Kika is rather particular about having her own litterbox(es), and refuses to use a litterbox shared by another cat. Frieda on the other hand is adept to the "if I fits, I sits, I shits" philosophy, and is totally OK sharing litterboxes.

That creates a problem: no matter if properly and regularly cleaned, the only one using litterboxes here is Frieda. We had, like, five of them at once; and Kika would still rather do her business on the patio.

How do I either teach Kika "it's fine to share a litterbox", or teach Siegfrieda "that's Kika's litterbox, leave it alone"?

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[–] Heavybell@lemmy.world 26 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Probably a dumb suggestion but… I know you can get cat feeders that will detect your cat's microchip and only let them in. I wonder if you could get a litterbox that uses similar tech to only open for Kika?

[–] ubergeek77@lemmy.ubergeek77.chat 15 points 11 months ago (2 children)

This was the first thing that came up in a search. Looks like there's a few sizes too:

https://meowspace.biz/product/meowspace-microchip-system/

It looks pretty pricey, but considering microchip pet doors on their own cost about that much, this seems like a cheaper option than DIYing some contraption involving a microchip pet door.

Look around for this kind of stuff OP! It exists!

[–] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

Op might need some electrical engineering but I'm fairly certain there's a homemade solution using an rfid tag on a collar.

[–] Today@lemmy.world 21 points 11 months ago (1 children)

When you find out, please please let me know. I have three cats, five litter boxes, and still everyday the one shits on the floor beside the box. I'm actually happy to clean up the poop because about every third day she also pees beside the box which is much worse.

[–] lvxferre@mander.xyz 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I'll let you know if I find a solution. Your situation reminds me my sister's cat though - he "used" the litterbox halfway (his front paws inside, his back paws outside), and then did it on the floor next to the litterbox. Might be worth checking if that isn't what's happening. (She solved it with taller boxes)

[–] Today@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

I've tried several different boxes and litters. We have five boxes but they all 3 want to use one. The problem kitty was my mom's. She would use the box, meow, and my mom would scoop it immediately. Instead of going to use one of the other four boxes that are completely clean, she poops on the floor beside everyone's favorite box.

[+] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 14 points 11 months ago (1 children)

[removed by mod]

[–] lvxferre@mander.xyz 17 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Even when cleaned, she still refuses it. I think that she smells "the annoying kid used this box, now it's ruined forever!". The only solution is to clean the litterbox with alcohol, retire it from usage for a few days (so she forgets about it), and then reintroduce as if it was a "new" litterbox.

As such I don't think that the auto-cleaning box would help either.

[–] atx_aquarian@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

I like the "private bathroom" ideas better, too, but, if you find yourself having to make a constant cleaning strategy work, after all, then on top of cleaning, perhaps try using something like Elimin-Odor after cleaning (if you didn't already try that) to specifically neutralize what she might smell? They claim it's designed to neutralize odors enough that a cat won't associate an "accident" spot with future bathroom eligibility.

[–] 0x0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 11 months ago

Try using a different brand of litter in Kika's box? If you're exceptionally lucky, you'll land on a litter that only Kika likes.

[–] s38b35M5@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Try training Kika to use the toilet? My Grandmother's cat was the same way back in the 80's, and my uncle (yup, he still lived at home in his forties) trained the cat to use their downstairs toilet. Problem solved.

Edit: we kids always tried to catch her doing it but never did, but wed see the evidence after the fact.

[–] lvxferre@mander.xyz 3 points 11 months ago

Thank you guys for all those ideas! Sorry for the late reply.

A few highlights on ideas mentioned here:

@0x0@lemmy.dbzer0.com's idea of testing different litters might work. Frieda used to be a street cat, so she'd rather use dirt or grass (or finer litter), while Kika was always a home cat so she prefers more typical gravel-like litter.
@atx_aquarian@lemmy.world mentioned odour removers. I didn't try them, I used alcohol instead. Got to try it too.
A lot of people mentioned smart systems that allow/deny entry for a cat based on the microchip. I gave those a check, and they're outright expensive here in Brazil. (Import taxes are specially harsh on electronics, plus cost of living is smaller than in Europe and CA/US so stuff like 100 euros or dollars is actually a big deal here.) I might want to try a poor man's version of that though, by not allowing Siegfrieda to access my bathroom at all, and placing Kika's litterbox there.

A relevant detail that I didn't mention is Kika's age - she's already 16, and cats get a bit stubborn when old (not that we humans are any different...). But I think that a mix of the solutions that you presented might work.

[–] QualifiedKitten@kbin.social 3 points 11 months ago

I see you mentioned elsewhere that automatic boxes probably won't be sufficient. While I generally wouldn't recommend a litter box that fully disposes of the waste automatically (because scooping the poop might be the first or only warning sign of health issues), something like the Cat Genie might help.

If Kika is willing to use an enclosed litter box, you might create a litter box enclosure using one of those pet doors that can be set to unlock only for specific animals based on their microchip or a collar tag.