Litter Tray Problems

Paula

One of my cats (Casper, 8 years old) has started to do his business outside of the litter tray. We have two litter trays, one upstairs and one downstairs. I think he is doing this as the other cat always pees at the very front of the litter tray and I think maybe Casper does not want to walk through it, understandably.

Not quite sure what to do about this, other than get a third litter tray and put it next to the one where he is causing the problem.

I think the other cat (Lola, 7) is a bit fussy and tries to go in the cleanest litter tray around but she just has this habbit of doing it at the very front.

Getting a bit frustrated now as we have new carpet in this room and am cleaning it with carpet shampoo like every day.

Any ideas welcome - thanks.

FRE

Had a similar problem Paula, when Biggles - the only male - came along. He was not so 'careful' with the litter tray, so the girls were put off using it.

I'm afraid the only way I could sort it out was to get another tray. Sorry, can't think of anything else.

Good luck to you ............ and the carpet Rolling Eyes

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Fay, Max, Polly, BJ, Jenny & Biggles

Biggles & Harry

coliel

hi
i dont have cats but i do have ferrets and they bothe use a litter tray while in their huch and also in my house.
i find that niether ferret will use the tray if, like you say it has been used and the ferret has to walk threw the muck .
obviosly i clean the littertrays morning and night but if one of them has been lazy and gone right in the front of the tray they will wee and poo just out side of it !!! due to this i plase news paper around the tray and always leave a little fresh poo right in the corner of the tray to encourage pooing and weeing in that corner.
love coliel

coliel

hi
sorry to add again but i was woundering if you could leave the liter trays away from carpit like the bathroom and kitchen? that way if they do go to the toilet out side of their tray its easyer to clean up .
love coliel

Paula

thanks to both of you for your comments.

coliel, I didn't really want to put newspaper around the litter tray in case he gets too used it and accepts that on the newspaper is an acceptable place to go to the loo.

we have just moved one of the litter trays from underneath the stairs to the bottom of the stairs as our puppy was a little too interested in its contents, shall we say! when we did this casper kept going to the loo where the old litter tray used to be and it has taken a while to get him used to its new location. i don't want to confuse him anymore!

I'm thinking of getting another litter tray and either putting it in the bathroom or right next to the other problem litter tray.

it doesn't help that Lola the other cat always uses every litter tray the minute after they have been cleaned. I can understand this, we all want to use a clean loo but she goes to all of them straight away. I'm wondering if this is her way or marking her scent in the house.

coliel

hi
im not sure a new tray will work as wont she just wee on all the trays - you could end up with 5 trays to keep clean and still mess on the floor !!!!
i see what you mean about the news paper but for me it dose work as they still know that its supose to go in the tray.
how about swapping you normal trays for huge toy boxes with 2 of the sides cut right down that way their is more room for your cats to doge each outhers wee? my ferrets use washing up bowles with 2 sides cut down because they like to go against a corner wall.
at least this way you wont have to use paper or change the trays position.
love coliel

shadylady

hi no cats like change so maybe your cat just doesnt like the new position of the tray, also when my cats tray is dirty he wont do a number 2 even if its the smallest amount of wee he wont go he would rather poo on the floor and as its in my downstairs loo its easy to clean, so maybe your cats just fussy as my cat never wees outside of the tray, and if his trays dirty he will tell us lol by meowing and walkin round as if hes lost.. so my cats tray is cleaned out as soon as hes done his business..

cats are also self concious and dont like an audience when going so maybe a loo wid a lid might suffice..
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Paula

hi coliel and shadylady thanks for both of your replies, some useful suggestions there.

I don't think casper has a problem with where the litter tray is as he goes in it when it is clean, just not when it is dirty. It is a litter tray with a lid, he has always had this type. I think I might take the lid off for a while and see how it goes with that, that way he can step in it wherever he chooses. Also it is underneath a little corner table so he should still be able to get some privacy.

