Hello all! Last week we got new carpet in our living room. Yay! The old one was terrible-the real flat, cheap kind and it was unraveling in several places. So the landlord replaced it after we finished painting the walls. It looks amazing in here- it's like walking into a whole new house. We have 2 cats- Izzybella is almost 8 and Princess is almost 3. We've had both since about 6 weeks old. They love each other and us, although Izzy is skittish. The issues we have are with Izzy. First, we cannot get that cat to poop in a litter box. We've tried bigger boxes, more boxes, keeping the boxes crazy clean, putting boxes around the house, had her poop tested, urinalysis, she's on Frontline and heartworm stuff and had a couple of Capstars recently. (The other cat, Princess, goes outside and I forgot their Frontline for like 2 months so of course we got fleas and they were like nuclear fleas- it has taken forever to get rid of them- so both cats got Capstars while we got it under control.) So now that we got the new carpet we moved the boxes into this giant closet room we have and put that plastic carpet protector that realtors use to put under the boxes. We want to get the cats used to that stuff before we replace more carpet this summer. But now the brat is pooping just off the plastic. What the hell?! She pees in the box. And after she poops she scratches on something (like the wall or the plastic sheeting) so she has the instincts to do the motions to cover it up but she just won't poop in the box. Any ideas?
Second issue is she has taken to laying in the living room, licking the new carpet, and chewing on it too. I clap my hands real loud or rattle something loudly when she does it and she'll stop for a bit but later on we'll catch her licking and chewing. I don't get it. Why is she doing this?!
Princess has been a dream about the new carpet. She's a little wild one- loves to run laps and jump in or on anything you are trying to do (baskets of laundry I'm trying to fold, laying on a newspaper I'm reading or across my laptop as I'm typing) but as far as the carpet. She doesn't really lay on it and somehow every time she does that kneading the carpet with her claws out thing she goes and does it just in the doorway of an adjoining room (like our bedroom or closet room) that has the old carpet. It's like she just knows not to claw the new carpet.
That's the 3rd thing with Izzy- it's like she's taken over clawing the carpet for Princess. She never clawed it before- she prefers the recliner in my room. But now that the new carpet is in, she claws there exclusively- forget the chair.
So my mamapediaers- what do I do with this cat?! I adore her but she's messing up my pretty carpet and my brand new living room.
Sorry this is so long- I just realized how wordy and rambling I've been tonight! It's Friday (yay!) and it's been a long week.
Thanks ladies! We have scratching posts and the cardboard things around the house. Both cats have zero interest. We've tried sprinkling catnip and spraying them with the catnip spray but they'd much rather claw the furniture and carpet. Which is fine as long as it's not my new carpet. Iz won't allow her nails to be cut and I've almost bled to death when I tried :)
As far the yays for keeping her- thanks for those! Giving Izzy away would never cross our minds. We are her family- the only family she has ever known. She may be a pain in the butt but she's my pain in the butt. Our pets are family members and you can't give away family members. They're here with us until the cross the bridge (although if Iz doesn't stop messing with my pretty new carpet I may be helping her along to that bridge. Kidding!!!!!)
I'm going to experiment with litters. For some reason that never crossed my mind. You ladies had some great suggestions. I'm going to change her litter today and see what happens. Same with the rescue remedy. That stuff works wonders for my mom's dogs. Iz is high strung anyway- it will probably help her chill out.
So funny what someone said about the stuffed animal. My daughter has this large stuffed duck that she left in the living room a while back and Izzy has claimed it as her own. She loves to sleep on it and knead on it and so now it lives in the corner of the living room. It's her baby. I have never seen a cat be so over the moon about a stuff animal.
I'm going to try lots of these ideas- the pheromone thing sounds like a keeper and I can't believe I never thought of a spray bottle!
And yeah Suz- my landlord is the best! Not only is she redoing our place because we had a hard year last year and need a reward for getting through it (her words) but every holiday she brings my daughter a gift bag full of little presents and something for us and all these other little things she does from time to time are amazing. She is the sweetest person.
So thanks again ladies and keep the ideas coming!!!
For the scratching they make these plastic caps that you glue over their nails. You can find them at petsmart or petco, called soft paws. I use them on my cats.
Have you tried Cat Attract litter? That's what worked for me. I used that with a combination of Rescue Remedy for Pets (found at Fruitful Yield). 4 drops on some wet food for the affected cat.
Your cat may be missing nutrients, or self-soothing by licking and chewing on the carpet. If she's self-soothing then the Rescue Remedy will help tremendously. If she's missing nutrients, I suggest Hugs & Kisses supplement for cats.
Good luck!
