How to wean a cat to shit in the wrong place

Even adult cats who are already litter box-trained can poop in the hallway or pee on the couch due to ill health, stress, or other factors. And kittens and elderly pets even more so.

Before you take offense at your furry friend, suspecting that he is mischievous or taking revenge on you, find out if there are more serious reasons for the offense.

Why can a cat poop in the wrong place

There are many circumstances due to which cats can leave their hosts unpleasant surprises. We will analyze the most common reasons.

Pet is sick

Health problems can cause a cat to leave puddles in the wrong places. Here are the common diseases that may disturb pets at any age:

• Urinary tract infections. Bacteria in the urine cause inflammation of the bladder or kidneys. With such a disease, it is difficult for a cat to relieve herself, she pees often and in small portions. Blood may appear in the urine.
• crystalluria. In this case, due to genetics, diet, or lack of water, the urine has an abnormal pH. The crystals in it damage the bladder, which can trigger the growth of bacteria and the formation of stones. Like infections, such a disease can cause frequent emptying in the wrong places.
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• Stones in the kidneys provoke inflammation of the walls and increase the risk of urinary tract infections. Suffering from such problems, the cat will often write, and not always in the tray.
• Hyperthyroidism - Excessive activity of the thyroid gland, releasing hormones. Found predominantly in old cats, although it happens in young cats. With this disease, the pet loses weight, often meows, he may feel sick, he drinks more and urinates often.
• Arthritis. Joint pain can keep a cat from going to the litter box, especially if it has high walls.
• kidney disease can affect young animals, but mostly occurs in old ones. Symptoms include thirst and frequent urination, decreased appetite, nausea, and weight loss.
• Idiopathic cystitis - frequent urination due to stress. Unlike humans and dogs, in which anxiety and discomfort hit primarily the digestive system, in cats, experiences primarily affect the urinary tract.

Go to the vet to rule out possible diseases.

The cat is not satisfied with the tray

It is not uncommon for animals to look elsewhere to urinate because they don't like the litter box. This can happen for several reasons:

1. You don't clean the litter box often enough and your cat doesn't want to go to a dirty and smelly litter box.
2. The pallet is too small and narrow, or located where the animal cannot comfortably settle down to do its business.
3. The cat litter box is next to noisy electrical appliances or pipes, and they scare the cat.
4. You recently changed the filler, and the cat did not like it.
5. You have several cats, but one litter box. Pets do not want to relieve themselves where it smells like other people's excrement.

The kitten is too small

Kittens up to two months are essentially children. Like human, they can get carried away, forget about the rules, or simply not have time to run to the tray.

Keep a close eye on your pet, especially after meals. When he starts sniffing corners looking for a place to litter, take him to the litter box. And after he does his business, be sure to praise or treat him with a treat.

Pet marking territory

If you find a small amount of urine on vertical surfaces, such as on a wall, it is likely that the cat has been marking its territory in this way. There are several reasons why pets might do this:

• Attracting partners. When a cat goes through puberty, she begins to leave marks. Moreover, both males and females during estrus can do this. To avoid this, veterinarians advise spaying the animal after it is 6 months old.
• stress reduction. Even sterilized animals can mark territory if they feel some threat, for example from other pets. If you notice this behavior, try to temporarily isolate the pets from each other, and then re-introduce them, preventing conflicts and encouraging peaceful behavior with treats.

It is difficult for a cat to get to the toilet due to age

Elderly pets may experience mobility issues. If your cat has difficulty climbing into a high-sided litter box or climbing stairs to get to it, she is more likely to go to the toilet in any accessible place.

The cat is stressed and trying to calm down

Cats do not tolerate changes in the environment, so any innovation can become stressful for them. Since the scent soothes the animal, it may leave marks or simply write in various places around the house.

How to wean a cat to shit in the wrong place

First of all, you need to check if the pet has any diseases. If vet claims that the cat is healthy, try the following methods.

Thoroughly clean the area where you found the excrement

The cat will poop where the smell of her feces remains. Particular attention should be paid to the elimination of urine, since it is more difficult to detect than feces, and when dried, it smells no weaker than fresh.

