Kitty Potty Training?
January 23, 2012 8:59 AM   Subscribe

How to make a litter box smell more like a garden?

I know this sounds backwards, but bear with me.

We have an elderly cat, Signy, who has long had an issue about peeing outside of her litter box. She'll go poo in the box, but not pee. Instead, she decided that the effervescing spot on the concrete floor in our basement was a good place to pee. She's been checked out by the vet, and no UTIs were detected. So I figure it's behavioural. We've been managing this behaviour with washable carpets and puppy pee mats, as she seems to like peeing on soft, flat surfaces rather than grainy or sandy ones.

We've recently had our basement renovated, brand-new wood floor down there, and tile in the laundry room on both floor and walls. Once the space is complete (very, very soon), the litter boxes will be moving to the tiled laundry room. But yesterday we found that she'd peed in one of the few spots in the basement where the smell of the old concrete is still there, the trapdoor to the water mains.

I know that the reno is stressful for her, and she's keen to mark the new room as "hers" and all, but I also don't want this to become a thing with her, that she pees on our new floor!

Added complexity: This past fall, she had a bad experience getting lost outside, and the vet has said, "no more outside for Signy". The trouble is, she ADORES the outside. Once the weather is nice, our flower and vegetable garden is her favourite spot to pee in.

Now that she's a wholly indoor cat, and trying to cope with a house reno, I've been thinking...what if I could make her litter box(es) as close to "garden" as I can? If it smells like her preferred place to go, she might be more inclined to pee there, rather than on wood floors or carpets.

Ideas? Experiences? Advice? Alternate ideas?

Oh, because of the prerequisite, our two cats.
posted by LN to Pets & Animals (15 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
I'd recommend a wheat or corn-based litter, or at the very least something with no perfumes. My cats hated the smell and feel of traditional scooping litter, but use the litterbox much more faithfully with plant-based litters. Also (though this is somewhat controversial) the plant-based litters are flushable!
posted by juniper at 9:23 AM on January 23, 2012


We surrounded the kitty litter pan on three sides with window boxes (leaving the wall side alone) and then planted various cat-friendly grasses and herbs. The easiest turned out to be oats and lettuce. We originally mixed a few cups of potting soil into the litter as well, tapering off over time. It seemed to provide the requisite appeal.
posted by carmicha at 9:24 AM on January 23, 2012 [12 favorites]


Have you considered getting a harness and leash for her? I know it feels incredibly silly, but my cat LOVES going out on his leash to pee.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:31 AM on January 23, 2012


Response by poster: Just to address the litter issue - we already use World's Best for Multiple Cats formula, which is corn based, I believe. But thanks for the suggestion!
posted by LN at 9:42 AM on January 23, 2012


What carmicha said borders on the most brilliantly genius idea ever conceived of by a human mind. I am considering surrounding my litter trays with window boxes now just for the sheer awesome factor that it would impart to my flat.

I was going to suggest trying alternative (i.e. non-clay, unscented) litters, but it seems you already have done this. Another trick is to get additional litter pans, find the places around the house your cat has been appropriating, and put litter trays over those spots. Yes, it can look very humorous to have a cat tray in the middle of the floor in your living room, but ask yourself whether you'd rather have a puddle of cat urine there and the idea suddenly becomes very reasonable. Eventually, over time, start scooting those boxes away from where you put them down and towards a more convenient location. Kitty should follow. If not, move them back, then eventually try again.

Also, though, seriously, plant a garden around your litter trays in window boxes. That is too epically fantastic not to do.
posted by labandita at 10:06 AM on January 23, 2012 [1 favorite]


Have you tried feliway? Also, what occurs to me (and is a bit of a pain) might be to try a small area with actual grass with the littler box either right in front or in the middle of it.
posted by filmgeek at 10:08 AM on January 23, 2012 [1 favorite]


We were using World's Best Multiple Cats for several years and had to switch back to traditional clumping litter. One of my cats, Lola, was also going outside of the box (multiple spots) but no issues since we switched back. We have three boxes (n+1, where n=number of cats) on the recommendation of our vet. Also, no liners and no hoods/covers (also vet recommendation). I've heard that Cat Attract litter works well when regular clumping doesn't. And if you're interested in leash-training, you can try the Met Pet walking jacket. We use a regular small-dog harness and leash but it only works well because Lola has no interest in escaping. She could probably work her way out of it if she really wanted to. Best of luck.
posted by mingshan at 10:08 AM on January 23, 2012


I came to suggest adding a little garden dirt to the cat litter, and getting an unscented one, what smells nice and outdoorsy to humans won't to a cat, but carmichas idea is way better than mine.

Also have you considered an outside run for your cat. You can get all sorts of outside cages for them for all sorts of budgets, you can even have cat doors/runs from the house going into them so your cat can still go outside to pee but be nice and safe. They are not super expensive and easy to build yourself or you can go nuts and build them a mansion depending on your DIY skills and budget.
posted by wwax at 10:12 AM on January 23, 2012


There is a type of litter called Cat Attract that is designed exactly for this purpose. Doesn't really smell like a garden, but has something in it that attracts cat to it. You could start with full-strength, and when the cat is regularly using the litter box start slowly mixing in your old litter until you're back to the old litter (or titrate more Cat Attract up if the cat doesn't like the mix). There's no harm in using the Cat Attract forever, it's just more expensive than regular litter so if you can eventually transition the cat back to regular it will be cheaper.
posted by Anonymous at 10:58 AM on January 23, 2012


Response by poster: Thanks for all your suggestions so far! It is the depths of a Canadian winter here right now and way too cold for teeny-tiny Signy to go outside. She'd catch her death, and she's never caught a thing in her life!

The window-box idea is a fantastic one, although I may modify it since our new laundry room has no natural light. But perhaps grass clippings from the cat grass upstairs or even some hamster hay scattered in the pan would have the desired effect.
posted by LN at 11:04 AM on January 23, 2012


To follow up on that, you can get a bail of hay for a few dollars at your local feed supply store. The hay sold in pet stores is 100x as expensive.
posted by zug at 11:09 AM on January 23, 2012


There's a product called "Dr Elsey's Cat Attract Litter Attractant" which is a mix of herbs (?) that you can sprinkle into whatever kind of litter or surface your cat likes. Supposedly it mimics the outdoorsy, gardeny, fresh earth and plants smell that makes a place seem like a good spot for kitty business. The company also makes litter with this stuff in it.

We've used the litter made by them, and it worked great. Haven't used the standalone, shake-into-your-own-litter product. But it's worth a shot.

(Also, if you know she doesn't want to use litter but wants a flat or soft surface, it seems like that's a good insight you can use to your advantage. Like, if puppy pee pads are working, stay with them. Better them than your new floor, or the laundry, etc.)
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:13 PM on January 23, 2012


I think the "Cat Attract" additive (it comes as litter, or an additive) smells quite earthy. It might do the trick.

Now I'm excited about putting plants around our litter box! Note: check the ASPCA's online database to check for plants toxic and safe to cats.
posted by amtho at 1:03 PM on January 23, 2012


Potty Patch, if it seems the texture of the grass is what interests her.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 2:57 PM on January 23, 2012


Response by poster: Just to follow up, we tried putting a puppy pee mat in a box with no liner, and lo and behold, Signy is now using the box.

Hallelluia!
posted by LN at 1:48 PM on February 1, 2012 [1 favorite]


« Older Unplanned Pregnancy   |   Density = f(Particle Size Distribution) Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.