does anyone ever have trouble training your pets? not really the training to every command really, but the simple things like house breaking them?

right now, i'm have trouble re-training two of my cats to use the litter box. a few months ago, we had a kitten who wouldn't use the litter box. so, she was left outside with the feral cats (it wasn't bad since one was her mother). now, she uses the litter box with no problems. but now, my two older cats (one is almost 3, the other is a year and a half) won't use the litter box any more. the younger of the two goes poo right outside the box, the other, she keeps peeing on the baby's changing table. i've been trying to get them to use the box, but it isn't going well right now. i think the reason they're doing this tho is cuz they're jealous of the new baby.

so, do any of you have problems like this? do you have any suggestions of what to do about problems like this?

I don't know much about this problem as the cat I once had came to us trained and we never had such problems but try lookinh at some of these places:
Litter Box Training, Housetraining and House Soiling, Cat Training, Behavior and Psychology
Cat Litter Box Problems | A Guide for Cat Lovers
Cat Litter Box Problems

These sites looked very informative to me, all I did was search 'cat litter box problems' on the Bing search engine. Hopefully these will help you some.

Well, I kinda have the opposite problem with my cats. They're both indoor/outdoor cats, so during the day they can go do their business outside. We have a litter box for them for nightime use and that's it. The older cat never uses the litter box and always goes outside, however the younger cat keeps using the litterbox, despite it being day, and her being able to go outside.. We're trying to not make her use the litter box during the day, but she's a bit thickheaded.. haha :sweat: hopefully she'll stop soon..

There's a product called Feliway that is awesome.
Petsmart.com
Also when you clean the urine up you have to use a product that removes pheromones other wise the cat will keep marking in that area. If they are not fixed then they will mark.

If that does not work I would take the cats to the vet. Going outside the litter box can be an early warning sign of health problems like urinary issues and kidney issues. Talking to your vet can also correct behavioral problems too.

Keeping the box clean and in a quiet stress free area also helps with them going outside the box. A common problem I hear is that people do not allow the cat enough litter boxes and they expect them just to go in one and only one box. Having one box per cat plus one extra normally is enough. Some cats don't go in boxes that are covered while others will not go unless it is covered. My Maine coon will not go in small litter boxes.

In short, there's not much information given and there are so many reasons why cats go outside the box. It's not a matter of "retraining" them because it is a natural behavior for cats to go in the box and you don't have to "train" them to begin with.

I have no idea how to train cats >.> I have never had one,

but I have a similar problem with my dog... Shes 2 years old and I rescued her from the pound, she will go in the house if you dont let her out right away in the morning or if we leave.... we always come back to a pile or spot on the carpet

I tried the basic potty training on her but it doesnt work.... sometimes she will go a month without doing it but then the next month she will do it alot...

I dont know how to train her out of that habit she doesnt go if I put her in the kennel but I hate putting her in there unless I know I will be home within an hour....

and I do have a fenced yard... but shes a sneaky dog who climbs our 6 foot fence so I cant leave her out there and come home to find my dog either ran away or something even worse =( luckily the only times I ever tried leaving her in the back yard I was home in time to find her running around the neighbors yard...

I've never had any problems with cats using the litter box. Usually they just know they are supposed to use it, because they instinctively bury the mess once they go, so as long as there isn't anywhere else for them to dig, like potted plants, they'll usually go right to the box. I'd suggest getting a book on training them though, since they apparently aren't doing that. You have to use punishments and rewards to teach them to do what they're supposed to. Like you might want to squirt a little water at them or something when they go in a place other than the box, and give them a treat when they do use the box. But a book would probably help you with it more in depth.

yeah, i wish my cats would do what our kitten does. she uses the litter box, but she also goes outside to do her business. altho, i'm trying to get her to stop going outside cuz she's discovered that going outside the fence is fun...>_< but there is one cat that my parents have that, he'll use the litter box at night, but during the day, he usually goes outside. what's annoying tho is, if he's irritated while he's inside during the day and wants to get attention so he can go out, he goes up to my parent's bedroom door and marks it.

My oldest cat used to do it outside of the box, often hidden behind furnitures. He didn't like to do it in front of other, and we didn't have the money to a coveret box, so we just moved it behind a chair, and he did it :) Then our newest cat once pee'd in the sink, because there weren't enough sand in the box, but he's smart enough to pee were it would be easy to clean :P Maybe you should clean it more often? I don't know how often you do it, but they like a clean box :D
Is the box somewhere where you often walk by? When you see the cat is making ready to do it outside of the box, walk over and put him in the box. Make sure he can't run out of the room, to do it somewhere else, and just keeping putting him in the box, if he's about to do it.
Is the baby's changing table in the same room as the litter box? Maybe you should move it, and close the door to the changing table.
Oh, and don't put food near the litter box XD They don't like to pee where they eat, or eat where they pee~

Hope your problems will be solved <3

well I'm a new bunny owner, and he WAS litter box trained, but for some reason he poops around his cage and sometimes on the floort too.. :3

but he's only been here for two weeks.. he's the cutest bunny ever < 3

Yup... loads of problems... why? Because I have 4 cats, all are related... and they don't like to listen... ever...
We also have a cat that pees next to the catbox sometimes.. and sometimes even outside the bathroom... but we can't stop her unless we can catch her =.=

i know one of my cats used to go behind the tv, but i also know it was cuz she was upset at me for leaving her for 2 weeks for vacation. at least now she's using the litter box.

I've always had a cat, or three, in my life and it is hard to fix potty problems, but not impossible. You do need to try to figure out the cause to solve it. If your cat is declawed that could be the reason s/he goes outside the box. The litter hurts a declawed cats feet. Also, like others have said, cats need a clean box in a private area and if you have multiple kitties you probably need multiple pans, although, two cats usually will share. There are different kinds of litter you can use, too, and some cats have a preference. If you use clay litter you could try scoopable or something like Cedariffic, which is very fine wood shavings.

If a cat pees somewhere you don't want them to go, you must clean it with something like "Nature's Miracle". If the cat is using the changing table you need to wash the linens and the wood. Nature's Miracle (there are a few other brands, too) is an enzyme cleaner that will remove the scent from the stain so the cats don't smell it and think that's a good place to potty. If you are trying to discourage a cat from a certain area, you can temporarily feed them in that area. They won't pee where they eat and sometimes if you break the cycle of the bad habit with cats, they forget about it and don't do it anymore.

Another thing to keep in mind, indoor/outdoor cats have more potty issues than if they stayed indoors all the time. They also have more health problems, too, but that's not the topic. Well, I wish you good luck. You can do it, so don't be discouraged. Cats are tough, but not impossible to train. :)