If you can't see where the wet spot is, but you can smell it, carefully examine the apartment to find the source. When you find it, use an enzyme cleaner that you can buy at the pet store, or regular vinegar and baking soda. Read more about how to get rid of the smell of cat urine. Here.

Also, after cleaning, you can treat the place with citrus essential oils or a special spray that is sold at the pet store. Most cats are very sensitive to smells and are unlikely to want to relieve where the scent of orange hovers.

Try to cover the place with material that is unpleasant for the cat.

If the animal nestles on a soft and absorbent surface, try at least for a while to make it not so convenient for him.

For example, if a tailed friend relieved himself on the bed, in your absence try to cover the furniture shower curtain or a piece of polyethylene. Such a surface is unlikely to cause a desire to do business on it.

Associate "crime scene" with food

If your cat has shat on some furniture, such as a sofa or bed, after cleaning, try to play with her in this place and treat her with something tasty.

Animals do not go to the toilet where they eat. By creating an association with food, you will keep the cat from further misconduct in this place.

Fix Tray Issues

1. Keep Clean. Try to clean up on time. excrement and absorbent filler. Once every 1-2 weeks, completely shake everything out, rinse the tray and fill in fresh granules.

2. Buy a more spacious pallet. It should be about one and a half times longer than a cat, so that during a bowel movement it does not touch the walls with its paws.

3. Try a different filler. If you do not know what the previous owners poured into the tray, or you take the animal from streets, try several types of bedding and find out which one your pet prefers. You can put two toilets with different types of filler close to each other and see where the cat goes.

4. Choose where to put the tray. The ideal place for a cat litter box should be:

• Fairly calm. Try to place the cat litter box away from noisy appliances like a washing machine, as sounds can scare animals.
• Moderately dark. Cats are good see in the darkbut not in complete darkness. A place that is completely isolated from the light can scare the pet and keep him from going to the toilet.
• Not too far from living space. The pet should easily get to its tray. That is, if a cat eats, sleeps and plays on the first floor, a toilet in the basement is unlikely to suit her.
• Easily accessible. If the dwelling has two floors, it is better to put a tray on each of them.
• Not overly restrictive. This is important if you have multiple cats. Pets can get stressed if they don't see their surroundings while they pee: what if another cat sneaks up on them? Therefore, do not set up the toilet in a place where the animal will be blocked, such as in a narrow space between the toilet and the wall or in a closed tray-house.

5. Set up a separate litter box for each cat. And veterinarians and zoopsychologists even advise buying one more toilet. That is, if you have two cats, there should be three trays; if there are five animals, then there are six trays. This will reduce the risk of conflicts, disgust and the appearance of excrement in the wrong places.

Eliminate the cause of your pet's stress

A source of anxiety and discomfort for a cat can be:

• The arrival of new family members, such as a newborn child.
• The appearance of other pets.
• Moving or rearranging, especially if the last time the tray is moved to a new location.
• Change of work schedule of the owner.

If your cat's bad behavior has coincided with significant changes, try to reduce your pet's stress.

For example, if an animal is in conflict with a new pet, try temporarily isolating them from each other. friend, and if this is not possible, arrange a place in which each animal can hide from outsiders.

You can also buy a synthetic pheromone spray and spray it next to the tray. This smell soothes cats.

What mistakes should be avoided

When weaning a cat, carefully choose the methods of education.

• Don't scold and don't hit. Other options for causing severe discomfort, such as poking your nose into a puddle made or pouring water from a spray bottle, can be attributed to the same point. Such methods will only increase the pet's stress. They can be bad for his health and yours. relations.
• Do not try to force the cat to go to the toilet. Such actions can have the opposite effect: the pet will have a negative association with the tray, and he will not go there despite all your efforts.
• Don't make bad associations. Avoid any activities near the litter box that may instill fear in the cat of this place. For example, if you are going to cut your pet claws, perform some unpleasant medical procedure for him or drive him into a carrier, wait until the animal leaves the toilet and goes about his other business, and then catch it.

Remember: even if you find the real cause and do everything possible to solve the problem, it may take time for the pet to stop leaving excrement where it should not. Be patient.