Any tips on Reminding kitty to use her box ALL the time??

My little Vianne and i have an issue that needs solving. I brought her home as a foster at 3-4 months old. She was always Excellent about using her kitty box. Wasn't picky about changing litter, amounts, new box, location...didn't matter she always used her box. I orginally fostered her for reasons of URI, but she also had mysterious chronic diarrhea over a period of several months off and on for various reasons such as tape worms, coccidia, and most recently giardia we suspect. Anyway....her stool is back to normal now and looking healthy, i think we finally got her all cleaned out of any more stubborn tummy problems. The problem is that during the times she had loose stools, she had taken to going #2 in either the bathtub or the sink. She would still go #1 in her box though. If she didn't have access to a tub or sink, then she would go in her box like a good girl. I figured she was doing this because she was sick and so i didn't chastise her for it. I tried using foil on the tub floor and sink, but didn't help. Now that she is better, i don't wake up to nearly such a mess every morning. But almost every night, she leaves me one small "present" in the bathroom sink. I'm thinking she got used to using the sink as a potty alternative and even tho she has no more excuse of being sick, she is still doing this. Luckily it's much easier to clean up now, but this is still not acceptable behavior. She is a very smart kitty, comes when i call her, sits and stands up for a treat, walks on a leash, etc. But how can i remind her that it's time to use her box again, ALL the time??? I know cats aren't like dogs and i didn't want to scare her by scruffing her and hissing at her, which is usually her cue that she's been super naughty. Since i don't catch her in the act in the middle of the night, i doubt she would know why she was in trouble anyway if i did that. Any help is much appreciated!

 

Hi. There are a lot of different ideas you can try. I'll mention a few and then post a really good link that has a lot of info.

1) Rule out all possible medical/behavioral reasons for this behavior.
2) Make sure the litter boxes are all very clean. Cats have an aversion to dirty/soiled litter boxes.
3) Purchase a few new types of litter (fine grain) and get a few new litter boxes. Get one with a hood and one without a hood.
4) Place the litter boxes in quiet areas with little traffic from people/pets. Also don't place litter boxes next to their food/water.
5) You may have to retrain her how to use the litter boxes by confining her to one room with a few litter boxes in there.

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Poin ... avior.html

 

Thanks for the reply well, i can rule out medical problems i think. as i mentioned before, she originally started doing this due to her diarrhea which she no longer has. She was just at the vet 3 weeks ago and we've been keeping close tabs on her health trying to get her stable. I had total blood work up done on her, monthly fecal exams, she's up to date on all shots, the whole bit. I scoop her box at least every other day, do a complete litter change every week, and i use the baking soda powder to help absorb odors, plus she's never been picky about that, and will still leave her presents after a total litter change. so that rules out number 2. She has a hooded cat box now, but i had started her on a hoodless one and there was no change in behavior with the different box. She wasn't scared of the new one, went right in, sniffed her litter and did her business. As far as different litters, she's never refused a litter. She's had the Yesterday's news for several months. so that takes care of number 3. Her box is next to the toilet in my step kids bathroom, which is a super low traffic area since we close off that area to the dog and the kids are only here one night a week. The bathroom really belongs to her. She isn't fed by her box, so that rules that out. As for number 5...she will only go in her box if she doesn't have access to a bath tub or sink. I know this because her and i have moved twice in the last several months and before we moved in with my husband, her cat box was in a bathroom with a closed shower and she only went in her box there. in the same house, different bathroom, she went in the tub, one litter box in each bathroom. So i really think that since she had diarrhea for such a long time, that she began seeing the bathtub and sink as a second cat box. I should be grateful she didn't choose the carpet to do her naughties, but still, i get upset, especially when the kids are here, and she has no more excuse of diarrhea to be doing this. As far as retraining her goes, i need help there. She is my first owned cat ever. When i first brought her home as a foster, she already knew to use the box, instinctively maybe since she was a stray kitten. Even with fosters after her, i never had to potty train since she would teach the new babies where to go. So i guess what i really want to know is....if i had to start from scratch like with a brand new kitten, no experiene with cat boxes, what's the best approach? and how do i teach her that the tub and sink are NOT just litterless potty spots? How did you all litter train your kittens?? I tried putting aluminum foil in them, but she will just push it aside with her paw. I've been very patient with her since she's been sick, but now i'm just getting frustrated!

 

Oh and i know i replied prematurely, i am reading that article now.....i'll let you know if that helps and i find what i need. Thanx so much!

 

ok, i got 2 great tips off that site to try. My favorite was to try filling the sink with a 1/2 inch of water at night so she won't go in there. why didn't i think of that? doh! and the second is to put her on a feeding schedule to be able to follow her to her box and give her tons of praise and a treat for doing it right. I'm hoping these will work. Thank you so much.....you have no IDEA how much i appreciate that info. I've put so much into this cat and she has the most incredible personality. She's so amazing about everything else, especially things like taking her pills without problem or complaint. This has just been driving me nuts for so long! Thank you Thank you!!

 

Hi

Is she an indoor or an outdoor cat? The reason i ask is b/c before my kitten was old enough to go outside, i had to scoop his box at least three times a day... But now that he "goes" when hes outside, i'll only scoop once a day.
But maybe she doesn't "go" as often as my cat..? :0011:

Anyway, good luck! :y_the_best:

 

She is mainly an indoor cat since we live on the second floor apartment. Plus even when she does get outside, i have her on a harness and leash and she will only "go" outside if she can't get to her box. So that doesn't really come into play with her. Since her diarrhea has cleared up, she doesn't go more than a couple times a day and at least once at night, grrrr....I try to scoop her box everyday that i can and at Least every other day. She is a tiny 6lb. kitty with an extra large box, so she doesn't dirty it up all that quick. That's her pic in my avatar with my rat, Elliott. As you can see, he is almost half her size. She is my little baby girl

 

Vianne is so cute! Do you have other pics? Filling the tub and sink with a little water is a good idea. I never would've thought of it either. :mrgreen: Hope all works out for her! Isn't there a cat attract product that encourages kitties to use their litter?

 

Thanks Vene! i have TONS of kitty pictures. when i have more time is will get them on a page to show you here. Until then, this is a bigger version of my avatar. luckily i don't have to fill the tub since she hasn't soiled there in nearly 3 weeks. she only uses the sink at night when we are all sleeping. she still uses her cat box during the day like a good girl, so i don't think i need the training spray, plus it has a rather strong ammonia smell to it i think.

 

Aww, she is adorable! How old is she now?

 

Cool pic! :qm1: My Rene looks a bit like her! :mrgreen:

 

i'm not sure of her exact birthday, but she should be at least 11 or 12 months old by now.

 

What a great picture!