fgs tell me what to do with this cat, quick!

[phdlife]

18m old rescue cat, brought home from vet 5 nights ago. Long, narrow house, litter box in laundry at end opposite to beds. Only doors are on bed and bathrooms.

Day 1 & 2, cat uses litter box successfully. Night 1 & 2, we shut cat in shower room with food, pillow, litter box, because (a) ime, cats do better in a new place at night if their movement is restricted, (b) it's close to bedrooms so I'll hear if she's distressed, and (c) there is no way of shutting her in the laundry.

Night 3, I think she's settled enough to roam house at night. Cat poops in bath tub - note this is a separate room to shower room.

Night 4, cat poops in bath in early morning but after family is stirring.
Night 5, cat poops in bath in late evening, while I'm still up and about.

what do i need to do to persuade cat back into litter box and stop using my bath?!??!

Hmm. Is the litter tray a covered one? Maybe the cat doesn't like it... Of course you're cleaning the tray regularly. Be thankful it's not crapping on your carpets?

Sorry, not much help.

You could try to put the cat litter in the bath, then when she's using it, beside the bath etc. Or shut her out of the bathroom completely and see where she poo's Is the original cat litter box still in the laundry room?

no, litter box not covered. cleaned out first two or three poops, have not worried much about wee because it is totally disappearing into litter. well, afa my nose is concerned anyway.

ooh that reminds me last night i put out a box with a blanket, hoping she'd settle more easily rather than pacing our room looking for a bed - she promptly weed on that too.

gtg, it's 11pm. dd will have me up at 5 and i have to be civil for a kindy excursion but someone please, please HELP

Leave water in the bathtub overnight.

That will be £5, thanks. :)

@ leaving water in the tub... Some cats are very fussy about clean trays, it may smell ok to you but not to the cat. Try cleaning it out totally and replacing the litter, and see if that works for tonight.

PS, keep it out of your bedrooms; fussy cats love a nice clean duvet.

Feliway

Is the litter tray too close to food + bed? Some cats don't like this. Have you tried moving the food and pillow out of the shower room?

Yy to keeping her out of bedrooms. One of ours hates the tray but will happily use our bed if she gets in there. I play a daily game of hunt the shit which is getting incredibly tedious.

I think the problem is when she messes outside the tray it's scrubbed immediately and everything is nice and clean again whereas the tray is never as clean (5 cats... Even with multiple trays it's impossible to keep them sterile at wall times)

Short of leaving the shit where it is to put her off I'm at a loss! And that's simply not an option.