lizv@tektools.UUCP (Liz Vaughan) (09/17/85)
My housemate's 10 week old kitten has started crapping everywhere. When we first got her (6 weeks) she ALWAYS used the box; now she seems to NEVER use it, if the little presents we keep finding are any indication. This isn't just overnight, she does it all day too. Scolding her seems to have little effect - she'll go right in front of you. I've never had this problem with a cat - they're usually so fastidious - and all the tricks that work with a puppy just don't seem to help. We've tried changing her food, confining her in a room with her box less food - nothing works. Could this be a health problem (worms?) Any ideas? Liz Vaughan ....tektronix!tektools!lizv
scott@hou2g.UUCP (Racer X) (09/17/85)
Yes, it could point to a health problem, especially if the kitten had previously used the box religiously. My two-year old, Athena, started peeing in the BATHTUB once last year. Interestingly enough, this was the only way I was likely to notice the blood in her urine--cystitus was the problem, but once I was "apprised", I had her treated and she's fine now. Smart cat. It could also be a plea for more attention, but since I don't know your circumstances, I can't tell. Try (when the kitten "goes" in front of you) to pick her(?) up IMMEDIATELY and PLACE HER IN HER BOX. This usually gets the message across. Scott J. Berry
cej@ll1.UUCP (One of the Jones Boys) (09/17/85)
> My housemate's 10 week old kitten has started crapping everywhere. > When we first got her (6 weeks) she ALWAYS used the box; now she > seems to NEVER use it... > > Liz Vaughan > ....tektronix!tektools!lizv I found I had the same problem with one of three litter mates born in June. Got all three to my house at 7 weeks, and at 10 weeks the problem started. Part of the answer, in my case, was catching the offending cat in the act. I didn't want to yell at the other two for nothing. (Several books, and several people recommended yelling (screeming?) as the best punishment for cats. Physical contact can be mistaken for playing, I guess. So I ranted and raved...) Also, a change of brand of kitty litter to one with a deoderant seemed to help greatly. Cats, of course, bury thier waste to prevent preditors from finding them by the smell. I guess she thought it smelled, although I was using two boxes for the three, and changing both daily. The litter change was probably 80% effective, and the 20% was the newly learned "bad habit". It only took a week to stop (what a week!), and hasn't happened again. Does anyone know, does a cat's sense of smell become "fully functional" at about 10 weeks? -- disclaimer: If my ideas were worth anything I wouldn't be giving them out for free! ...ihnp4!mgnetp!ll1!cej Llewellyn Jones --------------------------------------------------------------
booter@lll-crg.UUCP (Elaine Richards) (09/20/85)
This sounds like a classic cat situation. My cat also left a liquid present when she had a bladder infection. They have to go a lot and they feel pretty crummy. Why climb up those stairs when The Big One left that nice jacket there. When you housebreak a cat, you have an easy job. They hide their spoor as a survival mechanism. They really WANT to use the box. When you get a new kitten, place it in the box, hold its feet and make diggin motions with its little paws. I have housebroken about 9 or so kittens that way. The only one I had a hassle with was my current Hairy One, Mehitabel. She was a pregnant stray. She is a bitchy cat. She makes messy for good reasons. The biggie is "Clean that box, Househuman!" I do not blame her. I wouldnt want to walk barefoot through my own doo-doo and then lick my paws off later (SHUDDER). When she paws at the gravel, meows, walks up to me, meows, and then heads for the catbox, it is Time. I havent had a hassle in 8 months because we have an interspecies agreement (only took 4 years). Keep the box clean. Praise her when she goes.Listen to her when she fusses. E *****
dhenson@islenet.UUCP (Donald D. Henson) (09/21/85)
. . . .
We had a cat that started urinating in the house. The vet told us that
she was trying to tell us she was sick. In fact, she had a urinary
tract infection. Suggest taking your kitten to the vet.