Scrathers, both vertical and horizontal can help. Keeping her nails trimmed can reduce scratching and/ or the damage from it. Soft paws, little clear caps that go over the nail are great. We used to use them on one of our cats.
It sounds like you have tried a lot for pooping outside the box. Is the stool really large or anything that might cause pain? It sounds like she usuly goes in the same spot, so I'm guessing that is not the case. If you put a litter box where she likes to go, would she use it? I wonder if she would toilet train to the human toilet, it is possible.
I'm glad you are looking for new ideas and have talked to your vet and.had her looked at and do not see any if the above as a reason to get rid if her. When you recarpet more you may even want to save a small piece of the old for scratching. One if our cats started going outside if the bix on brand new carpet, I think it wad the smell of the new carpet, but luckily we could block off the area and.after a couple of weeks the behavior stopped.
My cat was pooping outside the litter box. Now she gets plain pine litter and she uses her box again. It could just be a coincidence.
There is a tall scratching post that my cat has been using more lately, too. I rearranged her stuff in the utility room and she has better access to the tallest post. She's scratching the living room rug less, but hasn't given it up completely.
My grandfather had a cat the stopped using kitty litter when he was about a year old. The vet recommended that he switch to shredded newspaper, as some cats have sensitive paws and traditional litter can get between their toes and hurt. That worked for him. It was pretty smelly and hard to clean, but it saved him from getting rid of his cat. Also, Frontline made my parent's dog incontinent. He would walk around and dribble constantly for several days after his monthly dose. Maybe that has something to do with it, but it sounds more like a behavioral issue than a medical issue.
As for the scratching, try laying a big piece corrugated cardboard flat on the floor where she scratches. Some cats don't like to use the 'stand up' scratching posts. And for some reason most cats love scratching on this kind of cardboard. They sell scratching posts made of it, but you can get corrugated cardboard at a hardware or craft store for much cheaper. And it does sound like she's doing some kind of self soothing by licking and chewing the carpet. Is she spayed? Maybe it's a nesting/mothering thing. You could try getting her a stuffed animal that feels like the carpet, and maybe she would M. that :-)
Good luck! I think it's admirable that you're trying so hard to help your cat instead of just getting rid of her!
Several things.
What kind of litter are you using? Make sure it is unscented. The finer clumping sand is often better accepted than the lumpy, crunchy clay kind.
Get something for them to scratch that isn't carpet or furniture. We buy those inexpensive cardboard scratchers that are corrugated cardboard inside of a solid box, Trader Joes sells nice ones but Petco etc has them too. We also have a cat tower that has a place to insert the corrugated cardboard. Offer treats when you see them scratching where you want them to. Get yourself a spray bottle with water in it. They scratch where you don't want them to you squirt them. Very few cats like it and get the clue super fast (although we had one that would stop, look at you and then lick up the water off the coffee table instead of get off LOL)
You might find yourself needing to get one of those plug ins that have pheromones that help calm kitties and sort of help them be OK with things. They are a little expensive but so totally worth it!
Cats have scent glands in their cheeks, this is why they rub against you and will chew on things. The carpet doesn't smell like hers anymore, she may very well be marking it.
Instead of Frontline, try Revolution. It works really well and super fast. This is what our vet recommends. Our cats are indoors only, but when we've gotten fleas it has never taken more than 2 months doses worth plus a third that I give just in case. They don't come back unless something introduces them like when we've gotten new cats or something like that.
I haven't read your other responses, so I'm sorry if this has been said. My cat did this, but she was 12. I think they go outside the box if they are not feeling good, hoping a change in where they go will change how they feel.
Our cat had irritable bowl disease and it didn't get better for her - we fought it for years. We tried different foods, which would work temporarily but never lasted, we did anti-anxiety drops, changing litter, more boxes around the house and it just got to the point where she was having soft or diarrhea stools on the carpeting exclusively and there was no resolution. The vet said it would not get better, only worse, and she was uncomfortable, so we put her to sleep. It was very hard, but we knew we did all we could for her.
wow, your landlord is an angel!
and so are you. you are really working hard to find something that works for your kitty, good for you.
i'm guessing you've tried different kinds of litter? my cats really like 'the world's best cat litter), which is very fine and clumps. it's not as great at odor control as some of the grocery store stuff, but you can scoop out EVERYTHING. they also make a cat-attracting litter now which i haven't needed to try, but is surely worth it in your situation.
a spray bottle works best for us to curb 'absolutely not' behaviors. if she keeps it up despite that, maybe a mist of 'kitty no' on the carpet.
i've only got one who is insistent on clawing things in the house (the others do their sharpening outside) and i've got her exclusively using scratching posts. you might have to put one in every room, and religiously use the spray bottle any time she goes toward furniture. do you keep her trimmed?
good luck!
khairete
S.
