Are you a cat owner facing a perplexing litter box dilemma? Picture this: your feline friend dutifully urinating in their litter box, but defying all logic by choosing the bathtub as their preferred spot for a bowel movement. If this scenario hits close to home, you’re not alone. Many cat owners have encountered similar head-scratching situations, leaving them baffled about their pet’s quirky habits.
Within the intimate spaces of your home, understanding the unique behaviors of your cat is an ongoing adventure. From finicky litter preferences to the mysterious reasoning behind their selective toileting habits, the enigma of cat behavior often requires a Sherlock Holmes approach. However, fear not, as there are expert solutions to decode the mystery of your cat’s bathroom diversions and bring harmony back to your household.
In this blog post, we delve into the fascinating world of feline behavior, uncovering the reasons behind your cat’s unexpected bathroom choices and offering practical tips to address these confounding issues. Prepare to unravel the mystifying case of the bathtub pooper and embark on a journey toward a happier, healthier relationship with your beloved feline companion.
Some cats, they really are just super fussy about using litter that has been used or sometimes even just looked at by another cat!
Understanding the Issue: Kim's Dilemma
In the podcast, Kim shared her concerns about her one and a half year old Torby cat, who consistently chooses to poop in the bathtub instead of using the litter box. She mentioned using wood pellet litter, which is favored for its low odor, environmental friendliness, and minimal tracking. Interestingly, her other cat uses this litter without any issues, making the situation with her Torby cat even more perplexing.
How to Stop Your Cat pooping in the Bathtub
Dr. Alex's Recommendations:
Essential litter tray hygiene
Litter box numbers
Litter box location
Cat litter type
Retraining your cat
Discouraging bathtub visits
Ensuring intestinal health
1. Keep the Litter Clean
Dr. Alex explains that some cats are particular about the cleanliness of their litter. They may willingly urinate in a used litter box but prefer an entirely pristine space for defecation.
He emphasizes the importance of keeping the litter tray clean, suggesting that Kim's Torby cat may have a preference for a spotless environment when it comes to defecating.
This behavior can be especially common in multi-cat households, where cats may compete for the use of the litter tray.
2. Utilize Multiple Litter Trays
To address the issue of cats pooping in the bathtub, Dr. Alex recommends having at least one more litter tray than the number of cats in the household. In Kim's case, with two cats, Dr. Alex suggests having at least three litter trays.
3. Litter Box Location
Additionally, as well as providing enough litter trays, they should be located in different areas of the home, away from high-traffic zones. This approach helps reduce competition between the cats for the use of the litter box and ensures that each cat has access to a clean and private area for elimination.
The litter boxes should also be placed so that your cat can survey their surroundings without risk of being “ambushed”.
4. Consider Litter Types
Dr. Alex acknowledges Kim's use of wood pellet litter, renowned for its environmental benefits and minimal tracking. However, he also suggests trying alternative litter options. One such recommendation is shredded recycled paper pellet litter, which provides an environmentally friendly and unscented alternative. Dr. Alex advises against scented litter, as cats generally prefer unscented products for their toileting needs.
5. Retrain Your Cat’s Behavior
To retrain the cat's toileting behavior, Dr. Alex advises temporarily placing the litter tray in the bathtub to prompt the cat to defecate in the appropriate area. Over time, you can gradually transition the litter tray from the bathtub to its desired location, encouraging the cat to use the litter box for defecation.
6. Discourage Bathtub Visits
To discourage the cat from using the bathtub, Dr. Alex suggests adding a small amount of water to it, making it an unappealing area for elimination.
6. Consider Underlying Health Issues
Dr. Alex emphasizes the importance of ruling out any underlying health concerns that may contribute to the cat's inappropriate toileting behavior. A comprehensive veterinary check-up is recommended to assess the cat's overall health, gastrointestinal function, stool quality, and the presence of any parasites or dietary-related issues.
By ensuring the cat's physical well-being, owners can address any potential medical reasons for the behavior.
