Some kitty TMI

KikiteNeko · Jul 8, 2008

My cat is... pooping in the tub.
He's about 10 months old and I've had him for a month. He's such a jolly happy little guy, always hopping into laps and cuddling on the bed and playing with my older cat.

I can not figure it out. He's been to the vet twice, tested for worms. He's healthy as all of get out. Right now we have a tarp in the bath tub so that if he goes in there, at least it's easier to clean up.

One of my idiot friends was like "Why don't you just starve him and ignore him for a few days? That'll show him."

u.u

My mom is at her wit's end. Even though I bleach out the tub and handle 100% of the cats bills and expenses, and clean up after them, she's really fed up. I'm worried that she's going to try and make me get rid of the cat, in which case I'd rather move out and take the cats with me. Fantastic! Sign me up!

Anyone got a few thousand dollars?

Lyra Jean · Jul 8, 2008

Have you tried moving the cat box to a new location. Or if you use cat box liners remove them. My cat wouldn't use the cat box if it had a liner or any sort of mat underneath the box. So try changing the cat box in some way if your kitty isn't sick.

joyce · Jul 8, 2008

I have absolutely no advice to give other than I don't think starving the cat and ignoring it for several days will do anything but maybe make matters worse. I hope you can figure this out so you don't have to give up the cat.

I was wondering......what's up with all the AW cats lately? They seem to have gone on a pooping rampage.

KikiteNeko · Jul 8, 2008

rosemerry said:
Have you tried moving the cat box to a new location. Or if you use cat box liners remove them. My cat wouldn't use the cat box if it had a liner or any sort of mat underneath the box. So try changing the cat box in some way if your kitty isn't sick.

I can't move it to a new location. There's just the bathroom (Where it is now), the kitchenette, or the bedrooms. So..

We don't use box liners though. We do have a mat under the litter box, but it's the same type of mat we put in the bathtub to stop him from pooping in there, and he pooped on the mat too.

Sheryl Nantus · Jul 8, 2008

tell your mother that there are worse places for him to poop in...

why not put the litter box in the tub for a few days, let him poop in it and then move it?

just a thot...

Nakhlasmoke · Jul 8, 2008

My cat has been doing it for years. He was doing that when we got him.

I say, learn to live with cleaning the bath a zillion times a day.

(none of our other cats do it, just this one, and believe me I prefer it to him crapping on the beanbags, which is his other joy in life)

veinglory · Jul 8, 2008

Yo can also trying watching him and if you see him start getting ready to pop move him to the litter box with lots of praise and treats for doing it there.

You might also look at making the litter box more like the bath--perhaps a cover, a change of litter, more cleaning?

KikiteNeko · Jul 8, 2008

Nakhlasmoke said:
My cat has been doing it for years. He was doing that when we got him.

I say, learn to live with cleaning the bath a zillion times a day.

(none of our other cats do it, just this one, and believe me I prefer it to him crapping on the beanbags, which is his other joy in life)

Maybe I'll luck out and find an aparment with a shower that has one of those glass doors. Do they still make those?

But the only thing worse than having to clean up his poop in the tub is having to face my mom. She flips her lid every time, and I get screamed at like somehow I'm not doing some magical thing that would make him stop.

Captshady · Jul 8, 2008

Sheryl Nantus said:
tell your mother that there are worse places for him to poop in...

why not put the litter box in the tub for a few days, let him poop in it and then move it?

just a thot...

That's worked for me, on occasions, it's a good idea. Be careful what you wish for, though! It might end up pooping on the carpet instead, or something.

Another thing to try, and it's a bit harsh, but I've had to resort to it in the past. "Rub his face in it." Push the cat's face reaaaalllll close to it, and give him a swat on the fanny. It's harsh, but it DOES work.

Nakhlasmoke · Jul 8, 2008

Oh yikes - it's not your fault, some cats are just weirdos.

We have one of those glass-door showers. He's crapped there when I blocked access to the bath. So I gave up and just accept his poo-flaws. *shrug*

Kitrianna · Jul 8, 2008

rosemerry said:
Have you tried moving the cat box to a new location. Or if you use cat box liners remove them. My cat wouldn't use the cat box if it had a liner or any sort of mat underneath the box. So try changing the cat box in some way if your kitty isn't sick.

veinglory said:
Yo can also trying watching him and if you see him start getting ready to pop move him to the litter box with lots of praise and treats for doing it there.

You might also look at making the litter box more like the bath--perhaps a cover, a change of litter, more cleaning?

I've ended up using both of these methods simultaneously with one of my kittens. Even though he knew where the litter box was and what it was for, he insisted on pooping under Kthrok's desk. So we moved the litter box there for a couple weeks and if he tried to poop outside of it, we moved him into it. About 3 weeks later we were able to put it back to where it had originally been and he continued to use it there. We did try the old rub his nose in it trick, but that didn't turn out so well. But like everyone else, I have to say if your cat is going to have weird toilet habits, at least he's picked an easy spot to clean.

