We have two cats - they are a male and female, neutered, and littermates. They have always gotten along well and still do. They are indoor cats only.
The problem is that they view any open box as a potential litterbox. This behavior started about a year ago when we moved from Texas to Colorado. We had to home them with a family member until we got settled, and then they cam to live with us again. Ever since then, we can't leave a box open anywhere. Cardboard boxes or plastic bins, filled with toys or tools or papers... if it's open and large enough to hold a cat, it's a toilet.
We haven't been able to catch them in the act, so I don't know if it's both of them or just one. They have two litterboxes which are cleaned daily and always accessible. They don't pee indiscriminately on furniture or the carpet - it's always in a box of some kind. And it's always pee, not fecal matter. We're planning to take them to a vet to check for UTI, but since they are selective about where they go and it wouldn't be much farther to go to their litterbox, I don't think that's the problem; I think they're doing it deliberately to mark territory.
Any thoughts on how we can get them to stop? We have a toddler and I'm concerned for his health; I don't want him taking toys they've peed on and putting them in his mouth. We are on the verge of returning them to a shelter, but this kind of behavior will virtually guarantee that they won't be re-adopted, so it may as well be a death sentence. If it comes down to protecting my child, though, I'll have to do it.
Talk to your vet. You might have to condition them not to pee in open boxes. Maybe there's something you can place on the boxes to make them repel the area, maybe some kind of spray you can use. It will take some time to condition the cats to not pee on open boxes but eventually they'll learn that the litter box is the place to go.
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I thought about using some kind of anti-cat spray... I've heard a solution of orange extract can sometimes be effective. Thanks!
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