Automatic Litterbox Central

Hi, I need some help. I have two cats, Samson and Zacheaus. I got them both a little over a year ago, Samson as a kitten and Zacheaus from a foster home. Zacheaus is the main problem. He had a bad kittenhood, I found out that he was locked into his owner's bedroom all day in his first home. He was also declawed at an older age I think. He had two homes before he ended up in the foster home where he didn't get along with the other cats and was eventually locked into a kitchen. When I first got him, there were no problems at all, but I lived in a home without carpet. I had him for three months until I moved back home with my parents and acquired a kitten. He and Samson fell in love and they are like brothers, there was no problem there. But then I went to Germany over spring break and when I got home he was pooping on the carpet every day. My brother supposedly had been scooping out his litter box every day that I was gone. After that point I have had problems with him almost everyday. He's been to the vet twice and nothing is wrong. For a while in the summer he would be good every couple of days because he could go outside but now things are bad again.
Over Christmas I tried an experiment. I scooped out the litter boxes like seven times a day, and for a whole week he didn't poop on the carpet. But i can't keep that up! So thinking he was just extremelly picky, I got him a litter robot. Samson adjusted to it right away.
Zacheaus has been a different story. At first I think he got scared of it because I plugged it in after a few days (I thought maybe he would be better if it was clean all the time). So he continued to poop on the carpet. Then I put back the old litter boxes and covered the LR with a box. He used the litter box for a few days. So I took the litter boxes away and the LR is still covered with the box.
It's been a few days, and I think he is peeing in the LR (but I'm not sure), but he is still pooping on the carpet. And I run the LR like five times a day and make sure Zacheaus doesn't see it happen. I can't handle this! I've been picking poop off of the carpet for a year! I love the cat and don't want to get rid of him because I know no one will take him in, but I'm moving out in a few months to go to grad school and I can't take a cat into an apartment that has this problem.
Should I lock him in a room with the LR to see if he is peeing in it at all? Should I take him to a cat psychologist?
Should I rip up all of the carpet in the room he has been pooping in so that the scent is totally gone?
Should I take the top off the LR and try scooping in out seven times a day again?
Please if anyone has any ideas, I'll try anything! I already spent money on this LR when I have none, and I really want it to work.
Thanks,
Anna

Our skittish cat did this same behavior with the LitterFree. We got rid of that box for that reason and other reasons. He's now fine with the LR - we assume that he wants real litter.

Do you know a vet that deals with behavioral issues. This might be your first step. It sounds like your little guy has trouble with changes to his environment, especially litter. A vet who knows what to do about these sorts of issues may be able to help.

Have you tried putting a litterbox next to the LR and letting it pile up? That worked with our cats. They eventually decided the clean LR was better than the disgusting litterbox.

Our picky cat will protest if the LitterRobot drawer isn't emptied frequently enough. It is a smell thing with him we believe. If we have glade plugins freshly installed, he handles the LR build up better. I can't say I blame him - I don't like icky smells either.

You might also read about how some people are rewarding their cat. This can be hard to do when you work, though.

It sounds to me like something you should get resolved before you leave. When he's moved, it sounds like he'll react again most likely. If you can fix what's bothering him now, maybe he'll be able to take the move a lot easier.

Best of luck and keep us posted.

Everything that Cas said is great advice. I would recommend that you deep clean the carpets and add an enzymatic to break down the old stains. Also try using Feliway during and after your move. It is expensive, but worth it and helped my cats tremendously. Definately make sure to have the old box along the litter robot. I found that rewarding my cats for looking at or going near the box helped alot. I also feigned interest as it ran it's cleaning cycles and made sure they saw me touching it. Good Luck.

A little Feliway goes a long way! Per use, it's pretty cheap.

I strongly endorse the following reccomendations:

1) Clean your carpets! If you don't want to rent a steam cleaner, get some Resolve and hit the pooped on areas several times.

2) Feliway WORKS! A couple of sprays on the pooped on spots and the cat won't want to go there again.

