Litter refusal help

[moggyloggy]

Hi

I've got a 3 year old girl dcat, we love her to bits. But I'm starting to resent this situation and I'm hoping for some advice.

I had a baby last year, almost one. Not sure if relevant but since little one was a few months old dcat has been refusing to poo in the litter tray.

This has carried on and I'm having to clean up between 1-3 poos off the floor every day... it's so unpleasant.

Dcat has 3 trays which she uses fine for wees. I've tried various different litters, she's been to the vet and no health issues, vet says behavioural.

She tends to poo right beside the litter trays as well. They are cleaned every day multiple times. Im not sure what else to do. I clean up the poos with a proper cleaner for pets... I've tried covering the area and she will just do it on the rugs. I've moved the trays to different places and she does the same thing.

Has anyone been in this situation or have any advice? My baby is crawling around which is concerning me too.

We wake up every morning to a mess :(

TIA

Mine prefer compost, when they were kittens l had trays of compost in the house as l was sowing seeds. They just naturally started using these, and now they go outdoors l place trays of compost around the garden and under the tree and that's where they go toilet. Saves neighbours complaining, it doesn't smell so bad either.
Can your cat not go outdoors?

Trays of compost is a great idea. I'm willing to try anything.

She's always been an indoor cat, and I haven't got a cat flap. I live on a very busy main road so that was always the reason why.

But I guess I could reconsider this if that's why she's unhappy?

For now, put puppy pads next to the trays to catch errant poos and make it easier to clean up. Use baby gates to separate litter trays and toddler.

Are her trays all the same? Does she have a choice of open and covered?

So last time I tried puppy pads, she decided to use them to "bury" her poo... so she moved them around and covered up her poo with them resulting in poo smeared everywhere. If I did that again I'd need to stick them down.

All her trays are uncovered at the moment, I've had covered ones and have two in my garage and she's never even entered them for a wee.

One of the trays I'm using at the moment isn't even a litter tray it's just a large shallow plastic tub as I read somewhere to try that as some cats like a large space?

She seems to do a lot of scratching/turning/and faffing about before doing her business. She does it right in front of us at times as well.

I’ve had two female cats do this - I’ve no idea why the first did it but the second copied and was, I think, a dominance measure. Now I think she does it because the litter is sharp on her paws and she is arthritic. As a result, I’ve now got 2 empty trays that she wees and poos in. They do have to be washed out twice a day and stand on a towel to catch any wet paw prints but it saves a fortune in litter. She won’t use an empty sifting tray so that’s why I think it’s about the sensation on her paws.

Another alternative you could consider would be a paper based litter. That was successful for a time with a previous arthritic cat before I started using empty litter trays.

It does sound like you've probably tried most things (often people haven't!).

Depending on the way your house is situated in relation to the road, I'd think seriously about letting her outside.

I had a male cat do this for bowel movements only. He finally stopped when I got a jumbo sized litter tray with high walls instead of the regular size ones. So I think he must have felt uncomfortable with the size of the tray. I purchased another large tray as the local hardware store sold them at a very reasonable price. I find that is good for 2 to 3 cats. I clean the trays in the garden with the help of a hose and a small around of bleach.
The type of litter didn’t have an effect on my cat not going on the floor. We use wood chip litter now though as that is less smelly. Both our cats are 100% indoors, as we have a busy road nearby.

I wondered if she didn't like the feel of the litter on her paws but I've tried I'm sure every type of litter on the market and she wees in all of them no issue... if it was a texture thing would she refuse all together?

An empty litter tray sounds an idea to try... I'm going to get some compost tomorrow as well.

The trays I've got are the biggest I could find as well, plus the large container.

This only started when she was 2 as well, she always went in the litter tray fine before this. That's why I wondered if it was related to the baby, maybe she's unhappy as it started not long after little one was born.

I don't have a huge house and the litter trays are at the back of the kitchen/ laundry area.

As silly as it sounds it's becoming not only unpleasant for me, stressful with a baby crawling around, but it's also quite embarrassing when we have visitors as she no doubt manages to crack one out at the ideal time.

I tried moving the litter trays upstairs to my en-suite then main bathroom but she just did the same there, and there's carpet upstairs so I'm worried she'll go on that as well.

Have you tried feliway/pheromone diffusers/sprays?

Does she have her own space and plenty of high up vantage points?

Does she have plenty of enrichment?

It sounds more like stress than an issue with the actual litter.

Are her litter trays somewhere safe where she has lots of privacy?
Have you tried different styles of tray?
Does she have lots of space away from the baby?
Does she have furniture and toys and beds that she knows are hers?
Could you let her outside?

