Automatic Litterbox Central

My 3 cats have been in training for 6 months now. We used a metal lasagne pan, purchased at the grocery store, duct taped it to the toilet so it wouldn't fall in, and slowly made the hole in the pan from back to front. We are lucky enough to have 2 bathrooms in the house to be able do this. The pan is all the way open now, with just the sides still on the bowl. The 2 boys, Chaos(age4) and Ricky Bobby(age3), are doing well with no problems, and they caught on pretty quickly to what we were doing. My little girl, BeeBee, who is also the oldest at age5, still wants to #2 on the floor in front of the toilet. I think she is #1 in the toilet okay, because I haven't found it anywhere else in the house. So we are being patient with her, and when cleaning up, we make sure she is there too so she can see that we put it in the toilet, and thats where we want her to put it.

So now the newest thing, is that we are moving in 2 weeks, and have been packing up boxes of our stuff. Now we are finding the #2 outside of the bathroom on the carpet in the recroom. I assume she is having anxiety about what is going on, just like the other 2 cats and 2 dogs in the house, although she has been through 2 moves in the past, does this mean she is rebelling? Also, the house we are moving in to only has 1 bathroom, and I planned to take the toilet seat and metal ring to the new house, hoping that they would transition smoothly that way, but if BeeBee is doing this now, what is she gonna do when we get to the new place? We are soooo close to the end now, going back to the litter box would be devasating. To me anyway, I don't think they would care too much either way.

carmiecarm wrote:So now the newest thing, is that we are moving in 2 weeks, and have been packing up boxes of our stuff. Now we are finding the #2 outside of the bathroom on the carpet in the recroom. I assume she is having anxiety about what is going on, just like the other 2 cats and 2 dogs in the house, although she has been through 2 moves in the past, does this mean she is rebelling? Also, the house we are moving in to only has 1 bathroom, and I planned to take the toilet seat and metal ring to the new house, hoping that they would transition smoothly that way, but if BeeBee is doing this now, what is she gonna do when we get to the new place? We are soooo close to the end now, going back to the litter box would be devasating. To me anyway, I don't think they would care too much either way.

Of course she is having anxiety about what is going on!! That is totally to be expected! the animals don't know you are 'moving' they see it as their safe home being dismantled. They don't have any idea what 'to move' is. I am surprised they arent all peeing and pooping everywhere. Cats hate change-any change. It stresses them out. stressed out cats will go to the bathroom where it is convenient, for the most part. Nothing really you can do since you are already in motion. Dont expect them to pick up where they left off with the toilet at the new house. They will be suspicious and nervous over there for a while. its too bad the move came while you were trying to to this. You will probably have to start over again adn with only one bathroom, are you sure you want to do that?

You are absolutely right. So lemme tell ya the latest.

We are all moved in, not unpacked but moved in. I took the toilet seat and metal ring with us and the cats. So when I so swiftly yanked them from their almost empty home and transported them all 3 crying in carriers in the car, I took them to the new house and put them in the bathroom together for a few hours while we finished bringing in the last of the stuff and somewhat organized for the night.

The boys took right to the new toilet, and have resumed the same routine as the old house. YAY!!! But, my little girl, will not have anything to do with it, she has gone in the living room and somewhere else, I am assuming a box, I can smell it but can't pinpoint the location. But, just last night she went in the bathtub, so she is getting closer to the toilet. Should I resign back to the litter box, or wait a few more days and see what she does?

Also forgot to mention in my 1st post, that early on in the training, before I used the duct tape to hold the tray in place, I came home to the tray in the toilet, I figured one of them stood in it while pottying and pushed it down, probably falling in too. It must have been her, and thats why she is resisting. Do you think she will ever take to it?

My guess would be she was the one who fell in and I seriously doubt she will ever use it. They remember those types of negative experiences and are smart enough (usually) to avoid a repeat.
Congrats on the boys, tho! That is wonderful. You are lucky.

Keep an eye out and expect surprises, because the dust hasnt settled on your move yet. They are all still stressing to some degree and it may be a while before they realize and accept this place as their home. They really really dislike change. Even a change in your work hours can cause them to stress. The more mundane and same everything is, the safer and more comfortable they are.

good luck with your girl. You should set up a box for her immediately so she doesn't decide on her own where she will go to the bathroom. It can be difficult, to put it mildly, to break them of going where they arent supposed to, once they have a pattern set.