Cat Chat Feline Forum

Help!

My cat, Jasmine, has been going to the toilet all over my house instead of outside. We, my family, have tried finding out what the problem is: whether it's stress, laziness... We don't have a clue! The man of the house has lost his patience and threatens to get rid of her. I can't let that happen. I won't let that happen. He also refuses to get a litter box saying: "I can't live like that." He is also kind of reluctant to try any formulas like putting food in the places, spraying something, sprinkling pepper... I'm sure that if a decent and effective remedy is found them he will agree to it. But I will do anything to stop Jasmine being rid of. I personally don't think it's right.

Many thanks,
Your fellow animal lover.

there have been a few posts like this and each time I feel so desperately sad and sorry for the poor poor cat. Just get that poor girl a litter tray and I bet you won't have any more problems. And the litter boxes and litters available now-a-days, if you clean them regularly don't smell.

She most likely is plain scared to toilet outside - you'd be surprised how many cats are. It's when they are at their most vulnerable and I suspect she's been ambushed one time too many in the past and now just is scared; simple as.

Seriously, ask your 'man of the house' how he'd feel every time he went to the loo and someone either pounced on him, harrassed him etc.. he also wouldn't like it. He has the luxury of an indoor loo and a door he can close; your cat doesn't. And we humans generally 'force' our cats to live in closer proximities to each other than they usually would and like.

I take it there's no chance of getting 'rid' (such a horrible word) of the man of the house instead and living in harmony with Jasmine instead?

Totally agree with meriad. It sounds like he didn't want a cat in the first place if he wont do anything to help Jasmine. What a shame. Im no expert but to me the obvious thing is a litter tray for now and plenty of love and affection. And if the man of the house cant live like that then id keep the cat and rehome him.

I absolutely agree with Meriad too - some cats might be OK to toilet outside, but a litter box is the norm, not the exception.

I have to agree. Please get your little one a litter tray. I have 2 cats & 2 trays in case they both are in need of relief.
We use wood pellet litter which smells nice & is dead easy to clean. I have to say any smells which do eminate are no worse than the smells produced by my man after a good night out....

I can only agree with the others .... we have two litter trays - one primarily for our new senior addition who does not venture out yet (if she ever will) and the other for the other two cats .... the boy cat always goes outside but the girl cat will quite happily be outside all morning, return home to use the litter tray, and then go out again! We have concluded she feels safer inside to do her business. We also keep them in at night so a litter tray is a must. We use natural wood chip 'litter' and it doesn't smell at all if it is cleaned regularly (which is has to be). Please consider getting her a tray ... there must be a small, quiet area it can go? Good luck!

I cannot imagine not having a litter tray in the house and it is the only sure way of not having a cat makes a mess - it can usually be put in a not too noticeable location and when the weather is bad cats are not too keen on going outside

"The man of the house has lost his patience and threatens to get rid of her."......What a lovely "Man" .........he would be long gone with me ....horrid person... Your 'man of the house' sounds dreadful.....


Totally agree with every other poster on here...

To not have a litter tray in the house is incredibly cruel .........My Barney 'goes' outdoors, but I also have a tray indoors for him, for when he may not feel happy going outside....

Personally if that was my "MAN in the house... I would wait till he gets to the bathroom and just as he is about to 'go' I would pour a bucket of water over him absolutely dreadful, my hubby would never ever contemplate anything like this and he is no 'wimp' believe me, at 6'4" and a typical 'mans man' he always laughs when our boy chooses his tray, rather than the garden, he most certainly doesn't get annoyed...or maybe your partner could be prevented from using the toilet for endless hours when he is desperate to go and see how he feels....

I prefer my cats to use an indoor tray so I know that they are not using my neighbours gardens. They're my cats so it's my responsibility to clean up after them. I hate other cats using my garden as a toilet.
It's also good from a health point of view, you will notice any change in their habits and that can save their life (eg an increase in urinating could be a symptom of diabetes).

If you get a tray with a lid and good litter you will barely notice any smell.

Hazel wrote:I prefer my cats to use an indoor tray so I know that they are not using my neighbours gardens. They're my cats so it's my responsibility to clean up after them. I hate other cats using my garden as a toilet.
It's also good from a health point of view, you will notice any change in their habits and that can save their life (eg an increase in urinating could be a symptom of diabetes).

If you get a tray with a lid and good litter you will barely notice any smell.