Conclusion
In summary, addressing the issue of cats pooping in the bathtub involves a multifaceted approach. By maintaining clean litter trays, providing multiple designated toileting areas, considering different litter types, and retraining the cat's behavior, pet owners like Kim can effectively manage and resolve this challenge. Furthermore, prioritizing the cat's health through regular veterinary check-ups is crucial in addressing any potential underlying issues contributing to the inappropriate toileting behavior.
Ultimately, understanding and addressing such behavioral concerns can foster a harmonious and stress-free environment for both cats and their owners. With patience, consistency, and professional guidance, cat owners can effectively tackle and overcome the challenge of cats pooping in the bathtub, ensuring the well-being and happiness of their feline companions.
In conclusion, dealing with a cat's inappropriate toileting behavior can appear to be a challenging task, but with expert guidance and strategic interventions, pet owners can effectively address and resolve this issue, ultimately fostering a harmonious relationship with their feline companions.
Find out more strategies to stop your cat spraying or urinating outside their litter tray
Full Transcript →
The following is an AI generated transcription: voiceover:
Welcome to the Call the Vet Show, the podcast that helps pet parents understand and optimize the health of their furry family so they can live the full and happy life you want for them. And here's your host, veterinarian doctor Alex Avery.
Dr. Alex:
Hello. Welcome back to another episode of the show. I'm delighted to be bringing you a listener question, today and hopefully giving some top tips that will help solve that problem, and it's a problem that a number of you will no doubt be facing now or will face at some point in the future is very similar to a problem that I had recently where I was in the in the garage and, there was this puddle of water. I was looking up at the roof because it was raining, wondering where the leak was, and then I realized it was cat pee, which is Pretty gross. It's not the normal problem for my cats and maybe wonder what the what the issue was, if there was anything that had upset her, Stressed her out. Thankfully, it seems to be a one off and otherwise, she seems to be fine. But Kim is dealing with a very similar problem, albeit A poop situation rather than a peeing situation. And here's Kim to explain the exact issue that she's having.
voiceover:
And now, on with the show. Hi.
Kim:
My name is Kim, and my kitty is a one and a half year old, Torby? I guess she's Tabby and Portocea. She Will pee in the litter box, but she poops in the bathtub. I use the wood pellet litter because It doesn't smell as bad. It's the clay litter, it's more environmentally friendly, and it doesn't track as badly. My 2 year old kitty uses that litter no problem. He pees and poops in the litter box. So I don't understand why my younger kitty will pee in the litter box But we'll poop in the bathtub, and I'd like her to stop pooping in the bathtub. Do you have any suggestions for me, please? Thank you.
Dr. Alex:
I definitely feel your pain with this one, Kim, but I've got 7 main suggestions, I guess, for you or things to think about That will hopefully solve this problem for you. Now the first one is to keep the litter clean. Now I'm sure you're doing this Anyway, I'm sure you're cleaning out the litter tray, you know, pretty regularly and trying to keep it clean. But some cats, they really are just Super fussy about using litter that has been used or even I like think sometimes looked at by another cat or even by them Elves. And they can be peculiar in the sense that they're fine with doing doing their business if it's peeing In an otherwise used litter tray, but wanting to poo somewhere completely pristine and virgin if you like. So keeping that litter tray clean is It's really absolutely vital and I would wonder if there is, yeah, something like that going on. You've got a couple of cats there, and, yeah, there may be that competition for resources and the want to be want to go somewhere completely new, clean, and unused. With that in mind, the next suggestion is that we need to be having multiple litter trays.
