Waffles' pooping problem
By scribe1
@scribe1 (1203)
United States
January 21, 2007 8:12pm CST
When Waffles was my only cat, she used the litterbox regularly. Now ever since I got Columbus, Waffles still uses one of two litterboxes to pee in. She prefers to crap on the sunporch floor and leaves me a smelly "present" on a daily basis.
I read somewhere that when a cat like Waffles becomes accustomed to another cat like Columbus, she will eventually poop where she is supposed to.
She is very, very stubborn and ignores the chlorox that I've used to clean up the floor. I'm at my wit's end with her nasty habit, however. Placing a second litterbox didn't help, nor the use of strong cleaners such as Chlorox. Scolding doesn't help, either. When I practically yell at her for her pooping habit, she calmly looks up at me, wide-eyed, as if to say, it serves you right. It's me or the other cat, got that?
I'm just glad that Columbus, who is 10 years old, uses the litterbox regularly.
1 response
@Seattle2007 (344)
• United States
23 Jan 07
Hi there...first consider all the possibilities:
- changes w/litter brands
- location of the litter box isn't private enough
- some cats need one box to defecate in and another to urinate
- cleanliness (some cats are extremely picky and prefer an ultra clean litter box)
- as a general rule there should be one litter box for each cat plus one extra since some cats tend to be very territorial about their boxes and block access to another cat
- senior cats develop age-related disorders such as chronic renal failure (CRF), hyperthyroidism, diabetes, etc.
If all these have been ruled out there's a chance that your cat may have developed an underlying medical problem. Cats will asociate pain while using the box and change their habits as a result.
Here's a web article about why cats inappropriately soil outside their box by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine for Feline Health: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/Housesoiling.html