A good point Hazel, it was only by noticing my boys struggle to 'go' in his tray that I realised that he had a terrible problem with constipation, which was causing him great pain...I now can monitor this and keep him medicated to prevent this happening, had he not have tried to use his tray indoors, I wuld have been clueless as to why he was so lethargic and crying in pain when the problem initially began....

Welcome to CC.

It is always advisable to provide a litter tray even if it is not used much. In fact it is one of Cats Protections conditions when adopting a cat, no matter how old the cat and irrespective of the fact that it may go out once it has been kept in a few weeks initially. If the cat has a problem it will used the tray or at least try to. If you can keep an eye on what your cat is passing, you can spot many problems, e.g. cystitis is very common in cats and needs urgent Veterinary treatment. It is shown up if the cat uses or tries to use the tray frequently and/or passes blood, I have known cats with other serious problems and it was only the fact that a litter tray was available 24/7 that the symptoms were noticed. Something you would never know if you didn’t have a tray. Ideally one litter tray per cat + 1 extra is the best option in multi cat households.
Some time ago it was necessary to have Trudie a long term CP cat PTS due to bowel cancer, I would like to think that Trudie's untimely death has not been in vain as a lesson can be learnt from it and that is the reason why everyone should always provide a litter tray (apart from the litter tray evidence there was no reason to suspect Trudie had a problem, she looked so well) Nowadays with the litters available and with good housekeeping there is no reason whatsoever for there to be a hint of smell.

oh dear dear this post has really made me angry,
Meriad I agree 100% with you
Iloveanimals14 please come back and say what area you are in, if you are near me I will give you a tray and some litter, as for the so " called man of the house " well as little as I am I will deal with him.

I would lock the toilet door for 48 hours and then see how your other half likes it. The truth is that some cats are just too nervous to toilet outside, and cats will only toilet where they feel safe (as would any of us, right?). A friend's cat has 24 hour outdoor access but she still will only use her litter tray indoors.

1. However, first off, and most importantly, get Jasmine to the vet to check if it's due to cystitis. If it is, get it treated asap, as this is very very painful and distressing for your cat, and can lead to kidney infection if not treated. As long as this medical condition is present, her urinating around the house will continue. And your partner just getting cross about it isn't going to change anything. Being cross doesn't make him right.

2. Your cat also sounds very stressed. Yes, it is miserable having a piddling cat in the house (been there, but worked through it and cured the problem). If your partner is getting so wound up about this, I am willing to bet this is one of the things making her anxious and making things much worse. As long as he continues like this, things are not going to get any better. The problem is of your partner's making, not hers. If he cannot change his attitude and (a) allow her to have a litter tray and (b) stop being so unreasonable, then it might be kinder to find a loving home for her with someone with a proper understanding of cats, and get him a dog. Or better still, a fully grown crocodile.

I can't begin to express my thanks to all of you who have shared with me vital advice! I shall take all of your advice into consideration and suggest that we need to get a litter box. Unfortunately, in the past we have had some problems with litter boxes but I will find a way to start using them again. In regards to your "man of the house" comments... He definitely isn't my man! That's for sure. Yeah u see, I am but a teenager, still in school, who dearly cares for my mother's cats. She has been through many boyfriends, none of whom I have liked or completely trusted. This current "man of the house" is a horrible man, whom of which I despise more than most. He treats the cats more like dogs and believe me when I say that they don't like it one bit. But for the sake of my mother's happiness and welfare, I put up with his disgusting and horrid ways.
Oh and @pandorawarlord my mother lives in Fareham, which is quite a way from you unfortunately, but thank you so much for your kind offer. Much appreciated.
Thank you all again for your help with my situation and hope that you all are happy and doing well in life.
Your fellow animal lover

Dear Iloveanimals14,

what an awful situation you find yourself in. I'm so sorry. Be strong for the sake of your mum and your cats. It won't be forever.

How are you doing with the litter tray problem? We live in a very small house, but still find space for 2 litter trays (with 5 cats we should have 6 trays - one in each room! But I refuse to have one in the kitchen and there is no room in the bedrooms.) If they are cleaned every day there is no smell.

Good luck, we are here for you if you want to chat.

Sue x

I echo what Bobbys Girl said.

You can also get covered litter trays, which stop a lot of it being kicked out and tracked round the house (though I always take the doors off), and you can get corner ones for small spaces too.

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/search_adv.a ... itter-Tray" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lots of people have adapted furniture to hide litter boxes too:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=litte ... .9#imgdii=_" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;