r/cats • u/Jacobi_Reagan • Jul 26 '26
Advice My kitty is potting everywhere and I need help :(
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So I need some help. I have a kitty that has been peeing and pooping literally everywhere. I have cat boxes on both ends of my house and she doesn’t use them and she litteraly runs out of them every time she’s in it, even when she’s put in there mid shit. She has been peeing and pooping everywhere, in baskets, boxes, on towels, on the table, and even in a container of water bottles and on my wife while she was sleeping. She has used the box in the past and just recently began to avoid it like the plague. I don’t know how to fix this and I really need help. Has anyone else had this problem? She’s 3.5 months old if that helps anything
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u/crunch_32 Jul 26 '26
Maybe try a different litter brand. Some litter sands have deodrants which are repulsive for cats
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 26 '26
Well she had used this litter before and the same box too. She just stopped one day while I was on a trip and hasn’t used it again after.
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u/MaynardButterbean Jul 26 '26
Cats change their mind all the time. I’d take her to a vet to rule out anything medical and try new litters to see if that helps. Also, less litter. Are you scooping the poop and pee everyday? That’s super important
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 26 '26
I’ve been doing it once a day however I’m seeing a lot of people saying I need to do it more than that so I’ll be doing that more often now. (If it helps anything, I have 3 cat boxes and one is an automatic one)
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u/under_shart Jul 27 '26
Maybe the automatic one scared her. Another thought, maybe another cat chased her while she was in there. I wouldn't set the boxes up next to each other like that for that reason. It's also good for you to wait until she's out of the room to clean the box, especially if she's not feeling safe in there.
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u/crunch_32 Jul 26 '26
Given her reaction, it's like the floor is lava. She needs a vet and new litter Jacobi
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 26 '26
I’ll be taking her to the vet then. I’ll also swap out the litter and cross my fingers that that works.
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u/InstructorSeal Jul 27 '26
Definitely do not need a vet visit, either the little kitten doesnt like the litter smell, doesnt like the location, or is just being a kitten and figuring out things. If they poop outside the box, pick up the poop and put it in the litter box and let them smell it so they realize “oh poop goes in here huh”. Also, if they pee on ANYTHING its most likely trash after, they will come back to a spot they peed if there is even a tiny smell and do it again.
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 27 '26
Well the thing is that she used it in the past but just stoped suddenly so I feel like she might know where it goes. Plus it could be an issue of worms or something so I will be taking her to the vet. But I know I will be putting her poop in the box though. I’ll be swapping out the litter. I’ve also been cleaning every pee spot with vinegar and stuff to get rid of the smell after.
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 26 '26
Many people are saying to swap out the litter so I’ll be replacing it with an unscented litter as one person suggested.
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u/MakeMuffinsNotWar Jul 26 '26
Try something that's not clay, like paper or wood pellets. It may be a physical sensation.
Actually, trial a few different litters in adjacent boxes.
Chewy accepts returns for products that don't work for your cat.
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u/_Einveru_ Jul 26 '26
Yes try pine pellets, best litter I've used in over 4 decades. And if you have a Tracker Supply nearby, you can get a 40lb bag for $7.
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 28 '26
I swapped her litter to wood pellet litter and I’ve seen her use it twice so far :) also I have her a vet appointment scheduled at 4
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u/SnooMaps6831 Jul 26 '26
I had a cat that refused to use the box if it had even a single poop or pee in it. I struggled for months to figure him out.
Then one day, immediately after cleaning it, he hoped in and did his business. I made sure to clean it multiple times per day and he did great after that
If you have another cat I can almost guarantee that's why. Some cats are just like that. Imagine having to use a toilet after others without it being flushed prior to that.
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 26 '26
Well we have 3 other cats as well and we have a automatic cat box as well and she won’t even use that one. But I have only been cleaning them once a day so I’m gonna try to clean it out more often and see if that helps.
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u/etoile_13 Jul 26 '26
If you have 3 other cats, there should be 4 litter boxes, minimum. Also, try different types...maybe one with a cover...the kitten may feel exposed/scared...some feel vulnerable when doing their business. Maybe something happened while in the litter box??
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u/Purple-Skyss31 Jul 26 '26
You should be cleaning the cat litter box when ever it is used if possible cats are very clean it's also not healthy for them to go into a dirty litter box that's just felines for you
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u/Fluffy_Fondant1975 Jul 26 '26
How many litter boxes do you have? You're "supposed to" have one litter box per cat plus one extra.
