Uh Oh, One Of The Kittens Is Being Bad

[shelaghfishface]

one of the cats has started to pee at the front door and the other ,, no idea why, but im not willing to put up with this behaviour the litter box thing is in the kitchen and as much as i hate cleaning it twice a day etc, doing on the floor is even worse, they are never ever blocked off from it,and its always clean and ready for them,i have tried putting them out overnight ( dare say im cruel!!) but he still does it, i have no idea which one it is as i havent caught them,
im desperate here for help as i say its disgusting and i have no idea whats happened to put him off the litter tray, never had so much as an accident before now,
maybe it would help if i gradually started moving the tray thing to where hes doing it?? oh i dunno, pleeeeeesssssseee help,

shelagh xxxx

 

[Kizz]

Here's a Little trick my gran told me cats hate the smell of citrus she used to leave lemon peel in the garden to stop the cats using it as giant litter tray

My mum had this prob with her litter of kittens so she put some lemon juice diluted with some water into a spray bottle and sprayed it on where the kittens kept peeing and they never went back near the corner !

Cat's are like dog's and spray/pee to defend there territory or to say "Look i'm the male round here beat it !" If they are old enough to spray it's gonni start stinking in a couple of days regardless of how well you scrub it ! lol

how old are the kittens ? is it worth tryin to remove it all together ? i know my mum slowly moves litter tray towards the door then eventually moves it outside completly so they do have to go out

Hope you get it sorted ..also if you keep a spray bottle with water near by and if you catch any of them in the act give them a wee scoosh with it they'll soon learn not to do it as cats don't understand being scolded lol

 

[chesterscot]

yeah if their boys maybe there now old enough to start spraying
if they are and you havnt yet consider having the tom neutered this might help
regards scot

 

[Corleone]

Does it smell really bad? If so, it could be spray marking, as chesterscot says. Pretty much the only way to prevent a male from doing that is neutering.

If that's what it is, be warned that my aunt eventually got rid of a male cat. She waited too long to get it neutered, and it continued spraying afterwards. My male never started - I got him fixed as soon as he hit the minimum size the vet would do.

 

[shelaghfishface]

morning

no its not spraying its wee and now poo too! i am really not comfortable with this at all,its just at the front door as tho he was waiting to get out to do it,but why would he have been when the litter tray is easily accessable? he def seems to have gotten into a habit now, and is if do use teqniques that will discourage him from doing it there im worried then he will start wandering over the est of the house looking for somehwhere to do it, they were out all night again last night, but i can garantee then when ive dropped my son off to work i`ll come back to find it
i would think theyare about 7/8 months now, both very healthey and very very diffrent characters from the "ferrals" thats we gave a home too, its this that is really spoiling it, and i seriously wont be able to keep them if i cant get it sorted, i hope that dosent sound as bad as i think it does, but with children in the house its just impossible to put up with.
this is starting to sound like a "save our cats" campaign
and at this point im willing to try anything, thankyou all so much for all the advice so far

shelagh xxxx

 

[Corleone]

Try setting up a second litter box near the front door (visitors will love this...). Maybe for some reason it doesn't like the other one or where it is, or just doesn't want to share. He may have had a dispute with the other cat over the litter box and now doesn't want to risk another confrontation. They don't like going on the floor, because they want to bury it. The only time I came home to a doorstep surprise like this, Loki kept coming back every couple minutes and kicking at the carpet like he wanted to bury it.

If he starts using the new litter box, you can probably move it a foot or two at a time until you get it out of the front room. If he still goes on the floor with a litter box right there at the door, I don't know, maybe call the vet.

 

[BecciMac1987]

Morning Shel, cats are very unwilling to use a litter tray if they are ill, so maybe a trip the vet is in order. It is possibly just a case of worms that needs treating. Also, at their age you should be able to get rid of the litter tray and have them going outside-so could they be getting bullied by another cat in the neighbourhood? Another reason cats start playing up.
Good luck sweet xx

 

[shelaghfishface]

yup i think all of you are right , peteruk pointed me to the purina website and apparently i AM going to need another tray at the door ( greatt!!) maybe they have fallen out over the box, but i have a spare one ( an open tray -even worse)
from that site i also got
trays shouldnt be near food----- mine is about 2-3 ft away ( )
not near noisy items------------------ mine is next to the washing machine ( didnt i do well )
so thankyou for all your help, and i`ll let uou know if i get it sorted

shelagh xxx
ps, Becci, i will also worm them again just to be on the safe side, its been a few weeks now, and to be honest i didnt write the date on the box,so ill do it again, there are very few cats in our neighbourhood,tho like you say one may have had words with them.

