ariels@orca.UUCP (Ariel Shattan) (01/21/85)
I have a problem with one of my cats. She has the bad habit of, whenever she's annoyed for some reason, relieving herself in the bathtub. She uses the litter box to urinate, but has been using the bathtub to defecate more and more lately. She does it mainly when the other cat is outside, or when I don't get home to feed her soon enough (order of 1 or 2 hours, not 5 or 6), or when I leave town for the weekend, and leave them both in the house with supplies of food and a clean box. Unfortunately, I've never caught her at it, so I can't discipline her immediately. I've tried pushing her nose in it, then whacking her with a very firm NO!, I've tried putting her in the bathtub and turning the shower on her. Nothing works for more than a few days. She is, unfortunately, very stupid. She has always had problems remembering her disciplinary lessons. I mean, this cat has stuck her face in candles and frizzed her eyebrows more than once. The ordinary methods of teaching her good from bad don't work because she hasn't the brain power to remember. Am I doomed to just being thankful that it't not the carpet or my bed? I can't seal off the bathtub, and I can't seal off the bathroom (that's where their litter box is, and there's no room anywhere else to put it). Can anybody help? Ariel (any body want a pretty, brain-damaged cat?) Shattan
wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (01/23/85)
Try leaving an inch or so of water in the bathtub. If the cat still makes messes in there even though she has to get wet (I'm assuming she doesn't balance on the tub edge), at least they are easy to clean up...
techpub@mhuxt.UUCP (mcgrew) (01/23/85)
> I have a problem with one of my cats. She has the bad habit of, > whenever she's annoyed for some reason, relieving herself in the > bathtub. She uses the litter box to urinate, but has been using the > bathtub to defecate more and more lately. She does it mainly when > the other cat is outside, or when I don't get home to feed her soon > enough (order of 1 or 2 hours, not 5 or 6), or when I leave town for > the weekend, and leave them both in the house with supplies of food > and a clean box. > > Ariel (any body want a pretty, brain-damaged cat?) Shattan A friend of mine has the same problem with her cat. What she does when going out is to fill the bathtub with about 2 inches of water. That does the trick with her cat. Try it for yours. Good luck! Melanie Accomando ihnp4!mhuxt!techpub
fauntsu@hplabs.UUCP ( root) (01/28/85)
> Try leaving an inch or so of water in the bathtub. If the cat still > makes messes in there even though she has to get wet (I'm assuming she > doesn't balance on the tub edge), at least they are easy to clean up... A friend of mine did exactly this since her cat did the same thing. She then had to replace a piece of her wall-to-wall carpeting since that's what the cat used while the bathtub had water in it. At least the bath tub is easy to clean. -- ....!hplabs!faunt faunt%hplabs@csnet-relay.ARPA HP is not responsible for anything I say here. In fact, what I say here may have been generated by a noisy telephone line.
kal@trsvax.UUCP (01/28/85)
I had this problem with one of my cats. I tried the water in the bathtub trick. She went on the floor next to the tub. I got a can of cat repellent, layed down newspapers, and kept them sprayed. She would go just on the edge of the paper. I have two cats and had never had a problem with them before. I was finally forced to buy another litter box and move the boxes out of the bathroom. I guess that one of my cats is just super clean. She won't go in a litter box that contains anything but litter. I clean the boxes in the morning and at night and have since been able to move them back into the bathroom. Good luck! Kathy