My Cat started going toilet in kids room
By rainbow
@rainbow (6761)
December 2, 2006 9:29am CST
I know this is really not nice but I don't know what to try.
She's an 11 year old black persian and started going for a poo under my sons bed in spring. We got her a litter tray in the kitchen hoping to cure it and it worked for a while.
Now whenever she spots his door open she's back to her naughty trick.
Most cat deterants are for outside use and I don't want it to affect my boys. Someone said citronella, what do you think I ought to try to stop her?
2 people like this
14 responses
@suedarr (2382)
• Canada
4 Dec 06
Have you tried a booda box for her or other private litter tray?
This link will give you an idea of what I'm thinking.
https://secure.highspeedweb.net/~ldcpet/aa-cat-litter-box.htm
All three of mine have their own and we've never had accidents.
Good luck and I hope you find a good solution.
@rainbow (6761)
•
4 Dec 06
Thank-you never thought a lid might make a difference, will get one from the pet shop and try it. She's like a little demon, his bedroom door only has to be left open for a minute or 2 and she's in, she was never a problem until this year, never had an accident, maybe she's just getting a bit oldand loopy like me.
Tahnk-you for your help.
1 person likes this

@margieanneart (26423)
• United States
4 Dec 06
I hate to say this, but cats can be very stubborn. No matter what you use, then seem to come back. Something upset him, or he got sick, and the habit stopped. Have you tried to spray him with water,the moment you catch him starting to poo? If you can, it might work. Worth a shot. Good luck.
1 person likes this
@rainbow (6761)
•
11 Dec 06
Gonna be in my combats complete with water pistol I can see it coming, feel cruel but hopefully my perfumes working.
I found an old aromatheryapy Lime and Eucalyptus spray in the draw and sprayed it on my dining room carpet near his bedroom door and she's not been through there since. I'm hoping when her new cat litter with a roof arrives she'll be thrilled with her loo and problem solved.
@margieanneart (26423)
• United States
10 Dec 06
Hey, a trap with a squirt under the bed would work, I'm sure of it. Good luck.

@gewcew23 (8007)
• United States
4 Dec 06
I had a cat do this in a previous house we were living in. I asked the vet what might be making her do this,(there was only one room she did this in also) and he asked if there had been other cats in the house before we moved in and I said yes, and he told me the other cat might have peed or pooped and the smell got into the carpet and the pad. So he suggested first off to shampoo the carpet using the carpet shampoo and a pet odor remover. I also used after this a spray you can get at wal-mart or petsmart for pet odors and sprayed it down heavily with that. It seemed to work for us. I would do it while your son wasn't home the sprays can have a strong citrus smell sometimes and then keep the door shut for a while to give it a chance to absorb the smell and see if it will work.
1 person likes this
@rainbow (6761)
•
4 Dec 06
That's a clever idea but we build the room so no other moggies, unless it's because Bong wets the bed so even tho' he wears nappies perhaps she smells it and thinks it's the loo. I will try the spray if I can find any at the petshop! I was concerned about using any chemicals in his room but a spray should dry by the time he gets in there.
I'm keeping his door shut now and nothing anywhere else but if she see's it open she's straight in there - funny little thing.
Thank-you for your help!!!
@rainbow (6761)
•
12 Dec 06
It does cause extra problems doesn't it? We have also argued over Polly-cat but I couldn't let her go. We just have to remember some new rules and hope she sorts herself out. I am considering getting the vet to check her over in case she is ill.
Hopefully she'll get the hint and stop being mischievious!
Thank-you for your reply.
@estherlou (5015)
• United States
11 Dec 06
We had a cat that when she got older, she just seemed to forget where the cat box was and would pee up and down the hallway. It was beginning to be a fight between me and my husband in keeping the cat! We never could get her to stop so I'm no help.

@camo26 (1418)
•
4 Dec 06
well i have a cat and a kitten and they were good at using the litter tray then just stopped and sometimes go in the weirdest of places its kinda like find that smell and you gotta trail around the house looking for it for some reason they just didnt like using the litter tray and they are both outdoor cats but they like to come inside and do it it was very annoying and i found that if i changed the brand of litter each time i went shopping for it then they would use it again. It was kinda like they were bored of the same litter day in day out lol. However in answer to your dilema my Sister had a indoor cat that was old and it kinda did the same thing and she bought one of them litter trays with the hood ontop and it worked as she seem to like her privacy when going to the loo but yet whenever she did it she would meoiw to tell you she had done it so you could clean it for her next visit lol :p
Hope you solve your problem as i know it is very annoying
@rainbow (6761)
•
5 Dec 06
Thanks - you're the second person to suggest a hooded tray. She's fast becoming a house cat as she doesn't like the cold.
This morning Bong left the door open for about 3 minutes and I caught her coming out looking pleased with herself, really silly and difficult to expect kids to remember all the time.
She will only use wooden cat litter,refusing to go on the clay at all little madam. Might get some citronella or something that smells more of lemons than my bleach to put round his doorway.
Thanks for your help!!