So I had baby last year but I've got other children so dcat has always been around children. They're older though. I wondered more if it was to do with baby and maybe a dominance thing with dcat as I guess baby crawling around she could think it's another creature in the house but I have no idea how cats minds work

Like I've said dcat was fine for the first 2 years of her life. Only thing that's been a major change is new baby?

I've tried feliway which made no difference.

2 of the trays are tucked away in a laundry enclave off the back off the kitchen, one is in the corner of the kitchen. So she has a mixture of privacy and non private area.

She does it right in front of us on lots of occasions so I don't think privacy is her main concern but who knows.

Some new ideas to try though, thank you for everyone who's given advice.

Just checking there isn't any physical reason.

Does she poo every day and are the poos 'normal' i.e not small/hard/dry? It's just you said she "seems to do a lot of scratching/turning/and faffing about before doing her business" and that can be a sign a cat is is constipated or having trouble getting it out. When they do get the urge they then might not make it to the tray, or miss the tray.

TempCat only goes every second day and does make quite an announcement before and afterwards. He's on special fibre rich dry food to help. He also has a water fountain to encourage him to drink more.

The fact that it happened so soon after baby and the vet says there's no physical cause says to me that it's very likely to behavioural.

How many children do you have now? Are they all young? Is the household quite noisy and/or chaotic? Any other animals in the home?

The poos are normal, never hard or dry. Sometimes they're a tad runny. She goes between 1-3 times a day! Which is why it is wearing me down so much.

No other animals in the house.

4 children now, 2 are teens and one primary. Plus baby.

I guess it's always going to be busy with 4 kids but I wouldn't say we are a chaotic family at all, my older ones are very quiet, and my primary age little one is also similar. We don't tolerate any screaming/fighting/carrying on/running around... new baby is just a typical baby.

Dcat did used to sleep in my bed a lot until baby came along, she soon realised her nights were very interrupted by baby in my room I think so she moved on to sleeping in my sons room. That's why I'm worried now she's been very put out.

The faffing about before doing her business is scratching the floor, like she would a litter tray... it's very odd.

Dcat did used to sleep in my bed a lot until baby came along, she soon realised her nights were very interrupted by baby in my room I think so she moved on to sleeping in my sons room. That's why I'm worried now she's been very put out.

She could be, my cats are all pretty routine driven and don't like it when things change - it definitely impacts their behaviour, especially the oldest.

My cat does this. She wees in the litter tray but always poos outside it but next to it. I've tried different litters but it made no difference so I just let her get on with it now. I put plastic mats next to the litter tray and she poos on those. I pick it up with biodegradable dog poo bags. One positive is the litter lasts longer!

I've woken up this morning to two lovely poos been left overnight, one right in the middle of the walkway I need to pass to get to the shower room (gallery kitchen).

The thought that I'm going have to carry on cleaning sh*t off the floor for the next however many years makes me want to cry tbh.

Thinking of coming home from a long day at work (I go back very soon!), after collecting from wrap-around care and nursery to come home to a smelly sh*tty kitchen :(

I feel like I've tried pretty much everything. Got some compost yesterday but not been touched just put in a tub in the general area of litter.

I'll try an empty tub but it seems like it'd be not that much different to cleaning the floor.

Seems a few with the same issue have just had to accept it after trying everything?

May be relevant- yesterday I left my baby's bumbo seat in the kitchen I suppose a couple of meters from the litter trays... Dcat has done a wee in it

I genuinely think it's the baby that's the "problem". Some cats are fine with one or two children but an extra one just pushes them over the edge, in a sense.

She may be happier in a home without children, or without small children at least.

I've been suspecting it's the new baby as I can think of nothing else that has changed and the timing would make sense.

I don't allow baby to grab dcat or anything like that of course. Baby does like playing with dcats toys now she is crawling though...

I have noticed for a long time that dcat still tries to climb over baby and get to me if I'm feeding etc, and I have to tell her no. She will try and stand on baby as well if given the chance.

But other times dcat will happily snuggle up to us on the sofa while I'm nursing baby.

My kids love dcat and I can't imagine not having her in the house. I'd never re home and animal but is the litter issue showing that she's stressed/unhappy?

It does sound like she's stressed and unhappy, but, babies grow up, so I would look at ways to reduce the stress and see if that helps. Lots of enrichment, make sure she gets lots of predictable attention (morning and early evening are when cats are naturally most lively), and that she has plenty of spaces to get away from the baby, and see how she goes.