# Litterboxes and setups that prevent the litterbox ambush



## sefaleth (Mar 8, 2006)

Not sure if this belongs in behavior or cat chat- please let me know if it is in the wrong place. Part story, part question:

The story

Yoshi and Mac were introduced in a new apartment, each with their own set of 'things' - chairs, feeding stations, and litterboxes. They get along fine, for the most part, except when Mac gets bored and decides to play unilateral tag with 'too-dignified-to-play' Yoshi.

Problem:

Mac likes Yoshi's litterbox better, and begins to claim both litterboxes in the house once both cats have free run. 

Solution:

Shut the door to Yoshi's litterbox when I am not home to supervise/distract Mac.

Problem 2:

We leave the doors open at night to allow both cats access to the bedroom. Mac learns, in short order, that we can't supervise him wrt the litterbox ambush when we are asleep.

Solution:

Yoshi also learns that we have to be awake to supervise Mac. Yoshi wakes us up at 5 in the morning to stand guard at the doorway when he has to go. Yes, I have to stand there and watch him eliminate and cover... 

Now, while this works for the cats, and it could be so much worse as far as litterbox problems go (knock on wood) I'd much rather figure out a type of litterbox or setup that does not require watching my cats go in the wee hours of the morning. Does anyone know of a rental friendly magnetic locking catflap or locking litterbox? 

The litterboxes are escape friendly, for the most part, but could probably use some vertical escape routes. However, they also need to be rental and people friendly, too.

I thought about getting a large transparent rubbermaid, and installing a magnetic catflap in the side - for those of you who have installed magnetic catflaps, would that be possible, or is it designed to go into doors only (wood screws, plastic fixtures designed for something the width of a door...) Also not sure about how Yoshi feels about hooded boxes, either.


----------



## Immortal (Mar 28, 2006)

I recently introduced ****** and Suki to each other... and needless to say it was far from love at first sight. they hate each other. 

I had 2 litter boxes for them but i soon found suki trying to claim them both while poor ****** went around cross legged cos she needed to go but wouldnt with 'suki smell' everywhere.My solution:

Its simple. After brushing ****** i took some of the fur off the brush and distributed it into her little tray... when suki went near it all she could smell was ****** and backed off. And ****** got the feeling she could go to the loo in her own space.

Both the litter trays were put into the corners of the room so the cats would do there buisness facing outward and could see each other moving about. I also have really loud bells on thier collars so they can hear each other creeping up. 

As for them not passing each other... leave them to it. My cats have now gotten to the stage where they will go within about a foot of each other... They still growl like dogs but they will pass without incident. Sometimes they '***' each other but dont worry they need to establish a heirachy... they need to find out who is boss. 

Try the brushing and putting hair in each litter tray... Oh and dont panic, if the cat needs to go it needs to go. make sure there is no heaps of clothes, magazines, or things that they can scratch then they will go to the tray so they can bury. They will sort themselves out, they will scrap but once they have found whose boss and gotten over it all they will grudgingly tolerate each other.


----------



## sefaleth (Mar 8, 2006)

Thanks for the reply - 
Mac and Yoshi get along for the most part: they will eat off the same plate and sleep together as long as it doesn't involve the litterbox. 

I'm just trying to find a litterbox setup where Yoshi doesn't feel the need to wake me up to watch him do his business, either in such a way that Mac can't bother him, or Yoshi feels secure enough to hiss/swat him down and still continue eliminating, so to speak.


----------



## Immortal (Mar 28, 2006)

Try to stop getting up in the middle of the nght hun.

The more you do the more you are making him call you. He has to realise he can do this on his own. The more you get up and watch him the more dependent on it he gets. Your reaffirming the behaviour you dont want by getting up when he asks you. Its time to be tough to be kind. If he askes ignor him. If her gets insistant pick him up and put him off your bed. He will soon get the idea that you are no longer willing to pamper to his little insecurities and he will have to toughen up or be constipated.

Suki has always slept in my bed and now i have moved ceri will no longer let her in. At first she sat and cried, and cried and cried and tore the carpet. but even tho i was desperate to go and comfort her ceri held firm. We had to be incredibly mean to her to get her to sleep in her own bed outside our room. I have her in a routine now. i put her into bed kiss her good night and then she doesnt wake me till 8 in the morning to feed. She doesnt stir a peep through the night now. Its the hardest thing ive ever done with suki but it was for the best.... so you see a bit of seeming cruety now will be benefitial in the long run.

YOU HAVE TO BE CRUEL TO BE KIND!!


----------



## sefaleth (Mar 8, 2006)

I'd really rather not take the chance that Yoshi starts going outside the litterbox because he feels too uncomfortable - so getting up in the middle of the night is preferable for me.


