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Old 03-02-2012, 06:33 AM
 
7,329 posts, read 16,339,298 times
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I've never seen a litterbox like that. I really like it.
The newest boxes I've bought (mega size Petco) are shiny plastic, and for clumping litter they're much easier to clean, because they're "non-stick". They're taller than other boxes, as well as being the biggest width/length I've seen, so they keep more litter in with enthusiastic cover-uppers. But the one you've linked to would be even better. Thanks for the link!
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Old 03-02-2012, 05:07 PM
 
2,087 posts, read 4,259,403 times
Reputation: 2131
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox Terrier View Post

I would hate to put her to sleep just because she won't use the litter pan. She's had a good life; was a master mouser (and birder and chipmunker, but I don't like to think about that ); and loved to be outdoors. She's still a tough, scrappy little cat! I'm curious to see how long she will live, but the urine problem is gaining the upper hand now.

Thanks, all, for your thoughts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by greg42 View Post
Some good suggestions so far looks like. I don't really have much else, except to suggest some patience and keep at it.

Although she is 19, from what you've written it sounds like she has a reasonable quality of life still.
While it's certainly possible she won't be with you for too many years, she does not appear to be at the point yet. I don't think it's reasonable to consider euthanasia solely because of this litter box issue.
I found this product advertised while researching something else.

I've never tried it, but I have tried many urine- specific cleaners and have not been satisfied with the outcome, so here is another option.

BioFOG SCOE 10X Odor Elimination Reviews from Customers

If this thread is "for real", why ask us to help you justify killing an animal that has loved and trusted you for NINETEEN YEARS because she's been having problems for a few months. Just do it and get on with your life, without the comfort of rationalization.

Cats that spend most of their time outdoors are always easier to take care of than in-door cats.

She didn't just arbitrarily decide to make you miserable, she is telling you something is wrong with her, emotionally or physically ...

This is the toned down version of my original reply.
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Old 03-02-2012, 07:10 PM
 
Location: In a cat house! ;)
1,758 posts, read 5,459,442 times
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The Litter Box From Your Cat's Point of View
The Litter Box From Your Cat's Point of View by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM :: Litter box management, types of cat litter, feline house soiling, inappropriate elimination

There are mannnnnny reasons for a cat to not use the litter box... and just as many fixes. The above website is written by a vet.
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Old 03-02-2012, 07:33 PM
 
Location: El Paso, TX
2,807 posts, read 7,550,798 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by subject2change View Post
I've never seen a litterbox like that. I really like it.
The newest boxes I've bought (mega size Petco) are shiny plastic, and for clumping litter they're much easier to clean, because they're "non-stick". They're taller than other boxes, as well as being the biggest width/length I've seen, so they keep more litter in with enthusiastic cover-uppers. But the one you've linked to would be even better. Thanks for the link!
No problem! The price is great, it's just not working out in our case because of the pine litter being too dusty for that kind of plastic, and also there are grooves on the rim of the box...when one of my guys pees, he practically stands, so it hits whatever's behind it (hence the shields, so it wouldn't be hitting the wall and dripping down to the floor anymore)...but the urine gets trapped in those grooves, and then when he covers in his extremely enthusiastic trademark manner, the sawdust from the pine gets thrown in and trapped as well, and the end result is a caked, sticky granul-y mess that I have to scrape out of the grooves EVERY day, TWICE a day...yuck . Not fun, LOL! The things we do for love...! The good thing is, they tend to keep the urine in one box, reserving the other two for pooping only...so things could be worse, I could be scraping the grooves of three boxes twice a day instead of one .
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Old 03-02-2012, 07:47 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,305,050 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by subject2change View Post
I've never seen a litterbox like that. I really like it.
The newest boxes I've bought (mega size Petco) are shiny plastic, and for clumping litter they're much easier to clean, because they're "non-stick". They're taller than other boxes, as well as being the biggest width/length I've seen, so they keep more litter in with enthusiastic cover-uppers. But the one you've linked to would be even better. Thanks for the link!
I have one of those mega size shiny plastic boxes. My cat likes it and so do I.

Just to give an idea of how presnickety a cat can be about a litter box, one time I decided to line her box with one of those plastic liners you can just pick up out of the box when you need to change it.

I never thougth she would object. After all it's in the bottom of the box so big deal. Well it was a big deal to her. It was such a big deal she stopped using the box and substituted my bathroom rug.

