AIBU to expect 4 cats to stay in utility room/study?

i don't know how long you've had them, but you/DH haven't bothered to train them - or they are just so disgusted at their trays only being cleared a couple of times a week they won't use them, and now you are planning to shut all four of them in a single room - and a small room from the sound of it.
That's both cruel and neglectful - get the poor things rehomed.

I hope that you give your baby more care and attention when it's born - or are you planning on only changing its nappy twice a week?

Make sure their food and water bowls are nowhere near their litter trays for starters!
I really think you need to re home at least 2.
It’s not very fair for the cats to stay cooped up in the utility or safe for the baby and completely unhygienic.

Could you rehome the cats that are toilet trained? That would leave you with 2 problem cats but a better chance of solving it as they would be less stressed and it would be easier to keep the trays clean with half the usage.

As others have said, adopters are not going to be willing to take on a non-toilet trained adult cat when rescues are full of perfectly trained cats.

This exactly.

@notaurewhatusername I looked after ONE small cat for a week for someone, and that litter tray was cleaned of poo and wee twice a day or more.
After every poo for certain.

Your husband isn't caring for these cats.
They won't use shit filled litter trays, and cat poo stinks {much worse than dog poo for some reason}

Why on earth did he get four cats when he cannot look after one properly?

He says he loves them, but that is not reflected in the way he is treating them. Or indeed you and the baby as his lack of care is putting you all at risk. He needs to realise that love isn't just about feelings, but about physical actions. He needs to up his game before the baby arrives and there is another creature in the house that will need his practical attention

This is strange behaviour as cats are very clean animals. They will not poo in a litter tray with another cat's poo in them. Mine wouldn't if her own poo was still in there. They should have their own tray. Cats will poo anywhere when they are either unhappy or ill or feel there is no alternative. I really think you need to re home them, for their sake as much as yours.

We had two cats and two litter trays and the poo was removed as soon as we spotted it and flushed down the loo.

Please don't flush cat or dog poo down the loo. The UK sewage system isn't designed to deal with animal waste:

Water and sewage systems in the UK aren’t designed to kill Toxoplasma gondii parasites, so flushing your cat’s poop down the toilet simply allows it to enter the environment and waterways. It means anyone who comes into contact with it could potentially become infected. It is worth noting that Toxoplasma gondii can also be harmful to aquatic life, and that wastewater often feeds into the ocean and other waterways. As a result, research has linked the Toxoplasma parasite to the deaths of sea otters, dolphins, seals and whales. For this reason, flushing cat poop should be avoided.

Those poor cats. Shame on you both.

*rehome

Exactly this. The poor cats mustbe so stressed out.

Maybe get some robot litter-boxes, which are self-cleaning (up to a point) which will be easier for your dh to keep clean, so the cats will use them. Expensive but probably worth it.

He needs to clean the rest of the house really thoroughly to remove odours and get rid of any soiled furnishings/fabrics.

I'd suggest he digs over an area in the garden to tempt them to use outside more.

Speak to the vet about the behavioural issues.

And probably you need to try to rehome a couple.

someone I know kept two kittens when their cat had kittens. Once they reached a certain age the cat turned on them and always hisses on them. They then had issues with seeing in the house. I’m not sure cats are actually meant to stay with their mums long term in nature. I’d regime the two kittens.

Your husband is a shockingly irresponsible cat owner. Nobody who loves and cares for their cats should keep letting them have kittens time after time. They should be spayed before this happens. I feel very sorry for the poor things. I hope you find a way of rehoming them responsibly. Please don’t just give them to any old Tom, Dick or Harry and absolutely don’t put them on Facebook.

You won't be able to re-home cats that don't use their litter trays. Animal shelters are run over with cats that do use their litter trays. No one would adopt them and they'd get put down. It sounds like they are only young cats and it's clear your DH doesn't deserve any cats or any other animals as he's lazy and neglects them. I really hope he cares for your baby better.

I repeat again - why are your cats not toilet trained? I've had over 10 cats and each and every one weed and pood in a litter tray after about 8wk old, and or/outside... and always covering it up. They are very clean animals, with little guidance. My now adult children never came across cat pee or poo. Neither did I as a child and my parents and grandparents always had cats and dogs

What's your partnership like in other areas?

Is the issue with the cats representative of your relationship as a whole?

I have 5 cats, one neutered male, one neutered female, and three entire females in a small house (I breed pedigrees) and have never had an issue with them not using their trays - it's either stress which it doesn't sound like or they don't like their trays. Some cats are particular about litter texture if it's sharp on their paws or it's different to what they were taught by their mother to use. I use almo nature and it keeps the smell down ALOT and only has to be properly changed every 10 days. Another thing may be the tray too small - use the biggest possible, or the tray isn't cleaned well enough inbetween changes, it's like weeing in a filthy toilet, you'd probably go elsewhere.

Another thing will be if they have already started weeing/pooing on beds or carpet, it will smell like a litter tray to them. You could try enzyme sprays but with carpet I'd say it needs replacing to stop it from happening again.

You can't just leave them in the conservatory, I'd reccomend rehoming if your husband isn't ontop of their issues, especially with a pregnancy.

Your OH is an utter twat. Happy healthy cats don’t crap everywhere. Cats that are stressed do. Cats will not use a dirty litter tray and will crap and pee somewhere else if there’s no clean tray available. Get them all rehomed, they deserve better.

Absolutely gobsmacked at this. Your husband is too lazy to take responsibility for some cats and get you’ve decided to have a baby with him?!!!! Why on earth would you do that to yourself 😵‍💫

Your DH is a fuckwit! Yes, you need to re-home all the cats to someone who will love them and care for them properly.

Those poor cats! I only have 2 cats and they have cat flaps too but I still clean out their litter tray twice a day, if necessary. How will you care for a child if you can’t cope with a bit of cat poo and wee?

More worryingly, why are you having a child with this idiot who can’t even care for his pets responsibly? He is not good father material.

I couldn’t live with those cats, I’d move out. It sounds disgusting, not to mention an unsuitable environment for a baby/toddler. It’s a real case of - it’s either me or the cats.

Having someone come in twice a day is perfectly fine - but surely that person would be attending to the litter tray? Cats don’t like being moved around so he is actually right on that, but litter changes are part of a cat sitter’s job.

If they have pooed in every room it absolutely has to be deep cleaned for the sake of your and your baby’s health, regardless of what happens to the cats.

If he put in a cat flap they could potentially be trained to toilet in a litter area outside and many of your problems would be solved as the indoor litter tray would become much less dirty and the cats less stressed as they wouldn’t be confined and sharing territory.

They need to go. Or you do. You can't have a baby in this environment.

I know you’ve got all the cats neutered now, but if your H purposely let the females out unspayed because he wanted kittens, he’s an irresponsible idiot who doesn’t deserve to have cats. If you do decide to rehome them, please do it through a rescue, not Gumtree.

Most rescues are overflowing at the moment but would probably do a direct rehoming for a fee - that’s where they find and vet the new owners & the cats go direct from your house to theirs. You’d definitely have to have sorted the toileting though.

Quite frankly your so called DH sounds like a complete twat. Letting the poor cat out to get pregnant. How irresponsible! I hope she's been spayed now and the others all spayed/neutered.

As for the toileting all over the house, as PP said they are doing this because they are stressed and their litter trays are not kept clean.

In your condition you shouldn't be having to put up with this.

I'd be reading the riot act to him, and telling him either he gets his act together and starts looking after these poor cats properly or I'll re home the cats and him!