Ever since we adopted our cat, she always has peed on the edge of the litterbox. This was ongoing for 6 years. On a whim, I bought finer litter and she stopped this behaviour immediately. Just thought I’d share.

  • El_Scapacabra@lemmy.zip
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    1 month ago

    Huh, one of our cats does this too, just sticks her butt out the entrance and opens the flood gates. She’s not showing any signs of medical problems so we’re kinda stumped. I’m going to buy finer litter and see if it helps!

    • greatwhitebuffalo41@piefed.social
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      1 month ago

      Mine started this and then slowly over months started peeing in my shower and in front of the litter box. Turns out she has arthritis in her back (she’s about 20 now!). So days when things hurt more she would find alternate ways to pee. Now she’s on a shot for the arthritis and no more peeing where she’s not supposed to.

      The other cat though, he just enjoys being half in the litter box. He’s a little bit weird though.

    • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Cats don’t like their tails touching anything when they go. So if you have an enclosed litterbox where the only way cat doesn’t feel like their ass is confined and touching stuff, they’ll stick it out the door. So you can try taking the lid off, or try taping a washcloth over the opening blocking 1/2 of the top so that the cat butt will touch that in hopes that this is more disagreeable than just being all the way in the box.

    • aramis87@fedia.io
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      1 month ago

      We had a cat who liked to adopt a wide stance that always ended up putting her tail off the edge, so we got her a larger litterbox and that problem ended. Another time, we had an old cat that started peeing outside the litterbox. We had her checked for medical issues (UTI, diabetes, etc) and none of the usual suspects. But she did have arthritis. So we got a slightly larger box with a really wide but really low front lip so she could get in and out easier. The problem stopped immediately.

      • El_Scapacabra@lemmy.zip
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        1 month ago

        Yeah, I actually wondered about arthritis because my previous cat had that problem. But this cat is just 2 years old and she’s not showing any other signs of having mobility problems so I don’t think that’s it.

    • Reyali@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      My girl was doing this. We started her on Solensia for arthritis and it stopped immediately. Turns out it was hurting her to squat down.

      • Dozzi92@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        I need to talk to my vet about Solensia (I sound like a commercial). My cat will be 15-16 in November (don’t exactly know, we estimate he was 2-3 when my wife ripped him from the streets), and the vet thinks he’s got some arthritis, and he’s definitely slowed down a bit, and has trouble cleaning certain spots on his fur, which has led to matting. They gave us a pill that we could open and sprinkle on food, but he hates it, even when I cut the dose in half, then in quarter. Refused entire meals because of it. I’d never heard of Solensia, but the idea of a monthly shot is intriguing, so worth the conversation.

          • Dozzi92@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            Ha, I’ve got a friend who works for Zoetis and he’s pointed me in that direction. He also shows me what the cost of all these medicines are, And it hurts a little.

        • Nefara@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          Pilling a cat is a skill but one worth learning. I had two elderly cats who each needed pills and both hated it in their foods. I hold the kitty in my lap, pull back their head and poke a finger between their front teeth and release the pill down their throat. Then stroke the throat gently and release, and give them a high value treat right away. First time is rough but it gets better and becomes routine for everybody. If the cost ends up being a big difference it’s something to consider