Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK

Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: JPrickett on October 08, 2012, 11:43:57 AM

Title: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: JPrickett on October 08, 2012, 11:43:57 AM
Hi All,

We recently adopted an 18mth old, litter trained, cat from the local RSPCA, Lucy. She is currently residing in our spare room while we go through the slow process of introducing her to our cat Benji. While we are making progress with the introducing part we have a rather more messy problem.....

She has a litter tray in her room and is quite happy to pee in it. We haven't had any pee accidents. Poo, however, is a different issue. She won't poo in her tray. It is becoming quite an issue.

We decided to put Benji's (clean and fresh) tray in the area where she likes to poo (next to her litter tray, no less) and see if that helped the issue but instead it looks like she stood in the tray to poo in the gap between the trays. To make matters worse, Benji, who never uses his litter tray because he would much rather go out, poo'd in the place where his litter tray usually was. I am not sure if this was some sort of 'dirty protest' or whether it was conicidence and he really was caught short. But one thing I do know is, we need to train Lucy to use her tray. We can't continue like this.

She is really settled in and I really don't think that she has a health problem. I am certain this is a behavourial problem.

We have put paper on the floor, which she just scrats up so she can poo on the carpet. We bought a carpet mat but even that doesn't compare to the nice carpet apparently. I have read somewhere that we should pick the poo off the floor and put it in the tray and leave that in the room with her. Can anyone confirm that this is what we should do? The last thing we want is for her to start peeing on the floor too! I can already see a new carpet on the horizon :Crazy:

Any advise is greatly appreciated!

Many thanks

Jenny xx
Title: Re: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: Huge on October 08, 2012, 12:50:36 PM
Sounds like good advice. Never had to deal with this problem (thankfully), but it makes sense. If she wasn't peeing in the litter either, I'd suggest she didn't like the litter, but this is odd.

Title: Re: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: Tiggy's Mum on October 08, 2012, 13:31:58 PM
I've read that too and it makes sense.

What are you cleaning the carpet with afterwards? The feline nose is much more sensitive than ours so it won't help matters if she can still smell it as it will reinforce her habit. Is the litter the same that she had at the rescue? Did they say if they had any pooing issues when she was with them? It might be worth trialling a few different types of litter eg wood pellets, clay, cats best, fine sand like versions to see if she has a preference for pooing in a certain type of litter  :shy:
Title: Re: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: Jiji on October 08, 2012, 13:41:10 PM
Inappropriate peeing/pooping is not uncommon in recently adopted cats, sometimes it just happens until they are settled. Other cats don't like to use the same tray to poo and pee in while others demand a nice clean tray before they will do either so it may just be a case of trial and error until you find out which type of cat Lucy is. Leaving the solids in the tray may help unless they are one of the cats that want a clean tray. I think maybe that the poo outside the second litter tray may have been a genuine 'aiming' accident, I have the trays butted up to one another and to the skirting to minimize these sorts of accidents.
Title: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: caledonia on October 08, 2012, 14:53:05 PM
It could just be a stress thing as has been pointed out. Could the RSPCA advise if this was an issue with them?

I had one cat do this whenever he was stressed (hubby moved in, furniture moved, new house) and it stopped when he settled but it's not ideal.

I think your resident cat just got left short so make sure he has a tray as the poor boy was maybe confused.
Title: Re: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: JPrickett on October 08, 2012, 16:21:19 PM
 :thanks: Ladies!

I am willing to try anything!

Tiggy: I haven't contacted the RSPCA actually (they didn't mention any issues) but one thing we have pondered on is the fact that her tray was outside at the RSPCA. Maybe she prefers to poo al fresco?? Which is clearly not an option yet. We use wood pellets at the moment, which she seems to think is fine to pee on. Maybe we have to go and buy another tray and fill it with Grit which I think the RSPCA used.

JIJI: The problem we are facing is that she is pooing right by the door so we are really struggling to get anything flush together because we have to do it as we are closing the door!  :doh: I have even had to make a strap for the litter tray so I can pull it flush to the door once the door is closed!  :rofl:

Caledonia: I agree, I think Benji probably did get caught short and is probably feeling very put out now because we removed his tray.

