I got this from Janet on Long Island, who is feeling pretty guilty that first she accidentally locked her kitty out of the laundry room where his litter box was, and then just as accidentally spooked him in there while he was about to use the box. So here is her plight:
My cat used my bed for his litter box this morning. I will begin explaining some details from a few weeks ago. I have the litter box in our laundry room. It has been there for at least a year. Giovanni (the cat) has never had an accident in his 7 1/2 years with me. A few weeks ago the doors into the laundry room were closed for about one and a half days. We started smelling a foul odor and then realized what it was. I threw away the dog bed he was using for his litter box and everything seemed fine. Last week when he was going into his litter box I opened the washing machine door. Well he flew out and ran. I of course tried to comfort him but I have a feeling he is afraid to go into his box so he did his business on my bed this morning. I read chapter 7 in your book, THE CAT BIBLE. I feel horrible and definitely want to resolve this problem. What do you think? Please help!
(I have switched from kitty crack to Weruva food successfully for the last two months.) Thanks so much for your help!
-Janet, Long Island
Well this is a tricky one because once a cat is upset with another cat – or gets frightened by something – they can really hold a grudge or their fear. There are a few ideas that come to mind. The first would be to get a bottle of the Spirit Essence called “Trauma Free” which you can learn more about on my website, which links you right to their website. Putting a few drops of this on Giovanni’s Weruva (and congrats on getting off the kitty crack!) and also rubbing some on the inside of his ears. This may help lower his emotional issues about the laundry room. The next suggestion is to throw away the litter box and get a new one, which may not have that negative association (we don’t know how a cat’s mind works, but there’s a chance that his fear of the washing machine door and laundry room may also be connected in his mind to that specific litter box). You can buy an inexpensive under bed storage box and throw away the lid – many cats prefer it to the more costly litter boxes. I would definitely switch to Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract litter because it does what its name suggests. Lastly, there is the option of moving the new box – with the new litter – into a different space. I’m sure you must have thought of that – and rejected it – but at this point, anything is preferable to your bed! Maybe once Giovanni “bonds” with his new litter box, you can move it by slow increments back into that scary laundry room! Let me know if any or all of this helps! Oh! And also send me your mailing address so I can send you an autographed bookplate to put into your THE CAT BIBLE, inscribed to Giovanni.
Tracie
The Cat Bible
UPDATE:
Dear Tracie -Thanks so much for responding to my email! Fortunately, Giovanni is fine. I cleaned his litter box very well and bought Swheat Scoop litter. I also moved the box into our half bathroom off the workout room. I watched him very carefully for a few days and he went into the box after several hours. He has not had an accident since that day. Thank Goodness! I love your book and your radio show too! Thanks so much for sending the autographed bookplate inscribed to Giovanni!
Dear Janet – I felt terrible that I hadn’t been able to answer your email immediately and am so gratified that you figured it out for yourself! Self-reliance is everything and you applied empathy for your kitty and logic, the perfect combination (after all, that’s pretty much what I do, too!) Congratulations and Whew!
