Litter Box Problems - Please help Phil and I

[Mal]

Hey everyone,

I haven't been posting as much as I just have been busy with life... I really need some help or suggestions..

Phil is now just over 6 months and growing like a weed! He is the most cuddly fun loving lil guy HOWEVER
I am now beyond frustrated with his peeing problem....

We have a litter robot but let me mention that when Phil came to us at 12 weeks he did use a traditional covered litter box and we still had this same problem but I figured since he was a young kitten that it was just a phase.

Phil gets pee on his rear paw every time he goes pee, then he steps in the litter and comes out with his paw literally COVERED in litter from the paw all the way up the bottom half of his leg. Phil kind of props his rear legs on the side of the litter robot at the front and pees which makes a puddle which results in his paw coated in pee and then when he makes a poor attempt to cover it and then get out of the LR hes just coated... Like you cant even see the color of his skin his paw is completely covered/coated.

The amount of litter being wasted and tracked all over our home is disgusting. It is very hard to keep up with it if I do not vaccuum and sweep EVERY DAY.
I do expect a bit of litter here and there but this has just gotten out of control.

When I was off at the end of June I spent some time with him when he had to go potty and when he would walk into the litter robot I would kindly move him to the center of it and he would pee and would not get the litter foot, it seemed to help but now its worse than ever and I do not know what to do. I still do try to correct his position when I am home and catch him heading for a bathroom break..

I most recently moved the litter robot so there is more privacy thinking that maybe that would help but however this morning when he did his business and came running and hopping into our bed and covered me in pee and litter I realized that the move of the LR didnt help.

Pete has had the occasional litter foot but not this bad or this often. This happens EVERY time Phil has a pee if I dont happen to stop him and move him to the middle of the LR.

I am at my wits end and I hope I do not sound selfish but its so so bad, every day I have to sweep up massive piles of litter which also is such a waste, constantly having to vaccuum off the couch and strip our bed.

I know it could be worse (i.e not even peeing in the LR, etc etc) but this daily massive clean up is beginning to take a toll on me and my condo and my furniture.

Please any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Like is it possible to retrain him to use a litter box...
We cannot change the litter to anything but clumping litter as thats what the LR requires and Pete doesnt have this problem at all.

Again he did the same thing in the traditional litter box, its not a size issue as Pete is bigger than Phil and he has no issue going potty properly in the LR.

 

[Yoda mom]

@Mal , I am sure others using the LR will chime in with ideas
I don't have a LR but have great success and no poo or pee foot using thr Catit Jumbo litter box with my 3 males - two very tall kitties - I use dr elseys up unscented clumping litter o learned about on the lair.
I attached some pics-

I do not use plastic liners amd always remove the flap on the covered litter box ..
My other litter box is by the good pet stuff company (hidden litter box looks like a planter and is very big round -
and I do not use the moss and vines it Comes with ..

For an enzyme cleaner my breeder friend recommends anti icky poo unscented(supposedly stronger than the original amd preferred for kitties ) I get online
I use it for pet bedding in the laundry too

For new kitties I keep a treat jar and train like a dog -
As soon as they exit the litter box I praise and out a treat right in front of the box
I still give treats this randomly as positive reinforcement

Look forward to good news updates!

 

[Mal]

Thanks @Yoda mom

I wonder if getting litter attract and putting it in the center of the LR would help or not.. I am just at my wits end!

 

[meandmytwo]

My boy Freeway has this happen from time to time, a few times a month. I thought he was stepping in the puddle while turning or existing the box.

When I finally observed it I discovered that when the litter is not level, if one of his feet happens to be in a low spot the pee will pool there (downhill) before soaking in, so his foot is in the puddle (but not because he stepped in it), thus creating the litter "cast" as we call it. lol (funny not funny)

Maybe being sure the litter is level as often as you can might help? I know with them being in and out of the box it's not possible all the time, but when I scoop I make sure to smooth the top.

I guess the litter not being level is not an issue with the LR though because of the automatic cycle and levelling out as it turns back.

I would suggest it could be the size. You mentioned you don't believe that is the problem but perhaps try him in the largest box (area size) you can find to rule that out for sure. And if you haven't tried an uncovered box, try that too.

This has never happen with my other boy Frost, same age. Maybe he's just better at knowing how to position himself. All in all Frost seems more developmentally advanced than Freeway who seems to be hanging on to kittenhood much longer (they are now 14 months old).

Sorry you're having this problem. He may still grow out of it, being only 6 months old. It was a year before the regular kitten issues, poppy foot poopy tail etc, slowed down in our home.

 

[badtwin14]

Sorry you're having such an issue. At least it's not poop! Have you tried instead using a different type of litter that wouldn't clump on his feet? I use Feline Pine - it's pellets and wouldn't stick to his feet... it wouldn't fix the pee problem, but it would avoid having litter particles everywhere... just a thought! I've used this type of litter since my girl was a kitten and I'm using it now with my newest addition. Like I said - it doesn't fix the poo problem, but I like the litter - it helps with the smell. And the kitties don't seem to mind it

 

[Yoda mom]

@Mal , thinking of you amd checking in for updates

 

[Toa and Ross]

Oh that's an annoying issue, cat litter in your house everywhere is no fun! I'm afraid I have no advice to offer. Hope others will!

