Kitty question..need some advice...

[one_voice]

A week ago a kitty adopted me. I've had him neutered, and got all his shots. I have two dogs. They're co-existing in the same room. With me watching. One of my dogs is still a little curious and will occasionally chase the cat. It's only been a week so I think they need more time.

Problem: Kitty's litter pan is in the basement along with his food. When I crate the dogs (not often) that's where their crate is. Kitty doesn't seem to want to go past the crate to get to the litter pan. If I physically pick the cat up and carry him down he'll eat and potty then run by the crate back upstairs, but he won't go down stairs.

My powder room is really too small for the cat's litter pan.

Advice on how I can get the cat to go down without me carrying him? At night I'm shutting him in the laundry room side because I don't trust he'll go down and potty and mess in the house. I bought him a bed and there's carpet on the floor so it's not like a dungeon or anything..

I really want it to work out, he's such a sweet kitty, but he has to go and use his litter pan...

[EFerrari]

1. Seems like a lot to ask a new kitty to deal with all at the same time.

Are you sure there isn't a place upstairs you could put the litter box for a while? You can always move it after the kitty and you and the pooches settle in a little.

[emilyg]

2. I second.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Or move the dogs.

[one_voice]

8. Hmm...I might be able to do this..

with some rearranging I might be able to move the dog crate, he'll still have to walk by but not directly in front of it..that might make a difference. I moved the dogs downstairs when my father in law was very sick and needed to stay with us. I've wanted to move them back up. But my son and husband turned the room into an office/exercise room. The dogs were originally in that room.

It's an open room with no doors to shut so I couldn't put the cat stuff there, no way to keep the dogs out. But I may be able to move the dogs back up. I'll have to see about rearranging the room.

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. I'm just thinking that sometimes once kitties learn that a spot is for going to the bathroom, they

will keep using it whether there is a litter pan still there or not. x(

So, yeah, move the pups around and lay out a trail of kitty treats every few feet from the point where he starts to freak out and see if you can get him to follow it to the box. :) (Also, a covered box is very helpful. Kitties do _not_ like it when anyone, even doggies, watch them do their business. LOL)

[one_voice]

6. I had it in the powder room 'till...

Thursday. But Remy (kitty) needed a bigger box that won't fit in the powder room along with his food and water. I had the baby gate up at the door so he could eat and do his business without the dogs bothering him. But there's just not enough room for his new litter pan and he needs the bigger pan. So I moved it to the basement put the baby gate up at the door so he doesn't have to deal with the dogs while eating and going to the bathroom.

There aren't any other rooms in the house where I can put his stuff that has a door to put a baby gate for his comfort. My upstairs bathroom is too small too. He has no issues coming from the basement back upstairs..just going down. He'll walk in front of the dogs upstairs to get a drink from their bowl of water but not to go to his litter pan.

I didn't have this problem with my other cat. I must be doing something wrong.

[blogslut]

9. Will a small shelving unit fit over the litter box?

Then maybe you could put kitty's food on a shelf, above the litter box, in your powder room?

Something like this?

[one_voice]

14. That might work...

I'll have have to measure. Thanks

[EFerrari]

10. Oh, it's just engineering, you're not doing anything wrong.

So the deal is, you need space to block off where the dogs won't bother the kitty, right?

[one_voice]

13. Yes, for the kitty's peace of mind...

The cat still isn't sure of the dogs. Though today, we had some really good moments. Remy was laying on the sofa (he's not afraid to do that with both the dogs a few feet from him) and one of the dogs came up and started sniffing..Remy allowed it for a few, but then batted at the dog and she turned around and walked away. I thought that was good. Another time the Remy was sunning in front of the slider and the other dog walked up and was sniffing, again Remy gave a few then ran. neither dog gave chase..that time.

I want the cat to be able to potty and eat in peace. Poor thing doesn't need a 65lb and a 100lb dog hawking him while he's doing his thing.

[EFerrari]

16. Gotcha. It's traffic control.

They'll work it out. The dogs just need to figure out the kitty is now part of the pack. I have a big dog and cats, too.

[Flaxbee]

12. did you have the other cat before you had the dogs?

where they all are in order of being brought into the family is important... if your other cat was there before one or both dogs, no doubt s/he felt safe and confident in his space. Remy is trying to integrate into an existing structure. You aren't doing anything wrong ... just give the boy some time. He's like the new kid in a big high school - trying to figure out how he fits in.

And drinking from their bowl is very different from using the litter box -- I tried to put myself in Remy's situation: as a human, I'd have no problem taking a drink even if someone else was watching me with great interest but I'd have a VERY hard time peeing or doing anything else similar if someone who had chased me before was watching me. Ya know? And hell, I hate going down into the basement ever since I was dumb enough to watch an episode of "Walking Dead". And I'm a grown woman, not a young cat. But I have no problem leaving the basement! :D

[one_voice]

15. Yes, I had my other cat before..

any dogs. He found and adopted me too. :-) And Buster (my other cat) was the boss of the house. :-)

That's why I'm limited on where I can put his litter pan, I'm trying to give him privacy and an area that he feels safe. The dogs have no way of getting to him the way I have it set up in the basement. Even if they stand at the gate and look in, you can't see his litter pan. I agree I wouldn't want someone who's chased me watching me potty either.

I like Walking Dead. LOL! My basement is finished, I have him on the laundry room side, but it has a rug and he has a nice bed-that he likes- so it's a pretty decent area for him.

I'm going to give it more time. Going to try and coax him down with treats, maybe some tuna.

[May Hamm]

18. Space problems suck but maybe you can work it out

I'm thinking for right now to bring the litter box back upstairs where it was. The food and water don't have to come with it. Kitty will find his food fast enough but if you mess too much with the litter box sometimes kitties have a difficult time adjusting.

If it were me, to keep from having accidents, I would temporarily have two litter boxes until you see if he will use the one downstairs on his own. Not two forever, just for a while.

This poor kitty has been through a lot this last week or two. A new loving home, car rides to the vet, had a traumatic operation, had to get used to two beasts and three humans and all the noises and smells and suspicious shadows. Life is moving a bit fast for him. Best wishes for all of you. Lucky kitty to find you. Lucky you to find him.

[applegrove]

17. That is a good idea. Once the cat and dogs have made their peace with each other

it is likely she will go by them to get to where she needs to be.

[Skittles]

20. CORRECT

[KT2000]

3. I third n/t

[janet118]

5. Try putting kitty litter box in bathtub until kitten is more . . .

acclimated to dogs and vice versa.

[Flaxbee]

7. yeah, give your sweet boy kitty a little more time...

and don't worry, I have relocated litter boxes all over my house and the cats do find them (but I do make sure there are boxes upstairs and downstairs .... So, what you could do is have his main litter pan downstairs, and then a second, smaller one upstairs.

Also, is there any way you can rearrange the crate and your new cat's litter pan so he doesn't have to walk by the crate? Or is that not possible with the space you have?

Cats really are very accommodating ... but they need to feel safe. It might take you a month or a little more for everyone to settle down, and as long as one dog is still play-chasing your cat, until the cat figures out his turf a bit more and feels safe, it's asking him an awful lot to go down into the area where the crate is on his own after less than a week.

You might need to consider logistics a bit more - long term rearranging the crate, the litter pan and food, etc.

[NuclearDem]

19. The way I did it with my cats

is to put them in the room with the litterbox for a few hours everyday for the first week or so, and they quickly figure out where they need to go.

It certainly is a lot for the little guy to get used to, but trust me, I've gotten two new kittens acclimated to a house with two puppies as well. :) They just need some time.