[BillC]

I am hoping someone has a recommendation or two to help us with a cat with a very annoying behavioral issue. Unfortunately, Management won't let me "fix" the cat permanently ( ), so we need help to modify the cat's behavior to something more acceptable.

So, if you know someone who could help, please let me know. Hoping for a local version of the guy from the "my cat from hell" TV show.

Thanks!

[Vicegrip]

Only house pet I was not able to fix was a cat. Many junk pile dogs turned into gems. (Have 3 rescues right now)’Wife’s cat that came with her? Nothing worked.

Good luck and god speed. “Natures miracle” works on cat pee but only to an extent.

[BlackTalon]

Bill, can you be more specific? Are you talking about an unneutered male, or was that a joke about killing it? If unneutered male there isn't much you can do. But WTF not neuter it? Is it a breeder?

[BillC]

Originally Posted by BlackTalon

Bill, can you be more specific? Are you talking about an unneutered male, or was that a joke about killing it? If unneutered male there isn't much you can do. But WTF not neuter it? Is it a breeder?

It’s an 11-month-old spayed Maine Coon female. Absolutely stubborn beast that has decided to only poop in the hallway. She always pees in either of the two litter pans, so we know she knows where they are, just can’t get her to poop there too.

We even tried putting a third litter pan in the hallway, on top of where she goes, and she decided to poop right next to the pan instead of just a few inches over.

[cmartin]

Sorry honey, I must have left the door open

[BlackTalon]

Originally Posted by BillC

It’s an 11-month-old spayed Maine Coon female. Absolutely stubborn beast that has decided to only poop in the hallway. She always pees in either of the two litter pans, so we know she knows where they are, just can’t get her to poop there too.

We even tried putting a third litter pan in the hallway, on top of where she goes, and she decided to poop right next to the pan instead of just a few inches over.

Has she already been checked out by the vet? They usually have suggestions to help.

It's possible the litter is an issue. We worked through a couple different kinds with our Maine Coon -- he did not like the reuseable pellets, nor one of the more 'normal' litters; they were fine for peeing but not for taking dumps.

Also cats feel pretty vulnerable when using the bathroom. Taking a crap takes longer then taking a whiz, so they can be more tentative. It can help having the little box in a quiet place that also has good protection. Ours did not like it when the litter box was in the utility/ laundry room, as there was always HVAC or washer/ dryer noise. It helped a lot when we moved the it to an adjacent bathroom.

We started letting our cat outside when he was a little less than a year old. Now he spends a lot of time out there. He really prefers to go to the bathroom outside. I don't think we've scooped a poop in 9 or so months, and only scoop out a pee clump once every few weeks.

Which is nice, as Maine Coons can put a 3 year old child to shame when they drop a deuce.

[Dr K]

Originally Posted by BlackTalon

Has she already been checked out by the vet? They usually have suggestions to help.

It's possible the litter is an issue. We worked through a couple different kinds with our Maine Coon -- he did not like the reuseable pellets, nor one of the more 'normal' litters; they were fine for peeing but not for taking dumps.

Also cats feel pretty vulnerable when using the bathroom. Taking a crap takes longer then taking a whiz, so they can be more tentative. It can help having the little box in a quiet place that also has good protection. Ours did not like it when the litter box was in the utility/ laundry room, as there was always HVAC or washer/ dryer noise. It helped a lot when we moved the it to an adjacent bathroom.

We started letting our cat outside when he was a little less than a year old. Now he spends a lot of time out there. He really prefers to go to the bathroom outside. I don't think we've scooped a poop in 9 or so months, and only scoop out a pee clump once every few weeks.

Which is nice, as Maine Coons can put a 3 year old child to shame when they drop a deuce.

Dave, you have posted some excellent (and no-so-excellent) posts in the past, but this post is really, really good and very likely to be helpful not just to Bill but to others with cat issues (and who has a cat without issues?). Thanks.

[BillC]

Originally Posted by BlackTalon

Has she already been checked out by the vet? They usually have suggestions to help.

