1. teresaclick - 10:43AM on 07/06/07

I have an 11 year old and a 12 year old cat. One of them has just recently urinated on the bathroom rug.... and one of them is using outside the litter box..sometimes. Is there something happening that i should be aware of, or concerned about? There are no other behavior differences that i have seen. Thanks so much.

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2. flasteamer - 11:14AM on 07/06/07

ive been using the huge oversized"buddah"litter box w covering for all the cats ,that have ever "owned"me....from small to large, all the cats like the privacy of the cover and i highly recommend the feline pine product for litter...though very costly, its clean and the litter doesnt crumble everywhere...my cats like it too, it seems as they have never displayed behavior, that would indicate not wanting to utilize the box...plus, im anut, about keeping the litter clean for them and in turn, keeping my home smelling fresh...sheree

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3. riddle92 - 11:58AM on 07/06/07

ditto with the 'Budda Box dome'. That is about as much room and privacy as a cat can get.

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4. Cha-Cha - 12:10PM on 07/06/07

I went to wal-mart and bought a childrens sandbox and filled it with 10 5 gallon containers of kitty litter. B.B. loves it. The bad part is the dining room table and chairs had to go. Oh well no comes to see me anyway. Cha-Cha

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5. Christina R - 2:53PM on 07/06/07

I do love the buddha but the cat still manages to make a mess...I have a wood floor studio, and it seems like the litter box slowly takes over half the apt.... How hard is it to clean the pine litter?

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6. ddnyteskye - 4:07PM on 07/06/07

teresaclick. Years ago my Kitty, who is very meticulous about her litter box habits, started urinating on the bathroom floor which isn't where her litter box was kept. I saw blood in her urine and took her to the vet. I found out it had to to with her kidneys. She signalled me that something was wrong by her behavior. A change in her food helped. Considering the age of your cats, I'd have a vet check them out. If it's not their normal behavior and they seem OK otherwise, they may be trying to tell you something, too.

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7. flasteamer - 5:17PM on 07/06/07

to christina r...as for the pine litter...its great...it clumps with the urine and u can remove it(clumped pine..acts like sponges...)i swear i should be a sales person for them....and the feces stick to the pine and u can remove the clumps...i never change the box...just remove the waste and add fresh material...well worth the price, as its soooo cleanand good for post surgical procedures as well.....sheree

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8. dtcwife - 9:54AM on 07/07/07

hey thanks for the tip. I have two cats, an older budda belly cat, and a kitten. They use the same box, and sometimes I find urine or even poop outside of the box (its kept in our basement so dont get too grossed out) But when I read that article I realized that may be the problem. Its too small for the both of them. AHA! Anyway, very helpful info.

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9. Dixon - 4:40PM on 07/07/07

Dear teresaclick : When our little fur balls begin to urinate outside of the litterbox when that was NOT previously their habit, it is usually indicative of one of the following: - urinary tract infection OR - kidney infection/disease In the same manner as the sensation we humans get of urinating shards of glass if we have a UTI, our feline companions experience the same discomfort. Therefore, the reason for their change in behavior is because they begin to associate the pain with the litterbox itself. Take fluffy to see his/her "pedia-vet-trician" to get this cleared up, and the obviously undesirable behavior should resolve itself. That is, unless it's been going on for more than a couple of weeks. If that's the case, you may have some behavior modification to deal with. Your vet should be able to offer some useful suggestions. I hope this helped!

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10. John H - 7:57PM on 07/07/07

I have two male cats at leased 6 months apart in age. The youngest one, Lambs, isn't fixed yet but he's house broken. My oldest, Leo, I had as a kitten, is fixed and at first used the box but since the introduction of Lambs, he refuses to use any box. I've tried multiple boxes in the apt but it seems that Lambs controls both and bothers Leo any time he tries to use a box. So now I got one cat the uses the box and another that uses the carpet. Any solutions?

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11. jayandalf@verizon.net - 3:22AM on 07/08/07

john h, really the only thing I can think of is get lambs fixed.. as soon as is possible.. he probably has his male scent in his urine and that might be threatening to leo... a second thought is, scoop the box after each use, keeping them completely clean.. and keep them farther apart, maybe one in a cubard or... somewhere where leo can "excape" to?