I'll see what happens over the next few days and take it from there.

shadylady

Sometimes out of the blue a cat will stop using the litter tray. Most owners just think "Oh, an accident!" and clear up. Then it happens again…. And again.
ACT NOW. Cats learn to feel a certain substance under their feet. For most cats this will be the litter, itself. But if (for some other reason) the cat has not been using the litter, it will start getting used to the feel of, say, carpet. And once carpet becomes the substance which triggers urination or defecation, you are in trouble.
It's no good hoping the cat will change its behaviour. You have to change the environment!!
You have to work your way through ALL of these possibilities since you can't ask the cat what is wrong with the existing set up. So try the most likely and if this doesn't work, try the unlikely. What is unlikely to you may make perfect sense to your cat.
Sometimes a cat who has been happy with the existing set up changes his mind. For example a cat that has been happy to share a litter tray with his companion cat now refuses to share. Or a cat that was happy to pee and poo in the same tray changes his mind. Do not assume that because yesterday's set up was OK, it still is!
So all "accidents" with litter need quick investigation and quick remedy. Do not use disinfectants in cleaning up. Disinfectant smells may prompt the cat to use the same site again. Use biological washing liquid followed by scrubbing with surgical spirit. Cats urinate on existing urination sites, so cleaning up thoroughly is very, very important. Do not skimp this.
If none of this works, you have an emotional problem! So get back to me and I will send the next lot of info. It is also on my website www.celiahaddon.co.uk
If that doesn't help, get a cat behaviour counsellor.

1. DO YOU HAVE A LITTER TRAY? If you don't, you must install one NOW. It's no good expecting a cat to lead its life according to your standards. A cat that is urinating/defecating in the house may be afraid of doing it outside. So install a tray now.

2. IS THE CAT SUFFERING FROM INJURY OR MUSCLE STRAIN OR ARTHRITIS? Get this checked. If so, it may not be able to reach the litter tray in time or be unable to cope with stairs etc. Install extra litter trays in appropriate places it can reach. This may mean trays upstairs as well as downstairs, for instance, or not in rooms with slippery floors.

3. IS THE LITTER CLEAN ENOUGH? It must be cleaned daily, or better still twice a day. The cat may leave its bottom over the side because it doesn't feel the box is clean enough. Some cats will tolerate a dirty tray. Others will refuse to use a tray that already has one lot of dirty material. So, if you can't clean twice a day, see if adding a second tray will solve the problem.

4. IS IT TOO CLEAN? Are you putting in deodorants, disinfectants or scented litter. A litter tray should be dry and clean but with an aroma of urine and faeces - it should smell like a latrine. If you are cleaning the tray with disinfectants (not cloudy ones which are poisonous) remember to rinse it thoroughly so their scent disappears.

5. IS THERE ENOUGH LITTER? There should also be enough litter - some cats will stop using the tray if you are too mean with the litter. Put in more.

6. HAVE YOU CHANGED THE TYPE OF LITTER? Change back. If you want to change it, start by adding one handful of the new litter, then two - slowly changing over several weeks.

7. IS IT THE RIGHT LITTER? An outdoor cat may not like commercial litter. Try sand or earth. Then slowly change once the tray is being used. (see above). In general cats prefer thin-grained litter to large grained. I recommend Premium litter which comes in plastic containers and is expensive. But it clumps well and works out not too expensive because of that.

8. IS THE LOCATION RIGHT? Cats don't like going where there is a busy thoroughfare. Nor do they like going too close to food bowls or beds. A secluded place like a utility room, under stairs, etc. They don't like being overlooked by cats outside - ie if the litter tray is too close to patio doors where outside cats can look in. If you are not sure, install another tray in a different location and if the cat uses this one instead, get rid of the other.

9. HAS YOUR CAT HAD AN UNHAPPY EXPERIENCE WHILE ON THE TRAY? Has your cat had an unhappy experience while using the tray - ambush by a companion cat, ambush by a dog, pain, stomach pains while eliminating (from diarrhoea?), human interference while using the tray, a sudden loud noise while on the tray, pain from cystitis, recent illness of any kind, recent trip to vet for something which seems unconnected with litter tray pain but might be. If so, the cat may mistakenly decide that the tray isn't safe any more or the tray caused the pain. Therefore, experiment with a new (yes, new- don't be mean - you can use a baking dish if you don't want to shell out) tray.

