:shock: Litterbox issues!!!! Does your cat act like she is straining when she uses the litter box? Does she visit it frequently? Act anxious about it? It is possible that she may have a UTI that is causing her discomfort when she urinates. She associates the litter box with the pain but knows she needs to go in the box. So going on the edge of the box and hanging out is her compromise.

You will want to take her to the vet to have this ruled out as a cause. Litter box issues are nothing to mess with. They will only get worse. Been there, done that.

If the vet rules out an infection, try a litter box with high sides. Even if she lifts her rear while urinating everything will stay in the box.

 

agreed with 2sillycats.

The only part I wanted to add was that if UTI and health issues are ruled out, you may want to try one of the larger covered litterboxes. The sides are about 6 inches tall and it'd be a real challenge for the cat to miss in one of those boxes.

Before I purchased my littermaid I used a box similar to this one

g'luck and keep us posted.

 

Thanks to both of you. However, none of the above 'symptoms' are apparent. No strain, no anxiety, no frequency. In addition, she's ALWAYS urinated near that edge of the box (yet solid waste is reserved for the other side of the box)...it seems she may just be misjudging?

While I'd love to try a box with higher sides, etc., I too have a LitterMaid...and so at least one of you will know what I'm describing. She's doing this at the front edge of the box, near the receptacle.

Are there any ways to try to get her to move to the other side of the box (the rear of the box, and the sides as well, are higher than the front)?


Thanks again!
Andy

 

I have a Littermaid also. (but I always think of that as the back of the box.) My cats both go in what I call the left rear section, (which you call the front) and there is nothing wrong wih them. I believe that you can purchase a cover for the Littermaid, however. I'll check on that.

 

It costs around $39. You might try ebay.

 

A lot of cats need 2 boxes. One for pee and one for poo. Maybe your kitty is indicating that she wants to get her 2 types of elimination as far away from each other as possible. You could try one of those el-cheapo $5 plastic boxes as the 2nd one and see if it changes things. If not, there wouldn't be much loss!

 

My cat Sugar does the same thing except she pees towards the rake. Do you have the mega sized or regular? Maybe if you have the regular you may need the mega! I have mega now and it's perfect for 2 cats. If not, the 2 litterbox idea may be a great idea! :lol:

 

Mine go on one side of the litterbox.. so my receptacle fills very fast on one half, it's very annoying... I've always figured that because one side of the box is against the wall, they just go on the other side.

 

That makes sense. But what can we do? My Littermaid is in the hall, and of course we have to keep them near a receptacle. Oh, well!

 

Hmm

Well let's see...I already have a cover (though it's not the 'official' littermaid one...made it out of a cardboard box from a TV that I got a while back). And the littermaid I have is the Mega. When I bought it, I felt the regular seemed a little small, I wanted her to have the most choice of where to go!

Yesterday I watched her go and an sure enough she stopped with her rear right near the bin...I quickly firmly told her to go farther in -- and whether or not she knew what I meant, she turned around anyway and went nearer to the rake. I offered as much praise as I possibly could.

It obviously didn't do any good, because this morning I watched her go in again, and she again stopped near the bin...I tried to tell her again to move, but she didn't, and to my horror watched as she urinated all over the cover of the bin, and even out onto the paw mat.

I may have to try the 2nd litter box idea, as much of a pain that's going to be (especially since I don't have a place for it).

Do you think perhaps the location of the entrance may make a difference? I'm considering maybe turning the box around, so she has to enter through the back, by the rake. Maybe I'll disconnect the paw mat and put that on the floor on that end to keep the litter tracks down.

Any thoughts?

 

box problem

How old is your cat? Older cats often have arthritis in the knees and hips that keep them from squatting properly. In this case, a taller box (I like the Rubbermaid storage bins, 10-14 gal may be enough) may be your best solution. LitterMaids are great, but they are not for every cat.

Also, have you completely changed out the litter lately? It sounds like she's preferring not to go all the way into the box, so cleanliness could be an issue.

If you think it might be arthritis, you could try adding glucosamine (250 mg/day) and MSM (200 mg/day) to her wet food; takes a few weeks to see a change but it can really help.

Cheers,
Dr. Jean

 

Nope, not arthritis either.

Thanks Dr. Jean...but no, Phoenix is only a year and a half old. (A year and a half young, more like it!)

I did change out all the litter lately as well, but will do so again.

So later tonight I'm going to change out all the litter, and reverse the entrance location to the other side of the box...we'll see if that makes any difference.

Please keep me posted with any other thoughts or ideas!

 

How long have you been using the Littermaid? In my practice, I've run into more than a few cats who have had a negative experience with it, and just get scared of it. For instance, the cat uses it, and comes back a few minutes later for more, just as the rake activates. Now I know it will stop as soon as it senses their presences, but some cats are just more sensitive than others to "ambush" of their most sacred space!

I know it might seem a pain, but I would try a different box (w/o removing the littermaid, yet), with less litter in it and perhaps a completely differnt litter type, to give your cat a completely new box association. Let's see if it really is an aversion to the Littermaid. Remember, even if you don't have the room to do this, it's only temporary until we find out if it works :wink:

 

LitterMaid Kitty all her life.

I've had a LitterMaid ever since I got her, which was when she was about 4 weeks old. She was a little scared of it at first, naturally, but quickly understood it and has never had problems with it since.

Unfortunately all the experimentation I'll have time for in the near future is the reorienting of the box. I'll keep you all posted.

 

Some success, some failure

Well, reorienting the litter box did work, as she still went right near the entrance. However, I'm beginning to think that's only a solution to a more minor part of the problem...

...as of this morning she's beginning to seem very hesitant to even enter the box. She's not going elsewhere, she's just looking, thinking about it, and deciding not to go in right then. Not a good sign, as you who have been suggesting UTI will agree. I'm making an appointment to see the vet.

 

I think that's very wise. Let us know the results, please.

 

I have never used anything but one standard "el cheapo" $2.00 litter box for all my cats, BUT I use World's Best Cat Litter, which is made from 100% whole kernel corn. It clumps perfectly, is 100% flushable, and there are no unnatural scents associated with it.

However, I find that the cats do prefer the corners of the box for urinating.

Try a standard "el cheapo" litter box with a natural litter. You don't stand to lose more than $2 or $3, and if it works, it's priceless!

 

Yup, UTI.

Yup, you guys were right...she's got a UTI.

The vet's office had scheduled me for Tuesday afternoon, but when I saw her continued discomfort this morning, I realized this was starting to get worse and FIVE DAYS could do significant harm. So I called the vet's office and gave them a piece of my mind for putting off what could be something very serious for such a small animal, and insisted they see her today under urgent care.

The doctor was glad I did...too bad they couldn't charge me according to the doctor's gladness!

Anyway, they gave her an antibiotic shot, and gave me solid pills to give her twice a day for two weeks...fortunately I probed further and found they have a similar one in liquid...because squirting liquid into a cat's mouth is certainly easier than forcing her to eat a pill!

Thank you all for all your help; I only wish I could've been sure sooner, to have spared my poor Phoenix a few more days of discomfort.

--Andy

 

Andy, I'm glad you stuck to your guns! The liquid will be much easier. I hope there's some improvement soon.