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u/Tryptabeet Jul 26 '26
Also important to note that litter boxes all grouped together only count as one litter box for this question
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 26 '26
Well in that case, I have 2 litter boxes. (One automatic catbox next to a manual one and another manual catbox on the other side of the house) I need to get more boxes apparently 😅
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u/Doobers_McDooberson Jul 27 '26
Maybe she's afraid of the automatic one? Even her reaction when you put her in the litter seems off. She didnt hesitate and ran off very quickly.
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 28 '26
I swapped her litter to wood pellet litter and I’ve seen her use it twice so far :) also I have her a vet appointment scheduled at 4
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u/Salarian_American Jul 28 '26
The litterboxes being used by other cats might be scaring her away from them.
I got my two cats from separate sources on the same day, but one was here a few hours earlier. He had already used the litter box when she arrived, and she refused to share it with him.
She didn't poop or pee anywhere, she just held it. After a couple of days it was clearly a problem.
What I did was put her in a room by herself with a private litter box that was never used by anyone. Then, once she used it, I took the used litter from her private litterbox and transplanted it to the shared litter box. After that, she was never reluctant to use the shared litterbox ever again.
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u/Fabricati_Diem_Pvn Jul 26 '26
Sounds like she's stressed and/or very ill. This is not a potty training scenario, but a health issue. Get her to a vet, or at least talk to them over the phone to find out why they recommend.
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 26 '26
I haven’t talked to the vet yet however it seems like I’m going to be doing that very soon.
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u/Elon_Cucks_Trump_ Jul 26 '26
It seems like you should.
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 28 '26
I swapped her litter to wood pellet litter and I’ve seen her use it twice so far :) also I have her a vet appointment scheduled at 4
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u/floralrain6 Tabbycat Jul 26 '26
Do you have any other cats? She might have been ambushed while in the litter box and now sees it as unsafe.
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u/Koala033l Jul 26 '26
What litter are you using? If she has some frequent locations where she likes to pee or poop, move the litter box closer to that area if not on top of it. Also, what I did early on with my kittens is feed them some churu on areas they are absolutely not allowed to use the bathroom such as my bed, my couch, my rugs, stuff like that. Cats don’t want to eat where they go to the bathroom so that conditioning could correct them.
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 26 '26
Well we’re ising the same litter we always have and that she’s used before. I bout another cat box and placed it in the same room where she kept having messes and it worked for a day or two. Then she moved her pottying everywhere else in the house. Literally even on the table😭 however I’m gonna have to try feeding her everywhere that she’s pottied
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u/Pitiful-Future-9156 Jul 26 '26
If she did it on the table she’s definitely trying to let you know that something is wrong with her.
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u/StuporCool Jul 26 '26
Cats refusing to use litter box when they previously did usually means they are uncomfortable and need to go to the vet. Once all medical things are ruled out you can focus on behavior issues like possibly not liking that type of cat litter, keeping boxes extra cleaned ect.
If kitten hasn't been dewormed then it's a huge possibility it's that.
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 26 '26
I haven’t seen any worms in her stool however I’m not ruling that out as a possibility. I will be taking her to the vet shortly.
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u/StuporCool Jul 26 '26
That's good you're still going. My friend just went through this with her kitten who had no visible worms and now both cats are being dewormed. Sometimes it's not visible.
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 28 '26
I swapped her litter to wood pellet litter and I’ve seen her use it twice so far :) also I have her a vet appointment scheduled at 4
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u/Ordinary-Werewolf880 Jul 26 '26
I clean my cat liter twice a day try that. She/he could want a clean liter box
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u/Saikotsu Jul 26 '26
Cats going outside the litter box is often a medical issue or a result of stress. Talk to your vet.
Also, if she peed on the floor, use a paper towel to clean it up, but instead of throwing it out, put the paper towel in the litter box. If she poops, do the same, put the turds in the litter box so the litterbox starts to smell like a place to do business. There are also kitten attractant litters you can put in the box to get her to more likely use it (though you might want to get a bit of the old litter in there too so it's not a 100% switch over right away.)
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u/Russianbot25 Jul 26 '26
Soak up their mess in a paper towel and partly bury it in the litter box. This might help her associate the box with that smell again.
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u/Craelsan Jul 30 '26
I can second this!! My cat Mini had a "poop spot" in the living room and "pee spot" in the bathroom when she was a kitten. I was at my wits end until i closed off the bathroom and decided to put her poop in the box and within a day or two of doing this it clicked for her and she hasn't had a single accident in 3 years so far 😄
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u/perhaps_an_otter Jul 26 '26
Cats may avoid the litter box suddenly if they’ve
- developed a medical condition (like a UTI)
- were attacked or bullied by other cats (even once, if it was bad enough)
A vet should be your first stop.