Don Henson
Infosys Consulting
> My housemate's 10 week old kitten has started crapping everywhere. When webooter@lll-crg.UUCP (Elaine Richards) (09/23/85)
This is one of many problems voiced by users on the net. The original writer, Liz, who owns a 10 week old cat described her fuzzy friend's aberrant behavior re box usage. She wonders if a vet can help. Couldn't hurt. Anytime, an animal acts THAT out of character, call a vet. Many of us are fully conversant in animal behavior, but none of us are THAT expert. For a few, bucks it is worth the peace of mind. E *****
jrc@ritcv.UUCP (James R. Carbin) (09/24/85)
> My housemate's 10 week old kitten has started crapping everywhere. When we > first got her (6 weeks) she ALWAYS used the box; now she seems to NEVER use > it, if the little presents we keep finding are any indication. This isn't just > overnight, she does it all day too. > > Scolding her seems to have little effect - she'll go right in front of you. > I've never had this problem with a cat - they're usually so fastidious - and > all the tricks that work with a puppy just don't seem to help. > > We've tried changing her food, confining her in a room with her box > less food - nothing works. Could this be a health problem (worms?) > Any ideas? > > > Liz Vaughan > ....tektronix!tektools!lizv About 10 years ago, I moved into an apartment with my cat from a situation where there was usually someone home during the day to an an environment in which I lived alone. Suddenly, I had an adult cat that was urinating in one corner of the Dining Room. She would wait until I came home from work and she was in my line of sight before she would "perform." Scolding and spanking would work for a brief period of time, but within a day or so, she would be back to her old antics once again. I took her to the Vet who declared her normal, but suggested that she was doing it as a way of letting me know that she did not like to be left alone all day long. I got some of the spray repellant and was successful in stopping her from using the corner as her kitty box. Unfortunately she then moved to another corner. With something like 14 corners in my apartment, I finally came to the conclusion that she would have to be destroyed. This was the only thing the Vet could suggest as a possible solution if the repellant didn't work. It was such a traumatic experience for me that I had to wait until I caught her in the act, and then immediately take her to the Vet. Even then, after dropping her off at the Vet, I cried and hated myself for days. For your sake, I hope you find a better solution, but cats are much smarter (and cunning) than most people give them credit. j.r. {allegra,seismo}!rochester!ritcv!jrc
tankus@hsi.UUCP (Ed Tankus) (09/24/85)
> My housemate's 10 week old kitten has started crapping everywhere. When we > first got her (6 weeks) she ALWAYS used the box; now she seems to NEVER use > it, if the little presents we keep finding are any indication. This isn't just > overnight, she does it all day too. > > Scolding her seems to have little effect - she'll go right in front of you. > I've never had this problem with a cat - they're usually so fastidious - and > all the tricks that work with a puppy just don't seem to help. > > We've tried changing her food, confining her in a room with her box > less food - nothing works. Could this be a health problem (worms?) > Any ideas? > > > Liz Vaughan > ....tektronix!tektools!lizv If there are any other cats in the house, you might try getting another litter box. It seems that male and female cats within the same domicile(sp?) require separate boxes. Even if you have two females, try another box. You can get away with one of those turkey-roasting pans slipped inside a garbage bag and filled with litter. It's a good, cheap experiment. 'Works for me. -- " For every word there is a song upon which inspiration lies ..." Ed Tankus Net : {noao!ihnp4!yale!}!hsi!tankus Snail: Health Systems Int'l, 100 Broadway, New Haven, CT 06511 Bell : (203) 562-2101
dat@hpcnof.UUCP (09/26/85)
I wonder if it isn't something to do with the kitten having to share her litterbox with another... Even a littermate is an 'other' once they start maturing... -- Dave Taylor ..ihnp4!hpfcla!d_taylor or ..hplabs!hpcnof!dat
plw@mgwess.UUCP (Pete Wilson) (09/29/85)
