I've been traumatized (again)!! Kitty box horror!!!

[Karen & Maple]

My puppy (4 months) has been interested in the cat box, but I've always been there to say ehh ehh LEAVE IT! Which had worked. Plus I've been diligent about scooping right away. It has a lid with a flap door. I have it positioned kitty corner (no puns intended) facing the corner wall so that the cat can maneuver easily into it but not the dog. However this morning we had house guests (family of four plus their dog). I was preoccupied for just a moment, and you guess it, into the litter box to gobble up a fresh, stinky poop! I was horrified! I know she's a DOG but OMG disgusting!!! Won't be getting kisses from her potty mouth anytime soon.
Funny thing is before we got a dog we did have a top entry box. But now that my kitty is older we wanted to make it easier for her. Guess we'll be rethinking that. She can't jump up too far. I know this has been covered but, any brilliant ideas? Now that she's got a taste for it, we're in trouble. HELP!
Also, she hasn't gotten sick yet, but what should I be worried about? As far as I know, kitty did not have worms, but who can say for sure.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

LOL...the joys of living with both indoor cats and dogs.  We had always done the same, as you have....covered box, with entry in the corner or facing away from the dog....in the house we just moved into...I decided to make the entire utility room, the cat room.  I have two Littermaids set up and DH put a ships hook on the door...it holds it open enough for the cats to slip through, but no dog can fit through.  I have the cats food, water and litterboxes contained all in one room.

  Something else to worry about...the clumping litter can do a real number on the dogs digestive tract!  Our Golden, Dylan, was hell bent on getting into litterboxes.....so far Enzo doesn't show any interest whats so ever.  Guess tootsie rolls are not her thing! ;)

[Pam Thomas]

Have a small cat door in the door to the cat room in the basement, cat can fit, dog can't

[Leslie J]

When Cocoa was a puppy she used to eat cat poop. I would try to stop her, but at the time we had a neighbor whose outdoor cat used our lawn as a litter box and Cocoa became very quick at snatching it up. It sure is gross!!!

Someone told me that the cat's purely carnivorous diet makes the poop especially appealing for dogs. She also told me that many puppies outgrow their appetite for it- and luckily by about 7 months Cocoa was no longer interested in cat poop.

[Marie and Hoka]

I actually would be worried the cat might start going outside the box if the dog is harassing her in the box... really hard to fix that problem.  We had a cat door on utility room so dogs were never allowed in the room with the box.

[Karen & Maple]

I know!!!

[Leslie J]

Maybe you could put the litter box in a bathroom or laundry room with a baby gate at the door so only kitty could get in.

[Karen & Maple]

Good idea, but Maple is still pretty small at 14 lbs., ad the cat is big...

[Karen & Maple]

I should add that my guests (family) are leaving with us while they go away- their perfectly behaved, back yard puppy mill, Bishon Frise, who's always good as gold, and best friends with the cat! They already no doubt like rest of our family think we're insane for spending what we did for Maple. So I got: 'Our Monday never did that, did she?' No, my posh puppy (with a genetic defect) over priced mutt is just a cat terrorizing, naughty, poop eating, rambunctious nut. But we love her.

[Julie and Max]

I also baby gate the laundry room for the cats litter and food. Lots of dogs love cat poo. :(

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Yuck :) I know the horror! I tried gates and death threats :)  I thought I trained him out of it but he probably just outgrew it before a year old.  It was a long year lol

[Karen & Maple]

Death threats! Lol! Oh thank goodness there's hope!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

: )