Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: Yvonne on August 11, 2007, 15:44:08 PM
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Hi everybody - not a pleasant subject but Homer is having a bit of a relapse and will not use his litter tray, I dont know why, and we are discovering poo everywhere.
Invested in a lovely hooded litter tray after hearing remarks about privacy on this forum, it looks very smart but he hates it. He would use the tray when he first came to us but not now, any ideas anybody?
Homer is 4 months old :thanks:
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Could be he is finding it hard to get in, turn around and settle with the flap on the door. Have noticed Smidgen occasionally sitting there self-consciously with the flap resting on his rump and his head out the door (tres cute, by the way). If he used it to start with, and won't now, that seems the most obvious possibility. I am assuming you are doing all the normal things like ensuring litter is fresh, not using new litter type/texture etc, no new animals or people in the house and so forth ...
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Yvonne i really dont know much about this but i do know that "manx" is actually abit like a form of spinabifida and it has been known for them to have issues associated with this relating to faecal issues, just make sure its not actually a medical issue rather than a behavioural one. :hug:
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I would suggest a vet check to ensure there are no underlying problems. However, I remember when we were adopting a cat from the MSPCA in Foxdale we were told that Manx cats are often 'dirty' with their back end. I also saw this in Manx cats/kittens at the Mann Cat Sanctuary at Santon. Mind you I have to say I was disgusted at the state of some of the cats there.
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Remove the hood for now, mine hate hoods as much i would prefer one to stop so much mess being made but id rather poop be where it should :rofl:
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I have two trays one with a hood and one without - both are spotless because they have not been used for a week. I will try some softer litter but I am not hopeful.
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He needs to get out of this habit quickly.
I'd confine him to a cage when he wasn't supervised.
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I'd confine him to a cage when he wasn't supervised.
I agree and that is something we do once established there are no underlying problems, However, as mentioned it can be a Manx cat think some do have back end problems. Possibly from inbreeding which has led to spine problems and I expect the dirty bum could be indirectly linked to this. There were so many at a sanctuary I visited all with pooy bums.
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I bought some different litter today, I shall try that. He has taken to doing his busines in the coal bucket which I suppose is not as bad as doing it in the corner of the room. He does not actually have a pooey bum.
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Yvonne
What are you doing with the poop when you find it?
Hopefully you are putting it in the litter tray and then gently placing Homer in the tray, I also take hold of a paw and get then to try to cover it.
Having recently been through hell with the phantom piddle and poopers I empathise;one thing that helped also was changing to a soft paper litter.The two kittens who were still dirty were put in a pen full of litter trays which were gradually reduced. All now clean but its a gradual process of reverting back to the wood based litter I normally use.
Also much as I felt like crying I smiled about it and wrote it all on a thread,it really got me through.
Vet check is advisable,its just possible he associates his tray with pain.
Good Luck,you`ll get there in time :hug:
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Hi.
dont know if this is helpful but it might help if you when furbabe opens their bowels to place a little of the offending offering in the new litter tray or transfer some used litter into the new hooded tray. also take the flip door of the front. The smell of the cat excreta may help link the new tray with being a place to do his business.
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Hi Yvonne,
How's Homer's toileting problems? Hope he has gone back to the latter tray rather than the coal bucket.