my cat, the sink pooper - help

[anok]

hi petlovers,

i'm new here and posting because i'm running low on sanity and ideas, i guess.

i have two male cats, joey pickles (two) and greg (about 8 months). they're both indoor cats, total sweethearts, get along well, are affectionate with me and are otherwise very healthy and up to speed with vaccinations, de-fleaing, etc etc.

i live in a small share-house with another person. the cats' litters live in the bathroom/laundry at the end of our narrow and small terrace house in melbourne, australia. there's not much room to separate the litter, so they're a few feet apart and very occasionally i've seen one use the other's litter.

my problem is with greg, no matter what i try, he regularly poops in the bathroom sink or the bath. he seems to understand the concept of litter, for peeing at least, because he uses it for that. he also poos outside in the backyard if he needs to go when i'm outside with them. i've taken him to the vet several times and they say in perfect health. i've tried the following, some of which have worked briefly, some not at all:

* four or five different types of litter
* adding soil or pine chips or twigs and leaves to the litter to simulate an outside-type environment
* filling up the sink/bath with water so he can't get in there
* deodorisers to clean the area of his smell
* fragrances to discourage him from going near the area
* different style litter tray ie covered/uncovered... large/small... different shapes... lined/not lined, etc
* placing him in the tray around the time he normally uses it and trying to encourage him, rewarding him if he uses it.
* i clean his tray regularly

there have been brief moments of success (he responded for a week or so to the replicating of the outside environment) before reverting to old habits. it's also really difficult to implement a lot of this stuff consistently because of work/other commitments.

obviously all this costs money and waking up to a sink full of crap isn't the best way to start the day, not to mention the strain it puts on my relationship with my house-mate. ugh

anyway, i don't know what else to try, so i'm just putting this out there to see if anyone has any ideas i haven't already tried.

thanks for reading this far. my cats are hilarious and awesome and currently pickles is on my lap and greg is sitting on my shoulders (!). perhaps he's reading what i'm writing.

please help! any ideas are much appreciated.

ps. sorry, should've posted this in the Q&A forum. please move it there if appropriate.

[special]

Hi! Welcome to pet lovers!

What does Greg do when you put water in the sink and bath to prevent him from using them? Does he then use the litter box to poop?

When you say you clean regularly, what do you mean? Do you scoop every thing out of the boxes twice a day?

Some cats want a separate box for each function. This is why the "rule of thumb" for cats and litter boxes is One Box Per Cat, Plus One More.

My first thought is to add another box and keep the bath and sink blocked off in some way for a few weeks while he gets used to using it. I understand that space may be limited, but I really think you ought to find a spot. How about a litter box in the tub? Then you just lift the box out when you want to use the tub?

Or double-decker litter boxes. I have my litter boxes on a platform and there is room underneath for another box. I bought a plastic shelving unit with four tiers and instead of stacking them all four, stacked two and two side by side to make a platform that holds 2 boxes with room underneath for two more, or supplies or whatever.

Or another box somewhere else in the house.

One other idea. Since you say he likes to poop outside, if you have a window that might work, would it be possible to build a small outside cat safe enclosure accessible by a cat door in a window, so he could go outside to do his business if he wants.

[Wiztherewoz]

Have you tried leaving an empty litter tray available for him? If he prefers cold, hard surfaces for pooping, maybe he'd go in it if there was no litter, or very little litter at one side. Or you could look out for an extra-large glass/ceramic baking dish to use as a litter tray, if that doesn't work.

Try laying something across the bottom of the bath/sink (when not in use obviously) that he won't like to step on, such as bubble wrap or upside down plastic carpet protector runner.

Good luck with the little darlin'. Welcome to PL.

[anok]

wow. thanks so much for the great ideas guys. i think perhaps the extra tray, maybe with a hard surface could be the go? having said that, i've put his tray in the bath and he's used it several times for pee and just pooped in it now so... fingers crossed. i wonder if it's the separation or the specific location. i'll keep spraying the go-away scent on the sink and see how it plays out. many thanks again!

[special]

Great idea on having the extra litter box be empty Heather.

anok, please keep us posted on how things are going. I'm glad he seems to like having his box in the tub!