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fregflyer.
So funny! Your comment was: "the old man cat is thinking outside of the box".

More like: Stinking outside of the box. Lol.

I read up when my loved one had about 5-7 cats. Some cats need their own litter box. And yes, change or clean the litter box daily. Quite a big job if there are several cats. Even after the housekeepers left, there was poo behind the washing machine. There was a tool box just inside the back door, full of urine from an elder cat. And a dirty laundry hamper had urine on top of the clothes, after having the hamper there for 3 days. (Washer was in the open kitchen).

Pets are very sensitive to what's happening around them. And they are perfectly capable of expressing their anger or displeasure. If an elder is being abused or neglected, the pets will tell you by their behavior(s). imo.

I am not an expert, and currently do not own a cat or a dog, but have in the past. I would not have remembered the pumpkin solution that was recommended by my vet had it not been for Golden naming her kitten Pumpkin.

Tweety-bird says hello! 🐦

Yes, Golden. Sweet potato or yams are good too, and popular at my house.
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Send - from online "cooked, plain sweet potatoes can be a great treat for cats".
I think they are safe with it. Both have tried a little with no ill effects.

Apparently it is also safe for dogs. "Sweet potato is a safe, healthy, and natural treat for dogs, "

Agreed it must be plain - no sugar etc added.
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Plain pumpkin:
Plain Is Best
" When purchasing canned pumpkin for your cat or dog, stick to plain pumpkin with no added spices or sugar. Cinnamon, which is commonly found in pumpkin pie spice, is dangerous to dogs.
Fortunately, plain canned pumpkin is available in grocery stores throughout the year. What’s more, pumpkin for cats and dogs can also be purchased online and in pet stores these days—though it’s no different than regular canned pumpkin for humans, at least you can rest assured that it’s definitely dog-safe. Not only that, but it’s often organic, such as Weruva’s Pumpkin Patch Up! and Nummy Tum-Tum’s Organic Pumpkin." recommendations are from online, and also recommend asking your pet's vet.
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send - The litter boxes are for the cats! 😚
I have read that pumpkin is good to add to animal feed, I eat boiled japanese sweet potatoes which have a decent amount of fibre in them and both kitties have enjoyed a little bit of them. I think I will try a little sweet potato mixed in with their wet food and a little extra water. Thx for the reminder. It might work.
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PUMPKIN!
Feed pumpkin to your cats or dogs.

"1) Digestive Health: Pumpkin is a fabulous source of fiber for our furry friends, as well as for us. Pureed pumpkin (with no added sugar or spice) can help dogs and cats with both constipation and diarrhea. Adding a tablespoon or two (in proportion to their size) to their regular meal is known to help keep them regular. It can also help dogs and cats with indigestion or upset stomachs. 
2) Urinary Health: According to Veterinarians Laci and Jed Schaible, co-founders of VetLIVE.com, pumpkin seeds are high in essential fatty acids and antioxidants (good for overall healthy skin and fur), and the oils in pumpkin flesh and seeds are believed to support urinary health. They are also an excellent source of Vitamin A, beta-carotene, potassium and iron, and may even reduce the likelihood your pet will develop cancer.
3) Weight Loss: Dogs seem to naturally love pumpkin. If you are looking to take a few pounds off of your pooch or kitty, try reducing a portion of their food and replace it with the same portion of canned pumpkin. Their tummy will feel just as full, and they might even thank you for the additional flavor."
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AliBoBali,
The full moon was only thursday.......maybe your old man cat is
"one of those cats"
sensitive to the full moon? 🤣🐱🤣

Golden,
" I use a very fine litter in one box and silica crystals in the other. I haven't decided which one I prefer."
The litter boxes are for the cats, r i g h t ??? 🤔

Have a happy Saturday!

