My female cat, Katie, is seven years old. She was adopted at a humane society at the age of about six months. Throughout her life I have had problems with her using a litter box. In the past it seemed that the problem was with the brand of litter in that she only would use the box with "Fresh Step" litter. I can no longer use little rugs around the house as she pees on them. I even got her her own litter box since she was sharing one with our eight year old male who is very fastidious when it comes to using the little box (a perfect gentlemen in so many ways). She is now pooping by the box and in other areas of the living room. Fortunately (at least for now) she is leaving the bedroom alone. She is well cared for and the other kitty, Panther, is very gentle with her. She has no inside stressors (i.e. strangers coming in, other pets, etc.). The living room now reeks of cat urine especially in front of the living room heater. I am dreading when we have to turn it on again as it will only multiply the odor. Does anyone have any suggestions? I am thinking seriously of taking her to a no-kill shelter if she continues going everywhere but the box. Any ideas would be welcome. Thank you for taking the time to read this post.
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Purrs
Need dvice for female cat who won't use litter box. Please help!!!
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Posted 2 years ago by katzenmother #
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Try this link, it has different reasons and solutions for Katie's problems with the litter box. I will tell you that I can't put down throw rugs of certain kinds because one or another of my cats will use them instead of the litter box. You might try mixing 2 cups of Vinegar, 2 cups of Hydrogen Perioxide (?), 1-2 tsp Baking Soda, with a dash of dishwashing liquid (mix in a bowl because of the baking soda) and cleaning the carpet(s) in the living room....spray the spot and then soak/blot up the area, afterwards vacuum.
Posted 2 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
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That is a distressing problem and worse because now, as you say, the smell is pervasive and it will be very hard to stop her going back to places she has toileted before unless you can eliminate the smell. I would try retraining her, by putting her in a smaller room with her litterbox and keeping her in there like a kitten (of course, playing with her and spending time with her etc) until she starts to use the litterbox again. There is also a type of catlitter (called 'Attract', I think) that other TDKers have had success with -- it is pricey but you sprinkle it over your normal cat litter (I think) and it encourages the cat to use the box -- they seem to love it. Good luck! I feel so sorry for you and poor little Katie.
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In the short term, I absolutely encourage you to go to Petco or Petsmart or any pet store and buy one of the enzyme cleaners. There are several brands I have used Petzyme and Nature's Miracle and they are absolutely 100% effective. They work by breaking the cat's urine into its separate chemical components and, once they aren't joined together, they no longer smell. This is important because it is almost impossible to so thoroughly clean cat urine that a cat can't smell it (they can smell a single drop that is absolutely undetectable to humans.) Once the cat smells that urine, it will be attracted to that spot again.
I assume that you have taken the cat to the vet and know that there are no physical problems? If so, there are several things you need to try. One-- move her box to a different and quiet, private space. I put a screen in front of my boxes even though they are in a back room. Some cats really value privacy. You can make a screen by cutting open a big cardboard box. It won't look as sweet as my Japanese rice paper screen but it won't cost a fortune either!
Next, though it is a nuisance you might want to try giving her a second box. Many cats like to pee in one and poop (pardon my french)in another. This will also give you a chance to try different types of litter to see if she likes one better than the other. You might try pine, or Swheat (wheat hulls!), cedar, etc. I noticed this last year that my cats loved going in my garden beds which are mulched with golden Cypress (Walmart or Home Depot, Lowes) I pay $2.50 for a bag that doesn't go far in the garden but lasts a month or more in litter pans. It doesn't clump, of course, but because it is fluffy and you don't have to use that much, you can dump the whole thing out every day.
Good luck! some combination of the advice we have offered is almost certain to do the trick!
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