I stopped using the liners and she went back to the box. The bathroom rug got tossed out.

Who knew?

Another situation. My landlord gave me an almost completely full 40 lb bag of litter. Almost completely full because the portion he used in his cat's box was rejected by her because the litter was scented and she didn't like it.

Lucky for me, my cat didn't mind.
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Old 03-03-2012, 09:42 PM
 
Location: the wrong side of the tracks Richmond, VA
585 posts, read 2,006,526 times
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Wait... reading what you said, you have her FOOD and the LITTER BOX in the kitchen? Could that be the problem? Would you want to eat your dinner in the bathroom next to the toilet? I know I wouldn't.

I have a small space also but keep one litter box in my room and one in the hallway (for three cats). The food is in the kitchen but I also keep a small stash of food in my bedroom on the opposite side of the litter box because my bedroom doubles as "time out" for misbehaving kittens.

I would try putting the box elsewhere and see if that makes a difference. What would happen if you temporarily put the box near where she is going on your rug? If she uses the box there, that would be a clear sign that it's the box location she has issues with, not the box itself.
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Old 03-05-2012, 06:22 AM
 
Location: New Jersey
12,755 posts, read 9,589,859 times
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SUCCESS!!!!!
(so far)

Well, I spent the weekend building a gate to mount in front of the litter pan.
The pan is at the end of a short, narrow hallway in the kitchen. At the end of the hall is a door on the left that leads to the crawlspace and a door on the right that leads outside. I mounted the gate between the two doors and cut out a very small section on the bottom for the cat to access the pan.

She has already used the litter pan and did not pee or poop in the living room overnight (which is when she usually goes; when I'm asleep). Of course, yesterday I removed the rug and scrubbed the entire floor.

So, today I am skipping work and going to shop for a new rug. Hope I'm not being too optimistic, but I think removing the top of the litter pan and making it impossible for the dogs to get near her when she's doing her business solved the problem!

Thanks, all for your suggestions!
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Old 03-05-2012, 08:40 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh area
9,912 posts, read 24,527,214 times
Reputation: 5162
Excellent! I wish you and your kitty continued success.

Although, okay, shop for the rug, but you might hedge your bets and leave it wrapped up for a week just to be sure. Seriously, no need to ruin a new rug right away. You can probably get by without it for a little while. It'll be far more frustrating if she has a relapse and messes yet another rug.

PS Don't forget to get her a vet checkup anyway. This is still a good idea at such advanced age and after a year since the last one.
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Old 03-05-2012, 11:31 AM
 
244 posts, read 252,625 times
Reputation: 275
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox Terrier View Post
SUCCESS!!!!!
(so far)

Well, I spent the weekend building a gate to mount in front of the litter pan.
The pan is at the end of a short, narrow hallway in the kitchen. At the end of the hall is a door on the left that leads to the crawlspace and a door on the right that leads outside. I mounted the gate between the two doors and cut out a very small section on the bottom for the cat to access the pan.

She has already used the litter pan and did not pee or poop in the living room overnight (which is when she usually goes; when I'm asleep). Of course, yesterday I removed the rug and scrubbed the entire floor.

So, today I am skipping work and going to shop for a new rug. Hope I'm not being too optimistic, but I think removing the top of the litter pan and making it impossible for the dogs to get near her when she's doing her business solved the problem!

Thanks, all for your suggestions!
Wonderful news! Keep us updated!
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Old 03-07-2012, 03:28 PM
 
6 posts, read 10,790 times
Reputation: 15
Not sure if your kitty is still alive, thought I tell you about ours.

My first kitty I got at 6-8 weeks old too. He was diagnosed with oncoming "kidney" problems at 19 years old. I was heartbroken, cried a lot and it was suggested to put him down and or pull out all his teeth. He was ALWAYS an indoor cat, very sweet, loved everyone. Anyway, my husband thought the tooth pulling would be very inhumane. We decided on anti-biotics. He had 3 rounds, drops that he hated. He seemed to perk up and was very content. He lived to be 20 years, 11 months and 25 days! So, had we euthanized him we would have lost 2 years.

The night he died, we had no idea it was coming. He and I shared a piece of chicken. He slept in the finished basement each night and in the morning he did not great me. Sometime during the night he just passed away. He did not suffer and nature took its' course.

Hope your kitty is still around, if not my sincere sympathies.
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