Cat people, need your help!

[erinmegan85]

She/he does this within hours of the boxes being clean. I clean them a couple times per week.

The problem with feliway in my mind is that the box they use the most is maybe 3 feet from where the unknown culprit keeps pooping. Wouldn't that keep them from using their box?

Thanks for your help!

Nope, the Feliway is like kitty happy drugs (pheromones). The closer it is the more likely it will actually help. I agree with others that stress could be an issue, Feliway will also help with that.

 

[SantaMonicaHelp]

All good advice above. I personally also think it's because of the puppy. Whatever it is, I hope this will stop soon, don't give up on them!

SF

 

[jsin]

Yes me and my wife have two old grandma cats that were doing the same thing. It started right around the time my wife got pregnant also. These two used to share a litter robot in their own room (with some of the toys they never play with). The vet said that one of the cats may have arthritis in her hips as she is overweight already and get into the litter robot may hurt her. So we added a open low lipped box for them to use along with there litter robot. That did help for a bit and then the crap in the floor begin again. It was so aggrevating that one of them would go within 2 feet from two clean litter boxes.
A few months before our son was born I replaced all of the flooring in our house and moved the cats crap room into my office where it was now just tile floor instead of carpet. I don't know what happened but there has not been any accidents since 6 months later. I kind of think they know I was tired of the shanigans.
Hang in there I was almost ready to find a new home and be in the dog house (the cats came with my wife when I met her).
We like the arm and hammer litter also it seemed to do a better job.

 

[4FordFamily]

Nope, the Feliway is like kitty happy drugs (pheromones). The closer it is the more likely it will actually help. I agree with others that stress could be an issue, Feliway will also help with that.

Feliway is also expensive as snot, anyone know of an inexpensive place to purchase?

 

[jsker]

We have been going through this for the past 3.5 months with our youngest cat (Charlie) it all started when I purchased the last batch of food. I thought it was the older cat, but used the net cam to figure out who it was. We have narrowed down to the last batch of food or treats, and I am switching both cats back to a complete raw diet away from dry and I also like the idea of switching the litter.
What is everyone feeding?
I also agree some of the issues could be do to stress, in the since @4FordFamily with the new arrival of your tank buddy and the excitement leading up to the arrival. Mine is that I have been stressed with work.

Good topic all :). As I am typing Charlie is attacking his paper grocery bag.

 

[4FordFamily]

I'm so thankful for this forum, I wondered if posting a cat question this complex would yield anything useful on a reef forum. You can clearly tell that we are a family here with vast arrays of knowledge!

 

[cmcoker]

If you want to determine the culprit, take shaving from crayons and and a different color to each cats food (Maybe a little treat of canned food for each, make sure no food stealing going on). The crayon shavings will then be in the poop and you know which one is doing it and Now you know who should have the vet trip.
Agree with trying feliway, I'd go with the room diffuser.

Another thing to try would be to get Cat attract litter additive. They make a litter too, but you can just put the Cat Attract in any litter. It can help entice them to use the box

Maybe move one of the unused boxes next to one of the high use boxes, if that makes sense. General rule is one litter box per cat, plus one. So you have the right number, just need to make sure they are accessible to use them all the time.

Watch behavior between the cats as well, have seen cats pick on each other and block access to a litter box that way.

Good luck!

 

[erinmegan85]

Feliway is also expensive as snot, anyone know of an inexpensive place to purchase?

Feliway is expensive. I think Petsmart sells ComfortZone, which is the same thing, but I don't know what the price is of it.

I also know that the company that makes thundershirts makes some sort of spray, but I don't know how well it works. They also have this on Dr. Fosters and Smith: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25544 A lot cheaper than Feliway, but again, I don't know how well it works. For $20 though it may be worth a shot!

 

[cmcoker]

Feliway is expensive. I think Petsmart sells ComfortZone, which is the same thing, but I don't know what the price is of it.

I also know that the company that makes thundershirts makes some sort of spray, but I don't know how well it works. They also have this on Dr. Fosters and Smith: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25544 A lot cheaper than Feliway, but again, I don't know how well it works. For $20 though it may be worth a shot!

Haven't used the Dr foster link you provided but it says good 200sqft, the comfort zone feliway diffuser says 500-600sqft, so depends on the area.

Also, unless you think it's due to aggression from another cat, do not get the multicat formula. It is different, multi cat is for cat to cat behavior problems, regular is stressed cat formula.

 

[Lowstorm]

Another known litter causing issue is having their claws removed. Any of them haven't declaring surgery?

 

[ReefQueen]

You said your wife is pregnant? This could be why. My cats were nuts when I was pregnant. They knew before I even did lol