In article <263@hsi.UUCP> tankus@hsi.UUCP (Ed Tankus) writes: >.... It seems that male and female cats within the same domicile(sp?) require >separate boxes...... > > Ed Tankus > Net : {noao!ihnp4!yale!}!hsi!tankus > Snail: Health Systems Int'l, 100 Broadway, New Haven, CT 06511 > Bell : (203) 562-2101 I have 2 males and 3 females and they all use the same box (talk about MESSY!). I have even seen 2 of them (a male and a female) use it at the same time (we're talking 2 14lb. cats in a 16 X 30 in. box!). The only time any of them don't use the box is when, in their judgement, it's too dirty. Usually the youngest male will get quite vociferous when it starts turning bad - this guy's been on latrine duty ever since we got him: covers up the messes of the other cats if they don't, complains when the litter needs changing, etc. Usually there is a reason why a cat won't use a litter box -even an outdoor cat. The problem is in figuring out the reason. Cats don't speak human talk too well (at least mine don't) and you have to keep trying different things until one of them works. The brand and type of litter seems to be important to them. Mine weren't happy until I started buying generic litter, just plain old dusty, natural clay. They didn't like Kitty Litter(T), Litter Green(T), or any of that fancy odor-reducing stuff. It could also be an emotional problem. Maybe the cat doesn't like being left alone for lengthy periods, or it doesn't like the time that it gets fed or the food it gets. From a cat's point of view, it takes quite a bit of training of the human to get the human to do things right! Pete Wilson AT&T IS CGBS Montgomery Works ..!ihnp4!mgnetp!mgwess!plw <If life begins at 40, what is it that ends at 39?>
mikel@codas.UUCP (Mikel Manitius) (10/04/85)
> > My housemate's 10 week old kitten has started crapping everywhere. When we > > first got her (6 weeks) she ALWAYS used the box; now she seems to NEVER use > > it, if the little presents we keep finding are any indication. This isn't just > > overnight, she does it all day too. > > > > Scolding her seems to have little effect - she'll go right in front of you. > > I've never had this problem with a cat - they're usually so fastidious - and > > all the tricks that work with a puppy just don't seem to help. > > > > We've tried changing her food, confining her in a room with her box > > less food - nothing works. Could this be a health problem (worms?) > > Any ideas? > > > > > > Liz Vaughan > > ....tektronix!tektools!lizv > > If there are any other cats in the house, you might try getting another litter > box. It seems that male and female cats within the same domicile(sp?) require > separate boxes. Even if you have two females, try another box. You can get > away with one of those turkey-roasting pans slipped inside a garbage bag and > filled with litter. It's a good, cheap experiment. 'Works for me. > > > -- > > " For every word there is a song upon which inspiration lies ..." > > Ed Tankus > Net : {noao!ihnp4!yale!}!hsi!tankus > Snail: Health Systems Int'l, 100 Broadway, New Haven, CT 06511 > Bell : (203) 562-2101 Have you changed the brand of kitty litter? Cats, I have found, are very sensitive to chemicals, and if they have one bad experience with a certain chemical, they will almost never want to go back to that place (or object), make sure everything is clean, don't use clensing chemicals, and check the brand of litter. -- ======= Mikel Manitius ==----===== AT&T ...!{ihnp4!}codas!mikel ==------===== Information Systems (305) 869-2462 ===----====== SDSS Regional Support AT&T-IS ETN: 755 =========== Altamonte Springs, FL My opinions are my own. =======
wersan@daemen.UUCP (John Slasher Wersan III) (10/05/85)
> > > > Liz Vaughan > > I took her to the Vet who declared her normal, but suggested that she was > doing it as a way of letting me know that she did not like to be left alone > all day long. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > > j.r. {allegra,seismo}!rochester!ritcv!jrc First off instead of having the cat KILLED ( I choose that word because it fits ), did you ever think of getting the cat a companion, namely another cat, or a dog. You said it yourself that the vet told you why the cat was doing what it was doing, we have a cat that is 18+, it too started this, but when my mother brought another cat into the house, it all stopped. Now the cat had something to play with, and beat on. ( The beatings stopped fast when the other cat got older, and BIGGER ). Any book on cats will tell you why your cat was doing this, please consider other options before killing a cat, or any animal! BTW, the older cat used to hunt in the desert, when we lived in Arizona, but it found a substitute when we moved, instead of running down jack-rabbits, it would attack and chase any dog in the area. ( We are talking about one VERY MEAN cat ). -- John Wersan UUCP : {decvax,dual,watmath,rocksanne,rocksvax}!sunybcs!daemen!wersan "Any statements made are not mine, this computer has me mistaken for someone else, of lower intelligence." "The doctor said I had dain bramage... But my friends don't know what 'dat shit is"