Kitty problems

United States
February 13, 2007 9:16pm CST
I adopted a stray cat (before it went to the shelter) May of last year and recently (December 06) she started going into heat. Her heat time lasts about 5-7 days and it's happened twice a month. For my question, rather problem...my cat is in heat again and now she's taken to using the bathroom almost every place BUT the litter box. I thought maybe there was too much mess in it, so I cleaned it out and she was still not using it. So then today I added fresh litter and she's still not using it. Any suggestion as to why she won't use the box anymore and what I can do to correct her habit of not using the box?
2 people like this
9 responses
@not4me (1711)
• United States
14 Feb 07
She could be pissed because she can't go outside and get some lol. She could also be doing everything she can to leave her scent all over your house. We had a kitten who went into heat twice before we got her fixed. She would actually spray like the male cats do although it didn't smell bad like un-neutered cat urine. I would suggest taking her in to get spayed. Once she was fixed all of her bad behavior stopped. Besides, if she does happen to get out, the past thing you want is to come home from work one day to find a bloody mess of kittens and afterbirth under the comforter of your bed. Trust me, I learned this lesson the hard way with my first cat about 7 years ago. I was almost flattered though...
2 people like this
• United States
14 Feb 07
funny thing...we used to let her out on a leash like thing, but then she got up a tree and now we don't let out her anymore. It's been a few months since she's gone out.
1 person likes this
• United States
14 Feb 07
I did some research for ya online..and I found a bunch of information that you might like to check out..I did find however that females in heat spray and wont use the liter box while they are on heat..more reasons to get her fixed..and She might be under some kind of stress...i didnt know cats had stress lol..or she might not like where its located at..they like peace and quiet and privacy..or in fact she hates the kind of litter ya have..maybe too perfumey..or even health problems.,her not using the box could be a sign she isnt happy and soemthing is wrong and its her way of telling you..heres the link i found among others i used..lots of luck!! http://www.futurepets.com/trivia/cats-catboxproblems.htm
1 person likes this
• United States
8 Mar 07
hey thanks alot for BR!! ya made my night:) and im glad i was some help to ya:)
• United States
14 Feb 07
that helps a lot! thanks!
1 person likes this
@Island_Geko (3759)
• Canada
14 Feb 07
Why did the shelter not spay her? You may want to check your home to see if she is using walls, corners, or any objects to mark her territory...
1 person likes this
• United States
14 Feb 07
We got her before she went into the shelter. Basically, my sister's kids left the door opened and my first cat got away. Getting an animal from the shelter was like 60 bucks (fixed and with shots) and my sister couldn't afford that. as we were leaving someone was coming in with a box of kittens (maybe about 5 weeks old) and they said I could have one. I picked the one I wanted, and hadn't gotten around to getting her fixed.
1 person likes this
@pondadog (101)
• United States
1 Mar 07
Well...I would get her fixed at the first opportunity or sooner...that should hopefully fix your problem...
1 person likes this
• Canada
1 Mar 07
Of all the places she prefers to go, find the place she uses the most frequently, and put the litter box there. Maybe her problem, and this may sound strange, is with the location of the litter box. I'd also look at getting her spayed.
1 person likes this
@bkfuels (1603)
• Canada
23 Feb 07
When cats go into heat they do some strange things. Some are worse then others one of my females will pee on my bed. I have seven cats so I know behavior is different in all cats,most of them a perfectly normal except for the whining. If I were you I think I would have her fixed this should correct her behavior it did with my male.
1 person likes this
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
23 Feb 07
She's not using the litterbox cause she is marking her territory and letting any males that happen to come by know she is ready to mate. Getting her spayed will solve your problems.
1 person likes this
@Calais (10893)
• Australia
15 Feb 07
She is marking her teritory, get her spayed because its only going to get worse. There is nothing that you can do about it, get her spayed ASAP before it is too much of a habbit for her, once she is done it will still take a few weeks for the hormones to settle down.
1 person likes this
• United States
14 Feb 07
I had a female cat like that before I had a chance to spay her. When she went into heat (which my vet said can usually last a month) she was urinating all over the house. When she wasn't in heat she used the litterbox. The vet said females can do that when they're in heat, they are marking their territories like male cats who are not fixed. Once I got my female spayed she always used the litterbox again. You should have her spayed and the problem should go away.
1 person likes this
@Myrilia (209)
• United States
14 Feb 07
Yes, please, get her fixed. You'll have a happier, and quieter, cat.
1 person likes this