Help with Cat Litter Training, Please

Tobyjft

We had problems with cat pee - it's all down to psychology and the fact that cats are territorial. The presence of more than one cat can be felt of as a threat, regardless of whether they get on or not - it's just the way cats are wired. This leads to them marking their "private space" or peeing where you don't want them to. We found that the use of Feliway diffusers helped massively. They are expensive but better than having to worry about children and cat pee or do the washing all the time. They work by emitting a natural chemical which calms the cats leaving them relaxed and less threatened by the presence of the other cat, this in turn leads to the return to peeing where they should and as they get older and more confident there is less perceived threat. That's the theory anyway - in practice it did work with us and Wilf now goes out to pee while the older Thomas (who can't master the cat flap) has his own litter tray inside.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Is he possibly starting the male spraying thing due to his age? Rather than bunging stuff down there, perhaps a piece of contiboard would block up the hideyhole whilst being more easily cleanable if he sprays against it?

Or could he have a slight irritation, so he can't make it upstairs every time? You could also find somewhere to put a second tray - on the opposite side of a childgate to your LO.

There has to be a reason why houses tend to have a downstairs loo as well as one upstairs - and if humans can't manage to go upstairs to wee, it seems unfair to expect a cat to work it out!

(one of mine was handreared - she's been the most reliable of the lot when it came to toilet training - but even so, I still had to eliminate little nooks and crannies for any of them to sneak off to at first)

kiraroo

Hiya

A couple of things stood out to me from your post and they're in relation if you have more than one cat and the location of the litter tray. Cats can go off using the litter tray because they might feel threatened due to its location. You said "they" about the litter going everywhere which made we wonder if you have more than one cat? Is it possible that the kitten is weeing someone he feels safe there because of the location of the litter tray upstairs. I understand you need to keep the tray upstairs but can it be moved to a location to where the kitten can get out of it quickly in case another cat is making him feel scared? Litter trays that are boxed into corners or have limited escape route options are not v appealing to cats. I don't know if that helps?

emlou2009

Thank you all for replying!

I should probably have said he is neutered! The tray they have at the moment is hooded, but without a flap, and is kept in our bathroom. We use Okoplus cat litter, because the one thats weeing behind the cupboard has a penchant for eating clay litter and wood pellets! But the downside to the Okoplus is that it is fine and light and sticks to their feet and gets everywhere. We do sometimes even still find the stuff downstairs despite keeping it upstairs! Having it on the other side of the stairgate wouldnt make a difference, it would still track.
There is a "anti cat litter tracking" mat just outside the bathroom that they have to walk over, and it makes no difference. So, as I say, having a tray downstairs simply isnt an option, my son is only one and is still mostly crawling and putting things he finds on the floor in his mouth, and wont grow out of this for a long while!

The tray isnt boxed into a corner, and I dont really think that theory fits with our situation, as he is getting into a gap not a lot bigger than he is to do it, and their tray is bigger and hooded!

Oddly, since everything he weed all over has been removed, he seems to have stopped going down there, but then I have been following him into the kitchen every time he goes in there with a water spray bottle ready, and then taking him upstairs to his tray. He's not gone in it when I've taken him up yet, but it does seem to be fuller at the end of each day, so I live in hope he's stopped!

Fire_Fox

Lemon juice will denature the enzymes in the bio washing powder rendering it useless, you probably need to rinse thoroughly and just use bio washing powder. It's never a good move to mix two kinds of products to clean, some will cancel each other out others can give off toxic fumes. Has the cat been tested for cystitis?

crackerberry

I'd say its a territorial thing too, with you having another cat.

patchwork_cat

some litters do track really badly, don't they. I like the wood ones except for the tracking when it has gone dusty. I am currently using biocatolet and it isn't bad for tracking. It is paper based, so if he eats paper ones, but I doubt it would do any harm if he did eat it.

I know what you mean about the issue with the LO and the litter tray, but a second or even third would really help if you could find a place to put them.

Fire_Fox

What about a second tray elsewhere upstairs? Many cats do not like to share, or prefer not to wee where there is poop. When I first had one hooded tray Noah went outside the tray once and tried to a second time. Since having two trays we have had no problems and I see him go inspect one, find it not to his liking and hear him digging to Australia in the other room!

loveangel88

just got a pair of 8wk old female kittens...owner said they were litter trained but 1st poo has been done on their fleece bed lol...any tips for training and how to go about it?

Kimberley

Did you introduce them to the litter tray as soon as you bought them home? Try putting them in the tray every 5 mins to get them used to where it is. Edited to also suggest to confine them to the room the tray is in.