Roommate does not take care of cats

by Anonymous

My current roommate has three cats, one litter box and had one food bowl when I first moved in with her. I quickly noticed that two cats were underfed and malnourished, while the other cat was extremely overweight.

I paid attention when she fed them, which was not regularly, but I noticed the bigger cat would be the first one to the bowl and would eat the whole thing.

I quickly started to feed them myself in separate bowls and timed feeding.

But the worst thing is the litter box. She goes weeks with out cleaning the litter box, and it SMELLS.

Before she left to visit her family, I had her clean the box and room so I could finally take care of it properly, but even with it being cleaned twice a day the cats still poop on the carpets in their room.

I honestly feel so bad for them, but they are ripping up her carpets I noticed, and staining the carpets as well.

Is there anything I can do while I'm still here? I'm moving out soon, but want the cats to be able to use their litter box properly before I leave.

Also any tips on how to tell my friend she needs to take care of her cats and maintain what I've done but not come off rude or harsh?

My thoughts: I'm sorry to hear about these cats. I appreciate what you're doing for them. I know a number of people who would call what your roommate is doing to these cats animal abuse.

I'm guessing you don't want to call animal control on her while you're still there, so you're in a tough spot.

The cats probably still poop on the carpets because to them, those spots still smell like a place to poop, and they're conditioned to using the room as their bathroom.

They're also obviously under heavy stress due to lack of proper care, and that alone can cause cats to stop using the litter box.

I'm assuming, of course, the reason they don't use the box is strictly due to improper care, a dirty litter box, and stress, and not due to a medical condition.

How can you help the cats while you're still there?

Perhaps you could take over the cleaning and feeding? It seems like you're just about doing that anyway.

You could set the example for your roommate. Maybe she'll catch on and learn to like a cleaner place. I'm sure the cats would like it more.

Does she care at all about the cats? If she doesn't then I'm not sure anything you say or do will help to change her behavior.

If she does care, and if you feel that educating her on proper cat care would work, then I would try to appeal to her better nature and her concern for the cats.

I would think about how you can communicate to her that what she's doing is harmful to the cats. That, in combination with leading by example, might be enough to get her to change her ways.

Plus, she can't possibly want to live in a smelly home, can she?

Even if you're not successful, I commend you for trying.

I hope that helps and I hope things don't fall apart there after you're gone.
-Kurt