wit's end with my cat

After a cat develops a litterbox aversion due to UTI, you'll have to take steps to re-train them. Because of the UTI, they'll be associating 'bad things' wth the litterbox. She was peeing on rugs and the like because it's soft and comfortable.

Now you can try a couple of things. You can try putting newspaper in the litterbox to 'soften' the litter for her. If that doesn't work, then you'll have to do the tough love approach.

I had a similar litterbox prob with my Miu except for her, it was poo outside the box. Now what I did was buy the biggest dog kennel there was which is about 48". Then I put in a litterbox, a water dish and a crate with the top off with some cushions to serve as a bed.

I started to confine her whenever it was approximately poo time. This was roughly between bedtime snack and morning. If she pooed correctly, she was let out. If not, then she was confined til morning. If I still saw nothing in the morning, I confined for a couple more hours then regardless if there was anything, she was let out. Then confinement would start again after bedtime snack.

Although our cases are somewhat different, I hope that helps.

Although our cases are somewhat different I hope that helps.

All meals were fed inside the kennel with the door open since she wasn't being confined during that time. The door was always open when she wasn't being confined so she could go in for a nap if she wanted.

This went on for 6-9 months before she finally got the idea and started to consistently poo correctly in the box by herself when unconfined. It was touch and go. I would confine for a while, then not confine to see if she got the idea. If not, it's back to the kennel routine.

I did it this way so she wouldn't see the kennel as punishment or a 'bad thing'. There were times when she actually went in by herself to lounge or nap. She was clearly comfortable and treating the place like her own house since the other cat never went in there.

Now I had previously tried confinement in a room, but that proved too big because she still pooed outside the box. So I made it confinement area smaller with the kennel. You might want to start with a room before investing in a kennel if that doesn't work.

Thanks to all who've replied. To reiterate what I said in my OP, to those who suggest keeping her out of the bedroom, I don't have a bedroom. I live in a studio apartment - a fairly big one, but a studio nonetheless - which means there are no doors except for one closet and the bathroom. I have no way to keep her away from the bed at all. So while I appreciate the sentiment, "keep her away from the bed" is kind of a nonstarter as far as potential approaches to the issue go.

The thing is, I don't think this is true litterbox aversion exactly. Because she uses the litterbox just fine when the bed's covered; she never pees on the carpet or other furniture. It's more like bed is first choice, litterbox is second choice if the bed isn't available - this is also why I don't think adding another box will do much to keep her off the bed, because she doesn't seem to be dissatisfied with the box she has, she just likes the bed better.

As far as a recurring UTI or something, no, we're absolutely sure she's over the UTI. The vet did a full culture - you know, where they call you in 3-5 days w/results - at her last appointment to be sure. And we really trust this vet, as my husband's family has been taking their six (at various times) cats to her for more than 20 years, so I don't think the vet is the problem. We've tried adjusting her diet to eliminate the risk of future UTIs by shifting to primarily wet with only a tiny amount of supplemental dry food (as opposed to currently 1.5 oz a day wet and half a cup dry), but she *did not* like it - she wouldn't eat all or even most of the increased wet food meals, and would try to lead us to the dry food bin because she was still hungry. We also tried switching her to a higher-quality wet food by mixing it with her current wet food, no dice there either. She seems to be quite set in her ways as far as food goes. >.< The best compromise we've been able to manage to help keep her better hydrated and reduce risk of another UTI is that when I feed her her wet food 2x a day, I add two spoonfuls of warm water and mix it together into a sort of "kitty jambalaya" as my husband calls it. Which she loves. So for now, we're just going to stick with what works. (Also we're getting a cat fountain to encourage her to drink more water as well.)

We had, for a bit, been praising and giving her treats when she used the box. I had thought that was enough, because she had gone back to consistently using the litterbox and we were just keeping the bed covered as a "just in case" sort of thing, so we stopped. I like the idea of using the crate as a training ground, but I'm not sure how to implement that, because her pee times are much more varied than her once-a-day poop, so I couldn't just crate her at certain times. Maybe...if we uncovered the bed, and I did the constant-vigilance thing, and then as soon as she jumped up and started to paw at the covers, picked her up and put her in the crate with the litterbox? Does that sound like something that might help her learn to reprioritize the box over the bed? (I'm thinking of getting a collar with a bell for her, too, so I can at least *hear* her when she jumps up on something, as opposed to only being alerted when she starts knocking things over or pawing at things.)

A friend from another site who studied animal behavior and behavior modification in college recommended I use clicker training to encourage her to play/sleep/eat on the bed while it's uncovered, to help her associate the bed with those things instead of with going to the bathroom. So I might try that too.

