Cat using living room as toilet
Discussion
This has been going on over 6 months and I am at the end of my tether, with my nostrils being burnt by ammonia even after using the carpet cleaner.
Cat is about 13 years old and for no apparent reason, stopped using the litter tray and poo’s and wee’s in the same part of the living room. It’s only at night as she is outside during the day but my wife thinks she is to old to be out at night (I disagree and chuck her out the window if I am last up).
So far we have tried:
- Vets - few different treatments ect and no change
- Feromone diffuser
- changing litter tray more often and different litter.
- litter tray in the place she goes.
- every night, putting down puppy pee pads (which she kicks out the way to do her business)
I am pretty sure the vet won’t put her down (which is what I would have done months ago) so it will either be rehoming or something.
Any suggestions from the PH massive before I get the shovel out the shed (joke)?
Cat is about 13 years old and for no apparent reason, stopped using the litter tray and poo’s and wee’s in the same part of the living room. It’s only at night as she is outside during the day but my wife thinks she is to old to be out at night (I disagree and chuck her out the window if I am last up).
So far we have tried:
- Vets - few different treatments ect and no change
- Feromone diffuser
- changing litter tray more often and different litter.
- litter tray in the place she goes.
- every night, putting down puppy pee pads (which she kicks out the way to do her business)
I am pretty sure the vet won’t put her down (which is what I would have done months ago) so it will either be rehoming or something.
Any suggestions from the PH massive before I get the shovel out the shed (joke)?
Possibly another cat is coming into your garden and perhaps ambushing your cat whilst it's trying to go so your cat now just thinks it's safer to crap in the house.
We had the same problem and had to fence off a section of the garden to provide somewhere safe for him to go and it seemed to do the trick.
Everything was fine until we went on holiday for two weeks and he started all over again, and my sister who was coming over everyday to feed him, didn't have the heart to just lock him in the utility room so we think he just took advantage of her good nature. When we got back we had a couple of days of him going on the carpet until the missus caught him about to go and gave him a kick up the arse and chased him through the cat flap.
We've not had an issue since that, and sometimes you do just need to enforce a bit of discipline however hard it might be.
We had the same problem and had to fence off a section of the garden to provide somewhere safe for him to go and it seemed to do the trick.
Everything was fine until we went on holiday for two weeks and he started all over again, and my sister who was coming over everyday to feed him, didn't have the heart to just lock him in the utility room so we think he just took advantage of her good nature. When we got back we had a couple of days of him going on the carpet until the missus caught him about to go and gave him a kick up the arse and chased him through the cat flap.
We've not had an issue since that, and sometimes you do just need to enforce a bit of discipline however hard it might be.
Hi Jurbie, we did think about this but she will sit outside all day and goes to the toilet in the garden during the day - the problem is when she is inside at night so we think it is unlikely another cat and we have never seen one either. We’ll keep an eye out over the next couple of weeks to see if there is another cat as you suggest though - nothing to lose at the mo.
M22s said:
I am pretty sure the vet won t put her down (which is what I would have done months ago) so it will either be rehoming or something.
Rehoming?! No, you'll have to run with this; it's just a downside for having had the 13 good years.When the cat wants to 'go', have you tried lifting her into the litter tray?
Edited by Simpo Two on Thursday 30th October 09:44
When cats leave their stools out in plain view it means they feel comfortable and secure in that place, and don t feel a need to cover their tracks.
For some reason - quite possibly another cat bullying yours - your cat no longer feels safe doing what she has to do outside. Assuming your house is secure and stray cats can t get into it, I d guess that this has upset her so much that it disrupted her normal habit of using the litter tray; or she just wants to reinforce a feeling of security by pooing on display and not using it.
Don t know how you fix it though. Sorry.
ETA: an idea - do you have a covered litter tray or an open one? If open, maybe try a covered one and pop her in it so she gets used to the security it provides. Might work. Cats are basically a law unto themselves though.