 

[Aussie_Dog]

The general rule is 2 boxes per cat, plus one, or 1 box per cat plus one as the minimum. And cats prefer having two boxes to use, one for pooping and one for peeing. I guess some people have observed some cats taking a pee in one corner, and then turning around and pooping in the opposite corner far from the pee. Also, boxes should be in quiet places, never in heavily trafficked or chaotic areas. And they hate having to eat/drink near their box (same with dogs and their potty areas). When it comes to litterbox habits, it's never a bad thing to go above and beyond to keep the kitty happy, I think. Of all the things in a cat's life, the box should be #1 for the human, unless they don't worry so much about accidents, lol

But it's also possible that whoever's having the accidents is having ouchie problems with his feet or digestion. Could be worms, as someone said, or maybe he hurt his foot somehow and the litter gives him pain when he uses it. If the cat is in any discomfort while pottying in the box, he may associate it with the box and will find another place, usually soft, smooth areas (like clean laundry or smooth floors). Or maybe you changed litter brands recently and he doesn't like it (some litters are really heavy, some are light, some are stinky and dusty, some are scentless, and worst of all, some are citrus scented, of all things! Gah! I pity the kitty!) I have a girl, Willow, who frequently leaves a deposit somewhere, in a corner. We're redoing the whole upstairs of our house, where one of their boxes' is, and it was moved near the computer desk, where nearly everything was shoved when the other rooms were being sanded and painted. Far too chaotic, especially since my dog's bed was only feet away, and the box was under the computer desk, right next to human legs. When Willow started reacting to that, we moved it to the bottom of the stairs and it seems to have cleared up. But Willow always pees on purses and backpacks that have been carelessly left on the floor. If you buy something that's not washable, it's your own fault, lol (can't always blame yourself for your beloved red purse(with a couple leather patches) ending up on the floor, when someone else would shove it off the couch to make way for themself... I still mourn that purse and haven't thrown it out yet, because maybe there's a way to wash it... lol).

But whatever the reason, do NOT get rid of him. Litterbox problems are extremely common, and is a top complaint for many of the cats dumped at shelters. In fact, it's probably the most common complaint, before "we've moving," "we're having a baby," and "she doesn't match the couch." Don't dump your problem on someone else, you owe it to your kitty to help him, as since this is a sudden thing, he's uncomfortable in some way, physically or mentally.

 

[shelaghfishface]

i would never dream of dumping them, or rehoming them for that matter,we are very attached to them! please dont assume im a bad person just because im not willing to tolerate this behaviour!
i was always aware that accidents could happen, but regularly having "accidents" in the same place,seems anything but, i have put 2 more boxes down, so this may help, tho there havent been anymore issues for a couple of day` s now,so maybe just ,Maybe its over
thanks again for the great advice

shelagh xxx

 

[BecciMac1987]

The general rule is 2 boxes per cat, plus one, or 1 box per cat plus one as the minimum. And cats prefer having two boxes to use, one for pooping and one for peeing. I guess some people have observed some cats taking a pee in one corner, and then turning around and pooping in the opposite corner far from the pee. Also, boxes should be in quiet places, never in heavily trafficked or chaotic areas. And they hate having to eat/drink near their box (same with dogs and their potty areas). When it comes to litterbox habits, it's never a bad thing to go above and beyond to keep the kitty happy, I think. Of all the things in a cat's life, the box should be #1 for the human, unless they don't worry so much about accidents, lol

