I emailed you about 6 months ago about "Buster" and introducing him to the other kitties. I now have a new problem with him. He's the only cat I know who can't seem to clean himself after he poops!!!

He's about a year old now, long-haired and about 13 pounds already!!! I've spent a lot of time dunking his hind end in soapy water to get the stinky poop off. I have a Litter Robot, which has always been perfect till he came along! I've added a second simple covered litter box, but that hasn't solved the problem. Kitties are usually so good at cleaning themselves...why is he so different? Is it his size and hair length? Please help!!!

My second problem is with "Missy" who wont pee in the cat box...I finally got her to use puppy pee pads instead of the floor! What am I doing wrong? I'll enclose pictures of them both. Buster is the orange and white kitty and Missy is the white Calico (She's a polydactyl six toe!!) There are four kitties in all and they are all my sweet babies!

I appreciate any help you can give me.

Sherri
P.S. The Litter Robot was perfect for my four cats until Buddy died and I brought in Buster???)

Dear Sherri,

I turned to Cat Chat's behavior consultant "Dear Sally" since I am not a fan of automated litter boxes (and my research suggested neither are most cats!!) However, I have had listeners who swear by it, but I wanted to get Sally Bahner's thoughts since she tested cat products for years as editor of The Whole Cat Journal. It turns out that she too has misgivings about the product. She said, "Hmm...according to the website the Litter Robot (wicked cost: $300!) can accommodate large cats, but it looks pretty confining to me. She might try an open, larger litter box."

One problem with these boxes is that the cat cannot get in and out or turn around comfortably. Sally also raises the question of why feces are sticking to his hair?? She asks whether he is having diarrhea, which is not normal nor a sign of digestive health, of course. Sally points out that "if his poop was normal, his butt shouldn't be that messy. Diet change may be in order for that reason."

I also question whether he is overweight, since fat cats have a hard time reaching behind to clean themselves and being under-groomed is a well known fat-cat syndrome. Sally agrees that being overweight can lead to that situation, but points out that judging from his gorgeous photo he seems to be a Maine Coon-type or Birman-type cat, which means he can run 15 lbs. and be within a healthy weight. He seems to have a long coat, so Sally agrees that my suggestion of trimming his hair behind "is a good idea since longhaired cats may be prone to 'dingleberries.' Sally really does have a way with words!!

As far as Missy is concerned, with 4 kitties you need more litter boxes. The Cat Chat rule is one box for each cat and one for the house, which would be five boxes, all placed in different areas. The reason for this is that a cat like Missy may be getting ambushed and you may not realize that she is afraid to go to the box and get nailed by a fellow feline. What's in the box? Different cats like different "substrates" which means different feeling material under their paws. If you are using the puppy pads, try lining a box with them - some cats like that best of all. Sally also asks whether Missy and Buster are having "issues?" She would need more information about that to give a better diagnosis. I suggest that you might want to consider making a private appointment for a consultation with Sally - and then you would have an ongoing support system for continuing problem solving.

Good luck to you!
Tracie