband gets home. Any other ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Cleo]

Clean the areas where they have previously soiled with a good enzymatic cleansers. A cat will pick up the scent left behind and mark the area all over again.

Also try setting a few treats in the areas where they are not supposed to go. Cats usually don't eliminate where their food is.

Aside from the stomach virus, has all other illness been ruled out?

[Beverly]

That's a great idea about putting treats in the area! I will try that. Aside from the previous stomach virus, they are perfectly healthy. They have had all of their shots and had a major blood workup completed before their surgeries. They are not "misbehaving" right now, and things seem to be back to normal, although I am still keeping them out of our bedroom. I wish I could figure out why they are so good and then get weird again for some unknown reason. I never had a cat with litter box issues before, but these are the first "thoroughbreds" that I have owned. Are their personalities different than other cats?

[Traci]

Are their personalities different than other cats?

In my opinion, yes Persians are sticklers for cleanliness, especially their litterbox (and placement of boxes). Be sure the boxes are scooped on a frequent basis and actually cleaned and rinsed weekly. I'd try placing the two litterboxes in different locations from each other, and make sure they are in quiet, private areas, away from heavy foot traffic. Wouldn't hurt to include a third box too, you can always remove it once the situation resolves.

They could in fact, be associating the previous viral (I'm assuming coccidia or giardia) with not being able to make it to the box on time, thereby leaving accidents. These habits are tough to break, but it can be done with lots of patience and forgiveness on your part. Try putting three litterbox in seperate locations, and use Petastic (formerly Nature's Miracle) on the areas they've marked.