Maine Coon toileting trouble, advice needed

Aideen1

Hiya everyone,

We have a 9 month old Maine coon female, she has an extra large litter box in the house however has stopped using it and has she's started going number 1 and number 2 on the tile floor for about a month now.

We've tried refreshing the litter more often, washing the box with warm soapy water, and placing it in different spots, we've tried having two litter boxes in the same spot, and then tried two different litter boxes in different spots. Then we tried leaving an empty box down as well which she has started using but the number 1 splashes her paws which means we're now bathing her every day too.

Has anyone had a similar experience and would they have any advice?

I would be eternally grateful as we love our moggie but with the constant mopping of the floor and bathing of her paws, we need help!

Aideen

VonVix

Did you change the brand of cat litter you were using? What type of litter are you using now? Clay/crystals/tofu/etc?

Aideen1

@VonVix. It's green cat natural clumping litter. We haven't changed the cat litter, as she has been using the same kind since she was maybe three months old.

We did move house though so that can't have helped either. We did take her to the vet when it started but the vet said there was nothing medically wrong with her.

Will try changing the litter to something new, see if that works. I think the clay based ones would be worse as it might stick to her paws but maybe a wood based litter/pellets etc.

Washing her paws again this morning

VonVix

Aideen1 wrote: »

@VonVix. It's green cat natural clumping litter. We haven't changed the cat litter, as she has been using the same kind since she was maybe three months old.

We did move house though so that can't have helped either.

Will try changing to something new, see if that works. I think the clay based ones would be worse as it might stick to her paws but maybe a wood chipping or something.

Washing her paws again this morning

Even give the likes of Worlds Best a go, it's maize based and flushable. Just on the off chance your cat has developed a sensitivity to the wood based ones, from my memory the wood based litter can actually be quite strong in smell.

Aideen1

I'm going to try cleaning her litter every morning and every night, and leaving a second tray of different litter in.

Wish me luck!

Aideen1

VonVix wrote: »

Even give the likes of Worlds Best a go, it's maize based and flushable. Just on the off chance your cat has developed a sensitivity to the wood based ones, from my memory the wood based litter can actually be quite strong in smell.

Will try this one! Thank you.

VonVix

Aideen1 wrote: »

I'm going to try cleaning her litter every morning and every night, and leaving a second tray of different litter in.

Wish me luck!

You can also get products like Puppy Trainer spray (bottle says it can be used for cats and other small animals too), which has an attractant in it to encourage them to go to the toilet in a certain area.

What cleaning products are you using in the littertray as well?

Alun

Have you eliminated any potential medical reasons for her avoiding her litter tray? Cystitis could be a possible cause, if they're experiencing pain when urinating they associate that with the litter tray. It's often brought on by stress, so possibly due to the house move and new surroundings. Just a thought.