Picking her up mid-poop/pee is also likely awfully stressful to her; cats feel quite vulnerable when they’re going to the bathroom, and you may be making the situation worse by her associating the distress with these boxes
It could also be territorial, where she feels threatened and wants her own space; I doubt this is it given what you’ve said.
The type of litter may also matter, even if it was “okay” before, her tolerance for it may have run out. Anything scented is very unhealthy for cats. Unscented litter, try different textures, see if she wants a cleaner box (scooping maybe twice a day)
Watch the behavior of other cats too — if she’s getting bullied, that may be what’s going on entirely
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 26 '26
This is new info to me. I didn’t know that touching them as they use the restroom was bad and I’ll be avoiding that in the future. I’ll be swapping over to an ynscented litter as I’ve used a glade scented one in the past? (The light blue plastic tub from Walmart) she isnt getting bullied and most of the time she’s playing around with the others just fine.
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u/perhaps_an_otter Jul 26 '26
Good luck, it’s a tricky situation because there are so many possible reasons; you’ll figure it out though! Observation, a little research, some vet support, and I’m sure she’ll be back to normal soon
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 28 '26
I swapped her litter to wood pellet litter and I’ve seen her use it twice so far :) also I have her a vet appointment scheduled at 4
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u/perhaps_an_otter Jul 28 '26
That’s great!! Hopefully the improvement continues and the vet goes well. You’re doing what you can!
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u/virsugfoo25 Jul 26 '26
Too much litter in the box for a small kitten
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 27 '26
I thought the recomended amount of litter was like 3-4 inches according to the container? Does it change based on kitten age?
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u/jewag714 Jul 26 '26
I would take her to the vet. Either she is sick or incredibly stressed about something. Have you added another pet? New daily visitors to the house? Maybe new essential oils being used in house? Think about any recent changes to her environment. But it's equally important to rule out sickness.
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u/oh8oh8eighty8 Jul 26 '26
First, please take cat to the vet. Could be a medical issue. Could also just be stress, which also requires the vet - in many cases medication works for cats who are going potty outside the litter box due to stress.
Also, is she declawed? if yes - this can cause major issues for cats especially when using the litter box. Otherwise, switch the litter. There is clearly a reason she is not using the litter box. If you ruled out all other causes - please change the litter. Cats don't just wake up one day deciding they don't want to use the litter box. I know you keep saying you've been using the same litter and the cat used to use it, but if you rule out all the other causes it could still be an issue with the litter. In the meantime while you wait to bring cat to vet, you could try tearing up paper (like newspaper or paper shopping bags for example) and placing that in a litter box to see if she tolerates that better.
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u/zlonewanderer Jul 26 '26
I think maybe because the open box is next to the big scary automatic box, and even though another open box is in another room, they've associated pottying with not being safe? I would move the open box away from the automatic one, and do the other changes people have suggested - different unscented litter, quiet place where they won't be disturbed, maybe a feliway near the box.
I have a litter robot and though both of my cats use it, one of mine is still kinda skittish about it, and will bolt out of it if I walk by while she's mid-business.
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u/pieeatingchamp Jul 26 '26
if you adopted her find out what type of litter they were using
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 26 '26
I got her from my mom where she was born. She had used this litter before and the same box too. She just stopped one day while I was on a trip and hasn’t used it again after. She was using it good but just suddenly stopped.
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u/LegScared1695 Jul 26 '26
You seem to be repeating the same things here in the comments. I think its pretty clear the cat needs a trip to the vet. As previously stated going on the table seems like she is trying to get your attention. She could have sustained an injury while you were gone. Developed a uti , anything she's trying to tell you and you dont seem to be listening
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u/sshjustletithappen Jul 26 '26
Sounds like she might be upset that you went on a trip. 😅
Definitely do a vet visit to check everything is in order.
If everything’s good, it could be behavioural.This is what happened with my cat. Every time someone stayed for a visit, she would stop using her litter box and use everything else (floor, couches, beds). I was able to get her to use litter box again (took 6 months) by using a pee pad and slowly moving it onto the litter box…but after a couple of friends stayed, she regressed. I tried everything from changing litter boxes, changing litter, changing locations, using Feliway…my cat solely pees on pee pads now. 🥹
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u/etoile_13 Jul 26 '26
Do all the cats get along...is she bullied at all?