I think all the change was just too much for him. It drove me nuts because he would go right in front of the box and he was urinating on my bed too. My vet did all the tests too and found nothing wrong with him. They suggested a pet psychologist. I didn't have the money for that, so I did research. I ended up putting him on (I'm not sure if this is how you spell it) Busparin (a human anti anxiety pill). That solved the pooping problem and most of the urinating. Depending on what was going on, he still urintaed on the bed from time to time. We finally got the LR, and that seemed to solve the urination problem.

To get Moses used to the LR, I put treats on the steps and on top of it. I even put a box inside and put treats on that (while we still had the other box out). He would go in and get the treat, but he didn't use the LR until I took the other box away. I also left it off for two weeks and only ran it when they were eating (Moses's favorite thing).

I also started putting drops of this this "relaxation" oil that someone makes for pets in his water. It really seems to be working. I got it at an upscale pet store, and it was expensive, but you only use 4 drops in a bowl of water. I'll post what it is called when I go home. Oh and one more thing... Lauren told me about a litter that is 100% guaranteed that your cat will use the box. It is called cat Attract. They sell it at Pet Smart. It clumps really well and seems to work. You may want to try that too.

Moses has now been off of Busparin for a week and a half and is doing great.


Beth

Yes, an anti-anxiety med from your vet might help, though you need to clean the carpets with a steamer or the enzymatic way, because their noses are so good.

Please make sure to consult the vet before giving any human medication to your cat.....sometimes the appropriate dose for an animal one tenth our weight ISNT one tenth the human dose, and sometimes meds people use can be harmful to your pet.

Yes, my doctor prescribed the medication for Moses.

And I agree that they need to clean the carpets too.

Also, it sounds like your cats have had to do a lot of moving around. We found that when we move if we start out just leaving the cats in one room for about a week to start so they can get used to the noises etc, and then slowly open up the house to them things go better.

Hi there. I just want to say that I don't know that Cat Atrract Litter comes with any guarantee that your cat will use it. I have heard great stories from customers using it.

Here at Automated Pet Care Products, we have an unconditional 30 day money back guarantee on the Litter Robot, but I am not sure about Cat Attract.

I didn't want to cause any confusion!

Hi, I've been meaning to reply to this post of mine from January for a long time. I'm the one who started this posting with the cat who pooped on the carpet everyday for a year.
Well I got the litter robot in January and at first he refused to use it. then he would pee in it only.
After about two weeks I decided to take drastic measures. I locked him into my bedroom with just the litter robot and his food and water. I visited him often but left him there for two weeks. At the same time, we ripped up the carpet that he had been pooping on. Zacheaus (the cat), once in the room, didn't go to the bathroom for over 36 hours. He was totally desperate but didn't want to go into the robot. Finally there was a breakthrough. On the second day, he finally used it! Then after him using it for two weeks I let him out, and life has been great ever since. In five months, he has only had ONE accident! And that was when the robot was kind of full. So now I empty it earlier. I just wanted to give this update to let you know that the litter robot is a GREAT thing! It has changed my life (and I have never written about a product in this way before). Now I don't have to worry about friends coming over and seeing poop on the floor. Zacheaus is much happier and we are all so relaxed.
Thank you litter robot!

I just bought Cat Attract today, and it indeed says on the package, via a large yellow sticker, "100% Litter Box Use"...."Guaranteed!"

One cat of mine in particular started out strong last month with the new LR, but relapsed while I was gone out of town to work. She was going on my hardwood floor, in a corner, and sometimes behind the LR as well.

I placed a regular box back next to the LR in desperation, and of course now both cats want to use that small box. I think I will let it get full, but have the nice, clean LR with the cat attracking litter nearby, and see if they make up their own mind. This is making me crazy, and I think what bugs them is the movement of the unit when they are in it. But one will use it better than the other.

Here's a link to litterbox training tips for anyone else whose cat is having trouble:

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