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Litter Training Issue......

doriansmomma

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Hey Guys,

3 weeks ago I adopted a 3 month old male sphynx we named Dorian! He was from a local animal rescue who had taken in a 3 females from a breeding program that was downsizing. Surprise surprise all 3 were pregnant. The vet I guess "aborted" (by fixing them) 2 of the females but the 3rd was to far along to do so without to much stress on her. So she had her litter & 3 months later I am a proud owner of the cutest cat in the world! =)

I have owned cats my whole life, but have never come across this issue ever. He will use the litter box only half of the time?

I have completely changed the litter EVERY time he does actually use it. It is not covered or hard to get into. But for some reason, he finds my clothes, rolls of paper towels & other misc household items much more attractive to poop & pee on. No rhyme or reason.

I am just confused, I would think that he either would use the box or not. Not just because he feels like it.....

I did contact the rescue & she said that he has never been good with the litter box...she had tried the chemical deterants. The whole litter has this issue.

I have read some articles that suggest the small room. etc etc. Any other feedback or options?

Much appreciated! =) Dorians Momma
 

admin

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Hi Doriansmommy,
Its sounds like the shelter may not have spent a lot of time training little Dorian. This is what we do when training our kittens, we put them in the litter box and grab there paw and show them the digging motion. When he poops on something pick it up immediately, bring him to the box put the poop in the box and help him cover it with your hand holding his paw. Give him good praise in a high pitched voice, " good boy, good Dorian." Hope this helps!:Wink:
Oh by the way welcome to Sphynx Lair! Enjoy!:Laugh:
 

Brooke

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Hi Doriansmommy,

Welcome to the forum! Congrats on your new baby, can't wait to see pictures!!

I would recommend getting a couple more litter boxes and putting them in several places throughout your house. If he tends to go a lot in certain areas of your house, I'd start by putting the boxes in those places. That way he's got more of a chance of using a box when he's got the urge to go, instead of just finding the nearest rug or article of clothing to pee on. Once he gets into the habit, he'll prefer his litter box, and you can start to eliminate them down to just one box...

Also, I definitely agree with what Admin says, give lots of praise when he does go in the litter box, I'd even step it up and give some treats if he's food motivated (my boy Walter sure is!).

You can also experiment with different kinds of litter, and try carrying him to the litter box and putting him in it, (while giving him lots of praise) right after he eats to see if he uses it. It's natural for cats to want to "do their business" right after a meal, so he might make the connection.

Best of luck to you! Keep us posted on his progress!
 

PitRottMommy

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Hey Guys,

3 weeks ago I adopted a 3 month old male sphynx we named Dorian! He was from a local animal rescue who had taken in a 3 females from a breeding program that was downsizing. Surprise surprise all 3 were pregnant. The vet I guess "aborted" (by fixing them) 2 of the females but the 3rd was to far along to do so without to much stress on her. So she had her litter & 3 months later I am a proud owner of the cutest cat in the world! =)

I have owned cats my whole life, but have never come across this issue ever. He will use the litter box only half of the time?

I have completely changed the litter EVERY time he does actually use it. It is not covered or hard to get into. But for some reason, he finds my clothes, rolls of paper towels & other misc household items much more attractive to poop & pee on. No rhyme or reason.

I am just confused, I would think that he either would use the box or not. Not just because he feels like it.....

I did contact the rescue & she said that he has never been good with the litter box...she had tried the chemical deterants. The whole litter has this issue.

I have read some articles that suggest the small room. etc etc. Any other feedback or options?

Much appreciated! =) Dorians Momma


I recommend investing in Feliway (a pheromone made from a mother's cat scent that will help to stop inappropriate urination/defecation) in a diffuser. It will also be useful to try a litter that has additives that encourage use, such as Dr. Elseys Ultra Scoopable.

Urinary issues in an adult cat may be indicative of underlying problems, but in a younger cat they may have problems finding the box. If this is your only cat, there may be a problem with him finding the area he's supposed to use. Add more litter boxes and do NOT scoop every day. For the time being, a dirty litterbox (keep it reasonable) will help him to find where he's supposed to go.

Good luck!
 

Moonstone

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I often heard that bleach attracts cats, and they love to do their business over it.

So try to put bleach in the litter box to attract him, let some pee and poop in the box, and of course, don't clean up the floor with bleach.

Each time he does correct, show him he's a very good boy. Don't be angry against him when he does not...

Poor litlle boy...He was not trained properly....
 

PitRottMommy

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I often heard that bleach attracts cats, and they love to do their business over it.

So try to put bleach in the litter box to attract him, let some pee and poop in the box, and of course, don't clean up the floor with bleach.

Each time he does correct, show him he's a very good boy. Don't be angry against him when he does not...

Poor litlle boy...He was not trained properly....


Bleach is toxic to cats. Especially if it gets on their fur and is ingested. Regardless, whichever product you choose to use (esp if considered toxic), make sure its DRY before placing any litter or your pet into the box. Any "overpowering" smells may drive your pet away instead of to the box which can create more problems in the future.
 

doriansmomma

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I like these suggestions more then the others I have read online!

Never thought to buy extra litter boxes, there are really 3 other places he uses, I think I would like to try that!

Right now I am using a scoopable litter with baking soda & have tried 1 other. I will look into the litters that are supposed to attract the cats too.....

You guys are awesome! I of course have pics of my baby, I am a very proud mommy! I just need to figure out how to load them on here! Oh wait, there is an insert photo button! Duh!

I will let you guys know how the extra litter boxes work, I think that is the first thing I shall try!
 

