House Cat Not Using Tray

[Catmummyhelen]

Hi All
My husband and I adopted 2 cats about a year and a half ago, a tom cat (Monty) and a female cat (Leila).
The people who we adopted them from only had 1 litter tray between both cats and at the beginning this worked, however the past year Leila has stopped pooing in the tray. She will wee in it but always always poos near the front door in the same place.
We have tried having 2 trays but it sadly doesn't work, our male cat uses them both, he thinks it's great but she still doesn't poo in it. Every so often out of the blue she will do one in the tray and she will not cover it over. We have tried different trays and different types of litter.....absolutely everything. I have also read that this isn't normal for a cat and to go to the vets but she is such a healthy happy cat and I can't see how the vet can help.
If anyone has any advice we would be very grateful.

Thank you in advance x

[Ruth B]

I'll be starting with a couple of questions, are they both neutered and how old are they.

Next a trip to the vets isn't a bad idea, at least it would rule out a medical reason.

Finally if you have already tried different style trays and different litters and make sure that the trays are cleaned as quickly after use as possible, then one thing springs to mind, a dominance struggle. Normally if a cat doesn't cover it up or does it elsewhere then it is being left as a mark to tell other cats that that is her territory. Is there any chance another cat could be coming into the house, or even bullying her in the garden, so that she feels she has to leave marks around the house to warn them off. Is there any sign that she is spraying around the house as well, normally cats will use both methods of marking.

Finally the problem could unfortunately be with Monty, does he seem to pick on her, follow her around, stare at her while she uses the litter tray, lie across doorways or staircases so that she can't access the trays easily. If any of this sounds familiar then the first thing to do if possible is increase to three trays and have them as separate as possible, certainly all in different rooms, preferably on different floors of the house to give her as many options as possible. I would also suggest making sure that there is food and water in as many place as possible, separate from each other and away from the trays, to try and make it that she has access to all she needs and he can't control the situation, (this is the type of advice i have come across before for inter cat problems, I'm not sure what size house they think us cat owners have).

Others might be along with other ideas, but it might give you a place to start and an idea of what other behaviour to watch for.

[Catmummyhelen]

Hi Ruth
Thank you for your reply.
They are both neutered & they are both nearly 3 years old (they're brother & sister).
We are very good with cleaning the trays as soon as possible, couldn't leave it because it absolutely stinks lol
They go out in the garden but there are no other cats about, she doesn't even poo out there but she does wee. Monty and her get on really well, she's more feisty than he is but there's no bullying what so ever and there are no cats getting in the house, 100% sure of that.
We have a 3 storey house & I like your idea of possibly having 3 trays, we can certainly keep them apart. They eat separately anyway because Leila is fussy with her food.
When you say rule out a medical reason, do u have an idea what medical reason this could be?

Thank you again for your reply you have been a great help x

[Ruth B]

The general rule with trays seems to be number of cats plus one, however in a small two bedroom semi, my three cats have had to manage with two trays and a garden between them. However when problems start it is always worth trying to up the number of trays.

At three years old they are both really coming into their maturity and even litter mates don't always stay best friends for life. It could just be that they are moving from the relationship they had as kittens to deciding the pecking order they will have as adults.

I don't really know about pooing around the place, but I have heard of cats getting cystitis, often associated with stress, which can mean they learn to associate the litter tray with pain, I don't know if something like that could occur with the bowels as well. Even something as simple as constipation could mean she feels vulnerable when trying to go. If all else fails they might be able to recommend a behaviourist so it would be worth keeping a diary of what you have done and any effect it might have had, at least then you won't be paying to go over the same ground twice.

[Kay]

just to add to Ruth's excellent response, if there is any chance she is not using the tray because Monty has already used it, you might find it improves if you add a lot more litter than the usual 5cm recommended - my two happily share a big tray with a good 10cm of ultra fine litter, and the extra depth means they are not so aware of each other's deposits, and can happily dig away to their hearts' content (and my exasperation!)