Ausmumof3 Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 My cat keeps doing her business right next to the litter box. She's fine for wee. We changed kitty litter types and that helped for a while but now she's doing it again. Any tips or ideas to get her back to going in the box. My dh already dislikes her and this is definitely not helping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Sometimes cats refuse to poop in the box due to medical issues, even if they have no problem peeing. You should go to the vet and get that checked. It's possible also the box is the wrong size for her to poop in. However, if both those issues are solved and it doesn't help, I'd go with the path of least resistance - put down a puppy training pad next to the box, toss it out after she relieves herself. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Both our cats would do this. They'd squat in the box, but with the important parts hanging out over the side. To catch the misses I laid out old cloth nappies beside the litter box. The cats then decided to skip the litter box altogether and just aim for the cloths. After a while of this, I ditched the litter boxes altogether. It's on tiles, it's easy to wash the cloths and no more cleaning up litter trays and no more cost of litter. It probably seems weird, but it works just fine for us. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 My kitties were sitting on the wrong side of the box, like Chocolate-Chip's. I bought a box with taller sides and they couldn't perch on them, so now everything is inside the box. Have you been able to catch what she's doing? Hanging off the wrong side, or not perching inside the box at all? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Ditto the others in that it may be you just need a box with taller sides. You also might want to consider adding another box. Some cats like one box for peeing and one for pooping. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 try a covered box? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 You also might want to consider adding another box. Some cats like one box for peeing and one for pooping. My cats are like this. Also, I was always told the rule of thumb was one more litterbox than number of cats. Eh, I have two cats and two litterboxes, but I mention it just in case. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schadenfreude Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Is your cat declawed?If so the litter may hurt their paws. They put more pressure on their feet when they poo which could cause the litter to dig into and irritate their paws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeenagerMom Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 We have a cat that is a total priss and will absolutely NOT use the litter box unless it is pristine. We usually try to scoop 1-2 times a day. If it isn't to his standards, he will cry next to the box until we come clean it or he will pee on laundry that is left laying around. Cats are assholes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Oy, litter problems. I've had a couple cats with litter issues and it can get entrenched really quickly. 2 thoughts: 1: Get another litter box in addition to the one you have. I try to have one more little box than cats. So, right now we have one cat and two litter boxes. They are both in the basement, not even that far apart, but in different parts of the room, and she uses both. When we had three cats we had four boxes.I swear they all pooped on one specific box only. 2: look for a litter called "cat attract". It is made especially to solve litter problems. It is scented with something that humans can't smell, but it makes cats want to use the box. It is more expensive, but it does work really well as a litter. I use half cat attract and half other clumping litter. Our local SPCA puts about 2 cups on top of every clean litter box to encourage the cats to use the box and they swear by it. and do you wash your box out every week or so? Even if you use clumping litter you should consider removing the litter and cleaning out the box with hot water and soap once a week or at least every other week. In the hot months we just hose it out really well. Don't use bleach or anything like that, it's too strong smelling and will hurt the cat's nose. Just use like a dish soap or something like that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 We have a cat that is a total priss and will absolutely NOT use the litter box unless it is pristine. We usually try to scoop 1-2 times a day. If it isn't to his standards, he will cry next to the box until we come clean it or he will pee on laundry that is left laying around. Cats are assholes. If someone in my house doesn't flush the toilet I will stand by it and yell until the offending party comes back and finishes the job...so I don't really blame your cat, lol. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Both our cats would do this. They'd squat in the box, but with the important parts hanging out over the side. To catch the misses I laid out old cloth nappies beside the litter box. The cats then decided to skip the litter box altogether and just aim for the cloths. After a while of this, I ditched the litter boxes altogether. It's on tiles, it's easy to wash the cloths and no more cleaning up litter trays and no more cost of litter. It probably seems weird, but it works just fine for us. My MIL used to run a kitten rescue and specialized in neo-nates. She lined all the cages with towels. They owned a hotel so she had an abundance of old towels. She litter box trained all the cats, but when they were newborn they just used the towels. She had commercial washing machines and washed all the towels daily. Even with 40+ at a time in her very small home, her house Never smelled like cat urine or feces (only smelled like wet food, during the feeding times). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Sometimes cats refuse to poop in the box due to medical issues, even if they have no problem peeing. You should go to the vet and get that checked. It's possible also the box is the wrong size for her to poop in. However, if both those issues are solved and it doesn't help, I'd go with the path of least resistance - put down a puppy training pad next to the box, toss it out after she relieves herself. This is what we did with ours. It worked like a champ. Now we just drape one over the side of the box before we put the litter in. No idea why, but it encourages him to go in the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 If someone in my house doesn't flush the toilet I will stand by it and yell until the offending party comes back and finishes the job...so I don't really blame your cat, lol. And you're not even putting your feet in the toilet! (At least, I assume you aren't....) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted January 9, 2017 Author Share Posted January 9, 2017 The box may be too small definitely. Sometimes she hangs over the edge but other times she goes well away from the box. We use the chrystal type litter. I'd prefer something biodegradable but whenever we change she stops using the box. Supposed to last four weeks but we change it every two. I might try to get a larger second box and if that doesn't work to for puppy pads. It actually is pretty easy to clean off the tiles but just feels gross if you know what I mean. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 We have a cat that is a total priss and will absolutely NOT use the litter box unless it is pristine. We usually try to scoop 1-2 times a day. If it isn't to his standards, he will cry next to the box until we come clean it or he will pee on laundry that is left laying around. Cats are assholes. totally :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I think since the cat is peeing in the litter box, she probably isn't afraid of it or doesn't have issues using it. So I do think maybe try a different type of litter box. I have 2 covered boxes. One is the usual one you have probably seen. The other is a top entry. It's like a plastic storage container with a lid that has a hole. That one is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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