Posted by Fantasia on November 24, 2001 at 21:35:01:
In Reply to: Help with Cat problem please posted by Gumnut on November 11, 2001 at 21:48:13:
As an avid cat lover and owner of 5 at one time I learned reaaaaaaaaaaaal fast how to make a cat stop being gross and using my floor. This is not to say that any of the following ideas worked for all of my cats....but each one worked on at least one cat.
try putting black pepper in the carpet where the cat does his business after you have thoroughly cleaned his little treasure. Cats smell before they do it and pepper is offensive.
To rid your carpet of odors Nature's Miracle is good stuff. I also use something called Simple Solution (It is sold at Pet Smart). It is an enzymatic cleaner and destroys not only the odor, but the scent the sweet little kitties leave behind.
Lemon oil repels some cats as does any citrus scent. Not all cats are offended by citrus though, I have one who drinks orange juice (go figure)
Cats do not like sandpaper under their feet almost as much as they don't like aluminum foil. Cats do like plastic bags and/or wax paper. Both of those are bad ideas to put on the floor if a kitty is making business in inappropriate locations.
Cats do not like their toilet to be messed with. They want it clean and available only. Definitely go back to the original litter. We bought one of those stupid self cleaning boxes and one of my cats simply did his thing right next to it on the floor. The vet suggested putting his old box back next to the new one. Rotten cat would not use the new one....and a year later still doesn't.
Never put his nose in his business. It makes them mad and reminds them of where it is. If you can stand it relocate the stuff to his litter box and then bring him to the box and set him in it. He will smell himself and might relearn where he is supposed to be going.
Cats like privacy. If his litter box has been moved to a more visible area he won't use it. Sometimes its something this simple that makes a cat happy.
Last but not least, if all else fails, confine him in the room with the litter box all day/night. Cats won't eat where they potty..... they are above such behavior (at least in their minds). Leave water for him, but as soon as he eats breakfast its off to the potty room for the day. You may have to do this for a few days then try a day out and see what he does.
Hope some of this helps!