Moonstone

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Bleach is toxic to cats. Especially if it gets on their fur and is ingested. Regardless, whichever product you choose to use (esp if considered toxic), make sure its DRY before placing any litter or your pet into the box. Any "overpowering" smells may drive your pet away instead of to the box which can create more problems in the future.

Perhaps bleach is not the good translation for "eau de javel" ?
Here we use the "eau de Javel" to desinfect, to destroy bacterias and microbes.

Last year, I had a training to get knowledge about cats and catteries, and the teacher said that Javel was not the good product to disinfect a cattery but only because cats like to pee over it. It was the only reason.

But of course I agree with you...Javel or Bleach, like all kind of toxic products, must not be ingested.
Bleach or Javel must be used carefully.
 

doriansmomma

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Here are pictures of my little Dorian! He has just caught up weight wise to about where he should be. When we first got him, he was only 1 pound 3 ounces! He is now (3 weeks later) up to almost 3 pounds! He eats like a cow!

 

nbolin

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This sounds familiar to me but for a different reason. There is a possibility he could have a UTI? (Urinary Tract Infection) and not be showing any signs of stress or sickness. But peeing on other "Specific" things could mean just that. When I got my first male cat, he had a UTI and I didn't even know it till he started peeing blood. I had been punishing him for peeing on things like our mattress! and our clothes, and other things. i took him in to the vet right away of course, and it turns out he had a bad UTI the vet told me that when they have a UTI they try to use thier litter box, but it hurts when they pee, so they start associating the little box with pain, so they will then try to pee on other things thinking that it won't hurt.

This is just a suggestion though. I had a problem with my female cat with the litter box. I tried everything to get her to go in there and she would pee next to the box!! I bought a bigger litter box with a cover on it, and now there's no problem!! Cats can be really picky about the dumbest things. it could just be a case of trial and error.
 

ilovemysphynx

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What A nice looking little boy! and he sure was tiny. The kids look like they love him so nice to see little smiles! Oh and by the way welcome I am glad you found us.:Wink:
 

doriansmomma

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Thanks Guys! I went & bought 2 new litter boxes for his 2 "favorite" spots....

My fingers are crossed!!!

I was considering the UTI, but he actually just got off of 14 days of amoxicillian (sp?) you know the pink bubble gum medicine for an upper respiratory infection. (Poor guy had ear mites, conjunctivitis & the upper respiratory infection when I took him to the vet the day after I picked him up) I actually pondered if I "rescued" him from the cat rescue!

I assumed the antibiotics would clear up a UTI (if that were the case) -- what do you guys think??

He is a rather handsome boy if I must say so myself! :Exclamation:

Thanks for all of the help!
 

Brooke

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I assumed the antibiotics would clear up a UTI (if that were the case) -- what do you guys think??

I think you're right. Walter actually has a UTI right now and is on antibiotics for it. He's taking Baytril, but I just googled it and some vets do prescribe amoxicillin for UTI's...

At Dorian's young age, I'd assume his problem has more to do with lack of training or not being able to find the litter box. One thing I forgot to mention earlier - leave a little bit of his "mess" in the box, so he can smell his way back to it for next time he needs to use it. But not too much, that could turn him off. GEESH, cats are so picky! :Laugh:

And then when he's got the hang of it and you're ready to downsize to just one box, just move them slowly out of the room - like a foot at a time - or you might end up with him peeing on the floor again where the box used to be.

Keep us posted! I'm sure he'll be using his boxes in no time! :ThumbsUp:
 

PitRottMommy

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I think you're right. Walter actually has a UTI right now and is on antibiotics for it. He's taking Baytril, but I just googled it and some vets do prescribe amoxicillin for UTI's...

At Dorian's young age, I'd assume his problem has more to do with lack of training or not being able to find the litter box. One thing I forgot to mention earlier - leave a little bit of his "mess" in the box, so he can smell his way back to it for next time he needs to use it. But not too much, that could turn him off. GEESH, cats are so picky! :Laugh:

And then when he's got the hang of it and you're ready to downsize to just one box, just move them slowly out of the room - like a foot at a time - or you might end up with him peeing on the floor again where the box used to be.

Keep us posted! I'm sure he'll be using his boxes in no time! :ThumbsUp:

Brooke's right. Most UTIs don't manifest themselves before the age of 1 year, when they do the pet is normally a female. After which time it's normally males that have urinary problems. Amoxi is a good medication for lots of stuff, but I don't ever see that it has good efficacy for urinary issues. Baytril is much better. It's probably a 50-50 for whether or not it may have helped. UTIs aren't always just infections, they often carry casts, crystals, "sludge" and other nastinesses that can't be ended with just antibiotics (thus the importance of having a laboratory examined U/A done and not just a "strip" at your vet's office). Anyhow, due to age--I'd suspect this is behavioral or "learning" related...I doubt its a UTI. Even in such a case, the Amoxi certainly couldn't have hurt the situation.
 

doriansmomma

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Hey guys! I just wanted to give you the big update!!

Dorian has not had an accident (that we know of!) since buying the new litter boxes!!!!

Thank you for the suggestions, it was simple enough, but I had not thought of it!

He is officially the PERFECT cat!!!! (He was before of course! but now even better)

Thank you very much, you guys are awesome!
 

Brooke

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Hey guys! I just wanted to give you the big update!!

Dorian has not had an accident (that we know of!) since buying the new litter boxes!!!!

Thank you for the suggestions, it was simple enough, but I had not thought of it!

He is officially the PERFECT cat!!!! (He was before of course! but now even better)

Thank you very much, you guys are awesome!

YAY!!! :ThumbsUp::BigSmile:

So glad to hear that worked!! Little guy just needed a little bit more help! Congrats!
 
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