There is no explanation as to WHY this thread is filed under 'mental health'.
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Sorry I just read some of the thread and it was about cats. Did I mention we have cats as well? We have a 20 year old half Siamese who says mom (extremely smart) and a 7 year old cat. The 3 month old puppy has said mama twice. I bet she would pick up a lot of words if I teach her, she’s very smart too 😍 our 12 year old dog who passed never spoke but I did teach her to smack her lips when she was hungry. It was the funniest thing. Gave us lots of laughs. They are my babies...and they help with stress too
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Our beloved dog passed in November. So we now have this new puppy who is not potty trained... lots of work. yes my husband reminds me everyday what a mistake to have an aging father with dementia and a new puppy. Though I can’t argue with him, I needed something to fill the void. She’s the cutest little thing...loves to cuddle. I think she likes my father the best. She runs over to him when he comes in and wags her little tail. He’s happy we have another dog as he missed our other dog just as much as we did
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We add a bit of water to our kitties wet food. As far as litter boxes go I know cats don't like to poo anywhere near where they eat. Plus keeping the litter clean is very important. I clean ours once a day. One of my cats has big solid poos and the other seems to have very small dry ones. They eat the same diet so who knows. Different kitties, different poop I guess. :)
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golden, try adding a teaspoon of water to the wet food the more water cats get the better.
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ali - you got me thinking about my kitties. I find the odd bit of dry poop outside of the litter boxes, which are well used. I know Rocky produced the last one. She was not eating wet food but would eat the dried up bits of Pumpkins wet food. So the last couple of nights I am giving her fewer treats and I have given her some wet food as well as the usual dry stuff and she has totally cleaned her plate and then gone to lick Pumpkin's clean. I'm wondering if she was constipated.

One thing I earned this time around (no other cats that I have had have been bothered by it) is that the location of the litter box makes a difference to Rocky. She didn't want to use it when I had it in the closet in the cat room (door fully opened) so I read up on litter box problems and found changing location might work. I moved it to the other end of the room in a corner under the window and the problem disappeared. She likes it out in the open. What we have now is a different problem.

I bought them new litter boxes with high sides and hope these boxes will counteract the vigorous scraping that goes on. I use a very fine litter in one box and silica crystals in the other. I haven't decided which one I prefer. The fine stuff beats everything for odor control but it does tend to fly around more. I had a bit of an allergic reaction to something in the clay litter so that is out.

Oh the joys and trials of kittiedom!
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AliBoBali, that sure is a mystery that the old man cat is thinking outside of the box. My cat doesn't like the scented, nor the extra fine litter. I just wish he wouldn't shove all the litter to one side of the box :P

I noticed my cat [he's only 9 yrs old] likes leaves and grass. Well he ate most of the leaves off the inside fig or whatever tree. He tried the cactus and got a rude awakening. He loved grass, but growing it inside hasn't been easy as he pulls the grass out by the root.

One cat I had, she was 21 years old and had dementia. She couldn't remember where her litter boxes were, so I bought a lot of second-quality blue sheets and put them around inside where she would park herself, on the east side of the house which I thought was interesting.

Hope you can solve the mystery.
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Oh, man. I had some hopes that the laxative fixed the pooping outside the box but the past two days, it's as if my cat wanted to make up for lost time and pooped all around the living room area, and now it's not hard poop, it's soft poop.

Behaving badly, indeed. I am wondering if I clean the box every single day instead of every couple days if he would be better about going in the box. It's still a mystery to me.
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Glad, I think constipation was it, but in my cat's case he would poop regularly just that his poop was very large and very dry. This last time at the vet visit, the vet said he could feel the bulges in the cat's belly, and when he said that I figured it was time to try whatever they recommended, and it's pretty easy to try some laxative. It's a night-and-day difference in the cat's BMs now.
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So, Ali, did the vet say he was doing that because of constipation? My cat was doing the same a few times, then I picked up the rug that she was pooping on. That seems to have addressed the problem. Maybe I should try putting the rug back and if it happens again try miralax.
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Old man cat is now getting a small spoonful of powdered Miralax with every bowl of wet food. The vet mentioned it before but I thought he was ok, and why mess with an older cat and run the risk of really throwing his system out of whack, so I didn't start giving him laxatives.