KikiteNeko · Jul 8, 2008

Captshady said:
Another thing to try, and it's a bit harsh, but I've had to resort to it in the past. "Rub his face in it." Push the cat's face reaaaalllll close to it, and give him a swat on the fanny. It's harsh, but it DOES work.

I tried that. I stick his face in it, and say "No!" and then I put him in the litter box.

So far, nothing

DeleyanLee · Jul 8, 2008

When our tomcat started using the tub for his litterbox, it was because the other cats were keeping him out of the boxes we already had. Buying a new litterbox did the trick--once we turned the litter boxes so the entrances were facing opposite directions and making sure it would be uncomfortable for one cat to sit on top and guard them.

Litter boxes are great places for territory wars, especially with a new cat.

KikiteNeko · Jul 8, 2008

DeleyanLee said:
When our tomcat started using the tub for his litterbox, it was because the other cats were keeping him out of the boxes we already had. Buying a new litterbox did the trick--once we turned the litter boxes so the entrances were facing opposite directions and making sure it would be uncomfortable for one cat to sit on top and guard them.

Litter boxes are great places for territory wars, especially with a new cat.

We have two litter boxes. Actually, he pees in both of them and doesn't bother to cover it. I'm surprised my other cat isn't pooping in the tub. (eep, knock on wood).

DeleyanLee · Jul 8, 2008

tomothecat said:
We have two litter boxes. Actually, he pees in both of them and doesn't bother to cover it. I'm surprised my other cat isn't pooping in the tub. (eep, knock on wood).

Yep, sounds alot like what happened to Stinky--he didn't cover his either, which is why I think the girls started chasing him out. And, yes, we had 2 boxes at the time. Now we have 3 and it works much better.

FWIW, my vet says if you have more than 2 cats, you should have 1 more litter box than you do cats because it is a big territorial battle zone. Once my raise kicks in at the end of the month, we're going to get yet another box.

KikiteNeko · Jul 8, 2008

DeleyanLee said:
Yep, sounds alot like what happened to Stinky--he didn't cover his either, which is why I think the girls started chasing him out. And, yes, we had 2 boxes at the time. Now we have 3 and it works much better.

FWIW, my vet says if you have more than 2 cats, you should have 1 more litter box than you do cats because it is a big territorial battle zone. Once my raise kicks in at the end of the month, we're going to get yet another box.

Yeah but it's a small apartment =/ I can't have three litterboxes in a 4X5 bathroom.

veinglory · Jul 8, 2008

Um. No!+rub+litter box = scary event paired with litter box. Cats are very Pavlovian and pooping requires a feeling of relaxed safety.

I would suggest getting a brand new litter box, moving it position somewhat and transfering the poop and the cat to it with priase to show that is where they are meant to be.

PattiTheWicked · Jul 8, 2008

Try a different kind of cat litter. I used to have a cat who would pee in regular gravelly cat litter, but would only poop in sand.

So we had a box of each, and all was good with the world.

Kitrianna · Jul 8, 2008

Or perhaps kitty would like one with a lid? Some cats do better with privacy.

heyjude · Jul 8, 2008

Move the litter out of the bathroom and keep the door shut. Is that an option? That's what I had to do with mine.

Starving the cat or hitting it are both abusive. Please don't do this, anyone. Also, Veinglory is right. It will make things exponentially worse.

AndreaGS · Jul 8, 2008

My cat wouldn't poop in the box for a while. Have you tried Cat Attract? It's supposed to be specially formulated so cats want to pee/poop in it. It comes with a guarantee.

It worked like magic for me! When I poured it in the box, my cat sniffed it, went in, pooped, and actually covered it too (which he NEVER did before).

It isn't expensive at all, so it might be worth a try.

Unique · Jul 9, 2008

I had a cat that would poop in the sink if the box wasn't clean enough to suit him. That usually meant changing it every day. (more than one cat)

What bugs me is some of the cats I have now hang their azzes over the edge and get it on the box and the floor.

Like you, our bathroom is small so buying a bigger box just won't work. (We aren't jumping over it to get to the shower or the toilet)

Good luck.

Oh, do keep an eye out to make sure someone isn't chasing him out when he goes to do his business. Cats are notional. All of mine want to be 'first' when the box is first cleaned. They'll stand outside the door and wait and make a run at it to be first. Go figure.

PattiTheWicked · Jul 9, 2008

Why is it that the moment you clean the box, there's a dozen cats lined up to crap in it? I only have two cats, but ten minutes after I've changed the litter, there's a mountain of poop in there. I swear, they must be inviting friends over to use it.

KikiteNeko · Jul 9, 2008

PattiTheWicked said:
Why is it that the moment you clean the box, there's a dozen cats lined up to crap in it? I only have two cats, but ten minutes after I've changed the litter, there's a mountain of poop in there. I swear, they must be inviting friends over to use it.

My older cat, Tomo, likes to stand in the clean litter. Once I pour it in, she's all excited, pacting around the box until it's filled. And then she gets in, smoothes the sand out with her paws, and walks off.

DeleyanLee · Jul 9, 2008

Though I have a friend who's brother has a cat named "Poops In Tub".

Not kidding.

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