# Cat exiting litter box too quickly



## Kittybuns (Sep 19, 2012)

I need advice! My husband and I just purchased and moved into our first home. The kitties (3 years old and 6 months old) love the new house because it's much larger than the apartment we lived in before. They're both really outgoing cats and adjusted to the new house wonderfully! 

The only problem is with the litter box. Until now, about two or three times a year I would find a single turd outside of the litter box, and it was because the turd would be stuck to the cat's butt when he left the litter box and it would fall off a little ways away. Definitely not on purpose, and a gross surprise, but not a huge deal since it was infrequent.

When we moved into the house, I replaced our old, normal covered litter boxes with these top entry litter boxes: Amazon.com : Petmate Top Entry Litter Pan : Pet Supplies I chose them because they seemed like they would contain the litter better. So far so good, and the cats have adjusted to them just fine, except that for some reason one (or both? Not sure) has decided that the only way to exit the litter box is by doing a giant tiger leap out of the top, landing 6 or so feet away. We moved into the house 1 week ago and I have found a stray turd almost every day. 3 just today, at different times! This is really distressing me because we have all new flooring throughout the house and I really don't like cleaning up smeared cat poop from my shiny new floors! I say smeared cat poop because they've managed to step in it/run toys through it a few times, I somehow had to clean poop from the bottom edge of a DOOR today (as in, the approx. 1 inch width of door parallel with the floor).

Is there some way to stop the cats from leaving the litter box so quickly so they will finish pooping in there/let any hangers on fall off? I spent $80 on these litter boxes and would rather not replace them already if possible. I'm also worried this may be a new habit and they could end up doing the dump-and-dash with regular litter boxes as well.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I would recommend getting a sanitary trim around the anus area if fur is the problem. Any groomer can do this. Mine does it on a walk in basis for only a couple bucks. You could also try adding a probiotic to their food to help loosen up things a bit so it's not so firm, or add a water fountain. Sometimes with higher water intake it causes the stools to be less firm and less apt to stick when eliminating. Don't misunderstand, I'm not talking loose stools here, just more moisture might make the slide easier and more complete.


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## Dumine (Jun 30, 2014)

It also sounds to me like its the consistency of the stool that's the problem, not the box. Like Marcia said, apart from trimming away some of the hair around the anus (long haired cats), you should try to soften the stool a little.
The only time any of my cats have ever had this issue is if they were constipated, or if the amount of fur they ingest normally through grooming increased so suddenly that it would accumulate in the stool. Either way, adding some moisture helps it pass more easily.


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## Kittybuns (Sep 19, 2012)

Marcia and Dumine, thanks for the suggestions! Too firm poop hadn't occurred to me. Both cats are short haired. We didn't have this problem until seriously the day they got the new litter boxes, so if too firm poop is an issue, why did it crop up just now?


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I guess you will need to go back to the old boxes and deal with the 2 or 3 time a year issue. For some reason they seem to be telling you they are not comfortable using the top entry boxes. Scrub them up good (PLEASE!) and donate them to a local shelter. Yes, people do donate dirty litter boxes to us.


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## Kittybuns (Sep 19, 2012)

Marcia, I'm so sorry people have donated dirty litter boxes! That's disgusting, ew. We already threw away the old litter boxes unfortunately. I'm going to try rotating the boxes so the entrance hole is at the back, it may slow down the exit a bit since the boxes are against a wall.


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## Jenny bf (Jul 13, 2013)

I don't know what the old litter box was like but could it be they are not keen to be confined in the box as then it gives the other cat a chance to "trap' the cat in the box? Very occaisionally we have that situation between our two, esp if the kitten is being playful and that makes Lulu finish, bury but make a fast exit out. We bought very large litterboxes that have a cover as Lulu likes the privacy but a pretty big entry point for visibility. We had to also place them so that whoever was inside could see if a prowler was around. That probably makes the boxes a bit more visible than we would want but it stops any issues.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

You may make matters worse by facing the hole towards a wall if you rotate it. It may make them feel trapped and then avoid the box completely.


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## Kittybuns (Sep 19, 2012)

Marcia, the hole is in the top of the litter box, so rotating the box won't trap the cats in any way! The hole is at one end of the lid and how I have them set up now is with the hole away from the wall. Purrcy uses the litter box facing the hole in the lid, with his back to the wall, then immediately leaps out of the hole and lands about 5 feet away on the floor. That's where I keep finding the turds. If I rotate the boxes, it will just make it so he has to turn around when he comes out of the litter box and can't do the big tiger leap from inside the box.

Jenny, our previous boxes were covered ones with the entry hole in the side. The entrances are about the same size. I've never seen them trying to trap each other or anything... When I've seen Purrcy leave the new litter boxes, he does the giant leap every time.


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