Years ago, I used to have problems with my kitty, Kiera, not using her litter box to poop in. She almost always used it to urinate – I think there’s been a grand total of three times when she hasn’t.
In order to get her to use her litter box more regularly, I started praising her a lot every time she pooped in her litter box, as well as giving her treats.
I no longer have this problem. My cat always uses her litter box now. I changed her litter (Cat Attract, which she loves) as well as her diet. The combination of those two things changed her life.
However, she continues to want treats whenever she poops. She comes and announces to me every time she does. She’s a very communicative cat. She has a specific tone as well as a way of holding her tail when she’s pooped.
I do sometimes have problems with her not wanting to eat. Took a while to learn that she likes a different texture as well as flavor every time she’s fed. Plus, she gets tired of a food if she’s fed it too often. I regularly rotate brands, textured, and types – chicken, beef, fish. She gets fed wet food twice a day, with a sprinkling of dry. And treats, which I won’t put down until after she’s started to eat her wet food.
Yesterday morning I put down a type of food that she loves, except when she doesn’t. She turned her nose up, wouldn’t even go near the food dish.
Okay. Fine. I put the first serving into a container and into the fridge. Then I got out a second can, different from the first.
Still not going to eat. But she did spend some time looking at her treat bowl before she turned around and walked away.
At this point, I’m a little frustrated. I leave the food, go upstairs to do my usual routine, opening up the curtains and cleaning her litter box.
It was only then that I discovered that she had pooped.
She got a lot of praise for being a good girl, and followed me right downstairs. I put out some treats, which she started eating with her usual gusto. Then she pivoted and face planted in her regular food.
It appears that my drama queen performance artist of a kitty was throwing a hunger strike until she got treats for her effort.
As one does.
Kiera came to live with me in 2006. She’s a rescue kitty, and was at least a year old when I got her. This means she’s fifteen. I know she’s older in cat years, but she certainly acts like a teenager. She gives the most put-upon, teenage sighs, complete with eye-roll.
She’s happy and well. She doesn’t yet act like an old lady. I feed her good food (no grain.) I hide her dry food, as well as her treats, so she has to go “hunt” twice a day. She’s turned into a lap kitty, which is nice some of the time. (Makes it difficult to write the rest of the time!)
I missed her cataversary back in March. So consider this my ode to my constant companion.