Dr. Alex:
So the general recommendation is that we should have At least 1 more litter tray than the number of cats in the house. So with 2 cats, that's 3 trays, and that's at least 3 trays, and They also need to be in different locations in the house as well. If they're, you know, 3 trays next to each other or in the same room, Your cat is going to perceive those as actually just 1 great big tray, and they you just are really going to have that competition for resources Be a real issue. So one more trade than the number of cats in the house and in different locations. Now Those locations, it's also important that they are not in the main thoroughfares in the household. So in the middle of the The hallway, for example, or in, the corner of the kitchen where the whole family life happens, they need to be kind of Hidden away or not so much hidden away, but in quieter areas. And they also ideally need to be in places where your cat feel safe and secure to use them. So somewhere like the corner of a room is good because your cat can go and do their business in the litter tray but they can survey all of their surroundings so that they feel safe without the risk of someone or another cat Kind of interrupting them, jumping on them, and so they feel threatened and are less likely to use a tray in that location.
Dr. Alex:
The next thing to think about is litter types. So You spoke about, you know, the different litter types that maybe, you've tried, and we're looking for a more environmentally friendly option, which is which is fantastic because I think certainly the clay based litter, and the the kind of plastic bead, base litters, silica litters are not the most environmentally friendly. Another option from wood pellets is actually to use a shredded recycled paper pellet type litter. One brand that we have over here is called yesterday's news. I don't know if that's just a a local brand or if that's a global brand, but I'm sure you'll find something similar. Also need to think about added scents even with these more basic in inverted commas products. Sometimes they'll have scents added to them And, that really puts a cat off using that litter tray as well. So, yeah, it's it's often best just to stick to an unscented product.
Dr. Alex:
So we like the scented people, but cats typically don't. So that's a a few things to think about with regards how you're managing The the litter tray situation in the house. The next step is to try and change the behavior, and the first step would be to actually have the tray In the bath. Now that's clearly not where we want it to to live, but if your cat is doing their business, they're choosing to go to the toilet there. We want to get them back into the habit of Actually, going for a poop in their litter tray. So putting a tray in the bath and then hopefully, when your cat is accepting that and is using that, We then move it slowly bit by bit over a few weeks to where you actually want that litter tray to live. And the idea being then that your cat kind of follows that tray And uses that trade to do their business as it slowly moves into the ideal location. To then put them off actually going to the toilet in the bath, you can add just a little bit of water in the bath and keep a little bit of water in there.
Dr. Alex:
Just an inch or 2. Cats really aren't gonna go to the toilet in in that situation. So it's going to put them off and, again, encourage them to use that litter tray. And then my final thoughts, obviously, having, you know, not, kind of met you, Kim, and not seen your cat and examined your cat to make sure that there's no, Gastrointestinal issues that there's no problems with, their frequency and that urge of toileting, making sure that their stool quality is good. There's no concerns about the potential for parasites. There's no mucus or blood there, which may suggest a colitis, Where we frequently get to a real urgency to go to the toilet, that there's no kind of diet related issues that, are responsible for this. So think if you're struggling to get this under control, a checkup with your vet is never going to be a bad idea, you know, monitoring Their weight and all of that kind of thing that we should be doing anyway for our cats.
voiceover:
Helping your pet live the happy, healthy life they deserve.
Dr. Alex:
Now if you've got a question about your pet's health, your your dog, or your cat's well-being, that Could be their physical health, their mental well-being, a problem that you're having with them, and you'd like to ask me that question, then you can do so. There's a link In the description to this podcast, which should be in the app if you just kind of click through, you can also go to our pets health dot com slash question and submit your question just like Kim did, and I'll do my very best to get back to you. I am a a 1 man band, and sometimes it can take me a little bit of time, but I certainly do do my best and hope to, Yeah. Be speaking to you and helping you out in a future episode. Also, make sure that you hit that subscribe or follow button on whatever App you're listening to this on, I think, with Spotify. It's now follow. Apple Podcasts, I'm not too sure. I'm an Android man.
Dr. Alex:
But Hit that follow subscribe button, and you won't miss out on any of my future episodes. And until the next episode, I'm veterinarian doctor Alex. This is the call the vet show because they're family.
voiceover:
That's it for this episode of the call the vet show. Be sure to visit callthevet.org to join the conversation, access the show notes, and discover our fantastic bonus content. We'll see you next
Dr. Alex:
time.
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