For some reason - quite possibly another cat bullying yours - your cat no longer feels safe doing what she has to do outside. Assuming your house is secure and stray cats can t get into it, I d guess that this has upset her so much that it disrupted her normal habit of using the litter tray; or she just wants to reinforce a feeling of security by pooing on display and not using it.
Don t know how you fix it though. Sorry.
ETA: an idea - do you have a covered litter tray or an open one? If open, maybe try a covered one and pop her in it so she gets used to the security it provides. Might work. Cats are basically a law unto themselves though.
Edited by BlackTails on Thursday 30th October 11:08
Do you not have a cat flap?
If so, can you not just ditch the litter tray altogether and she just goes outside all the time for a wee?
My thinking behind this is that having a litter tray in the house may be encouraging the concept that the inside of the house can be used as a toilet.
If so, can you not just ditch the litter tray altogether and she just goes outside all the time for a wee?
My thinking behind this is that having a litter tray in the house may be encouraging the concept that the inside of the house can be used as a toilet.
Simpo Two said:
M22s said:
I am pretty sure the vet won t put her down (which is what I would have done months ago) so it will either be rehoming or something.
Rehoming?! No, you'll have to run with this; it's just a downside for having had the 13 good years.When the cat wants to 'go', have you tried lifting her into the litter tray?
Edited by Simpo Two on Thursday 30th October 09:44
Ordinarily I would absolutely agree with you, however health issues in the household mean it isn’t something we can run with anymore.
She only does it at night time when we are asleep - during the day there is always someone home to let her out if she isn’t already in the garden.
We don’t have a cat flap and to the best of our knowledge there isn’t any other cats that come in the garden and definitely not in the house.
She’s had a covered litter tray since she was a kitten (the same tray actually) - I have speculated something spooked her whilst using the litter tray, a coat or something fell on it but we tried leaving the lid off, putting it in different places ect… no change.
I could actually handle the poo on its own, as you just pick it up - as gross as it is, it’s easier to clean up.
Isn't there something about them associating the smell in that spot with the toilet so they keep returning there? I think even if you clean it normally they can still smell their urine there. You can buy special sprays with enzymes in which are supposed to be better at neutralising the smell; Wilko used to sell one, obviously no more.
M22s said:
She only does it at night time when we are asleep - during the day there is always someone home to let her out if she isn t already in the garden.
We don t have a cat flap and to the best of our knowledge there isn t any other cats that come in the garden and definitely not in the house.
She s had a covered litter tray since she was a kitten (the same tray actually) - I have speculated something spooked her whilst using the litter tray, a coat or something fell on it but we tried leaving the lid off, putting it in different places ect no change.
It may be the feline equivalent of dementia; in that she's confused and her previous arrangement has been forgotten. Or perhaps some other change that means she can't hold it in as before. We don t have a cat flap and to the best of our knowledge there isn t any other cats that come in the garden and definitely not in the house.
She s had a covered litter tray since she was a kitten (the same tray actually) - I have speculated something spooked her whilst using the litter tray, a coat or something fell on it but we tried leaving the lid off, putting it in different places ect no change.
Asking a cat of that age to use a catflap if she hasn't used one before might be tricky, but they aren't expensive and could allow her to get out when she needs to.
Not exactly the same, but one of ours started taking a s
t at the bottom of the stairs by the front door a few years ago. No rhyme or reason, at the time we had two litter boxes (we had two cats) and he'd use either whilst the other would only use her specific one. So he wasn't fussy. But one day, came home to a little turd in the carpet.
Used a spray cleaner thats supposed to stop animals using that part of the carpet/furniture in future to clean it up, made sure all the boxes were empty. Bought a third litter box as well. He kept doing it randomly. No pattern, both indoor cats and we're home alot and it's be both when we were in and out. Wasn't a regular occurrence though and he'd still use the other boxes all the time.
Out solution was to get that third litter box (he'll literally go in all three at the same time, working his way about them!) and a child gate to stop him getting to that bit downstairs. Solved the problem, doesn't do it elsewhere.
