Ragdoll Cat Forums

I'm still having trouble with Teddy. 50% of the time he is using his litter.

I've had him looked over by the vet 2x now and he's in very good health.

I have 4 Feliway plugins throughout the house.

I clean up after him each time he goes, in or out of the litter.
I use a bio enzyme cleaner (outside the litter) and after I spray with
urine off. This isn't putting him off.

I increased the amount of litter trays to 4 and experimented with many brands of litter. Currently all 4 have a different litter and he'll use them all.

Last night I heard him making his 'sound' and I knew he was going to go, I woke up and raced into the dining room and he was in the middle of it.

I picked up Molly, my 2nd ragdoll. I had prepared my bedroom with a litter tray (the one the breeder was using) and some food. I spent some time laying on the bed talking to her. It was the next morning she did her business on my bed, right where we were laying. The breeder said she never had any accidents, they were litter trained. Thanks to Teddy, I'm well familiar with the clean up process. I make a point to take Molly to the litter trays. she needs time to settle in.

Today I find my lounge has been weed on I don't know who did it
but it seems like Molly might have, since I'm familiar with Teddy's behaviour.

I'm at a loss. I really do keep a clean home. There isn't a high level of stress here at all, I sing through the day and I give a lot of affection.
I don' t know what to do.

sorry for the vent, thanks for reading.

I'd love to hear of any success stories.

You do not mention putting them on a long course of antibiotics - clavamox for urination and flagyl for bowel movements. Medical problems are the most common causes and it does happen that the only symptoms are litterbox related. You also do not mention retraining periods. This can become a habit and one confines the cats comfortably, but in small spaces that do not have their preferred targets - like a half bath - where they are "forced" to use the box. The longer they appropriately use the box, the more they move away from any habit of not using it. Clearly there is some trigger if you have two cats that are responding in this way. Sometimes one will have a medical issue and the other just overmarks. However, there may be a common factor and that may make it easier to identify it. If they both mark an area, then suspect something in that area that is holding odors, for example.

I know how frustrating and upsetting this can be! Does Teddy do it in the same place or room? I had this problem with frankie, he was using the same spot each time.Itried all sorts of things to deter him, eventually, I stood a large ornament (a garden knome!) on the spot and sprayed all around the area with a strong lemon scented spray, and that appears to have worked, so far anyway. He was using the same corner behind the TV though, he never went anywhere else and it was only urine, not poop. He also was using his litterbox, at the same time. i hope you can try Jan's idea and restrict them to 1 room, like a bathroom, until they/he retrains to the litterbox.

I've placed Teddy in a confined space for a few days, but I didn't perservere, I felt sorry for him. I think it's safe to say that Teddy's behaviour has become a habit, it might be time for me to retrain.


My vet feels the problem isn't medical, I'm sure a 3rd visit with the same problem will result in antibiotics.

I have a long house and I place the litters in the middle, Teddy will use them 50% of the time, the rest of the time, he'll choose one end of the house (laundry tiles) or the other end of the house (dining room) anywhere along the wall, not in the corners, I've put things in the corners. I'm using all the advice I get, everything is worth a try.

I have no carpet and I scrub with a bio enzyme odor eater, and then spray with urine off. I've also tried those plastic mats upside down so he wont like to walk on it.

I'm going to try to retrain Teddy, the confined space I'll use will be close to where the litter trays are.

Add litter boxes at the ends of the house, leaving the ones in the middle in place. (With this kind of problem, it is always a good idea to add boxes places to see if that helps. Sometimes it is distance. Sometimes it is privacy level - too much or too little. You just have to try things, avoiding removing a box or litter that is ever used.)

Vets are rightly reluctant to provide meds without a diagnosis, but one should find a vet willing to try that under these serious circumstances. It HAS worked for cats with no symptoms - and it is not rare.

With two cats, it is much easier to confine for retraining since you can provide feline company at least part of the time.