Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Augh!!! I have to travel every week so I am gone and my two cats, females, ages 7 and 8, are alone all day. I have someone come in the late afternoon to give them food, water, and to clean the cat boxes. This last week when I came home and I found two poops in my closet. I'm wondering if this is retaliation for my absence. It has happened before...just a few weeks back. The only similarity about those weeks I was gone is the fact that it was quite warm.

Anyone with experience and advice would be great appreciated. I don't want whichever cat it is to begin peeing. I fear that once that starts it'll be a constant happening.

Here's some more info...there are two boxes downstairs in the bathroom. There's a third upstairs in another bathroom. I completely empty and clean all three boxes every week without fail. I put more than enough litter in each box (about 15 pounds worth).

I love my cats but do not want this problem to get out of hand.

Thanks for your help.

I wish I could help you, but I can only commiserate ! My 5 year old male stopped using his litterbox after 4 years of behaving perfectly. I don't know why he started dumping on the floor, but I've tried changing the litter, and spraying some of that "don't pee here" spray around the furnace - he's new self declared litterbox. I don't think I made him mad for any reason - haven't left him alone for long, got a new pet, etc. It is warm in there, and the odor does seem worse than usual, even after it's been cleaned. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

For all cats who decide not to use the litterbox a first step is a vet exam to rule out any underlying medical cause. If the problem is behavioral, there are some steps you can take to help solve the problem.

-----
Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

Madame,

Please tell me what this "training" litter is that beckons cats. I think that much of it has to do with combination of my being gone and the heat. I have been gone much of the year and the two occurrences have been during hot weeks. I have set my AC to 80 degrees and it will be on all of next week. As a test, I checked the air temp today with no AC and it got to almost 90 inside. Of course, cats are pretty lethargic in the heat.

Please let me know what that litter is. Being out of town makes locking a cat in a room with a box and good not feasible.

Thank you.

The litter is called Cat Attract and was created by a veterinarian. I see that it is available at Petsmart.com.

You might want to consider leaving your ac on at the highest setting. We do this for our cat when we go out of town. We live in a very hot climate, but the ac will not come on except in the hottest part of the day. The house temp is probably around 85 then.

-----
Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

>>I wish I could help you, but I can only commiserate ! My 5 year old male stopped using his litterbox after 4 years of behaving perfectly. I don't know why he started dumping on the floor, but I've tried changing the litter, and spraying some of that "don't pee here" spray around the furnace - he's new self declared litterbox. I don't think I made him mad for any reason - haven't left him alone for long, got a new pet, etc. It is warm in there, and the odor does seem worse than usual, even after it's been cleaned. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Scrub the area very thoroughly with a water/vinegar solution and let dry. Then completely saturate the area with Nature's Miracle and let air dry. It may need two or three applications. I would also put a litterbox down by the furnace since that's where the cat seems to want to go. Good luck.
-----
Dottie
Proudly owned by The Catnip Crew...Munchkin,Casey,Maddie,Harley,Meadow,Ashley,Nicky and Mushka

Have the vet rule out any medical cause for the inappropriate elimination first. Often times some medical reason will cause the cat to avoid the box if he associates pain or trauma with the act of defecating in the box and will find a place elsewhere to go. If all that checks out okay, thoroughly clean the area with Nature's Miracle or some other enzymatic cleaner for pet stains and odors. Can you keep that closet door shut? It might be wise to add another box when you travel in case once a day scooping isn't enough for the cat. He may just want a really clean box. Good luck.
-----
Dottie
Proudly owned by The Catnip Crew...Munchkin,Casey,Maddie,Harley,Meadow,Ashley,Nicky and Mushka