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12. kittenspawn - 3:24AM on 07/08/07

what on earth is a Buddha box?

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13. jayandalf@verizon.net - 3:32AM on 07/08/07

its a big roundish dome litter box

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14. prissicat - 11:26AM on 07/08/07

Y es, get two boxes. your cat will love you for it. my tom cat was agray tabby. when he started urinating out of the box, I knew something w Don't waste time when your pet signals there is a as wrong. I took him to the vet and dr. said he had a tumor at the neck of the bladder, and had difficulty urinating.hence, he did it whenever he could..I had to put him down because it was maligmant. and in PAIN.

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15. bme1ssa - 2:25PM on 07/08/07

to teresa, eliminating outside the box is usually indicative of a litterbox management issue (by you), or a health problem (urinary infection). The recommended number of litterboxes in a home is the # of cats in the house plus 1. The box should be cleaned out everyday and the litter should be totally replaced often. Cats don't like to go in a dirty box (so they'll go somewhere else). The box should also be placed in a quiet place in your home for maximum privacy. Sometimes if a cat is in pain while they urinate (urinary infection), they will associate the litterbox with the pain and eliminate elsewhere. If this is the case they need to see the vet immediately!! Hope this helps.

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16. Mar-cat - 3:23PM on 07/08/07

Catnip magazine recommends one litter box for each cat plus one more. In other words, two cats - three litter boxes. I have 4 cats and 5 litter boxes, and the only problem is tracking litter. Could someone tell me more about the pine litter?

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17. Cat - 7:27PM on 07/08/07

Great article! My little one (about 1 year) uses the litter box as normal throughout the day (as normal) but by the time the third trip comes around, she refuses to cover her mess using litter. She scratches the walls, the floor, and anything in the vicinity of her box. The box is the same one she's used since she was a kitten. I think it might be too small and that she's not finding enough clean, dry litter to cover up her messes. A bigger box seems to be in order but I live in a small condo - space is hard to come by.

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18. original_godzilla - 1:14AM on 07/09/07

I agree, that if kitty is peeing outside the box it would be an idea to visit the vet. Years ago, I noticed my girl seemed to not pee right and 10 min later she jumped on my lap and tried to pee on ME! Rather than being angry I knew it was her call for help and we raced down to the vet who set her right quick-smart! I can understand the idea of 1 box per cat. My current girls share a box downstairs and have a back-up upstairs. I noticed one had been to poop sometime during the day (new litter brand, so was keeping an eye out for when it was used). A moment later, one of the girls jumped in and was scratching around near it and then left. I scooped it out and within a minute the same kitty was back to do her business. So even though the litter was fresh and contained only one tiny kitten poop, the second kitten would not use it till it was cleared. But at least she was a good girl and "held on" for me!

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19. Kathy - 7:27AM on 07/09/07

Tessa, definitely make an appt with your vet. My cats always use their own designated boxes. One day I "caught" Lollipop using Punkey's litter box. Lollipop also seemed a little distressed or uncomfortable. Turned out she had bladder crystals, which led to a urinary tract infection. Vet said crystals could have caused additional complications if they were not treated early enough. Lollipop has been on a special diet ever since and has had no more problems with crystals, infections or litter box habits. Altho a lot of us are urging you to get the cat to the vet, keep in mind that if there is a physical problem, it is not necessarily serious or life-threatening. Or, it could be a maintenance issue (though you should still check for a physical problem). If my cats' boxes have more than one or two "items" in them, they will still use their box but they won't cover up any new "deposits." Fastidious creatures, aren't they?

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20. Sherri J - 9:55AM on 07/09/07

I have three kitties....and I couldn't imagine trying to find room for 4 litter pans...I would need another apt just for them. I keep my litter pan very clean for them and I don't have any issues other than the obvious litter tracking...but just keep a dust pan and broom very near by for quick clean ups. Where do they sell these "Buddha Boxes " by the way ??

