New Member & ? re litterbox problems

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Pussina2001

Member Since 2012
Hi, everyone!
Great board, great information.

My questions is about changed litterbox habits. My 12 year old cat Pussina ran away from home for 3 months, then she returned on Halloween (having survived multiple rain bouts, wind storms and early snowfalls). She was pretty skinny, but otherwise fine, tested negative for feline leukimea. She used to live with two other cats (male) in my mother's house, but they harassed her, so my husband and I took her to our apartment, which we rent. A few weeks later, she was diagnosed with diabetes and a possibly UTI. But even before the diagnosis, she defecated and peed a few times on a bathroom rug right next to the litter box and another time in the hallway.
Before this, she'd never ever gone in the wrong place in her whole life. She was a perfect cat and that's why we took a risk of taking her to our apartment (we have owners' furniture and everything carpeted), so we would have to pay damages if she ruined the rugs or chairs etc.

At first I excused it as due to diabetes - having less bladder control, being constantly hungry and thirsty, food sliding through her etc. Well, she's started her insulin, and the other day peed in the hallway again.
I told my husband that it's probably illness related and she just needs to be better regulated, but he thinks that it's a permanent behavioral change (possibly due to her missing for so long) and from now on she would be likely to go again somewhere and we can't trust her again. Right now, we lock the poor thing in the bathroom when no one is home and try to superwise her when we are home. But it is an issue. We can't afford for her to ruin the carpets so that we lose our security deposit...

Is there hope for her? Can we re-train her back? One of my mom's cats likes to pee and poo all over the place (ruined couches, shoes, etc), but he is male and has always been difficult, and she owns her house -
I thought female cats weren't territorial!
Why is she doing it and what can we do to help her?
 
If she is going on scatter rugs, especially with rubber backing, I would get rid of them. Also, a rug outside the litter box sometimes makes them think it is connected to the box so why use litter when the rug is there. Don't keep any small scatter rugs down. Better regulation with the diabetes will help and I would double check that she doesn't have another UTI.
 
Thanks.

One was a shower rug close to the box (without rubber backing). Other times in the hallway was just on the regular carpeting...
 
I'm not a kitty psychologist, but it sounds like her being removed from a long-time environment, even though I'm sure she is very loved at your place, sort of upset the apple cart a bit.

Also, is the litter you're using different from your mother's? Is it unscented? If not, maybe that's worth a try too.

Maybe if you treat her as if she is an untrained kitten, you might be able to retrain her. For example, if you catch her trying to go on the carpet, immediately pick her up and place her in the litter box. Then maybe give her a little chicken or turkey as a treat.

In the meantime, it might be helpful to get a couple of litter boxes and place them on the spots your kitty seems to be selecting.

Here are some articles to read (and one of them actually talks about keeping the cat and a box in the bathroom to enforce training):

http://www.wikihow.com/Litter-Train-a-Cat
http://www.ehow.com/about_6116920_litte ... ining.html
 
Here is a list I've compiled over time. See what works for you.

* If you haven't done so already, take the cat to the vet to make sure it doesn't have a bladder infection, kidney stones, diabetes, or cystitis, and to rule out arthritis or constipation - pain causes box avoidance and infection or diabetes makes the need to go urgent.

After ruling out medical problems, these options may help.

* Start with crating, using a medium large crate (30" long is big enough for most cats and a litterbox) until progress. The cat probably won't go where it would have to lie in it ... but if it does, something is wrong.

* Tarps and newspapers may be easier on clean up if you don't crate the cat.

* Feeding on a schedule and then placing the cat in the litterbox (maybe in a crate) within 15-20 minutes after eating, until the cat goes, then praising and letting the cat out.

* Feliway/Comfort Zone - friendly facial pheromones which reduce stress and may reduce marking behavior. Cheapest prices are usually on the net (ex www.LambertVetSupply.com ) I've used it and it helps.

* Cat Attract litter - supposed to help attract cat to litter box

* If there are other cats in the household, watch if the other cats ever attack the cat in the litterbox. If so, you may need to keep that cat separated from the others.

* The littebox should be 1.5 times the length of the cat, the litter cleaned frequently, but avoid really strong smelling cleaners as cats may avoid them due to the scent.

* You’ve got to get residual odors out from areas which were 'nailed' - Nature's Miracle is one option and has good reviews. It _can_ require repeated applications.

* Engage in regular play sessions of about 15 minutes to reduce stress and promote the bond with you.

* Reward desirable behaviors - if you see the cat use the litterbox, praise and treat her or him.

* Put unpleasant textures in places she or he has peed to encourage avoidance – for example, plastic carpet runner, nubby side up, or aluminum foil will deter some cats.

* Read some of this author's books for more ideas: http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/ She's
pretty good – for example, see "Starting from Scratch".
 
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