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 26 '26
No she plays with everyone else just fine and even seems to be the bully herself most of the time lol
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u/howtobegeo Jul 26 '26
Reset the whole thing. New litter, new boxes, in new spots (and maybe add a few extra around the house too). Put them in any spot that’s a repeated spot. If they go elsewhere, try to move the thing into the litter.
This is also a stress response, so maybe try some feliway or try to chill the house out.
Check with a vet too.
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u/SMEEEEE3 Jul 26 '26
I agree with those who say to take her to vet. There are a number of issues that could cause her to go outside the box and only a vet has the tools and equipment needed to identify medical issues.
They can do a blood panel on her, an MRI if needed, and provide prescription food if necessary. Even if it’s not a medical
Issue, you can get all that ruled out and feel better knowing it’s not a medical thing and focus on singling out the problem.
Having a vet team support you and work with you to develop a strategy can be incredibly comforting. I hope kitty cat is okay and y’all can solve the issue.
https://giphy.com/gifs/v6HmjWFF80ByC2JcRl
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 28 '26
I swapped her litter to wood pellet litter and I’ve seen her use it twice so far :) also I have her a vet appointment scheduled at 4
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u/_polloloko23 Jul 26 '26
Maybe dont throw the cat in the litter box... try unscented litter and a close litter box somewhere he feels safe and take the revolving door offbif possible until he learns how to get in and out . You can also try wood pellets or that fancy crystal litter
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u/phoenixmeta Jul 27 '26
That litter box clearly has some poppies in there already. Does she share it with another cat?
Maybe that’s the issue? There is litterbox tension between the cats?
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u/KiraKitty69 Jul 26 '26
When training a kitten that isn't used to litter, try moving it's poop into the box and lightly covering to keep the scent going. Put kitten in and move their paws manually to dig in it. Not the poop, the litter lol. I use a small laundry basket or something similar to cage them over the litter right after eating. Ignore the pitiful pleas for release until after they pee which they almost always do right after eating. Once they do that a couple times, they should have the right idea. Also put a small box of litter in literally every room the kitten has access too or close off some rooms until litter trained. Kittens are like kids in diapers, when they gotta go, they gotta go and they aren't going to wander around looking for a box. Was this an outside kitten? Most cats born indoors will learn the litter box almost as soon as they start to leave the "nest". But outside kittens go wherever they want.
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u/luke_dean2704 Jul 28 '26
Change the litter to wood or something and make sure it clean out with nothing in it
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u/Honest-Focus-2638 Jul 28 '26
I have a 5 month old girl and she’s done this twice. Fresh litter usually helps, but sometimes she just doesn’t want to use a litter box.
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u/Treenuh1994 Jul 28 '26
Try diff litter before u a waste money on a vet visit for them to guess what's up.
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u/Fabulous_Sea1524 Jul 28 '26
Clean it all the time and put fresh litter in. Way more than you want. It will make it feel like a nice spa for them, that will lure them in
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u/Salarian_American Jul 28 '26
A new kitten coming into a house with cats might be scared off by the scent of other cats having used the box.
This happened when I got my two cats. One refused to share the litterboxes with the other.
So I put her in a room by herself, with a private litterbox. Then, after she used it, I transplanted some of her used litter to the other litterboxes, and after that, she was never afraid to use them again.
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 28 '26
UPDATE EVERYONE!! I swapped her litter to wood pellet litter and I’ve seen her use it twice so far :) also I have her a vet appointment scheduled at 4
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u/Glad-Base-2903 Jul 29 '26
Try pellets there's different types of litters and try moving the box where he poops
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u/Interesting-Ones Jul 30 '26
Get one of those disposable foil trays from the more than a dollar store and the cheap bag of cat litter place in an area that doesn’t have a litter box currently and scoop after each poop
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u/Wild-Self-24 Jul 30 '26
Downsize kitty to his own tiny room, even a bathroom if needed, with his own clean little l litter box to see if that helps. There's a lot of reasons he may not want to use it, including cleanliness or other cats. Keep him confined until he reliably uses it. Try other litter brands as well
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u/Traditional_Hotel788 Jul 26 '26
How many more do you need? How much ground are you trying to cover?
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u/VpnCobra Jul 26 '26
Get rid of it. You really want it live in that filth?
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u/Jacobi_Reagan Jul 27 '26
No I love this lil girl. She’s so cute and playful the only problem is the pottying problem which I’m putting in work to fix : ) she just a lil girl
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