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21. Kathryn - 12:20PM on 07/09/07

teresaclick...do your cats share a litter box? mine did until the heavier one got diabetes and used it more often. the little one stopped using the shared box and used the bath mats also. we had to (after 6 years of sharing) separate their litter boxes...even move them to different rooms. hope this helps. :)

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22. Whisk - 3:16PM on 07/09/07

My 16 year old male cat has recently starting doing his business outside of the litter box in my downstairs hallway. He still uses the litter box to urinate in, but does the other outside the box. He is an indoor outdoor cat and used to always go only outside. He started this when we began going away for weekends and having a neighbor watch him and let him out. Do you think a larger box would help?

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23. Kimba - 4:29PM on 07/09/07

My almost 15 year old Itch(real name Baby [profane] Itch) he has had the covered one and he sticks his body out halfway and he yowls if the box is dirty alittle bit. I try to clean it by Wed cause it gets changed on Sun and I am disabled, so I do the best I can and he will only use Tidy Cat, nothing else or I get scolded. I have just moved into a smaller H.U.D. Apt and he hates it here no room for his box, bathroom is smaller and no room to play either, still living out of boxes no help to unpack since my friend died unexpectantly, and now my neighbor decided to quit helping. I wish I can get a new litter box but no space and he scatters litter every where even in my bed, and especially in front of the bathroom door by his box and he chooses the sharp pieces for me to walk on. If ever I get a closet or some space cleared than I will see about a new box if I can afford it. The article really helped.

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24. Joleen B - 9:49PM on 07/09/07

I use the pine litter for my two kittens and I will never go back! This stuff clumps like you wouldn't believe and it smells fresh. I love that the stuff is flushable so I'm able to keep the box cleaned out more often without smelling up my trashcan! Also, I never have to empty it completely. I just scoop out the clumps and add more litter. One bag lasts a month or more!

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25. K H - 7:58AM on 07/10/07

I have a 21 year old cat who has arthritis. While glucosamine injections have helped her mobility, she still has trouble "crouching" in the litter box. So rather than getting a lower sided box, I have a higher sided box to prevent accidental "over the side misses" - kitty and box are doing just fine. Praise the Lord!

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26. Deb J - 8:03AM on 07/10/07

Our cat would always want ot go outside to do his business until I got a box with a top on it. It also has a privacy door that he can open. We have never had any trouble with him spraying anything or going to the bathroom anywhere else in the house.

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27. Deb J - 8:17AM on 07/10/07

I might also add that the plastic boxes can aborb odors that we may not be aware of and this may cause a cat not to want to go in that box anymore. My cat has a problem with certain odors so I clean mine with disinfectant spray and wipe it out each timeand use bleach on it occasionally. I also use plastic liners to help keep it cleaner and more sanitary. I have to have a certain amount of litter in the box also or he lets me know about it.

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28. flasteamer - 6:01PM on 07/10/07

responding to the buddha box and pine litte , i mentioned last wk...buddha boxes used to be sold at walmart. and the pine litter is available at groceries and target stores, at least down herein fla...hope that helps...heres the tel # for pine litter,if u r having trouble getting it or need more info..the reps there r great...800-749-pine or www. naturesearth.com...hope this helps...sheree

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29. Linda H - 6:45PM on 07/10/07

To Kimba... try putting one of those soft mats that keep rugs from slipping at the exit to the litterbox... it may "clean" your kitty's paws while exiting the litterbox. To Others, also... an inexpensive, large litterbox alternative is a large rubbermaid-style storage box (109 quarts?) with tall sides and a deep pocket cut out of one side, but still about 5-6 inches from the ground.. it holds alot of litter (two 27 pound Tidy Cats to start) and gives alot of space for two kitties without costing an arm & leg (about $9 at a dollar store). Cats have a hard time getting urine over the wall, but it is possible! Just make sure the bottom is fairly smooth and easy to scoop/scrape! This costs less and takes up less room.

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30. shorelinedeb - 2:35PM on 07/11/07

Help! About once or twice a month, my cat will leave me a little kitty tootsie roll way outside her clean cat box. Sometimes there is a little streak leading up to the tootsie roll, but usually it is just on its own. The other day it was on my bed!! She eats canned cat food, has water, doesn't act like she's in pain - is she just mad at me??? Just got new carpets too, so it's becoming more of an issue. Any help would be appreciated.

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