Help with cat behavior
Hi, I seriously need help with my cats!
I have 2 cats and I have 2 litter boxes. I know the rule is 1 per cat plus 1 but I do not have the space for a third. I don’t live alone and I have one in my bedroom and one in my attached bathroom. My cats refuse to come downstairs past the dog so I can’t put one in the basement and the other bathrooms aren’t mine. A while ago they started pooping outside of the litter box. Like, right outside of it. I would clean it up and then immediately scoop the litter thinking it was their way of saying it was too dirty. I already do this daily. Then I noticed they would poop on the floor immediately after cleaning the box. I completely empty both boxes every 2 weeks. Occasionally I take them in the basement and completely clean them until I can’t smell anything. I know cats have stronger sense of smell but it should be better, right??
No matter what I do, poop on the floor. My cats are well taken care of. Fed, given a constant supply of water via a fountain and clean and replace the filter often and they get plenty of attention and sleep in my bed with me. I was moping my floor DAILY because of this and shampooing my carpet once a week. Then the peeing started. I used to have a problem with them peeing in my laundry basket. Easy fix, I got one with a lid and it stopped. Don’t leave clothes down on the floor or they’ll pee there. Then they started peeing in my shower. I tried the citrus sprays that are supposed to drive them away, doused my shower curtain in it. Didn’t work. I grew tired in the last two weeks of bleaching my shower EVERY DAY so I started locking them out. This means they only have access to one box now, which I know is less than ideal but I was trying to change behaviors starting with the pooping in my room. One sprayed my TV stands soaking my games and my nearly my expensive consoles and now one is peeing directly outside my bathroom door. When I shampoo my carpet I use the stuff that removed pet stains and smells and is meant to deter them from doing it again.
I have taken both to the vet multiple times and there is nothing. I cannot afford to take them again just to get no results. It is 100% behavioral and I need HELP to fix it. I could spray them with water but they do it when I’m away or sleeping. Never in front of me. I don’t know what to do and I do not want to give them up. When my sister was visiting they broke into the guest room to pee in her suitcase. It’s out of control. It started way before I brought a dog into the house as well. Please, give me everything you have, any trick you can think of because I can’t take this anymore.