----------



## Immortal (Mar 28, 2006)

Trust me. He will go in the tray if you make sure there is no where else i the house he would want to go.... like i said pick up your clothes, dont leave piles of anything lying around,. He will go where he can bury his mess and that is the tray. If you want to be getting up in the middle of the night for the rest of his life thats cool. But if you want it to stop you have to stop it now. and the best way is to ignor his dependent behaviour.

I thought ****** would go behind the couch for a while but eventually she got so desperate she gave in and used the tray. she never once went anywhere else. ****** is 12 and its the first time she has ever used a tray befor.

Sometimes in ceris old house she went in the room but here she never does because there is simply nowhere for her to bury it. the house is tidy and nothing is left on the floor. She only feels dignified in the tray so she can bury it all.


----------



## sefaleth (Mar 8, 2006)

Uh... right. 

Cats can and do eliminate on bare floors, or worse, your bed, kitchen sinks and other areas of the house if they are unhappy enough. I wouldn't recommend stressing a cat out about its litterbox based on the belief that they are too embarassed to leave their eliminations uncovered.

Trust me - or better yet, do a search on the many many thread on litterbox problems on this forum.


----------



## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

I think Immortal's got a brainstorm of an idea with the fur. Great thinking from the cat's point of view!! And also, sometimes you've got to take a chance on having an accident if you want to make progress. And once is an accident, not a behavior problem.


----------



## sefaleth (Mar 8, 2006)

Let's just call it a case of tomato-tomahto. I haven't had to invest in Nature's Miracle yet, and am really trying to keep it that way. 

I might try the fur thing- unfortunately, Yoshi doesn't shed very much. 

Stupid high quality diet... Mac has too much energy and Yoshi doesn't shed enough!


----------



## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Nature's Miracle is handy for other things than out-of-box elimination. I've had a wave of G-I upset going through my cats the last couple weeks and it's wonderful for cleaning up vomit. I'm on my third bottle. :roll:


----------



## sefaleth (Mar 8, 2006)

Thankfully, my cats' antics have been restrained to the breaking of easily cleaned up and replaceable goods. That and chewing holes in bags of kibble. 

Beautiful thing about adult cats from good homes is that someone else has already trained them to a certain extent. Mac knows how to go puke on the kitchen tile after being moved there the first time he threw up. Don't know how they managed to teach him that, but it's nice.


----------



## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Moving a puking cat can be hazardous to carpet. 

Rocket makes this wierd moaning sound just before he vomits. So several days ago when I heard that sound I thought to quick pick him up and toss him in the bathroom so he could upchuck on vinyl flooring. Well, a cat about to toss his cookies doesn't want to be caught, and by the time I got to him he was just starting into the heaving cycle. And once that starts, it can't be stopped. I was in motion to carry out my plan, too, and so I picked him up anyway and he let loose in mid-air and vomit sprayed over about a third of the carpet in the room. So instead of one big spot to clean up, I had a hundred little spots, and frankly, that's a whole lot more work!! :x 

My lesson learned: don't pick up a puking cat. :roll: 

It's funny now, but it wasn't then. :lol: :?


----------



## sefaleth (Mar 8, 2006)

:lol: 

Ouch! 
I thought all cats made the hairball sound before they upchucked. I've had a couple of puke trails leading across the house, but yours definitely tops anything I've ever seen.

Hardwood floors and leather couches over here, coaster!


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

The fur idea sounds good to me too. And what about adding a 3rd box located on in a different room, opposite ends of the house kind of thing. (I know that might be difficult) Yoshi can't be in all places at once (or can he?)


----------



## gsc4 (Mar 27, 2005)

As for rental friendly, you might look into the cost of a cheap replacement door you can install a locking, keyed cat flap in. Then just swap the original door out and put yours in. When you move out, just put the landlords original door back up. Good luck.


----------



## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

That's not how it works with doors these days. New doors typically come "pre-hung" -- meaning already installed on a frame. To remove the old door, you knock out the old frame, and put the new one in its place. Total labor cost likely to be upwards of $300 regardless of the cost of the door. It's highly unlikely to find a door that will just slip onto the existing hinges.

The finish on a door can be protected by taping heavy kraft paper or poster paper to it.


----------



## sefaleth (Mar 8, 2006)

Sorry I've been gone so long - 

We had 3 litterboxes, one at each end of the house, and one in a central location for urgent calls of nature... Adding a fourth has created a grudging, uneasy truce for now, but there's no space for a 5th. 

We don't have any problems with protecting the doors, just restricting access to the litterbox - if the extra box doesn't work int he long term, we're building a kitty condo/privy that can be keyed to a magnetic cat flap.


----------

