My situation with the cat does seem like a TV sitcom episode, doesn't it? All I need is an Urkel or a Kramer.
Towels, newspaper or a throw rug. Cover up the area, see if that puts him off it... Next step is to take him to the vet to see of there's a health issue in play...
Had this dog when I was younger that would crap on the floor. WE kept putting more and more paper on the floor, and finally one night I decided that papering hte whole floor and closing the doors would be a good way to stop the dog. Wake up next morning and I fucking swear -- this one spot where he must have accidently moved the paper while walking (and thus the floor was uncovered), that came to about 3 inches square as I recall, is where he shit. Sometimes pets don't get it. I'm not going to scroll back threw all the replies, but I assume someone has stated the obvious: put their shit in the litter box and make sure they know it's there. Close the door to the bedroom where he is shitting and new treats of rewards until he gets it.
Each of the cats -- the smart one and the stupid one -- has used one of the litterboxes now -- the one in the same location as the previous litterbox. Tomorrow I'll introduce cat poodoo from the first box into the second, so that they know that it is fair game if they want to use it.
So far the two-litterbox strategy has worked very well. Even the stupid cat seems to get the picture. Thanks again for the advice!
I know this thread isn't the most exciting thread to read, but I thought I'd update it yet again. Last night I cleaned both litterboxes, and this morning I woke up to discover that the stupid cat had crapped in the corner of the room again. When cleaning the litterboxes, I guess I'm going to have to put a small amount of cat shit back into each litterbox, so that the cat realizes that he's supposed to continue crapping in them instead of... on the floor. Stupid f&#*ing cat. Or perhaps stupid me for adopting that mindless shit machine in the first place.
Behavioral changes can take time. Be patient. It sounds like he's getting better, but do leave a little mess in the litter box for a while and gradually reduce it over time. Also, make sure that you're sticking with the same kind of litter. Don't buy something else because it's on sale. Some cats are finicky about the litter, just like they can be about food.
Are you kidding? This is the best thread. My cat is thankfully old enough now that sleeping, eating and going out twice a day for his ablutions is enough for him. You don't have kids yet do you? I'm really looking forward to that thread
No, I don't have kids yet. Is it that obvious? I'm getting married April 4, and there are plans for kids. We'll see what threads result from that experience. And hey, at least this thread doesn't involve relatives, unlike that 1000-post one.
^ Oh congrats on the wedding. Have a wonderful day. Oh and rest of life together I was going to say that at least you can reason with children, but nope you can't! And also say that they don't crap everywhere but... Oh well Good luck with that! Hopefully you won't end up wishing you stayed just with the cats LOL. And your thread is a great balance of angst and humour and no scarey relative issues!
As much as I've complained about the cat, I'm too much of a softie to get rid of the critter -- at this point, anyway. About an hour ago, the cat was laying on my office chair, and I needed to sit there in order to work on an MBA essay. Did I tip the chair until the cat jumped off of it? Eventually, yes, but I tried sitting on the edge of the chair for about 15 minutes, so as not to disturb the fuzzy little carpet stainer.
^ I hear that. The Squeak decided that he would like to take over my armchair. Boyfriend was very amused to find me sitting on the floor, reading the paper and watching tv whilst fat cat purred in comfy satisfaction. If someone can explain why we love these pain-in-the-asse beasts please let me have the answer