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Expert: - 12/19/2009


Question
Hello,

I have recently been forced to switch my cats' litter, as it is no longer carried in my area.  I was using Cat's Pride clumping flushable litter.  I have since switched to Swheat Scoop.  I transitioned them by doing half and half in between.  I have two cats and my 2-3 year old has started leaving us presents (of both kinds) on our couch/bed (we use a couch for the bed).  We keep the box very clean.  At first we thought it might be emotionally triggered by jealously regarding attention to our other cat, but it has only progressed further even after we have made constant notions to show him as much love and attention as possible.  My boyfriend gets really upset with him when he does poo or pee on the couch.  He did it twice today within 12 hours - once while we were sleeping and again later this afternoon.  My boyfriend punishes him as you would a dog, but I am aware that he does not learn this way.  I am at a loss of what to do.  Should I give a different litter a shot?  I just wish the old litter was still available.  Thank you for your time and your help.  

Answer
Well you are right- the only thing the cat learns is that your boyfriend is a mean person. You cannot punish a cat for this as they only start to do things like this when there is a problem and they are trying to communicate it to you.

Switching litter for some cats is a really big issue. What I would do is get something as close to the old litter as possible. The new one is made with wheat hulls and many animals have allergies to wheat. Get another clay based litter-even plain old Johnny cat brand is closer to Cat's Pride than this stuff.

There isn't much else you can do but that. There are some citrus products that will be some what of an adversion to most cats but not all cats or always.

You can locate some more of the cat's pride via their website here:

http://www.catspride.com/litter_scoop_scoopable.php

So unless you live in timbuktoo I think you can probably find it somewhere.
In the meantime, tell your boyfriend that punishing animals is against the law and considered abuse.  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

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PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

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Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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