 

[Ruth]

I am having THE SAME issue! Stitch is 5 months old and continues to get litter all over the floor, and my bed - AUGH! I also have him in a smaller room to separate him from my pup but that's not the issue. He doesn't seem know how to position himself and I watch him and see he jets out like a bullet. I too would love to fix this. I'm too OCD to be cleaning litter off my bed for long.

 

[Catzzzmeow]

@Mal I have both regular boxes and Litter Robot. I will keep thinking about how to maybe solve the LR issue, but @Ruth I love this type of litter box as it really catches a lot more that any other normal boxes we have had. I got it on Amazon

You can see that it traps litter on the top when they jump up and out.


Patti

 

[Mal]

Thanks every one!

I guess I will dig out the traditional litter box and see how that goes. Its just frustrating because its such a simple fix but Phil hasnt been able to grasp that all he needs to do is take a few extra steps when he enters the litter robot to prevent peeing on his paw. And when he steps of out the litter robot his paw is covered, it takes 3 baby wipes to clean him up.

Is there any hope that he will eventually figure it out or will I have a litter foot/litter covered condo forever?

Its every single time he goes pee, Pete has never had this problem and prior to getting Phil, the amount of litter being tracked around
my place was average/minimal. I feel selfish complaining but its getting so bad.

 

[Ruth]

Thanks every one!

I guess I will dig out the traditional litter box and see how that goes. Its just frustrating because its such a simple fix but Phil hasnt been able to grasp that all he needs to do is take a few extra steps when he enters the litter robot to prevent peeing on his paw. And when he steps of out the litter robot his paw is covered, it takes 3 baby wipes to clean him up.

Is there any hope that he will eventually figure it out or will I have a litter foot/litter covered condo forever?

Its every single time he goes pee, Pete has never had this problem and prior to getting Phil, the amount of litter being tracked around
my place was average/minimal. I feel selfish complaining but its getting so bad.

I feel the same way. Love this guy but I'm averaging 1 hour/day vacuuming and sweeping bc of his covered paws - not 1 but 2 back feet!!

 

[Ruth]

@Mal I have both regular boxes and Litter Robot. I will keep thinking about how to maybe solve the LR issue, but @Ruth I love this type of litter box as it really catches a lot more that any other normal boxes we have had. I got it on Amazon

You can see that it traps litter on the top when they jump up and out.


Patti

I may give this a shot. I currently have the littermaid bc I had that with my last kitty and he did just fine covering and staying clean - he was a domestic short hair though. Thanks!

 

[celsei]

It's highly unlikely you'll be able to change something as specific as where in the the litterbox or in what position the cat prefers to pee or how much they track. They're not going to understand any attempts to do so and will simply do what's most comfortable and natural for them. Different litterboxes/litters work for different cats. Any covered/hooded litterboxes and automatic ones are not really designed for cat comfort, doing their business in a small claustrophobic smelly/dusty space isn't really ideal for them and generally all cats prefer a large open litterbox which also fixes most issues. Some cats will make do with whatever they have, others will have problems - some will not use any hooded boxes at all. It appears he wants to go in the enclosed space as little as he can. Tracking can be reduced significantly with litter catching mats, choice of litter (bigger less sticky particles, pellets if the cats will tolerate it such as yesterdays news - need to be introduced slowly as any new litter) and placement and choice of litterbox. An easily cleanable low traffic spot that can be bordered with litter mats/have mats between litterbox area and general living space or ideally be covered in a mat as a hole is easiest for cleaning in terms of tracking (sectioned off area of bathroom, hallway, etc.). http://diy.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/diy/fullset/2016/Mar/23/CI-Bethany- Nauert_Kitty-litter-cabinet-beauty6.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.853.suffix/1458741697685.jpeg cabinets are also a reasonable inbetween, a lot more surrounding space to move and breathe than a hooded litterbox would have, hidden and they're forced to walk over a mat.

 

[Ruth]

It's highly unlikely you'll be able to change something as specific as where in the the litterbox or in what position the cat prefers to pee or how much they track. They're not going to understand any attempts to do so and will simply do what's most comfortable and natural for them. Different litterboxes/litters work for different cats. Any covered/hooded litterboxes and automatic ones are not really designed for cat comfort, doing their business in a small claustrophobic smelly/dusty space isn't really ideal for them and generally all cats prefer a large open litterbox which also fixes most issues. Some cats will make do with whatever they have, others will have problems - some will not use any hooded boxes at all. It appears he wants to go in the enclosed space as little as he can. Tracking can be reduced significantly with litter catching mats, choice of litter (bigger less sticky particles, pellets if the cats will tolerate it such as yesterdays news - need to be introduced slowly as any new litter) and placement and choice of litterbox. An easily cleanable low traffic spot that can be bordered with litter mats/have mats between litterbox area and general living space or ideally be covered in a mat as a hole is easiest for cleaning in terms of tracking (sectioned off area of bathroom, hallway, etc.). http://diy.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/diy/fullset/2016/Mar/23/CI-Bethany- Nauert_Kitty-litter-cabinet-beauty6.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.853.suffix/1458741697685.jpeg cabinets are also a reasonable inbetween, a lot more surrounding space to move and breathe than a hooded litterbox would have, hidden and they're forced to walk over a mat.

