Need some advice about Charlie (group home cat)

Recently Charlie has started pooping on the carpet outside the guys' bathroom. At first I thought it was a case of her litter box not being cleaned...I walked into the laundry room (where her box lives) and was wrapped in the delicate fragrance of AMMONIA. :puke:

OK, I thought, this one's easy (in a manner of speaking). Get RID of the old litter, clean the box, and put in fresh litter.
"TA DA!", right? WRONG.

The guys are still complaining that Charlie is crapping outside the box.
I'm sensing a theme here...resentment in having to participate in care (as well as affection) for THEIR cat.
This bugs me, but this attitude is not something I can do anything about.


So I come on duty Saturday night, and the weeknight person has placed her box right beside her food and water dish (which was not only empty but DRY). The box hasn't been cleaned since I was there last Sunday, judging by the condition of it.

:wow: HOLY FARK, BATMAN!! No wonder she's crapping on the floor! I would too! :grr::banghead:


I move the box back to the laundry room, clean it up, clean up her 'dining room', and leave a trenchant note for the manager about what I'd found.
Had a mutual :nuke: session with one of the staff who actually gives a flying BFD about Charlie (he makes sure she has her shots annually)- he will clean the box during the week, and I will clean it on weekend nights when I'm there. :fistbump:


Sunday night I go down to clean the box and she's used it.
"TA DA!", right? WRONG.

:wtf:


I see her in the 'squat' position (and NOWHERE NEAR her box), try to catch her, but she just couldn't hold it any more.
"Damn it, Charlie, what's bugging you?" :banghead:


Only thing I can think of is that I was doing a LOT of laundry last night (normally not my job) and the noise of the washer put her off.

Any ideas? This is starting to get frustrating...something is bothering her, but WHAT? :shrug:

Thanks for any advice...:hi:

If she is urinating, it could possible be a bladder infection. Not a vet
but i've had quite a few cats and that is what happened when they had
a bladder infection.....z

I'm only there on weekend nights, and let's just say I'm not working with the most observant gang on the planet.
There were 'clumps' in the litter box, I'm not smelling cat pee (and my nose is fairly good for a human), so I'm assuming she's using the box in which to urinate.

Also the focus is on the residents, not the cat...which is how it SHOULD be, but still...

I'm thinking a vet visit might be in order just to make sure she's OK...but got a feeling this is a behavioral thing.

She will still pee in the box, but she leaves the poops outside the box as a message to Mom to clean it out.

Thing is, I'm only there two nights a week.

Did come to an understanding with one of the weekday dayshift crew that they'd clean out her box, since the weekday nightshift guy doesn't like doing it, so he "forgets".

Was about to tell my manager that if he'd authorize the two extra hours for me, I'd come in on Tues and Thurs (as well as my scheduled weekend shift) and clean the farkin' catbox.

Yeah, this really irritates me. :mad: It just seems nobody is looking out for Charlie...there's no clear responsibility about who is supposed to do what for her. It's been catch as catch can...and that's not a good way to roll. :banghead:

the group house is not suited for Charlie. Why is she there if no one wants to care for her?

When the box IS clean, does Charlie use it to pooh? If she does, your answer is clear. If not, it seems that she is really not happy there. Or it could have become a habit by now. Or.....maybe she just doesn't like the "guys" and is getting even????

This does not sound like a content cat. I am sorry that you are in this situation, seems like a no-win.

new home.

She's been there 8 years now and has her favorites among the residents and staff.

It would break the guys' heart to lose her. Although 'responsibility for their cat' is not something they seem to comprehend, they are awfully fond of her and she helps improve their quality of life.

Not sure if Charlie COULD be happy in another place...she's kinda skittish, 'sot in her ways', and a confirmed 'only cat'.

Despite the behavioral thing with which we're dealing right now, she 'fits' where she is...she IS cared for and about, not abused, and obviously somebody gives enough of a flying BFD to try to figure out what's bugging her and fix the problem.

It's just difficult to get inside a cat's furry little mind and try to see things from a feline POV...especially if it isn't your cat.

comments changes the picture entirely. That she has been a resident of the home for 8 years says alot. There is something different in her little world that is causing her to express her displeasure (pardon my pun). If she's only recenly started this pooping outside the box, then perhaps it is a physical thing, and a trip to the vet could help with sorting it all out. Have you changed her brand of litter lately? You're right about getting inside the mind of a cat--it's almost impossible. Good luck. I hope you get it sorted out and I hope you will keep us posted.

:hi:
And I do appreciate the time you take to read my posts and give thought to what is happening!:hug:

litter boxes? Sit them right next to each other. One of my cats decided at 10 years old that he could only pee in one box and poop in the other and never should the same box be used for both. He was using the floor next to the box until we figured it out. Though the litter will still need to be cleaned regular but two might help Charlie a bit if someone misses a cleaning too. Good luck.

Is she popping in the same place all the time? If that's the case then the area should be carefully cleaned using one of those enzyme cleaners. Then try putting something on the area to deter her from coming back to it. There's a product called No Mark that I've used that works pretty well. It has some calming Pheromones in it that calms the cat. Also some herbal remedies like orange oil or rosemary oil or lavender oil can also do the trick.

Try using clumping cat litter so the clumps can be removed on a daily basis with a pooper scooper. Cats really don't like dirty litter boxes. Her cat box and her food should not be together. Cats don't like to eat in their bathroom any more than people do! Also her litter box should be in a quiet place.

Hope you figure it out!

the problem has cleared up by now. What I have done with cats that do that is keep them in the room where their litter box is for several days until they "learn"
to use it again. I'd keep it separate from her food, at least 5 feet away or more if possible. Also, maybe a different type of litter would be helpful? Did you recently change litter types? There is a litter called "Cat Attract" or something like that, that is supposed to make them want to use their litter box. Maybe something is stressing her out -- a Feliway plug or two might help calm her down. Good luck.

Yup, plural.

Her litter box was in the laundry room, the floor of which has become progressively wetter due to an outflow hose on the water heater (that's what they told ME, at any rate :shrug: )

CATS DO NOT LIKE HAVING TO WALK THROUGH WETNESS.


The other part was (I am convinced) was that the manager had gotten scented litter.

HUMANS LIKE SCENTED LITTER. CATS DON'T.

I sprang for some unscented litter and moved her box to a DRY area that is nowhere near her food.
I showed her where her box was, and put a note on the door stating that her box was in there, so please leave the door ajar.

She seems to be happier with that solution...when I came on duty last night (picking up extra shifts*), they said she hadn't been pooping on the floor.
Only problem was, the box hadn't been scooped out for several days (I cleaned it Sunday night). :banghead:

I'm on for the next four nights...and you can bet the rent that Charlie will have a clean litterbox on my watch...:silly:


Sort of skew. but not really...the solution just 'came to me' in a flash...while baby Raven was curled purring on my shoulder. The kitten is well named (the Norse god Odin had two ravens, Hugin and Munin (Thought, Memory) who sat upon his shoulders and whispered in his ears).
It didn't strike me until later that "Raven" was an apt description for a black kitten as well...:yoiks:

Honest!

I'm glad you figured out the problem and that it was relatively easy to solve. It is frustrating when they stop using the litter box for whatever reason. :)