1 Step Closer to Catlady 😑

[2DogsFarm]

My new (7mos here) adopted cat has triggered behavior in my senior cat that’s going to kill one of us.
The Backstory:
Apologies for length
Bounce has been with me 10yrs, for the first 8yrs he had a partner: Cheeto who developed FIC & succumbed to that July '23.
They were BF(eline)Fs.
Milo arrived in early October, replacing my previous senior adoptee Stripes - lost to kidney failure in October after just a year here.
Bounce got along with Stripes in a Whassup, bro kind of way.
Milo does not get that consideration.
Milo has a Tigger personality, Bounce is more laid-back, as was Cheeto, then Stripes.
The original hissgrowl Kitty Opera has mostly subsided. Reappearing only when Milo is too near Bounce’s Kingdom of the LR couch, or too aggressive trying to be friendly.

The problem:
Milo invades Bounce’s litterbox time, resulting in him pooping on the couch.
I don’t blame him, when ya gotta go…
But I can’t live with his solution & do daily Poop Patrol & cleanup.
I’m thinking of moving a covered litterbox to the space on the floor at the end of the couch that’s become his Emergency Men’s Room.
Neither cat has used this box for at least a week.
It was bought for Milo, at the shelter’s suggestion - they advised he has “a high stream”, but so far my usual uncovered box has been in use & no problems.
Of course, I’d prefer no kitty toilet in my LR, but it’s preferable to a ruined couch & constant cleaning.
Any other ideas for the problem will be welcomed!

[chestnutmarebeware]

Can you 2 or 3 more boxes in places other than your living room? Like your second bathroom, laundry room or even a hallway?

ETA: almost every cat I’ve had disliked covered boxes. You might try a tote with higher sides instead.

Or this one I ordered from Walmart:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/IRIS-USA-High-Sided-Open-Top-Cat-Litter-Box-with-Scoop-Navy/35817348

[2DogsFarm]

My thought was the LR box would be where Bounce is already choosing to escape.
Box in place, being inspected by Couchpooper…
I hear scratching!

My open box is a large storage container, larger than any standard box.
Both have used the covered box until recently, I think it’s a tight fit for Milo, but his “high stream” was evident in that one.
Bounce is smaller & I’m hoping the privacy will let him choose that option rather than the couch

[Foxglove]

No help from here except more litterboxes --if there is a basement or closet that is available, this is my solution:

Granddaughter put a door for cats into her utility closet. Mine goes to a basement area.

[2DogsFarm]

Bounce won’t go to the basement, Milo might.
On the few occasions Bounce got down there, he cried piteously until I went after him.
Then, only then, he found the courage to come back upstairs
I’m going to give the LR box a chance, before trying anything else.

[dressagetraks]

I have several felines, and the key seems to be having many litter boxes (I have six) scattered in a wide range of areas of the house. Even Little Bit, the walking hypervigilant, and Brio, the Teddy Roosevelt personality, can manage to coexist, and somebody always has somewhere to go. I have two covered, four uncovered, and all six get regular use. The favorite box seems to be a covered one that has a curving staircase inside it leading to the bathroom area, so this box entry starts from ground level and doesn’t require a jump. Everybody seems to be able to jump just fine, but Little Bit is well in her teens, and Pharaoh is 10. I don’t want anybody to start finding alternatives because the legs are aching a bit one day. The staircase box is rather cool, and the next time I replace a box, I plan to get another of those.

[2DogsFarm]

I can’t picture your staircase box.
But Bounce used the LR box as intended today
Good thing I rarely have guests.
It’s out if sight, was out of mind until he christened it
Next investment will be in Industrial Strength air freshener for the LR

[dressagetraks]

Hasn’t been cleaned since this morning, and they do love this one. The stairs start at ground level and go up probably 7 inches at a guess. I’d never seen one like this before, but the combination of privacy and ease of entry struck me. I’d have to look up where I bought it. There was an air filter on top, but the cats sat on top, fished it out, and played with it.

[Aussie_2020]

I need toilet privacy too! I’ve never seen a litter box like that before. Can you give a guestimate of the size? How wide, tall, long? Thanks.

[Grey623]

I think it is this:

Amazon.com: Petmate Booda Clean Step Cat Litter Box Dome (Made in the USA with...

Grey

[axl]

Hmm, can you use a litter box liner with that?

FWIW, I am big on reduce-reuse-recycle, but litter pan liners are a must for me. Not going to apologize for it.

[dressagetraks]

I believe that is it. It’s a sizeable thing. I have seen two cats in the business area simultaneously.

[BatCoach]

I have 4 cats (ranging from 4 years to 18 years and 8 pounds to 22 pounds) and 2 of these beauties:

Amazon.com: Secret Litter Box by Bundle & Bliss - Hidden Litter Box...

One is on 2nd floor (open floor plan) and the other is on the 3rd floor in our bedroom. We use fresh step littler and scoop them out daily. Its been working great.

Our dowager 18 year old cat is a bit of a pariah and the other cats will police her activity. So I tend to close her in the bedroom with me for about 20 min a day so she can have the opportunity to eat and use the box in peace. Granted, its not the only time she uses it, but she as she is starting to lose her hearing, I think she appreciates the moments where she knows she has safe harbor.

Something that might work with your Milo is a nerf gun. Aptly named ‘the disruptor’ we got this

Amazon.com: NERF Disruptor Elite Blaster - 6-Dart Rotating Drum, Slam Fire,...

for when our Milo was really into jumping onto the TV table to eat the fake plants and paw at the TV screen. I’ve also had to bust it out when he would chase the old kitty. The foam ‘darts’ are utterly painless. If I even managed to hit him at all, it was more of a distraction that got him off of his path of Tigger-ness. He had jolly good fun playing with the dart and forgot that we was about to bully an elderly roommate. I have not had to use the nerf gun in a long time, but just pulling it out from the drawer elicits a response - he freezes and wants me to shoot a dart for him to catch and play with!

Milos are just goofy doofuses who want to play too much and can be a little prissy when it comes to their elders.

[BatCoach]

With scoopable/clumping litters I don’t use pan liners. No need to strip the whole stall when picking will do! With 4 cats and 2 huge boxes it gets plenty of turnover. I do ‘strip’ them maybe quarterly and bleach/scrub them out and that works for my household.

[axl]

DH has an (unreasonable??) hatred of clumping litter. Don’t know why, but it predates me. I never had an indoor cat until I met him.

I use Fresh Step Crystals, so I can scoop the poop, add some litter deodorizer, and easily go a month with 1 cat/2 litter boxes. 2 cats/3 litter boxes yielded about the same amount of time.

DH gets to scrub them if there is a tear in the pan liner

[2DogsFarm]

I LOVE the Nerf gun idea.
But the Slothful Me wants to know who has to round up the darts once they’re shot

[BatCoach]

That is the rub. I even bought a back-up part of spare ‘darts’ since the toy holds 6. Milo likes to chew on them, so I can’t leave them sitting around for long. Gemma will fetch them or bat them under the couch, then act bummed that she no longer has a toy to play with.