Perhaps that might be the solution here, put something in that space and move the litter box. See if the problem moves with it.
t at the bottom of the stairs by the front door a few years ago. No rhyme or reason, at the time we had two litter boxes (we had two cats) and he'd use either whilst the other would only use her specific one. So he wasn't fussy. But one day, came home to a little turd in the carpet. Used a spray cleaner thats supposed to stop animals using that part of the carpet/furniture in future to clean it up, made sure all the boxes were empty. Bought a third litter box as well. He kept doing it randomly. No pattern, both indoor cats and we're home alot and it's be both when we were in and out. Wasn't a regular occurrence though and he'd still use the other boxes all the time.
Out solution was to get that third litter box (he'll literally go in all three at the same time, working his way about them!) and a child gate to stop him getting to that bit downstairs. Solved the problem, doesn't do it elsewhere.
Perhaps that might be the solution here, put something in that space and move the litter box. See if the problem moves with it.
Our older cat started to wee and poo indoors, often weeing in the dog bowls. Her aim was remarkably accurate to be fair.
Turned out it was the first signs of kidney failure. We restricted her to one room overnight but she could and did use the cat flap during the day.
She had three courses of dialysis over a two year period and eventually was put to sleep when she was nearly 15 a couple of years ago.
Just something you have to accept as they age and I would never have even thought about throwing her outside overnight, that is plainly a very heartless thing to do when she is probably not well.
Turned out it was the first signs of kidney failure. We restricted her to one room overnight but she could and did use the cat flap during the day.
She had three courses of dialysis over a two year period and eventually was put to sleep when she was nearly 15 a couple of years ago.
Just something you have to accept as they age and I would never have even thought about throwing her outside overnight, that is plainly a very heartless thing to do when she is probably not well.
This is how I dealt with a similar situation for many years but in my case cat would go next to little tray in the bathroom, just not in it.
Firstly I would get some fairly heavy duty rubber matting that is waterproof and too heavy for a cat to move out the way which is available from Amazon, 2m x1.5m is about £30. Put old towels on top for cat to do business on, slightly heavier than a puppy pad which cat can easily move. These can then be put through a boil wash daily. The rubber mat stops urine getting on the floor and is easily washed down, towels absorb the waste. It's not ideal but it makes it bearable.
Firstly I would get some fairly heavy duty rubber matting that is waterproof and too heavy for a cat to move out the way which is available from Amazon, 2m x1.5m is about £30. Put old towels on top for cat to do business on, slightly heavier than a puppy pad which cat can easily move. These can then be put through a boil wash daily. The rubber mat stops urine getting on the floor and is easily washed down, towels absorb the waste. It's not ideal but it makes it bearable.
Bit of an update - tried everything people suggested except the garden dirt one and bought rolls of plastic spikes which are on the carpet in the place she has been using. So far mog doesn’t appear to have wee’d anywhere else, but still does her no.2 on the carpet, but I can live with that for now as it’s so much easier to clean up.
Mog has also been to the vet who commented she has lost quite a bit of weight since the last visit and given we haven’t noticed any change in eating, suspect there is more going on. So she is booked in for blood & urine work, an ultrasound and a poke/prod by a ‘specialist’.
Mog has also been to the vet who commented she has lost quite a bit of weight since the last visit and given we haven’t noticed any change in eating, suspect there is more going on. So she is booked in for blood & urine work, an ultrasound and a poke/prod by a ‘specialist’.
One of ours started being dirty in the house, he’s about 14.
turns out he had thyroid gland issues and had one removed, we also placed a litter box where he was going, not what I want in the house, but it has worked. He’s always been, & still is an outdoor cat.
Just the price you pay for an older cat, I guess.
turns out he had thyroid gland issues and had one removed, we also placed a litter box where he was going, not what I want in the house, but it has worked. He’s always been, & still is an outdoor cat.
Just the price you pay for an older cat, I guess.
An underlying health issue would be my guess (cat owner who has also volunteered in a welfare capacity for cat charities over the years), and bloods would have been my first port of call, sounds like you have got to that point now.
Could also try a new litter tray and different brand of litter.
Could also try a new litter tray and different brand of litter.
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