Cat Chat Feline Forum

So, I've had my cat, Kiora, for four years. At first she was a little hard to litter train, I got her after the mother died and she was still really young. However, she eventually got the hang of it. Until recently, that is.

I'm concerned because I'm unsure if I should contact a vet about this. I got a new kitten, Nessie, a year ago, introduced them, and they've gotten along fine, but ever since Nessie got bigger Kiora has had issues with using the litterbox. I don't know if it's entirely related, but it's around the same time.

I've read up on a few things, and got another litterbox thinking that sharing the same litterboxes could be the issue. However, she will only pee in the litterbox, and poops right outside of it. It's one with a lid and poop is off from the entrance, so I doubt she's pooping over the entrance every single time. Both litterboxes are cleaned every day, I sanitize the area, and I've even tried changing the type of litter I use, but nothing has helped.

I don't know if this could be a medical thing or if she needs to be retrained in using a litterbox (which I don't really know anything about training adult cats if that is the case, so some suggestions are welcome). I just know it's a bit weird, at least to me.

It could be middening - territorial marking. I would add at least one more litter box in another location. Big pee pads or a washable bath mat under the tray will help you keep sane while you work it out!

Agreed sounds territorial to me too, at the entrance to the tray like that and starting around the time the new kitten arrived. More and different designs of trays, the minimum recommended is one per cat plus one so for two cats three trays.

It's not always obvious but multi cat homes are sometimes divided into odd shaped three dimensional territories, even if the cats go into each others there can be zones where each feels more or less comfortable, and communal neutral areas. If you can identify these and make sure at least one tray is in Kiora's territory where Nessie doesn't go very often, that would probably help. You don't mention whether Nessie is male or female, I'm assuming neutered? And perhaps if you don't have this already offer some high up perches, Kiora might feel more secure if she has high places to supervise from and claim as her own.

another thought - have you tried her with an open tray? she might feel uneasy pooping where she can't see the kitten

Thanks for the advice! I'll pick up another litterbox and some mats my next pay day. There are two areas that Kiora goes that Nessie refuses to go to, but one is too close to my roommate's room and he has a dog he often keeps inside. So, I'll try to put it in the other area and see how well she does with it.

Also yeah, they are both females. Nessie is "fixed", and Kiora isn't but will be soon. Neither of them go outside often, and Kiora can't really go outside because she has an allergy to grass (or the pollen) that makes her scratch an insane amount.

I have tried an open tray, too. The first few litterboxes I had with her were open trays and two closed ones. I like to change them after a certain amount of time for extra cleanliness. She never really had an issue with either before. So, I'm guessing it is like you guys said and a territorial thing.

You may find the neutering will help, it could be to assert her being higher up the hierarchy. How long till she will be done?

I think you should go to the vets just to make sure everything is okay with her

Regarding retraining, it can still be possible

There's this article on retraining a cat to use the litter box

** link removed due to advertising (Admin)

Has some good tips and advice and worth a read

Hope this helps!

PS - It's just a phase that will soon pass

I'd suggest a vet visit to be on the safe side, but otherwise it does sound behavioural. Cats can be very odd about trays. Try moving one of the trays to a different area to give her a bit of privacy.

Our Elsie, who is a timid cat, always prefers to come in from the garden and use her covered trays, but once our tiny puss Toby arrived and decided BOTH of them were his (he sits on top of the lid and whacks her when she comes out!), she now has to use the garden whatever the weather, or sneak in when Toby isn't looking. Toby comes in from the garden of course, to use his luxury personal indoor toilet, the little horror

Hope you can make life a bit easier for her.