We are having litter box issues with my cat of 10 years. She is going to the box, scratching, then turning her business end back outside the box. So she is going NEAR The box but not IN it. It goes down the side of the box, underneath it, runs along the floor. Its oily and smelly and is stinking up my house. She gets fresh water every day (and judging from the quantity of tinkle, she is drinking plenty.)
We'd always had an open box with regular clay litter and then she started peeing out of the box.
I bought a covered litter box with a swinging door. Apparently, she would put her head in the box, but left her business end hanging out the door. Well I don't blame her for not going all the way in there it IS a small space.
So I took the lid off and we had an open box again. Same issue.
Then I changed to clumping sand, I thought maybe she'd prefer it. Still peed out of the box. I thought maybe I wasn't changing it often enough, so I put sifting litter liners in the box and "sift" every day. But now I clean pee from the floor, the box, and the liners.
Its just so gross and smelly. I am so embarrassed about having "cat smell" in my house.
Do the Mamas have any suggestions? Has anyone tried the Tidy Cat Breeze system? Is there some way to retrain her? Thank you for any suggestion you may have! I'll try anything.
thanks to all the cat loving Mama's who offered advice. We ended up buying a rubbermaid storage box that is about 10 inches deep. I tried the S'wheat Scoop, which worked fine but was a bit pricey, and I could only find it at Petsmart. I am now buying Feline Pine, which is cheaper and available at Walmart. The cat still pees off the side of the box on occasion but I am trying harder to thoroughly scoop the box everyday. Its still gross, but I guess its just something I will have to put up with. Thanks, Mamas for all your advice!!
Cats will "act out" when something in their world isn't right or changes. What changed (if anything) just before she started this behavior? It sounds like she's trying to tell you something. My cat was extra messy, even with a lid, so I kept the litter box in a cardboard box lid or on a plastic mat with a lip/edge to catch the excess litter/mess.
Maybe you could try the system that trains them to go in your toilet. There is a special top which they go on that they are attracted to with herbs. After figuring it out , they prefer using it, then you can remove the insert. I thought your cat might like it since she has trained herself to go over the side of her box. Look online or at Petsmart.
Good luck!
K.,
We had the same issue with our cat. She is 10 years now, but we started having the problem with her about 3 years ago. The thing that worked for our cat is this litter called Cat Attract http://www.preciouscat.com/. She has been so good with that & it had been an ongoing problem... We had taken her to the vet & there was nothing physically wrong with her (although you might want to just check to make sure). Our cat was just acting out. It is a little bit more expensive, but it is guaranteed to work. Our cat has been successfully using her litter box now for 2 years...I probably could switch to another litter, but I don't want to mess with the success we have had. :) I found the litter at Petsmart, but you might be able to find it at another pet store. It is so worth it because I really know what you are going through. I have 2 girls that are 5 & 3, too! We are having our 3rd girl at the end of October...we don't have a fish, but we have a cat & dog. Email me if you have questions...
Blessings,
G.
www.shaklee.net/grapevineschmidts
I am having the same exact problem as you. I'm sorry but I am actually relieved that I'm not the only one. I don't think my cat is ill or acting out, she goes into the box but like your cat she hangs her rear end over or on the edge and pee goes over the side and all over the floor. I have tried the largest covered box you can buy and she won't even go in. We did buy the Breeze system and it has greatly improved the situation but we are still having the same problem every once in awhile, just not as often. It's a pretty good system, it is definitely a happy medium between the covered and uncovered boxes (the sides go up higher without being completely closed in), but odor control is a bit more labor intensive with the pellets and pads. I will say that I clean the box more often but it's not as messy as the normal grainy litter. I am at my wits end and don't know what else to do. Please keep me posted as to how your situation goes.
good luck in solving this. keep trying.
Hi K.,
It may be that your kitty is getting older and a bit incontinent. I had that trouble with one of mine when he got older. The only solution that we came up with was to place a couple of puppy piddle pads under and around the edges of the litter box. That way, it's not such a huge, wet, smelly mess.
Another thought is to see if you can find some sort of jumbo litter box...maybe even a short sided rubbermaid tub--if you think she's just having a space issue.
You're the 2nd one today with the same issue. It is likely a urinary tract infection.
See the other responses to Dolores S posting for more tips.
