# Litterbox OCD



## saitenyo (Nov 28, 2010)

I've noticed something funny about my cats' litterbox behavior. They have "organized" the boxes! One box has become the poop box, the other the pee box. Occasionally I will find something in the "wrong" box, but I suspect that's Athena's doing. 

Apollo is probably the one who set up the pattern. He's _obsessive_ about his litterbox cleanliness. He will frequently clean up after Athena (since she's lazy about covering stuff) and the other day, I noticed him tidying up litter that had spilled on the box's ramp.

Any of you guys with multiple litterboxes notice your cats designating them for specific things? Do both cats usually do it or does one "break the rules?"

Also, random other litter question...is there a normal average "clump size" for a healthy cat? I've noticed their clump sizes tend to be all over the place, which I assume is normal since they probably just drink varying amounts of water during the day, but I found a _huge_ clump in the box today. Bigger than a baseball. Is that anything I should be concerned about, or did someone (probably Apollo judging from the size) just _really_ have to go for whatever reason? It just surprised me, because usually their clumps range from quarter-size to kiwi-size. I don't think I've seen one this big before.


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## raecarrow (Oct 27, 2009)

might be two clumps have fused?


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

As for the "huge" clump, I had the same thought as raecarrow...perhaps they used the same spot twice. I wouldn't worry too much about clump size, unless you find the clumps being too small or much smaller than normal on a regular basis, indicative of one or both cats not producing enough urine.

Also, it's not unusual for some cats to like to pee or poop in a different box, although my girls don't seem to care.


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## Vivid Dawn (May 31, 2010)

I'm surprised if my cats do anything IN the box! I had to eventually get a plastic mat to go all the way around the box... Nebbie has this thing of poop right outside. She'll stand facing the box and go right outside of it... it's not as if her aim is bad, because she doesn't have a single paw even IN the box!
Paizly pees wherever, but I think that's because it's territory issue....she doesn't like Nebbie much. I do have multiple boxes, but unless I can get Nebbie to quit using one and leave it JUST for Paizly, I guess I'll just have to keep lots of Natures Miracle around.


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## saitenyo (Nov 28, 2010)

Susan said:


> As for the "huge" clump, I had the same thought as raecarrow...perhaps they used the same spot twice. I wouldn't worry too much about clump size, unless you find the clumps being too small or much smaller than normal on a regular basis, indicative of one or both cats not producing enough urine.
> 
> Also, it's not unusual for some cats to like to pee or poop in a different box, although my girls don't seem to care.


Yeah thankfully mine are always well-hydrated. They get two wet meals a day and actually drink water regularly since I've got one of those pet fountains which seems to encourage them.

Fusing makes sense! It just seemed so solidly formed that I assumed it was from one use. But considering how much time Apollo spends "tidying" I wouldn't be surprised if he helped some fresh clumps merge by pushing them all into the same spot.

The only unfortunate thing about the specified boxes thing is...the poop box always smells awful while the pee one smells like nothing. It wasn't so bad with just Apollo, but Athena's tummy is so delicate that she occasionally has...unpleasant bowl movements if she eats _anything_ she's not supposed to. Which she manages to do often.



Vivid Dawn said:


> I'm surprised if my cats do anything IN the box! I had to eventually get a plastic mat to go all the way around the box... Nebbie has this thing of poop right outside. She'll stand facing the box and go right outside of it... it's not as if her aim is bad, because she doesn't have a single paw even IN the box!
> Paizly pees wherever, but I think that's because it's territory issue....she doesn't like Nebbie much. I do have multiple boxes, but unless I can get Nebbie to quit using one and leave it JUST for Paizly, I guess I'll just have to keep lots of Natures Miracle around.


Haha aww, I can imagine that's frustrating. Thankfully both of mine are perfect about using their boxes, but because of Athena's digestive troubles, she occasionally has soft poo which she then steps in and tracks about, or she'll have managed to swallow something like a carpet thread and end up with a "stringer" that she proceeds to drag across the floor and deposit on the carpet.

Apollo has an iron stomach and good litterbox habits, but Athena's system is a delicate balance. If one thing is off, the results will be messy.

I often find Apollo cleaning her off because she's not great about cleaning herself either.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Mow's OCD. He'll pee in the box without a problem but he can only poop in it once and the ENTIRE thing has to be changed and washed. I've tried skipping the washing step and just refilled it and nope..... the empty box has to go into the bathroom and soak in hot water/disinfectant (he supervises the process) and a fresh box put down for him to poop.

The first day he was on the probiotics it gave him diarrhea and bless his heart his missed the litterbox. I have a flattened cardboard box under the litterbox to catch what he tracks out and he made it to the cardboard but he was SOOOO upset.

He cried and cried and cried until I came to check on him and when he saw me he started pawing at the box around it. I tried just wiping it up and nope... I had to throw out that box and put a new one down before he'd stop crying.


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## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

My cats have certain times they use each box. The bathroom box is used at night for poop and during the day for pee. The box in the kid's bedroom is only used during emergencies and the box in my bedroom is mostly used for peeing and the morning poo..go figure!


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## lunakatrina (Dec 31, 2010)

I got a new litterbox a few days ago, and decided I'd leave the old one nearby so if he was wary of the new one there wouldn't be any accidents. In less than a day, he began using the old one to pee in, and the new one to poop in.


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