Both cats had a wellness visit recently and the vet mentioned this again, to start giving him laxatives. I decided to try it and for first time in the three+ years I've had the cats, now the old man cat always poops in the box and never outside of it. I'm glad it's working and makes him more comfortable. I assumed he was pooping outside the box because of some mysterious medical issue but I would have never guessed I could fix the problem by giving him a little bit of Miralax with his food. :-)
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I had cats who hated when I did my nails.. Chloe only seems to hate the smell of oranges.. not lotion that smells of it,, just real oranges and cuties! And she will eat anything we are eating.. just not citrus
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Any one have a pet with an over-sensitive to smell nose? My cat doesn't like the smell of my tooth paste.... nor my mouthwash.... he was very offended by my new body lotion that he left the room [it's rose scented].... bathing, I haven't found a body wash he likes.... but he's ok with Mrs. Meyers cleaning products, maybe I need to use those on myself :P
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Pam,

My dog was mom’s best friend. Mom dearly missed him when we had to put him down.

We form such a deep bond with our fur babies!
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Chloe our puppers is missing Mom too. She is going up to Moms room every night at Moms bedtime and checking to see where she is. She also stares into the rec room.. no mom,, confused Chloe. The last 2 days I have been going and turning on the RR fireplace so it warms up, and I sit there and watch TV, make my Mom related phone calls and write the notes and thank you's I need to.. Hopefully she will adjust as we do.. it's hard on the pets when someone passes too. She was Mom's buddy, always with her during the day laying on the back of the couch.
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Spoiled rotten!!!

I have one who pulls the water bowl till it spills so I put it in the shower stall in the basement bathroom. She can spill all she wants there. I don't think that's where they drink from anyway! 🙄

My two don't jump onto the kitchen counter, thankfully. All my other cats have. These are smallish. One could but doesn't. She can jump onto the downstairs bathroom counter but only does when I am there. The other can't. She is a little round in the middle and can't lift off lol. 🐈🐈
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Gershun,

I want to be one of your cats! LOL
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Slightly spoiled? That's an understatement. :)
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Freq and Gershun,

Slightly spoiled? Hahaha 🤣
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FF your cat sounds like my two. They love roasted chicken and my one kitty always pulls out his water bowl and spills it all over the place (every day!)

Yah, gotta love cats. In fact my one kitty is so smart, when he wants food he climbs onto the book shelf or the kitchen counter or whatever and knocks stuff onto the floor. I learned the other night to never leave a glass half full of water on the kitchen counter cause I was startled out of sleep by the sound of breaking glass.

The little buggers!
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Speaking of picky eaters. My cat Jesse wants roasted chicken from the grocery store, the ones you bring home hot..... and I made the mistake of giving him some organic ground turkey that I had cooked up, well guess who is cooking ground turkey every week for that cat :P

Thankfully he like the Sheba containers of cat food, and he does eat dry cat food. But his water bowl, the water needs to be up to a certain height.... otherwise he will pull the bowl out so you will notice or step in it. He also does that when one of his dry food bowls is empty.

I tell ya, sometimes it is easier to just give in than try to change a cat !!
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We have about 10 feral cats living on our property. There are 2 I would love to bring in to be house pets. Of course they are the only 2 who will not come near me, even if I have the food in my hand! The others are at least friendly when we bring out the food. Cant pick any of them up otherwise!
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We have an inside/outside cat, and one of my friends hubs is terribly allergic. I tend to keep throw blankets on all the upholstered furniture because of the pet hair. Before they come over I toss all the blankets in the rooms they will be in into the washer. removes the hair and dander, and freshens the smoke smell out. He does OK here, I also think its the dander!
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Shell,
Yes, dH is the pickiest eater I ever met!

Here I am, sorting the seeds now, one by one. The shipment has not arrived.
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Golden, Send,
Isn't it funny, how animals can be as much as a picking eater as us?

I had my Socks baby for 16 yrs. She didn't like human food nor did she like wet cat food, but she sure loved dead flies, and fresh crickets! She would play with the cricket until she was ready to eat it. I always hated the crunching sound...yuck! Makes my skin crawl just thinking about it. But it made her happy and that was good enough for me!🐈🪰
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