how do i stop my dog from going in the cats litter tray?

Question

my dog is a 13 week old jack russell. the dog and cats are kept in the kitchen when we aren't home. they get along fine but sometimes we come home and find cat poo out of the litter tray and on the kitchen floor, i don't know if she is eating it or just playing with it. she does it if shes left for an hour or four hours so i don't think shes doing it because shes left for to long she does it whenever she feels like, people have recommended a gate but we can't put one in as the litter tray, the cats and the dog are all in one room when we're not there. please help as i think its gross and i dread to think what she might be picking up

Answer 1

I once had a dog that would clean out the cat box. Thinking it was hubby, who said no, it wasn't him. He thought that it was me cleaning it out. Nope, not me! That left only one other creature that could be doing it. I caught the dog, eating the poop. Ugh! I was not only grossed out but as mad as a hornet too! Well, I went to the vet and asked him why the dog was doing this. The vet said because the dog wanted too. He said it was normal for dogs to do this, ugh! The only way I was able to remedy this problem was to put the cats box in one area of the house. And put the dog in another area when we went some where. That is the only way this can be solved. Maybe put the dog in another room while you go out? Use the gate across the door of the room he is in so he can't get out? Just an idea, hope it helped!

Answer 2

I had a similar problem with one of my dogs. He just looooves to eat poo (cat, dog or baby, he's not fussy). Although he wasn't leaving it anywhere, I still found the whole idea of him eating it completely disgusting.

I tried two covered litter boxes (we have two cats), but he still managed to manipulate himself to get in there. The solution ended up being the purchase of a wooden trunk (or toybox) and cutting a cat-sized hole in one side. I lined the bottom of the box with some plastic mats cut to size for easy cleaning. Then put your litterbox inside. I chose a well-ventiliated box with wooden slats. If you're handy, you might be able to build something. I put the hole side close to the wall, because he is a very persistent dog, but you may not have to do this. The cool thing is that you can store your litterbox cleaning tools in there too and maybe even a bag of cat litter. Now this will only work if your cats will go into the box, but our cats took to it right away. This also cuts down on bad kitty smells!

Good luck! Picking up poop is never fun.

Answer 3

The only thing that I can think of, as you can't be there to supervise, is to put the cats litter tray up higher.

Could you not put it on top of the fridge/freezer ... not so sure about on top of a wall unit as that might overhang a worktop & sometimes cats get a bit enthusiastic as they dig, lol.

Or perhaps you could put it in the sink or on the draining board? This would be easy to clean if there were any mishaps.

Otherwise, if you're only leaving them alone for a short period of time, why not remove the litter tray altogether for that period of time & hope that the cats keep their legs crossed?

Answer 4

i've had the same problem with my cats and dog. i spent tons of money buying every type of covered litter box i could find at the pet stores, one after another, each of them failing! sure they have lids but your dog can easily just stick his head into the hole and gorge himself on "kitty-snacks". the solution? i went to walmart and got a big rubbermaid container with a lid - one of the taller storage containers, not the short ones for shoes. $5. just cut a circle in the lid large enough for your cat to get through, instantly the container has become a fully enclosed, top-entry litter box. it works great, has handles and the lid is easy to take off so the box can be cleaned! your little jack russell will never be able to get into it

Answer 5

Put it in the bathroom and get a doggie door so the cats can slide under but the dogs can't get in. Kitty nuggets are tasty snacks to dogs. I know it's gross. Mine try to eat them too. But you will never get them to stop unless they don't have access to it.



PS..... It isn't the kitty poo that is bad for the dog it is the kitty litter itself that can be poisonus. If you don't mind your dog snacking on kitty nuggets make sure the kitty litter you use is all natural. Clay, pine and the crystal type litter are all poisonus.

Answer 6

dogs LOVE to eat cat poop. Sounds like you are going to have to start keeping the litter box elsewhere or you are going to have to start keeping him elsewhere. My animals free roam during the day, but I have the litterbox in the bathroom and gate at the door so the dog can't get in.

Answer 7

If she grow to be utilising the field before each thing it should be a clinical situation. Urinary tract infections and crystals contained in the urine are both really hardship-loose situations that make urination painful for the cat. It finally ends up in them keeping off the usual position of urination because they associate it with the soreness, and they strive against to discover someplace to flow that isn't harm. both situations are actual diagnosable with an low-priced urinalysis yet should be extremely undesirable (deadly)if left untreated. except that, verify the clutter field is saved extremely sparkling. per chance get yet another field and positioned it in between the corners the position she is peeing. also have the opt to substantiate you're cleansing the stains with a purifier that asserts enzyme or enzymatic out. not something else will completely smash any last heady scent and your cat can scent it in spite of in case you may not. see you later as there is any last heady scent there she will be ready to proceed to urinate there. it should be she is purely less than pressure out from the flow, so i extremely trust you about not letting her outside. you ought to continuously attempt a harness, then you absolutely ought to take her for walks, lol. Edit* I ought to upload it really is an extremely risky idea to positioned a collar on her if she is going outside. you may continuously get her tattooed for identity (which will continuously be there compared to a collar which cats have an uncanny knack for paying for off). Many cats have died from their collars getting stuck and strangling them.

Answer 8

puppies are fascinated by the litter tray too! all yo can do is keep it clean, change it daily and tell him NO! when he goes near it. If you spray it with any chemical to stop him going near it, the chances are your cats won't use it, so I think it comes down to training.

Answer 9

I called the Vet on this one as it was my problem as well, cat poop will not hurt a dog it actually is ok for them to eat. Plus if you want a positive on this one you won't have to clean your litter box. Me I moved mine so only the cat has acess to it.

Answer 10

Our Labrador used to do this as well when he was a pup. In fact, he used to bring us cat droppings as gifts when we came home. I agree it is gross. Our dog just grew out of it and I'm sure yours will too. The cats used to get quite ruffled about it as well, you know how fastidious cats are!