#for context: our house has 1 downstairs bedroom and multiple upstairs bedrooms

[pinkys-plan]

My housemate used up an entire roll of toilet paper after coming home drunk yesterday and I'm actually a little fucking mad about itttttt. Like I get that I was for cleaning up puke and stuff but y'all. This house has a very specific toilet paper system AND that was one of those big rolls that has waaay more sheets than the average roll and it was literally a new one so when I say the entire roll I mean actually literally the entire roll.

Not to be petty but that was a downstairs toilet roll and he is an upstairs housemate. And I'm not gonna be, like, seething quietly abt it or holding it against him (it's more of an 'aw man, seriously?' type situation) but I just need to get the annoyance out of my system with this post

[fbwzoo]

hey! I have a male kitten around four months old. my brother has a four year old male cat. adult cat is neutered, kitten is not. they’re both indoors with a fairly big house, though both tend to stay downstairs (we have downstairs, upstairs, plus the attic which is accessible and also my bedroom. kitten goes up there with me during the night). my kitten is a bold, sweet, very playful and energetic kitten. he appears to like adult - likes to try to bump noses, rubs against him, trills - (1/?)

- and all that. he ALSO likes to try to play with older cat, such as batting his legs and pounding in his tail. Old cat finds him irritating and will generally wrestle him (doesn’t actually hurt him) when he’s had enough, and will return nose boops. neither show fear or anxiety around each other. for food, both get their own food at breakfast and dinner - additionally, older cat isn’t very food motivated. we have a big dog, too, but both cats like him and get along with him (2/?)

(btw this is context) food are both given downstairs. there are two litter boxes downstairs - one is he one we’ve always had for our previous cats, and irs only really used by older cat. other one we had to put behind a chair in the living room which my dad is mad about bc kitten kept peeing there. There’s a third litter box upstairs in my room. here’s the problem: kitten 1) doesn’t go up to my room to pee (hence peeing behind chair). he doesn’t go upstairs in general, it’s like (3/?)

he forgets it’s even there. I either carry him up when it’s nighttime or he follows me bc he likes being around me. Idk how to teach him to go up 2) I would, if possible, like to try to teach him to use downstairs litter box. I don’t know if it’s bc old cat uses it or if it’s out of the way, but he won’t use it and 3) even with new box downstairs he still sometimes pees on the hard floor, or on the couch, or on laundry. I don’t know how to stop this. I’d appreciate advice ahh (4/4)

Obligatory first response to urinary issues with a cat: check in with your vet. Let them know about the problem & see if they want to do a quick check up on him. It seems like this is more likely a box situation than a health cause, but it’s important to always rule out health issues when it comes to urinary problems, especially with male cats. Peeing out of the box can be a sign of a UTI, and those can become very serious very quickly with male cats.

That said...I don’t know how you’re going to feel about my other advice, but my best suggestion is more boxes. 

As it is, the minimum number of boxes that you should have is what you currently do have - 3. One for each cat, plus one. However, the space & different floors of the house figures into this as well, and with having it split up like that, you should really add more boxes. 

Since he doesn’t seem to go upstairs much on his own, focus on the main floor. I’m not sure if there IS a way to teach him he can go upstairs on his own, but honestly, I personally wouldn’t fuss with trying to do so. He’s still fairly young & it seems likely to me that he doesn’t go up on his own because he still wants to be around everyone else - he may feel safer around you & the older cat, or else it’s just more interesting downstairs with everyone rather than upstairs during the day. 

So back to the main floor. It’s also possible that one of the issues is the older cat guarding the boxes from the younger one, even if they mostly get along otherwise. Or it could be any number of other issues, like the ones you mentioned - other cats having used it, older cat being the one to use it, the location, etc. 

I would try to find at least one more place on the main floor where you can put another litter box. Give him options and accessibility - litter boxes nearby so that he has one to run to when he needs to go & doesn’t have to go out of his way to search for one. Spread them out so that the resource isn’t all in one area (which makes them easier for one cat to guard) and they can “mark” more of their territory. Make sure they’re open (no lid) so he doesn’t feel trapped & if you do think guarding or closed in spaces is an issue, try having the new box out in a more open place & see if it works better.

Another potential part of the situation - how often do you scoop the boxes? It might be worth ramping up how often you scoop them and how often you change the litter & clean them to see if that helps. Some cats are pickier than others about how clean their litter is and how much it smells. So even if the older cat doesn’t have a problem with it, it’s possible the younger one is more bothered by it. General rule of thumb is to scoop at least once a day. Changing out the litter entirely can depend on the box and litter type, IMO - clumping litters that don’t leave urine-soaked litter behind may not need to be changed out as frequently as ones that don’t clump well, for example. Likewise with cleaning the whole box - large litter boxes are less likely to have pee spots clump onto the plastic of the box, so they’re not going to get gross & need cleaning as much. 

If you’re still having issues even after adding another box or two in other locations, you can also consider the type of litter & see if he likes something else better. Another possible thing to try is Cat Attract litter, which has pheromones to let cats know “hey, pee here”. My partners have used it with one of their cats, I used it briefly with Ebony, and I’ve seen it recommended by multiple vets. So that might help remind your kitten where the right place to pee is!

Oh, and last note - make sure you’re cleaning up all of the pee spots with a cleaner that has enzymes to break down the urine. Cat urine can be hard to get rid of and they’ll often continue to pee on the same spot if there’s traces of urine still left. I think Nature’s Miracle makes a cat-pee-specific cleaner to break it down properly.

Good luck!