Why does my cat refuse to use the litter box?
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 at
8:21 pm
I have a almost 3 yr old female cat, and she is urinating behind the couch, against the wall, and I just now noticed some solid waste on a chair in the basement. The litter box is in the basement, and she shares the home with her sister. But her sister is not having this problem. What can I do to get the odor out, and prevent her from continuing this problem?
Filed under: Cat Furniture
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try switching from cat litter to using rabbit feed as litter. It smells better and its cheaper. It works – You can pick up the feed at your local feed store. Also it preents your cats from getting UTI’s which may also be the reason she may not want to use the litter box. Take her to the vet and have them take a urine sample from her to make sure she does not have a urinary infection.
She is a rebel, put some discipline on that cat
Is your cat spayed? cuz i have heard of cats doing this when they are not spayed.
They say there should be one litter box per cat. IF there is only the one then it may fill up fast and some cats are fussy to not want to go in there when it is not cleaned out. A litter box should get cleaned out at least twice a week, depending on how often the cats go. I also would watch and see if she uses it when cleaned, or put a second one and see if that helps. IF not then take her to the vet and get her checked. Either a non spayed cat will mark territory and that is corrected most times with spaying them, or she may have an infection that can be corrected. Try making sure her food has LOW magnesium level in it . It shows on the bag or has a number to call and ask the company. There is food by Purina that is for urinary health that is low in this and not that expensive. Good luck.
First, take her to the vet – urinary infection &/or urinary crystals are the most common cause for cats to start going outside of their boxes. Tell the vet what’s going on, and ask for a urinalysis. If she’s ill, she’s in pain and can’t help going out of the box occasionally – behavioral remedies will be useless until she’s treated for the urinary health problems. Cats are good at hiding illness and pain (it’s a survival tactic), so often the only clue you’ll get that your cat may have urinary health problems is out-of-the-box urination.
If she checks out OK at the vet, it’s possible that something about the litterbox itself, the litter, the box location, etc. is bothering her. See these links for suggestions:
http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/Housesoiling.html
Those links don’t mention it, but I highly recommend Cat Attract litter for helping with litter box problems. It can be found at most pet supply stores. Another thing to consider is the possibility that if your litter box has been in use for some time, the plastic may have absorbed odors – try replacing it with a new box to see if that helps.
Stress can cause inappropriate urination – cats can be stressed sometimes by things that we don’t even notice, until we know what to look for. This article explains stress in cats & how to address it:
http://cats.about.com/cs/healthissues/a/stress.htm
A Feliway Comfort Zone diffuser can help a great deal with stress & litterbox issues: http://www.petcomfortzone.com/czcats.htm
This link has extensive "out-of-the-box" resources: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9352/litterboxhelp.html
You’ll also need to make sure that all previously soiled spots are cleaned with an enzyme cleaner, so the cat won’t be lured there again. This link has excellent urine spot locating and cleanup info: http://www.thecatsite.com/Care/48/Combat-Cat-Urine.html
It’s a 2-page article (the link to the second page at the bottom may be a little difficult to spot).
Hope this helps!
maybe she doesn’t like to share the litter box with her sister. was she having this problem before? get another littler box in the house, maybe that could help. for the odor there are some great products at the store. also, you can leave in the room for a few hours a bowl with vinegar, it helps with odors too.
Hm, that’s a tough one. Maybe you should try to put another litter box upstairs? In the bathroom or in the kitchen if there is room and it wont stink up the house?? Try putting some sort of powder in the box as well, they make special cat powder and you can get it at like P&C, Walmart, Kinney’s and so on. Do you have a bag in the litter box? Or do you just put it in the bottom of the box and dump it out? Try the opposite of what you do now, maybe she’s just being picky.
I hope this helps…good luck
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did you actually train your cat as a kitten to use a litter box? why dont you keep it out side in the yard, much better environment for your cat. and train your cat to use it.
i personally believe, kittens should use litter boxes, my 2 cats go out inside in the yard.
Like everyone else said, take her to the vet first to rule out a UTI. Your cat is trying to tell you she doesn’t like her box for some reason. Anytime they go outside the box, and it isn’t a UTI, they are trying to tell you something. You wouldn’t believe how much of a difference a small change can make. You need more than 1 box, 1 or 2 more spread throughout the house is good. Most cats hate sharing, and will go elsewhere instead. They like their OWN scent.
If more boxes doesn’t help, try a different litter. Sometimes they hate the litter. Overly scented litter isn’t pleasing to a cat. They have sensitive noses.
You can also try a different type of box. One with sides, one that is completely enclosed, an automatic one. The key is to clean them everyday. Use those disposable litter liners b/c that way the box itself doesn’t get urine on it.
My cat, out of no where, started peeing in front of the box everytime she had to go recently. I bought an automatic litterbox and also started using litter liners and cleaned the boxes out real well with soap and water. It’s been a few months now and she stopped doing it. You just need to do a process of elimination. Trust me, get more boxes and keep them clean and I guarentee it will work.