# How do I get Fergie to squat when she pees?



## WhiteKitties (Dec 22, 2008)

Fergie pees standing up. I've probably mentioned this in the past, but not for quite a while. However, it's been getting worse and hubby and I are going mad trying to figure out something different to try.

When we got the girls we very quickly noticed that an open litter box wouldn't work, as Fergie would go in and squat, but slowly lift her butt up as she peed, resulting in pee on the wall. We switched to a covered box, and the little nut would walk in and then pee straight out the opening. :fust We then switched to a Rubbermaid tub with a hole cut in the top, so no matter which way she points her rear she'll pee on the side of the tub.

That was great for a while but now she seems to be arching her back more and more and pee is escaping. We had to go out and get one of those large plastic dog cage bottom trays to put under the litter box, because her pee stream will hit the lid and then seep between the lid and tub and drip out onto the floor. The tray catches it and saves the carpet, but the smell.... Oh my goodness, our office just reeks of cat pee and there's no keeping up since she pees several times a day. We have litter box wipes and use them regularly for the sides of the tub, but we all know how that smell can soak in to things. We have to change out the tub once a month to try to keep the smell at bay. Oh, and Fern is beginning to pick up the habit as well.... :sad:

Any suggestions of a different type of box to try, or a way to retrain Fergie???


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I have a cat that does this, but luckily he does aim at the covered back part of the cage and it hits the back. I also have two Breeze litter boxes, which work differently than a traditional litter box, and it does have high sides, but if your cat decides to aim towards the part that does not have the sides, I guess that would not work. But as far as controlling the pee smell, you can't beat the Breeze. It has plastic pellets that sit on top of a fine grate, and the pee goes through the pellets and is soaked up onto these super absorbent pee pads, so there are no pee clumps, no litter tracking and no smell, and you change the pee pads once a week (then you smell it but only when you open the tray to clean it). My standing pee-er has not had a problem with it, because it's funny because he rests his front paws on the edge of the entrance to the box every time so his butt is aimed toward the back, which has the sides in case he does pee on them. We just use baby wipes to wipe the sides down every day or so, as needed. With this kind of box, you have to be the kind of person who scoops poop every day or as they do it, or it WILL get gross...it is not one that can sit with lots of poop in it. But if you are kind of obsessively clean about the litter box, like I am, this is a great litter box. And I kind of think if you have one of those cats that does not like a messy box, they like this litter box, because it's always clean. They don't have to wade through the litter looking for a an area that is not already peed in, and the poop is always taken out right away, so it's great for those picky cats like one of mine is. The pellets last a month, and every month when I change the pellets, you hose out the whole thing. I love, love, love mine. Again, not sure if this might work with your cat, because if he did aim the other way, it would go out, but for some reason, all of my cats, and I have 3, have never aimed their butts toward the entrance that does not have a high side. You can look it up on Amazon and read the reviews to learn more about the litter box and see it. 

Like many of us on here say, at least he is going in the litter box. I know what a bother it is what he is doing now, but if he were going on your floor or couch, that would be so much worse. I hope you can figure something out that works. Because I don't think there is any way to train a cat to not do this.


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

I know what you mean about the smell. I have round booda domes (no stairs, just regular) but at least one of my cats pees up against the side of it (not all the time, but often enough) so that it runs between the cover and bottom part. the thing that saves the carpet is that I use liners. no one makes them for the round boxes so there's quite a bit of bunching around it and it will catch the pee, but I don't know if you want to use liners or not. I know some cats don't like them, but I use two large garbage bags and then a jonny cat liner. someone usually manages to claw through the liner and then even sometimes through the first garbage bag but never the second. it really saves washing those big boxes out in the bathtub! I wipe down the lids with windex and/or woolite pet spray. it's actually for carpet but I don't use it for that much (barf stains) so whatever's handy and it kills the smell.

besides that, I have no idea how you'd change a cat's litter box posture. I have seen both my male cats pee (because they can't wait or something when i'm changing litter--even though there are two boxes, they want the one I'M busy with) and they both squat, it's a very strange stance but it keep pee off them lol. the female I have no idea. I know she pees a lot but she never does it with the lid off and I just don't notice her in there. like howzefrau says, " at least it's IN the box."

