Cat Help!!!!?

Question

I have an adult ( 2yrs old ) cat. We recently got a new kitten. At first the kitten used a seperate small litter pan, about 2 weeks ago I took away the kitty litter pan, and had her start using the big litter box with the cat since she is big enough to get in it. for a week they both used it with no problems. Now suddenly after 2 weeks, the old cat does not want to use it. She goes in my bathroom on the rug, or in the bathtub. Today she went as far as to go poop in it. I know i could just shut the door, but i'm afraid she will go somewhere else.

Is there something I can do to make them both use the same one? Or if i do get seperate litter boxes for them, will they know which one they us and stay with it? I'm afaid if i buy another litter box they will both use just whatever one, and athen it will start all over again.

Please help!!! My bathroom stinks now from the urine.

Answer 1

I realize that there are some people that have already answered this question that are qualified, but I really disagree with the one that said that cat's don't go outside the box because they are mad or upset. I think that, if your cat is smart enough, that's a very real possibility. I have had a lot of cats and currently have 4 and I am here to tell you that I've had several that were vet checked with no medical problems who did the exact same thing when there was a change in the home or something happened that they didn't like. I would suggest using two litter boxes because it sounds like your older cat is both jelous and a little mad that you brought another cat into the home and she probably won't go in the same box until she is more used to the idea.

Answer 2

These problems are very difficult (inappropriate urination). Begin by making sure that your adult cat is spayed or neutered. A good general rule of thumb for multi-cat households is 1 litter box per cat plus one (in your case, this would be 3). Put them in seperate locations in the house. Clean all soiled areas with an ezymatic based cleaner (Nature's miracle works well), pick up all area rugs. I'd probably place one additional box in the bathroom. Some cats are very meticulous about the cleanliness of their box, so be SURE to scoop all boxes at least once a day. I know this sounds like a lot of work, but I encourage you to make these simple adjustments now, rather than allowing this to become a serious problem -- the longer it goes on the more difficult it will be to resolve.
One other very important note -- make sure you have your adult examined by your vet to eliminate any physical problems or illnesses that could be causing the inappropriate urination (diabetes, urinary tract infections, etc) before you chalk up his or her actions to a behavior problem. Good luck.

Answer 3

I had the same problem with my cats. I tried everything and what I found worked the best was a product called feliway. It is a pherimone replicant. What I read is that the cat may not necessarily be peeing but instead marking her territory if she feels invaded by the other cat. You will have to clean the soiled areas extremely well and when you think they are clean, clean them again because if the cat smells a place they have gone they will try to go again. Then spray the problem areas with the feliway. They also make a plug in version that you just replace every thirty days if you dont have the time to spray every day. What Feliway supposebly does is makes whatever you spray it with smell like the cats facial pherimones and eliminates the urge for them to spray it because it already smells like them, but it is oderless to humans. The only downside is it is kind of expensive you can get it at most pet stores.

Answer 4

Cats are very territorial and sometimes do not like the "competition" in the house. Do not punish her for her natural instincts. I would go back to using 2 litter boxes. I have one in the bedroom and one in the hallway and have no problems. Again, do not punish the cat this is typical behavior of cats.

Answer 5

your adult cat can be territorial it may say this was my litter box then that other cat came and stole it so i am going to go somewhere else maybe the two cats should spend more time together if they are both males then you should get them fixed. you change the litter box more so the adult cat doesn't smell the other ones business or get another one but smaller

Answer 6

You are lucky it is your bathroom which is easily cleaned and not the carpet which is not.

Remember the litterbox rule: # of cats + 1. If you ask these two cats to share a box you are asking for trouble - which you have already found out.

Answer 7

Cats don't stop using their litter boxes because they're upset at their human caregivers and are determined to get revenge for something that "offended" them. Because humans act for these reasons, it's easy for us to assume that our pets do as well. But animals don't act out of spite or revenge, so it won't help to punish your cat or give her special privileges in the hope that she'll start using the litter box again.

Medical Problems

It's common for cats with medical problems to begin eliminating outside of their litter box. For example, a urinary tract infection or crystals in the urine can make urination painful—and both are serious conditions that require medical attention. Cats often associate this pain with the litter box and begin to avoid it. So if your cat has a house-soiling problem, check with your veterinarian first to rule out any medical problems. Cats don't always act sick, even when they are, and only a trip to the veterinarian for a thorough physical examination can rule out a medical problem.

Cleaning Soiled Areas

Because animals are highly motivated to continue soiling an area that smells like urine or feces—and because cats' sense of smell is so much stronger than humans'—it's important to thoroughly and properly clean the soiled areas.