10. IS YOUR CAT USED TO DOING IT OUT OF DOORS? For an outdoor cat (whom you want to be an indoor going cat) transfer some soil/sand from where they go. The familiar smell may trigger use. Some cats will use potting compost or peat, rather than other litters. Add some soiled material so the tray smells like a latrine. This is worth trying even if your cat has used litter in the past - it doesn't cost much to put some soil in a tray.

11. IS IT THE RIGHT LITTER TRAY? If the problem is that the cat won't use the litter tray (and therefore goes elsewhere) check that the cat is happy with this particular litter tray. Try putting down another one or some kind of temporary "tray" to see if a different one would be more acceptable. If the new litter tray is unused, maybe transfer some material from the place the cat does go, into the box.

12. DOES YOUR CAT DISLIKE USING THE SAME TRAY FOR BOTH URINATION AND DEFECATION? Add a new tray so that it can urinate in one and defecate in the other. Odd but some cats definitely prefer this. Some cats that were OK about peeing and pooing in the same place change their minds about it. Just putting two trays side by side may not work. Cats may want two separate locations.

13. ARE TOO MANY CATS USING THE SAME TRAY? There should be one litter tray per cat as a minimum and trays should not be side by side. Some cats won't go in the same place with other cats. A tray for each cat and one over makes extra sure. A new cat, which was occasionally urinating upstairs outside the tray stopped doing this when an upstairs tray was installed, as well as a downstairs one. Always worth trying an extra tray - just in case. Place it in a different location to the others.

14. IS THE CAT AMBUSHED WHILE ON THE TRAY. In a multi-cat household a bullied cat may be being ambushed while on the tray. Add trays where the cat can reach them without having to pass through enemy territory.

15. DOES THE CAT NEED A COVERED TRAY? Experiment with a cardboard box, one that fits tightly over the litter tray as a cover. If this helps, then buy a litter box with fitted cover. Use the same kind of litter and place some of the soiled litter in the new box, just so that it smells right to her. Some cats prefer see-through hooded trays to opaque ones, particularly in multi cat households. Some prefer opaque hoods.

16. IS YOUR CAT FINDING IT DIFFICULT TO CLIMB IN? Arthritic, elderly or injured cats may need a shallow tray. Arthritic cats, like arthritic humans, need pain relief. Some garden centre/DIY shops stock bases designed for holding plant pots/grow bags: they come in a range of sizes and there quite large rectangular ones with solid bases that hold several large plant pots, and the rims are about 1" high.

17. DOES YOUR CAT HAVE CYSTITIS? Symptoms include straining, pain when urinating, blood in urine, frequent urination, urinating in the wrong place, lots of tiny urinations instead of several large ones. More common in long haired, overweight, neutered males. Check with vet. Cystitis attacks occur at stressful times.

18. IS YOUR CAT HANGING HER BOTTOM OVER THE SIDE OF THE TRAY? Make sure the tray is full enough and clean enough. Even so some cats dig furiously but leave the backside out of the tray!! Try placing a smaller tray inside a larger one with a gap of about two and a half inches at the entrance. This ensures that the cat has to step across the gap to enter and use the inner try. Any overspill is absorbed by a small amount of litter in the gap area. The other idea is simply to buy a large deep round washing up bowl and use it instead of the conventional litter tray. "Our cat, Mitzi, was unable to get her tail over the side. It had other advantages in that the bowl was easier to lift with its rounded rim and easier to keep clean" reported Mitzi's owner.
heres some information i got from another site hope it helps...
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Paula

well I have taken the lid off the litter tray and still no change. Casper does not even bother going to the litter tray in the room now, he just walks in and does it on the carpet there and then.

going to clean the carpets tonight to get rid of the smell and also change back to the old type of litter that we were using as we changed brands a couple of months ago so maybe this is the problem.

someone suggested he might have cystitiis so am also going to take him to the vet to see if everything is ok.

this is becoming a major problem so we really need to find out what is causing it now.

littlelab

I had the same problem, I found the litter tray was too small, once I bought the largest I could find the problem eased off, I occasionally get the odd mishap, but not as often.
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Natalie and Co xxx