I use pine pellets and will never change if I don't have to because they totally eliminate any urine odor. all I have to worry about are the leaks, and like I said, they don't even happen every day. I just hate it when they do.

the only other thing I can think of is folding up cheap paper towels until they're sort of thick, like 2 or 3 select-a-size maybe, and stuffing them between the cover and bottom part. it would still happen, but you could toss those. I don't think any of my cats pees more than four times a day, more like 2-3, and walgreens sells those six roll packs for $5.


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

I know you say you use a covered litter box but maybe there are a couple things worth trying.
First a covered box with a cat flap at the opening so even if she does pee against it, it won't go out the opening and you can wipe down the flap.

Second, I got to thinking and I don't know because you didn't say but maybe if she had a bigger box. I mean like an XXL box I know they sell them for the bigger breed cats, covered and with a plastic door flap.
I say this because _SHE_ may _think_ she doesn't have enough room to maneuver inside hence the peeing straight out the opening. That kind of says that she doesn't do much about going in the box to pee more like pull in, pee and back out.
Does she take time to try to cover it or try? Or is it just pee and leave. 

Anyway those are two things, to add to the other suggestions of ideas, I thought of while trying to come up with what I would try if I had that problem.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

I know someone who had to buy very high sided totes, then attach plastic panels to those, to accommodate her large 14 pound female cat and her high peeing.

Luckily my two female stand up pee-ers aren't large cats, and the high sided totes (18 inch sides, I think) contain them.

I don't use covers, I don't like covered litter boxes.

Another idea: I wonder if cutting out the bottom of one tote and fastening it to the top of another would work. Since they narrow at the bottom, it should fit in, right, then the pee will drip back down into the box?


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## WhiteKitties (Dec 22, 2008)

Thanks guys... We may try to find something to use to create a seal between the lid and the tub so the pee won't leak out, and a bigger box is a possibility as well. The one they have is pretty big, I'd say, but maybe you would disagree. It's 15" tall and roughly 14" x 24" on the sides. They don't seem to have any issues with it even if it's got a few poop piles. Hubby scoops every day but since they share the box it sometimes gets kinda full before he scoops. I'm soooo grateful they don't insist on the box being scooped every time it's used!!!

Funny story though - Fern prefers the top off when she poops, and if we're home she has a particular mournful meow she'll use to tell us she needs to poop and to please take the lid off. So we'll take the lid off, and she'll dig her hole and then stick her nose over the edge of the box and wrinkle her nose and make faces while she does her business. Makes me laugh every time! :smile:


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

View attachment 18962


I like this idea I found on the internet. Cheap and easy to do. Does anyone know where to buy those pads that are under the screen material that looks like a cooling rack?


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Those look like puppy training pads to me.

IE - they look like the ones on My Cat From Heck with the declawed persion. I assume you can buy them at any pet store.


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

you can buy animal training pads or human bed pads. sometimes one is on sale cheaper, I believe I've found the human ones cheaper more often. you can even buy a longer-lasting human bed pad that's washable--polyester/cotton with a vinyl backing. get 2 or 3 and change them out. they're about $10--although I don't know if i'd use one because cat pee just smells so strong I wouldn't want to wash it with anything else. I guess you could rinse it out in the sink or bathtub first. you can get them at petsmart, walgreens, wherever. I even bought a roll of stuff that looks like paper towels except one side was plastic-ish. I was going to use it on the bottom of the carrier until I realized just folding up one of those sheets works even better.

it's weird but my cats seem to prefer pooping with the cover on but peeing with it off, except for the female and she always likes the lid on. maybe she's more modest. I've played with food enough that only one makes a big stink occasionally, regardless. then he RUNS from the litterbox and runs around the house really fast and meows loudly _afterward_!! (I don't know if he's proud of it, or running away from it, or saying, "dang, smell THAT!" lol) I feel like doing the same thing except I have to go flush it.

when my male cats squat to pee, it's totally different than #2. they put their legs behind them and their tail aside, it looks like they're getting ready to do the high jump.


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