Right, new tray and grit tonight and then if there is still poo on the carpet tomorrow morning (please Lucy, no) I think we are going to have to try the poo in the tray and see if that makes a difference! Fingers crossed everyone!

Jenny xx
Title: Re: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: Huge on October 08, 2012, 17:37:24 PM
:thanks: Ladies!
Ahem :-P

Glad to hear you're doing everything you can ;-)
Title: Re: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: Jiji on October 08, 2012, 19:00:05 PM
If she is pooing right behind the door it may be territory marking as that is where she will be getting the scent of Benji most, maybe if you leave one of her poos in a tray on the other side so she can smell it she will stop soiling on her side or perhaps try scent swapping so she gets more used to his smell.

Huge - guess you are an honorary lady now  :evillaugh:  :naughty:
Title: Re: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on October 08, 2012, 19:44:17 PM
A bit confused here LOL

What room is she and the tray in, is it just behind door cos thats where she has been using?

Two tray for her and one for Benji with his normal litter in.

Cleaning with Bio washing powder and I can recommend puppy pads under the trays and by tthe door.

I think its just trial and error
Title: Re: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: JPrickett on October 09, 2012, 09:38:35 AM
Morning!

HUGE!!! I am SO Sorry! Whoops! Please forgive me.  :-[ :-[ :-[

Thanks Jiji and Gill, but I have news......

We went out to Sainsbury's last night and bought some grit (like catsan but not as expensive) and put it in her room. We moved the litter tray away from the door and back to its original position. In less than two hours she had used the tray to wee AND POO in!  :wow:
We cleaned it out straight away, just in case. When I got up this morning, there was a nicely covered up poo in the tray! Result! I don't think I've ever been so happy about cat poo!  :rofl:

Benji had his tray back last night too and he hadn't used it (which he doesn't do usually anyway) so I think yesterdays episode was stress related. Feel so bad for him because he is always on the look out for her, even when the door to her room is closed. He usually comes for a love on the bed in the mornings after he has been out and this morning it took him three attempts before he was sure it was ok to come and sit on me for a fuss. It's going to take time for him to accept her I think!

 :thanks: Thank you all soooo much for your helpful advise! I have my fingers crossed that the grit is the trick and that we shall have a poo free carpet from now on!

Jenny xx
Title: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: Tiggy's Mum on October 09, 2012, 11:21:37 AM
Excellent news :wow:

Result! I don't think I've ever been so happy about cat poo!  :rofl:

See that's perfectly normal on here :evillaugh:
Title: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: caledonia on October 09, 2012, 11:45:20 AM
Brilliant news and what a rapid result :-)
Title: Re: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: JPrickett on October 09, 2012, 12:05:26 PM
 :wooooo: It was a rapid result Caledonia, and the best we could have possibley hoped for!
Well, Tiggy's Mum, I'm glad to know I can discuss poop and be viewed as normal here, because many of my non-cat owning friends think I'm batty! They just don't get my love of kitties.

I am just sooo glad that we have a solution.

Jenny xx
Title: Re: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: Huge on October 09, 2012, 13:40:23 PM
Excellent news about the poo, and you're quite normal for being happy about it IMO ;)

Oh and you're forgiven for thinking I was a woman. :P I wasn't offended, literally some of my best friends are women :D
Title: Re: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on October 09, 2012, 15:54:54 PM
Excellent news :wow:

Result! I don't think I've ever been so happy about cat poo!  :rofl:

See that's perfectly normal on here :evillaugh:

Oh so normal LOL, great result  ;D

Please give Benji loads of cuddles so he knows he is still loved  :hug: :hug:
Title: Re: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: JPrickett on October 09, 2012, 16:25:57 PM
 :thanks: Gill!

Don't worry, Benji is getting lots of love and cuddles! He always has done (whether he wants it or not haha), but even more since we have taken Lucy in.  :hug:
Title: Re: Help with Adult Litter Training Please!!
Post by: Sam (Fussy_Furball) on October 09, 2012, 21:07:45 PM
Excellent news about the poo, and you're quite normal for being happy about it IMO ;)

Oh and you're forgiven for thinking I was a woman. :P I wasn't offended, literally some of my best friends are women :D

 :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

So pleased poo-gate is now sorted  ;)