But it's also possible that whoever's having the accidents is having ouchie problems with his feet or digestion. Could be worms, as someone said, or maybe he hurt his foot somehow and the litter gives him pain when he uses it. If the cat is in any discomfort while pottying in the box, he may associate it with the box and will find another place, usually soft, smooth areas (like clean laundry or smooth floors). Or maybe you changed litter brands recently and he doesn't like it (some litters are really heavy, some are light, some are stinky and dusty, some are scentless, and worst of all, some are citrus scented, of all things! Gah! I pity the kitty!) I have a girl, Willow, who frequently leaves a deposit somewhere, in a corner. We're redoing the whole upstairs of our house, where one of their boxes' is, and it was moved near the computer desk, where nearly everything was shoved when the other rooms were being sanded and painted. Far too chaotic, especially since my dog's bed was only feet away, and the box was under the computer desk, right next to human legs. When Willow started reacting to that, we moved it to the bottom of the stairs and it seems to have cleared up. But Willow always pees on purses and backpacks that have been carelessly left on the floor. If you buy something that's not washable, it's your own fault, lol (can't always blame yourself for your beloved red purse(with a couple leather patches) ending up on the floor, when someone else would shove it off the couch to make way for themself... I still mourn that purse and haven't thrown it out yet, because maybe there's a way to wash it... lol).

But whatever the reason, do NOT get rid of him. Litterbox problems are extremely common, and is a top complaint for many of the cats dumped at shelters. In fact, it's probably the most common complaint, before "we've moving," "we're having a baby," and "she doesn't match the couch." Don't dump your problem on someone else, you owe it to your kitty to help him, as since this is a sudden thing, he's uncomfortable in some way, physically or mentally.

Sorry but thats harsh, and quite frankly a rediculous thing to say. Its not 'dumping' a problem on someone else, its having to think about the needs of your own family. I have had to rehome a cat because of this problem, and I have a toddler who is far far more important than any animal could ever be, and with feaces tucked away in corners where only my toddler could reach, I wasnt prepared to take the risk of her getting ill. I appreciate that its something that should be thought about before commiting to any animal, but in my 20 years of owning cats, Ive only ever had one who hasnt been completely 100% housetrained.

 

[seffieuk]

The cat litter tray rule is a good one and best to be followed - however, how are you cleaning the mess and smell up, they will keep going there if the smell is not totally got rid of - try using a biological washing powder or you can buy a biological smell remover from most good pet shops - the washing powder is cheaper and just as good (has to be biological one though)

Seffie x

 

[shaz3271]

The cat litter tray rule is a good one and best to be followed - however, how are you cleaning the mess and smell up, they will keep going there if the smell is not totally got rid of - try using a biological washing powder or you can buy a biological smell remover from most good pet shops - the washing powder is cheaper and just as good (has to be biological one though)

Seffie x

agreed , if the smell isnt gone 100% he will just go there again. think about having them neutered now or you will start having trouble with spraying aswell and that smells bad.
100% try the lemon juice or orange , we got a citrus spay last year to keep her off the xmas tree it worked a treat.
i know its a pain now but you will get there in the end.

sharon

 

[guppy fan]

So, how is it going? I hope your kitties have been doing better .

 

[shellz2008]

Here's a Little trick my gran told me cats hate the smell of citrus she used to leave lemon peel in the garden to stop the cats using it as giant litter tray

My mum had this prob with her litter of kittens so she put some lemon juice diluted with some water into a spray bottle and sprayed it on where the kittens kept peeing and they never went back near the corner !

Cat's are like dog's and spray/pee to defend there territory or to say "Look i'm the male round here beat it !" If they are old enough to spray it's gonni start stinking in a couple of days regardless of how well you scrub it ! lol

how old are the kittens ? is it worth tryin to remove it all together ? i know my mum slowly moves litter tray towards the door then eventually moves it outside completly so they do have to go out

Hope you get it sorted ..also if you keep a spray bottle with water near by and if you catch any of them in the act give them a wee scoosh with it they'll soon learn not to do it as cats don't understand being scolded lol

this really works, i have a male kitten who was great until one day decided to pooh in house plants and wee in the conservatory. i cut up lemons and put in the plant pots and hes weeing spot. i showed him and he didnt like it. after few months i stopped putting lemon and hes now stopped messing