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Toilet issues, help urgently needed!

KazNik

Savannah Kitten
Hello there,
Can you help me please?I have two savannah girls just about to turn 1 year. We have moved houses recently and I put their litter boxes in the bathroom, which was also the first room they were introduced to. One of them unerstood instantly where to do her No 1's and No 2's but the other cat seems to have a problem. She will use to litter box to pee but she will go No 2 on the bathroom floor or on a bathroom mat. I had troubles with her in the past,in our old house when she thought its okay to poop in front of our front doors, only two meters away from the litter box!
They are particularily fussy about clean litter boxes which I change frequently. We also use the same litter oko plus since they were kittens. I don't know what to do to teach her good manners. When I discipline her she does not make association with the place she does it but with the action. Even if I catch her getting in a position to go No 2 I quickly put her in the litterbox , she will do her business and run away to hide straight after she is finished. I bring her back next to the litter box and pat her, trying to encourage the good behaviour. She just does not seem to get it. Am I doing something wrong?
When we had the problem in our old house my breeder suggested I completely ignore the bad behaviour and encourage the good one, which ultimately led into land mines on frequent basis in front of our entrance door. I am desperate for any advice that can make our lives better. Thank you
 

Marissa

Savannah Super Cat
Have you tried litter attractors? There is stuff you can buy that you can put in the litter to encourage them to use it, I have no experience, I've just seen it.

Or maybe a little patience with her, maybe the move has her all confused? Hopefully it's just a matter of adjustment and doesn't last long :-/ goodluck though!
 

John Popp

Site Supporter
A couple of things to start with.

Number of litter boxes should be the number of cats +1.

Three cleanings a day on all of them, morning, after work and before you retire. Nobody likes to use a dirty bathroom.

Use a 20 to 1 Water bleach solution to clean the sides of the litter box where any urine balls may have been stuck.

Larger litter boxes, we use 30+ gallon Sterilite storage containers with a 9" square hole cut in the side. We no longer change litter, just add to it and it stays very pristine and odorless.

Dr Elsey's Cat Attract Litter unscented, and with the large litter boxes you can actually place 80 lbs of litter in them. Might seem like a lot but urine balls are always suspended making them easier to clean and they won't seem like a mine field for your cats.

Anti Icky Poo Cleaner to clean up any improper elimination. Regular household cleaners don't get the job done and with cats keen sense of smell it doesn't take much of a whiff to tell them that this is an appropriate place to relieve themselves. Also, the cleaners you find in the pet store are less than ideal and pale in comparison to Anti Icky Poo.

Then for you, Litter Lifter litter scoops as they make going through the litter pretty effortless. Great design with the triangular spines and you aren't shoveling and shaking all that litter.

That's pretty much ground zero and a starting point and others here can do a much better job than I with how to deal with the behavioral issues portion. There may be some deviations from my list above, but pretty much in line with everyone who has found resolve to these types of issues.

Hope that helps!
 
D

DocMac

Guest
I don't cut the holes. I make them jump into the boxes. No stray litter in front of the hole and kittens can't get inside and have their own small-holed box that the adults can't fit in.
 

John Popp

Site Supporter
Wish I could get away without the holes, our geriatric cat was our inappropriate eliminator and don't want to put any barriers in front of him. In fact when we were resolving his issues I thought a red carpet entry and Vegas style welcome lights would be appropriate. Fortunately he's not a crazed digger and pretty much does a half assed job of covering up his business, but fortunately Chongo follows him to make sure it's appropriately buried.
 
D

DocMac

Guest
Even my 17 year old jumps in! I hate walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night and have to brush litter from my bare feet to get into bed. Yuck!
 

John Popp

Site Supporter
We use litter mattes at the entries so no issues with tracking or that late night walk on the beach. ;)
 

SV Dad

Savannah Super Cat
Don't rule out the cat doesn't like the litter. Might be worth a try to use a different kind of litter in a different box in a different place. You never know.
And don't rule out that one of the cats is protesting the house move. These cats have complex minds. It seems their first instinct is to train humans.
 

WitchyWoman

Admin
Staff member
I recommend adding one more litter box and moving one of the litter boxes to a different room. She may be protesting sharing pooping & peeing space with the other female. It's possible that the behavior has more to do with the relationship between the cats than it does the boxes and type of litter.
 

Brigitte Cowell

Moderator
Staff member
Hello there,
Can you help me please?I have two savannah girls just about to turn 1 year. We have moved houses recently and I put their litter boxes in the bathroom, which was also the first room they were introduced to. One of them unerstood instantly where to do her No 1's and No 2's but the other cat seems to have a problem. She will use to litter box to pee but she will go No 2 on the bathroom floor or on a bathroom mat. I had troubles with her in the past,in our old house when she thought its okay to poop in front of our front doors, only two meters away from the litter box!
They are particularily fussy about clean litter boxes which I change frequently. We also use the same litter oko plus since they were kittens. I don't know what to do to teach her good manners. When I discipline her she does not make association with the place she does it but with the action. Even if I catch her getting in a position to go No 2 I quickly put her in the litterbox , she will do her business and run away to hide straight after she is finished. I bring her back next to the litter box and pat her, trying to encourage the good behaviour. She just does not seem to get it. Am I doing something wrong?
When we had the problem in our old house my breeder suggested I completely ignore the bad behaviour and encourage the good one, which ultimately led into land mines on frequent basis in front of our entrance door. I am desperate for any advice that can make our lives better. Thank you
Firstly, are both girls spayed yet?

For two cats, you need two litterbox locations. No matter if you don't see any issues, there are somewhat passive-aggressive dominance issues that mean cats can play subtle games with each other...ending up with one cat doing exactly this. Two locations gives the other cat a chance to get to one of the litterboxes, the other cat cannot guard both at the same time...

If you have had troubles in the past, then do not assume that the litter type you are using IS okay with this cat.... she may have disliked it always but is only now making a big fuss about it. I would try the Cat Attract others suggested, it's worth the try as it could easily resolve it just in that one step.

Please do NOT "discipline" the cat for this... as you have noted she doesn't associate the punishment with her pooping outside the box, all you are doing is damaging the trust between you and her.

Catching her and putting in the box is great, you should just praise with words as she poops in the box rather than chase down afterwards to bring back to the box. That she is running away indicates that she is getting negative impressions from the litterbox or from you trying to grab her afterwards. Use the tone of your voice to let her know that pooping in the box is a good thing. You could use treats afterwards also but don't grab her, just offer her the treat wherever she has scampered off to.

Finally, I do recommend if you can to consult someone like Marilyn, www.thecatcoach.com ... with a lot of questions she will be able to get to the crux of what is going on, and give you an individualized plan to deal with this. It really may be the best approach at this stage!
 
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