Yes, she has been to the vet multiple times. Starting late last year, she developed a food allergy causing diarrhea, which is when the hallway issue started. However, we have finally found a food that agrees with her (a couple of months ago) and her poops are normal again. At this point, her behavior is purely a choice, and not medical.

Originally Posted by BlackTalon

It's possible the litter is an issue. We worked through a couple different kinds with our Maine Coon -- he did not like the reuseable pellets, nor one of the more 'normal' litters; they were fine for peeing but not for taking dumps.

We have tried multiple litters, without any change. What litter brand/type worked for you?

Originally Posted by BlackTalon

Also cats feel pretty vulnerable when using the bathroom. Taking a crap takes longer then taking a whiz, so they can be more tentative. It can help having the little box in a quiet place that also has good protection. Ours did not like it when the litter box was in the utility/ laundry room, as there was always HVAC or washer/ dryer noise. It helped a lot when we moved the it to an adjacent bathroom.

She's doing this in the main hallway, only a few feet from where the litter pans are located. I don't think she feels any vulnerability performing this act, since the dog is usually right there to "enjoy" the fresh "kitty snacks" afterward. The dog is not allowed in the laundry room (blocked by a gate), which is where the pans are located, so she should feel less vulnerable in the pans than in the hallway.

Originally Posted by BlackTalon

We started letting our cat outside when he was a little less than a year old. Now he spends a lot of time out there. He really prefers to go to the bathroom outside. I don't think we've scooped a poop in 9 or so months, and only scoop out a pee clump once every few weeks.

All of our cats have always been indoors-only. Outdoor cats, even indoor/outdoor cats, have significantly shorter life spans. We clean the pans no less than every other day; the most recent hallway "dump" was only 30 minutes after a full cleaning.

Originally Posted by BlackTalon

Which is nice, as Maine Coons can put a 3 year old child to shame when they drop a deuce.

You ain't kidding about that!

[BillC]

Originally Posted by cmartin

Sorry honey, I must have left the door open

Truly, truly tempting. But dealing with the wife afterward would be far, far worse than just scooping up the hallway as needed.

Originally Posted by Vicegrip

Many junk pile dogs turned into gems. (Have 3 rescues right now)

Does that include the one that keeps knocking down the hummingbird feeders?

[BlackTalon]

Originally Posted by BillC

We have tried multiple litters, without any change. What litter brand/type worked for you?

All of our cats have always been indoors-only. Outdoor cats, even indoor/outdoor cats, have significantly shorter life spans. We clean the pans no less than every other day; the most recent hallway "dump" was only 30 minutes after a full cleaning.

The litter we use is by Frisco, "Odor Defense Cat Litter - unscented"

Cleaning the litter box every other day may not be enough. When our cat was indoor-only we generally scooped a couple times/ day, as the big clumps from pee made it harder for him to get a big enough spot in the pool to drop the kids off. And it is a biiiig litter box.

The indoor vs outdoor was a tough decision. Our cat came with a 2 year warranty and the terms included not letting him outside. Plus we live on a really busy street. But we put him out a few times in the backyard on a harness, and he really got into it. One day I brought him on the patio for a while (no harness) and he stayed close by but had fun racing back and forth. We increase the time duration and frequency, and eventually got to the point where we let him out by himself. He has established a territory out back that spans the yards of the neighbors on both sides, plus one house on the other side of a neighbor's (he goes over the 6 foot fence). And now he's going over the 6 foot fence out back and including the two houses behind us in his territory. The noise on the busy street scares him, so he rarely goes to the front.

In the Spring he squared up and chased a buck out of our garden. The one fox that frequented out backyard hasn't appeared in months (our cat is nearly the size of the fox).

We generally don't leave him out if we are not home. And he does not stay out overnight, although he often is ready to go out by around 5:00 am.

Yeah, life span is typically shorter. But there are a lot of contributing factors (getting run over, etc.). We had a cat live to be 21 that was outside at least 12 hours/ day, and often overnight. in the end it's quality over quantity. Max loves being outside. The biggest downside is finding someone to watch him/ check on him if we want to go out of town. His lifestyle requires having someone in the house so he can come and go every few hours.