Help! Toilet training!

[Hevvur]

I have 4 cats.........Abi, Trouble (both neutered) and Josh and James (not neutered yet as a bit young).
Abi and Trouble are slightly older (around 6 months), and J&J are 4-5 months old.

Both J&J won't do all their poos in the litter trays.
Once or twice a day they both poo in the kitchen.
I've tried washing the floor with the stuff that gets rid of smells.........putting a litter tray where they poo - they then poo next to it. Move litter tray to where 2nd poo was....they then poo next to it again.
At the min they are pooing by the back door (it was in front of the fridge before) - not really convenient to put a tray there tbh as OH is disabled, so not good to be moving tray every time we need to open the door, not that they would use it anyway!

Have noticed when they are about to poo, and carried them up to tray and they will happily do it in there.
It's not all poo's they do...just the odd one each a day!
They always wee in their trays.

Have bought some of that spray that you put down to deter them from going in the place - made no difference at all!

Anyone got any tips/advice please?

[Shelley123]

oh dear, what a pain. Do they voluntarily do any poos in the tray without you carrying them there ?
One thing i've heard but never tried is to put their food bowls where they are soiling and feed them there. I know they will probably go in a different place but it's worth a try.
It's funny they are both doing it, one must have told the other that the floor is the place to go

[truthisouthere]

Hi Hevvur,
Do you follow the old 'rule' of 1 tray per cat plus one? Sounds a lot to have 6 litter trays in one house so this may not be the practical option for you(!) I know it wouldn't be an option for me, don't have the space. But you never know, if you have the space and patience could be worth adding another tray now that Abi and Trouble are reaching sexual maturity the little ones may feel obliged to 'go' elsewhere? Just a thought, (probably completely clutching at straws on that one!)

I take it their trays are not near their food or their surroundings haven't changed recently, it could be something as simple as a plug in fragrance, more human traffic, different washing powder, citrus based cleaning fluids, anything you can think of that might have upset them? Different food?

The spray won't make much difference unless all traces of their 'calling cards' are biologically broken down in that area 1st; disinfectant can make them want to mark it more because to them it's like their human is marking over their calling card which they can still smell..which can tend to make them even more determined! Try washing up powder to break down all the enzymes.

Can't think of anything else offhand, sorry. You could try Feliway plug in just to help abate any nervousness or worries when they are 'number-2ing' so they feel confident to go in the right place.

[paulinef2]

I was just thinking alone the lines of maybe they need a little privacy but if they are "going" out in the open so to speak I feel I too am barking up the wrong tree

[Hevvur]

We already have a Feliway plug in.....
The stuff I clean with is that stuff that gets rid of enzymes!
Don't have 4 litter trays (dont have the room), but the ones they have are covered ones. Might have to get another though!

Nothing changed nope, and it's something they've been doing since we got them, and I've been working to correct it, but not got anywhere yet!!

[Hevvur]

Originally Posted by Shelley123

oh dear, what a pain. Do they voluntarily do any poos in the tray without you carrying them there ?

Yep!!
It's only 1 or 2 poos down there a day, no pattern...sometimes morning, sometimes night, sometimes middle of day!

[Elaine]

Personally I think that if you can find the space to add more litter trays the problem will quickly resolve itself.

[Hevvur]

But they go on the floor even when the litter trays are clean :/
Thats what confuses me!
Will get a new tray tomorrow though and see if it helps!

[Velvet]

For our four, we have five covered litter trays, I know, it's a lot and a lot to keep clean but so far so good and ours range in age from 4 months to 20 months. I have noticed they all have a favourite tray they will use so the experts appear to be right when they say one to each cat and one extra. We only have the one upstairs which they are happy to use at night however I suspect the two eldest don't use it.

When you bring the new tray in & fill with litter/put in place, take each kitten and set it into the new box, you probably do that already. They usually just hop out again

It was a tip given to me when I got my first kitten,it's so tney know it's "their" toilet and will return to use it. It's worked (touch wood) each time for us.

[Hevvur]

Thanks for all the advice everyone.
We got an extra litter tray, but also moved the food to where they were pooing....result!
No more poos downstairs!

It's a bit hard trying to get the puppies to leave the food, but we're getting there!!

Thanks again!