Litter Box Wars

[moonlitoaksranch]

Not so long ago, in a galaxy actually quite close…

We have four litter boxes and four cats. Two boys and two girls. Things have been a little weird (one female kitty was supposed to be temporary) but stable. Now, out of nowhere, the two boys are trying to pee higher up on the walls of one specific box. Health checks were clear. It seems behavioral because one cat is VERY territorial. He pees in each box after I do the weekly stripping. Any thoughts besides scooping and wiping down the inside daily? I used to use white vinegar and switched to a prepared concoction. Maybe I should go back to white vinegar?

Also, hubby offered to build a box that will hold two boxes with a cat sized hole in the front and an aisle way between the two boxes (the idea is discouraged dogs from snacking). Does anyone have anything like this?

[3PonyFarm]

We bought an old cabinet to repurpose for this use. Pinterest had some cute pictures of similar ones and I’m hoping that ours will look as cute.
The cat’s boxes are currently in a bathroom we don’t use and the cats are making a mess of it. I’m hoping the cabinet will contain everything better.

[Simkie]

Are you currently not scooping boxes daily? If you’re not, then yes, you really should be.

I use high sided boxes to prevent peeing over the side. You can do storage tubs, but I like these much better.

Building something that encloses the box is problematic for a couple reasons: it holds smells. Cats are far more sensitive to odor that we are.

It also can lead to more bullying in the box. Cats higher on the totem pole can harass cats lower in ranking and either trap them in the box or not allow them in.

Feliway multicat can also be worth a try. It’s in the red box.

I’d it’s something that continues to persist, it might be worth getting some or all of them on an anti depressant/anxiety. I use mirtazipine for appetite, but it’s AMAZING how it’s chilled out my multicat house and made the kitties much happier.

[moonlitoaksranch]

We scoop daily.

We’re using feliway on the new cat. Might try it to calm the boys down, too.

Thanks for the ideas!

[shiloh]

To temporarily solve issue (I have one boy cat that likes to start low in the box and then raise up til he is spraying outside and up the walls argh ) I got those pee pads and taped it to the wall behind the box. If it gets soiled, it gets replaced. I don’t want to make the walls higher because Baler thinks it is hilarious to “hide” outside the box or charge up and pounce on his victim as they are doing their business. He isn’t being mean, he just hasn’t grown out of that baby with no boundaries pounce on everyone stage. And the three cats with teeth won’t give him the bite he so richly deserves. I don’t want anyone to feel trapped by his silliness.

[ravenclaw]

@shiloh

Baler thinks it is hilarious to “hide” outside the box or charge up and pounce on his victim as they are doing their business. He isn’t being mean, he just hasn’t grown out of that baby with no boundaries pounce on everyone stage. And the three cats with teeth won’t give him the bite he so richly deserves. I don’t want anyone to feel trapped by his silliness.

I have one that’s 8 years old and he still likes to bother the other cats when they’re using the litter box.

[ChocoMare]

I’d add a 5th box too…the word is 1 box for each cat PLUS 1 more.

I have 4 females and one of them gets in a snit and pees on the couch if that 5th box isn’t available somewhere.

[4horses]

Check what you are feeding them. You can get ph strips and check their urine ph. You want to make sure they don’t get urinary crystals or that crystals don’t become a contributing factor.

Other than that, get storage tubs that have higher sides. My old cat needed a 17 inch tall litter box.

[moonlitoaksranch]

Thanks for bringing up urinary crystals. It was suggested that our younger cat might have trouble, but it’s hard to tell. He’s on long term gabapentin for near pain in his lower back. That might be complicating things. We have some prescription food for him.

[moonlitoaksranch]

Our issue is the dogs snacking on the tootsie rolls. Enclosed boxes have been sources of ambush in the past.

We just started having a problem with poop outside the box. We think the culprit is our 15 year old female feeling insecure because the boys are pouncing on her. I really need our neice to take her cat back because I already have to separate her cat from the others for half the day. Now, I need to separate the older one, too. Grrr.

[foggythistle]

My new favorite cat box is the CatIt Hooded cat box. The way the top attaches to the bottom there’s very little chance of pee escaping.

My elderly female kitty has taken to ‘drawing up the side’ of the litterbox (she starts out squatting, but gradually lifts her bum so the pee makes a line up the side of the box). I’ve had no leakage with this box, unless she starts lifting her butt right in front of the entrance I take the door flap off for easier access.

Catit Regular Hooded Cat Litter Pan - Catit US

It comes in a few different sizes as well.

[moonlitoaksranch]

The saga continues. The kitties all had a big blow up at our niece’s cat and now, that cat refuses to leave her room. She has her own box, food and water, but I feel badly for her. We have a gate set up to keep the other cats out. Originally, when we took her in, she was severely overweight and she was kept separate during the day to reduce the number of meals she could have. Now, she seems content to get her meals in her private sanctuary. She has slimmed down from a whopping 19 pounds to 16 over the course of several months. I think she can finally lick her own behind now, which is making life more pleasant for me because I don’t have to do washcloth duty.

The extracurricular poops seem to have stopped, for the moment.

[moonlitoaksranch]

I have another question…if we add another box, can it be next to one of the ones we have? Our house is a little small and we only have room in a few spots.

The box that is rarely used is one of those top entry ones. Worked great until it proved to be the ultimate ambush location. That one was handy for keeping dogs out, but we’ll have to look for something else now.

[trubandloki]

My cat would not use the top entry litter box I bought and there was no ambush risk. I think cats can just be particular, and who can blame them.

[Simkie]

I keep my boxes all next to each other and it works for us.

Cats are the ultimate YMMV animal, but it’s worth a shot.

[ravenclaw]

Two of my litter boxes are side by side and both of them get used. I have some cats that prefer certain boxes. One of my cats will only use the big box in the den. Not the 2 smaller boxes that are side by side in another room.

[cnvh]

I have 3 neutered boy cats, 4 boxes all of different sizes/designs, some covered, some not, all lined up in a row in my basement. Knock on wood, I have never had issues with any of them going anywhere but their boxes, and I’m not a daily scooper. Pretty sure I am very lucky, but I’m ok with that.

[ChocoMare]

My cats prefer them somewhat separated, but they’re all in the same small mud/laundry room.
I use 2 Sterlite storage tubs and 2 high-sided tubs.

Such picky creatures!

[cardinale]

These are great–big enough and have the highest sides. Pricey but very sturdy and will last:

Kat Kave

These are also good (high sides) and look OK in a bathroom:
Modkat Flip Lid Litterbox

[MunchingonHay]

I have had a neutered male that liked to pee up the walls too. So I picked up a storage container, cut out a hole 4 inches from the bottom and it is so much easier to clean, (just remove lid), all of the pee is contained, and it is not as unslightly to see a storage container in a living space as it is to see a litter box.

BUT here is my big secret.

I place the box so the opening is facing a wall in the corner of the room. This does two things:

1. stops dogs from getting a snack
2. stops the litter from being thrown everywhere. I swear my boy likes to take fistfulls and fling it about as he shoots out of the box like a cannon ball. With the opening facing the wall, (about 6 inches or so) he has to turn to run out like a mad man!!

What I dont like about hooded “cat litter boxes” like the ones listed, is the pee can settle down where the hood meets the pan and collect.

The Kat Kave and Modkat Flip box are so much $$ just get a rubber maid tub and cut a cat sized hole like I did.