@melanie652 (2524)
• United States
9 Dec 06
Since she's an older cat she may have some sort of health problem. Cats will all of sudden start going to the bathroom in places they never have before when something is wrong. It's about the only way they have to tell you something is not right. Another idea is, has something recently changed in your household? New cat perhaps? Cats are creatures of routine and do not like change. I would put storage boxes or something under your sons bed to stop her from being able to get under there and going to the bathroom there. I would also take her to the vet. He can pull blood on her to see if anything unusual shows up. We lost a cat a few years ago when she was 11 years old to cancer. The mass was pressing on her lungs and it did show up on xrays. Hope it's nothing bad with your little kitty.
@rainbow (6761)
•
10 Dec 06
I'm sorry about your cat, it must be an awful thing to go through and I can't imagine how you felt.
You are right, maybe I should have a word with the vet, the only difference is that she went to the vet for her yearly injection a couple of weeks ago, but she did have a phase of doing it earlier in ther year for a couple of weeks.
I will put an extra couple of boxes under his bed - there are some there already.
I sprayed a cheap aromatherapy perfume - Lime and Eucalyptus on the carpet in front of his door and she's not been in since.
She went toilet in her litter yesterday so fingers crossed!
@camo26 (1418)
•
10 Dec 06
oh yeh that was a good idea now i never though of that lol my grannie used to do that because her neighbours cat used to come in and mark its teritory in her front hall all the time and she used to spray some kind of citrus spray to stop him lol but if she forgot he would be in like a flash spraying a way like there was no tomorow ha ha .Well fingers crossed she wont go in again and continues in her tray :p

@sherinek (3320)
• United States
11 Dec 06
Ha haaa (Sorry I know I am not helping) but still ha haa haaa. Dear Rainbow, I dont think you'd be able to divert your kitty to another place soon. You know, when kitties and doggies get to this type of habit, its very difficult to reverse it. Citronella might work cos they tend to follow the smell of the previous job. (!) Good luck and take care. (You know this is one of many reasons I dont want a pet in my house)
@rainbow (6761)
•
11 Dec 06
yep it's funny, I know, serves me right for being such a softy etc.
It's not happened for a couple of days, I've sprayed some aromatherapy perfume on the carpet outside Bong's room and she doesn't like the smell of lime and Eucalyptus so hopefully she'll be retrained before it runs out! I've ordered her a litter tray with a roof aswell which will look nicer in my kitchen if nothing else.
I will never purposefully get a kitten again, just rescue one if it lands on my doorstep which is how I got Polly 11 years ago, she was very poorly and I couldn't leave any creature, I love her dearly and have to spend a long time grooming her because she's a persian.
She's a poppet really but sometimes I wonder about her sanity (and maybe mine)
Thanks for making me smile
@LovingIt (5396)
• United States
9 Dec 06
Is there anyway to block access to under your sons bed so that she can't get under there? Maybe she wants a more private place for her litter box? Is there another really private dark place to put it? I would suggest putting something under the bed that she will not want to walk on to keep her from wanting to go under there as well -- I'm not sure what, you may have to get inventive there, but there should be something that would feel bad to her feet when she walks on it.
@rainbow (6761)
•
10 Dec 06
That's a clever idea, i will try and find something, obviously toys didn't bother her.
I have ordered her a litter tray with a roof on so I should get that Thursday, hopefully it will help.
I sprayed the carpet outside his door with a cheap lime and eucalpytus aromatherapy perfume and she's not been in.
She did go in her litter yeaterday so I'm just hoping she gets back into the habit.
We're learning to keep the hallway and his room door shut quite well now.
Thank you for your thoughts.
@srhelmer (7047)
• Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
11 Dec 06
We have a problem with our cat spraying in our daughter's play room. We just moved into the house a couple months ago and I think he smells another animal in there.
@marciascott (25529)
• United States
5 Dec 06
That's why I don't have a cat they pee all over the place and it's stinks. did you change they're litter box.
@ahalapia (942)
• United States
11 Dec 06
There may be many reasons why a cat will go so to speak outside of the litter box. But here are some things you may want to try.
Thoroughly clean the spots that have been soiled with an enzyme cleaner.
Confine your cat if necessary, while retraining him to use the box
Place food and or water bowls at the spot previously soiled
Cover the spot with plastic or foil to make it unattractive for your cat to walk on.
Provide multiple boxes in multiple locations in multi-cat households, you may need more than one box even for only one cat.
Some cats prefer no litterbox at all, try using newspaper on the bottom of the box instead of litter.
I hope this was somewhat helpful, I have a few cats of my own and no what your going through.

@rainbow (6761)
•
11 Dec 06
Wow, that's a good list, thank you!
She's confined to the kitchenand lounge at the moment, we are learning to keep other doors shut which feels strange.
I have sprayed the dining room carpet in front of my sons door with some aromatherapy perfume, Lime and Eucalyptus I found in the draw - it smells nice but she's not tried to go in there since so hopefully she'll be retrained before the bottle runs out.
I've ordered her a new litter tray with a roof and am hoping this should help.
Tahnks again for you thoughts and concern!

@rainbow (6761)
•
11 Dec 06
hi, thanks for nipping back!
I found an old aromatherapy perfume Lime and Eucalyptus which Polly doesn't like the smell of when I spray it on the carpet outside his room.
We're keeping the doors shut and I've put an extra storage box under Bongs bed so she can't reach her "spot".
She did a poo in her litter tray 2 days ago and has been nipping outside with the dog like she used to.
Polly's new litter with a roof should arrive Thursday as I had to order it from the pet shop. It'll make my kitchen look tidier if nothing else.
Hope she's retraining - put her on the litter about 4 times a day to make sure but she's weeing in it anyway, going outside for a poo like she used to do is fine by me!
Will let you know how she's getting on, thanks again!














