How to get the cat to poop in the box all of the time??? GRRRR!!

[bheila]

My mom inherited 4 female persians when my grandma passed away 2 years ago. 1 of the girls has a problem using the litter box all of the time. She was the same way when my grandma had her at her house. When my mom leaves the house she locks her up in a two and a half foot by four foot cage. She has 2 litter boxes in the cage and the cat still doesn't use them all of the time. My mom has gone as far as putting the litter box in the spots where the cat poops, which is never the same spot. She never urinates in the house, just poops

Does anyone have any good tips on how to get the cat to use the box all of the time? My mom's getting really tired of cleaning poop out of her carpet. She's talking about putting her down because of this. I know we couldn't rehome her either, no one will want a cat who poops all over

 

[Skyesrocket]

Hmmm...good question. What about if she just puts newspaper in the litter box?
I had a long haired male that was the same way. I think, with him, it had something to do with the litter sticking to his fur. He would use a box lined with newspaper and no litter.
Sometimes when a cat starts going outside of the box it is some kind of a digestive health issue. But, if she has always done it then it seems like it's just out of habit. Maybe by changing the kind of box or litter you can break the habit?
Good Luck.

 

[bheila]

It's funny that you mention using newspaper, that is what my grandma used to put in the litter boxes. We just can't figure out what this cats problem is. Maybe we'll try the newspaper to see how she does, you never know

 

[briesberrypatch]

This is really simple, but I have to say it---

Is the litter box CLEAN?

I don't mean, "Yeah, I clean it every couple of days." I mean clean it at least twice a day, preferably more. (This is why scooping litter is much better than clay litters.) I keep the litter box in the bathroom so that every time I go in there, I notice it and it's easy to scoop it out. (And I use a flushable, scooping litter so it goes right down the toilet, too.)

Cats are finicky about their litter boxes. Some cats are REALLY finicky. Just like you wouldn't want to use a toilet that hadn't been flushed, some cats don't want to use a litter box that hasn't been cleaned since the last time it was used.

The kind of litter you're using may be a problem, too. She might not like the feel of it, so you can try experimenting with different litters.

The type of box you're using may be a problem. A lot of cats don't like covered boxes. Or the box could be too small for her.

 

[bheila]

Yes, the litter boxes are cleaned daily. All 4 of them

I'm going to suggest different litter and boxes to my mom. Thanks for the suggestions guys. If that doesn't work I don't know what she'll do.

Not sure if my mom could use the litter that goes in the toilet because they have a septic tank.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

hey bheila! hows them stinky pigs
;-)

so the cat thing - is the cat older??

most commonly:

* she is sick and should be seen by a vet - for instance she could be allergic to the food and if you are feeding the same food as grandma.. its not going to change
* my vet says that there should be one litter box for each cat plus one more
* she might not like the litter
* as above - clean litter box all the time
* she might need an easier-to-get-into litter box if she is older and stiff
* she might be mad - the cat not your mom
* might need to be wormed - we had a cat that stumped the vet twice. i took him to cat only vet and argued with that doc for over an hour and then we figured out he had some kind of crazy parasite! we gave him an unusual for cats wormer and poof - back in the box like nothing had happened.

i'd say honor your grandma and take him to the vet before doing anything drastic. i'd hate for mr/miss kitty to be put down when all it would take is something simple.

good luck!

 

[bheila]

Ohio-What stinky pigs? Pigs aren't stinky

My mom just took the cat to the vet to have them check her for worms. They said her fecal was clean but I was going to worm her anyway. The cat is eating different food then what my grandma was giving her. My mom is going to try different food again because the vet suggested that when she was there. It's been 2 years of poop everywhere so it's not like the cat hasn't had a chance

Oh and about honoring my grandma, we've done that. We allowed her to keep the 4 cats that my mom has now after finding homes for her other 63 cats

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

GREAT GOOGLEY MOOGLEY!!!

and we thought we had an insane number of cats!! ok grandma wins!!!! wow!!!!!!

and i know its tough. one of my old lady cats was really poopy - but we just took up the carpet in one of our bedrooms, put down cheap flooring and she just lived in there at nite and when we werent around. it a hard thing to deal with and unless you can find a fix there's no great answer. but yay you for trying!



so our stupid pigs are SO DARN STINKY!!!! i was trying to enjoy sitting in my chair (for once) and the wind shifted and it was ultra pig stinky!!! me and the dogs just gave up and moved. my hubby just keeps telling me its the scent of bacon before its cured. gggrrrrrrr.....

 

[bheila]

 

[briesberrypatch]

Quote:
Just check the bags - they will say if they're septic safe. We have a septic system, so we have the same concern. We used to use Swheatscoop, and that's septic safe. We're using a corn-based litter now, and though I can't remember the name, I know it is also septic-safe.

Just be sure to follow the directions on the bag. Usually they say to let it sit in the toilet for 15 minutes before flushing (so it can absorb water and break down, I think).