I am going to kill my cat!

Lillylilly

I've posted here a couple of times regarding my 11 month old kitten. She seems a bit on the stupid side and wouldn't learn to go to the loo outside. She used the litter tray after a lot of training. We didn't like the idea of the tray in the house, so a few months ago we attempted to train her to go outside. It seemed to work for a few weeks, then she decided she didn't like that anymore, so started going on the sofa, bed, washbin etc.
Three weeks ago, we spent a fortune getting an upholstery cleaner in to clean the bed and sofas and get rid of any residual wee smell, which we just couldn't get rid of.
We put the litter tray under a shelter in the garden and were cleaning and changing it at least once a week, although it didn't look like she was using it all that much. I was bragging away to my boyf last night saying how great it was not to worry about her peeing/ pooing all over the house... then this morning, she hopped up on the sofa and wee'd all over a new cushion.
I'm fuming. She's out the back now and I've locked the cat flap. I just don't know what to do with her at all. This was her pattern last time we tried to train her to go outside, a few weeks later we HAD to reintroduce the tray into the house as she kept going to the toilet anyway.
She loves the outside, she comes in and out of the house 50 times a day, so I doubt that she is scared of other cats in her "territory".
We have a 15 month old male cat who has no toileting issues. He goes off and does his own thing (doesn't appear to go the loo in our garden) but she stays in the (large) garden cos she's sh!t at jumping. Both are neutered.

Any advice/ help would be greatly appreciated!

The Sweeper

this is all the wisdom I have on cat pee

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=70155580&postcount=7

tk123

She obviously prefers going inside in the tray - you could try using eg a covered tray in the house - at least that way it's not on display and if you clean it as she uses it then it shouldn't smell so much? I'm not sure by your post where you want her to go to the loo - - your garden/somebody elses garden so you don't have to clean it up?

Lillylilly

tk123 wrote: »

She obviously prefers going inside in the tray - you could try using eg a covered tray in the house - at least that way it's not on display and if you clean it as she uses it then it shouldn't smell so much? I'm not sure by your post where you want her to go to the loo - - your garden/somebody elses garden so you don't have to clean it up?

I want her to go in my garden, I have no issue cleaning it up. It's the look and smell of the litter tray in the house I don't want. Regardless of how often you scoop/ clean it, it still smells. We have the litter tray under a shelter in the garden, right beside the back door. We have a cat flap so it's easily accessible for her. We still clean it, but it seems like she doesn't use it as much now so I thought we were sorted with her going out the back garden, but she has returned to going in the house again.

Lillylilly

The Sweeper wrote: »

this is all the wisdom I have on cat pee

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=70155580&postcount=7

I got new throws and cushions for the sofa the other day. Could be that!
It's her preferred sofa to sit on, which I found surprising too. I suppose, it's the one she has peed on the past.
I'm gonna look into getting that cleaner, and maybe change her litter tray out the back to a bigger one.

boomerang

Lillylilly wrote: »

I got new throws and cushions for the sofa the other day. Could be that!
It's her preferred sofa to sit on, which I found surprising too. I suppose, it's the one she has peed on the past.
I'm gonna look into getting that cleaner, and maybe change her litter tray out the back to a bigger one.

First of all, you should rule out a health problem. Failure to use the litter tray or peeing in seemingly random spots can indicate a urinary tract infection.

She may also not be comfortable with where the litter tray is positioned. They don't like to feel exposed when going to the loo cos it's a vulnerable moment. Is the litter tray outside in a corner? If it's just sitting outside the back door I doubt she will use it, not with the back door opening occasionally and if it's open on all sides. You'd have to locate it in a quiet corner of the garden.

Cats are very fastidious about their toileting habits. Sometimes even a change of litter can upset them.

Is the litter tray in the house such a bad thing? Get an extra big one with a cover (although some cats don't take to the cover) and put it in your utility room. If you use a good quality litter that's very absorbent and dispose of the poos and wet spots as you go, I really don't see the problem. If you keep it clean, it really shouldn't smell. Maybe it's the litter your using? What you feed the cat can also have a bearing - cheaper foods produce smellier poos!

rokossovsky

Try digging over a patch of ground in your garden. Cultivate it really well until you have a fine tilth. We usually bring our trainees over to the patch and hold them there while mimicking the scratching motion that cats do before going. This method has worked for us before.
During the snow our fella had to stay in and use the tray. There were no issues until we changed brand of litter. He hasnt looked at it since!

biko

We changed from one brand of litter the cat likes to a cheaper brand.
Didn't the fecking cat pee in the corner of our bedroom!
Had to switch back to the preferred brand.

poconnor16

Hi OP,

I know you dont want the litter tray in the house but there are things you can do to limit the smell. Get the covered litter box (as previosuly suggested). Place in area of the house less frequented by you. The type of litter you buy is soooo important. I buy one that actually smells like baby powder - serious!! Sometimes the smaller kitten smells of baby powder after he has had a visit. You can this stuff in Maxi Zoo, super absorbent, catches everything. And you dont even need to change it that often.
I've also gone a step further put an air freshner near the box. It's one of those plug in things.
I know it must be so frustrating for you, but keep in mind that kitty is not doing this to pi** you off or anything. There must be an underlying reason for it. If its not a medical one, I would think about the indoor litter tray.

biko

We use Sophisticat Antibacterial that seems to keep smell down.
http://place4pets.co.uk/wp-content/themes/shopperpress/thumbs/SophisticatBlueLitter.jpg

ABajaninCork

I find that queens are harder to potty-train than toms. With my two toms, all I had to do was show them the tray, rub their paws gently on the litter and off they went!

With the queen, I'm afraid you'll have to be patient. Mine was a year old before she stopped peeing and pooping on the sofa! (Luckily, I kept an old duvet cover with plastic underneath when I realised what the little cow was doing! ) Like the others say, I found that a large deep tray is better for them. Put the tray in a corner, and take her over to it every couple of hours if you can. It's very important to clear the wet and dirty litter frequently, otherwise she won't use it!! Cats (especially queens) are very funny like that....

You can also buy Bob Martin's litter freshner (looks like Shake 'n' Vac) in Tesco's. That's very good at keeping the smells down.

Bullseye1

There is also a litter tray which has a lid over it to make it look like a cat house. At least it won't look bad.

Is the cat allowed out doors alot or just to go to the toilet? If it's an indoor cat being put outside just to go to the toilet that would seem strange.

Graces7

Well, mine get threatened with instant death frequently, but having read this I will stop doing so.. with mine it is because they insist on going out in the night to pee etc and it is too cold to leave the window open.....