Mary Todd is a 1 1/2 year old, female, neutered, only slightly chunky-
but very large/long 14 lb cat.
Since she came to live with us (as a 6month old rescue cat) she has
had an aversion to pooping in the litter box.
I feel like I've tried everything!!! please help. any suggestions will
be so welcomed!
I've tried to be very detailed, please excuse if this is an overly
long post.
Mary will pee in the litter box, and occassional poop in the litter
box, but never covers her poop.
I clean the litter box twice a day, and when I come downstairs to
clean she runs in front of me, goes to the poop and tries to cover it,
with dust or stray litter.
We have 3 cats --2 females (Mary Todd-1 1/2 and Red 2) and 1 male
(Kevin 7 months) all alterd/fixed.
We have 5 litter boxes. none of the boxes have covers.
3 boxes use store bought litter. one box has a high rim, the other two
have low sides.
1 is self cleaning --"scoop free"- using crystals
1 is self cleaning --"littermaid elite"-- using granola like stuff
All the cats eat Avoderm dry food and drink losts of water.
**First and foremost she has been checked out by the vet for any
parasites or intestinal problems and appears to be just fine. The vet
is aware of this pooping problem and moniters her intestinal health at
each visit. she believes this is a behavioral problem rather than a
medical problem. (and has offered tips too) **
We have tried many things which all seem to work for a little while.
It began with Mary Todd liking to poop in the old canning room in the
basement. Dark, cool, cement floors. This is the only floor on which
she poops! (nowhere else in the house, thank goodness)
=95We put 2 of the litter boxes in canning room. worked for a while,
then she started pooping next to the boxes.
=95We put newspaper/towels/anything on the floor. pooped on top of it,
then burrowed under and pooped on the floor.
=95Then we took apart the canning room (no walls etc.). still went in
the same place.
=95We cleaned the floor with vinegar to dissolve the smell. still
pooping outside the box
=95We have covered the area with storage boxes and moved the litter box
over a few feet. still poops just outside the box next the favored
area.
Our next plan is to get a large "under the bed " storage container,
and use that as a litter box, thinking maybe she is just too big for
the litter boxes.
And it has been suggested that we take an old t-****rt, rub it on her
scent glands and put that where she has been pooping, thinking that
she won't poop in an area that smells like her.
Is it that she just loves the feeling of the basement floor on her
paws? how do we accomadate that without having to scrub cat poop off
the floors everyday?
thank you!!!
--Eleni
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