Urine stains will glow in the dark under a fluorescent black light, which can generally be purchased at hardware and pet supply stores. Once located, the stains should be cleaned with an enzymatic cleaner, also available at pet supply stores. Strong smelling household cleaners will do little to eliminate the odor or deter your pet from re-marking the area. Be sure to clean the area thoroughly before steam cleaning to avoid "locking in" the odor.

Aversion to the Litter Box

Your cat may have decided the litter box is an unpleasant place to eliminate if:

The box is not clean enough for her.
She has experienced painful urination or defecation in the box due to a medical problem.
She has been startled by a noise while using the box.
She has been "ambushed" while in the box by another cat, a child, a dog, or by you, if you were attempting to catch her for some reason.
She associates the box with punishment. (For example, someone punished her for eliminating outside the box, then placed her in the box.)
What You Can Do:

Keep the litter box extremely clean. Scoop at least once a day and change the litter completely every four to five days. If you use scoopable litter, you may not need to change the litter as frequently, depending on the number of cats in the household, the size of the cats, and the number of litter boxes. If you can smell the box, then you can be pretty sure it's offensive to your cat as well.
Add a new box in a different location, and use a different type of litter in the new box. Because your cat has decided that her old litter box is unpleasant, you'll want to make the new one different enough that she doesn't simply apply the old, negative associations to the new box.
Make sure that the litter box isn't near an appliance (such as a furnace) that makes noise, or in an area of the home that your cat doesn't frequent.
If ambushing is a problem, create more than one exit from the litter box, so that if the "ambusher" is waiting by one area, your cat always has an escape route.
If you have multiple cats, provide one litter box for each cat, plus one extra box in a different location.
Surface Preferences

All animals develop preferences for a particular surface on which they like to eliminate. These preferences may be established early in life, but they may also change overnight for reasons that we don't always understand. Your cat may have a surface preference if:

She consistently eliminates on a particular texture—for example, soft-textured surfaces such as carpeting, bedding, or clothing, or slick-textured surfaces such as tile, cement, bathtubs, or sinks.
She frequently scratches on this same texture after elimination, even if she eliminates in the litter box.
She is or was previously an outdoor cat and prefers to eliminate on grass or soil.
What You Can Do:

If you recently changed the type or brand of cat litter, go back to providing the litter that your cat had been using.
If your cat is eliminating on soft surfaces, try using a high-quality, scoopable litter.
If your cat is eliminating on slick, smooth surfaces, try putting a very thin layer of litter at one end of the box, leaving the other end bare, and put the box on a hard floor.
If your cat has a history of being outdoors, add some soil or sod to the litter box.
Location Preferences

Your cat may have a location preference if:

She always eliminates in quiet, protected places, such as under a desk, beneath a staircase, or in a closet.
She eliminates in an area where the litter box was previously kept or where there are urine odors.
She eliminates on a different level of the home from where the litter box is located.
What You Can Do:

Put at least one litter box on every level of your home. (Remember, a properly cleaned litter box does not smell.)
To make the area where she has been eliminating less appealing to your cat, cover the area with upside-down carpet runner or aluminum foil, place citrus-scented cotton balls over the area, or place water bowls in the area (because cats often don't like to eliminate near where they eat or drink).
OR

Put a litter box in the location where your cat has been eliminating. When she has consistently used this box for at least one month, you may gradually move it to a more convenient location at a rate of an inch—seriously!—per day.
Everyone Makes Mistakes

If you catch your cat in the act of eliminating outside the litter box, do something to interrupt her like making a startling noise, but be careful not to scare her. Immediately take her to the litter box and set her on the floor nearby. If she wanders over to the litter box, wait and praise her after she eliminates in the box. If she takes off in another direction, she may want privacy, so watch from afar until she goes back to the litter box and eliminates, then praise her when she does.

Don't ever punish your cat for eliminating outside of the litter box. By the time you find the soiled area, it's too late to administer a correction. Do nothing but clean it up. Rubbing your cat's nose in it, taking her to the spot and scolding her, or inflicting any other type of punishment will only make her afraid of you or afraid to eliminate in your presence. Animals don't understand punishment after the fact, even if it's only seconds later, and trying to punish them will often make matters worse.

Other Types of House Soiling Problems

Marking/Spraying: To determine if your cat is marking or spraying, consult a veterinarian or animal behaviorist.

Fears or Phobias: When animals become frightened, they may lose control of their bladder and/or bowels. If your cat is afraid of loud noises, strangers, or other animals, she may soil the home when she is exposed to these stimuli.

Answer 8

hiya
try two letter boxes see how they get on
:o)