I wish my issue was just spillage or a little tracking - the whole paw gets covered so a mat won't do anything. I have two jumbo mats outside of litter box. I also now have crystal litter which means I have to do away with the littermaid. Can't win! Lol

 

[Mal]

We are headed out of town for a wedding tomorrow so I am waiting to dig out the traditional litter box until Sunday evening. I am just thinking what our next options will be if he continues to pee on the side of the traditional one as well... I will try without the cover on it of course but he did the same thing when he was using the traditional one when we brought him home back in April however its worth a shot....

 

[JojoCatMama]

Do you have a jumbo sized litter catcher rug? That might help. I know there's a "black hole" one on the market that could help collect some of the stuff on his paws. Hope you find a solution!

 

[NinaGato]

We have one litter robot and two jumbo regular boxes. I do not have the litter foot problem with the three that use the LR. We do have one cat that refuses to use the LR. Don't know why??? And our biggest sphynx is a BIG boy at 14 lbs. He uses the LR just fine.
I splurged two years ago or so and bought a handheld vacuum and sweep up pretty much every night. Right around the boxes and such.

 

[Marerickson]

Ugh so sorry you are having this issue! I too am having problems of my own with my girl Zhuri. She however will randomly pee in places other than her box. But recently when she is im her litter box, she won't squat low enough and the pee just shoots over the edge of her box! So frustrating! I do stand there and push her butt down a little (if i am there to correct her) and reward her with lots of praise and treats when she gets out but it feels like such a hard problem to correct! We have a hooded box too and when she goes in there obviously its not a problem but none the less who wants to clean up pee and litter all over the place :arghh: maybe ask your vet for helpful tips! I know correcting him is your best option but it isn't always realistic cuz we have lives as well!

 

[Catzzzmeow]

@Marerickson our Azura shoots over the edge of boxes too. That is why we moved to the top entry box...no over shooting, it also collects the litter so much better. Last week she over shot the Litter Robot. Thankfully it was only the second time from that box . She is a high shooter too lol.

 

[Xandria]

I just wanted to add that Phil may not be as coordinated as Pete. I would definitely encourage obtaining either a really large litter pan (no hood, no insert) or even visiting a hardware type store and purchasing a large storage Box and using that without a lid.. Dr. Elsey's cat attract litter is also a good idea.

Sending positive vibes your way.

 

[Marerickson]

@Marerickson our Azura shoots over the edge of boxes too. That is why we moved to the top entry box...no over shooting, it also collects the litter so much better. Last week she over shot the Litter Robot. Thankfully it was only the second time from that box and it. She is a high shooter too lol.

I definitely need to try a top entry box!!!

 

[Izzy17]

Ohh no! Sorry you have to go through that with your little man!! It might not solve it.. but we use wood pellets ($6 for 40pounds I think) which soaks up the pee and turns into saw dust when peed on so no pee runing down the litter on his paws... and it doesnt track into the house.. I also bought a plastic storage container at walmart ($6) which is 27L as our peanut kept stepping in her poop in the litter box we bought at the pet store.. it solved the issues for us. We pick up the poop whenever she poops and change the litter once or twice a week as we cannot "pick up" the pee.. it doesnt smell like pee at all in the house, but I think she can smell it when she uses the litter.

Hope you find a solution soon!!

 

[Mal]

Thanks @Izzy17

Funny not so funny buuuuuut when we got Phil at 12 weeks he actually came with wood pellets however it turns out im super alleric to them so they didnt last long in our place!

I may have to try crystals or something similar too that if we cant rectify this issue.

I was away for the weekend and am now sick with a cold so I havent had a chance to set up the traditional litter box but gosh let me tell you the litter messes I came home to after being away from home for one day was just sadly disgusting
I will see how he manages with the traditional box and if it helps I will have to find a place to put it (we live in a condo so space is kind
of limited which is why we splurged on the litter robot)

I was home sick yesterday and was watching Phil going in and out of the LR and he doesnt seemed to be bothered or effected by the size of it, if only he could squat on the litter and not on the side of the LR there would be no issue at all!

 

[Mal]

I have an update................

I dug out the traditional litter box and it seems to have eliminated Phils problem sooooo after about 3 weeks of having to scoop poo and such again we decided to sell the litter robot since we end up having to scoop on a daily basis any way since Phil has no issues with the old fashion box.

The LR didnt even last a day on the buy/sell site I posted it on. sooooo sooo sad to have let it go but it made sense to try to get my money back since we have to scoop again any way.
Sad to have to be slumin' it again scooping but I would rather do that than be stuck with a very dirty cat and dirty floors and furniture.

 

[Sheldon13]

Cats are easier to clean than a house full of furniture. Yes yes.


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