I'm sorry if I seem negative, I guess there *are* options still to try, I'm just...exhausted of dealing with this, considering we've been wrestling in some way or other with inappropriate elimination problems for about two months straight. And I know it's not really fair to her to be so upset with her about it, it's not like she's doing it to be spiteful (I don't think...), but just...ugh. :-/

Jadelyn, I understand your frustration all too well. Ever since my Johnboy was a kitten, he's had a thing for peeing on the bed. I've tried everything but he still sometimes takes it upon himself to christen it just one more time. He has never had any health issues, he is just an extremely sensitive kitty. He's never liked physical affection much.. so as a baby, when he was happy, he'd tinkle on the comforter. Nowadays, if one of the litter boxes is not sufficiently cleaned to his perfect specifications, he won't step his precious paws into the box. If I haven't played with him enough, snuggled with him enough or coddled him enough, talked to him enough and involved him enough in absolutely everything, he becomes unhappy and depressed and lets me know his own frustrations and insecurities by weeing on my super comfy bed right before bed time.

I don't have money for a new mattress and I do what I can, and I'm most certainly not giving him away for something that is not his fault. It happens a lot less now that I involve him in nearly everything I do. If I'm cleaning, for example, I call him over and talk to him during.. play with him with random stuff.. he is very happy to be so involved. But it still happens. At my wits end, I kept a shower curtain - in addition to our mattress cover - over our comforter when we were not in bed. He didn't like the feeling of it on his regal paws, :roll:, so he took his furry bum to the litter box. It wasn't the most beautiful thing to look at.. but whatevs! It was only temporary.

Let me ask you some questions (even though they may start to sound silly!): what is her personality like? Is she outgoing or more secluded? Where is her kitty box? High traffic area, somewhere hidden? Is it covered and large enough for her to comfortably move around in? Is there a specific time of day she pees on the bed? When you return home, when you are about to leave, towards bed time? What is your reaction towards her every time she goes on the bed (or somewhere else)? Ignoring, frustration, comforting/reassuring? How long during the day is she home alone? And is your studio very bright? My brother's was larger, but rather enclosed with only one small window. Just in case, do you use a lot of scents in your home? Candles, perfumes, air and carpet deodorizers? So many scents may confuse the nose.

Because I have a sensitive kitty, I'm agreeing with you that this is not physical. She may be unhappy about something in her environment, something we may find utterly stupid to pee around the house about. :lol: Or she may find it comforting or be confused by scents.

So many questions, but it's worth asking in case maybe something hasn't been hit on yet.

Goodness, sounds like you have a very finicky cat! I congratulate you on figuring out his quirks and how to keep him happy.

feedmycats said:

Let me ask you some questions (even though they may start to sound silly!): what is her personality like? Is she outgoing or more secluded? Where is her kitty box? High traffic area, somewhere hidden? Is it covered and large enough for her to comfortably move around in? Is there a specific time of day she pees on the bed? When you return home, when you are about to leave, towards bed time? What is your reaction towards her every time she goes on the bed (or somewhere else)? Ignoring, frustration, comforting/reassuring? How long during the day is she home alone? And is your studio very bright? My brother's was larger, but rather enclosed with only one small window. Just in case, do you use a lot of scents in your home? Candles, perfumes, air and carpet deodorizers? So many scents may confuse the nose.

Click to expand...

Well, let's see. In temperament, she's my little crazy-pants. Pretty high-energy during her "active periods", of which she has 2-4 a day punctuated by long naps, and definitely not shy about letting me know that it is playtime when she wants interactive play - by knocking things over until she gets my attention, if necessary. Her litterbox is in the corner near our bathroom, a quiet corner of the place that only gets walked by when one of us is going to use the bathroom. It's uncovered - she didn't seem to like the cover when we originally had it - and it's big enough for her, as she's a fairly small cat. Time of day...I don't know that there's a pattern there. Mostly in the evening, but there have been a couple morning events too, so. I pretty much flip my **** when she pees on the bed, at least at this point because it's a long-term frustration. I do raise my voice, although not a lot, just snapping "NO. Bad kitty!" as I go get her. We usually snag her and put her in her travel crate while we're cleaning up and re-making the bed, spending maybe 10-20 minutes in there. And while I hate to admit it, I tend to be kind of distant from her for awhile afterwards, not wanting to interact or anything for half an hour or so because I'm upset with her. She's only rarely home alone, with me unemployed/working from home (trying to start selling my jewelry and my writing) and recently with my husband only working part time; at most she'll be alone for a couple hours while I/we run errands. Our place is actually surprisingly bright, we're a basement on the downhill side of a large house and about two-thirds of the outer wall is taken up by a very large south-facing window, with a sill wide enough for her to lay on and hang out chittering at birds and squirrels (and in fact, she's sleeping in the window right now!). We don't use a *lot* of scents - I'm a fan of smelly bath products but those don't really go anywhere but in the tub/on me, and I do burn incense once or twice a week, but we use natural/unscented cleaning products as much as possible, so I don't imagine it would be too overpowering.