New here...my new kitty doesn't want to use the litterbox

berries781

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we have a new 10 month old cat that grew up outside. now we're planning on having her be an indoor cat. but she does not want to use the little box. she already pooped on the carpet and peed in her cage on the way to the vet. we bought cat attract litter and i keep putting her in it and even scratching her paws in it, but she doesn't want to go for it. for right now, we plan on leaving her in the bathroom until she goes in there, but i'm afraid i'm just going to find a another mess on the floor.

any otehr suggestions? the vet said it will just take time, but i'm worried about it.
 

jean44

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I'm assuming the vet has checked her over and ruled out any medical problems.

Has she ever used the box? She may not like the type of litter you're using or the location of the litter box. Cats are very sensitive about these things. You might also want to get a second litter box. Some cats like to pee in one box and poop in another.

By the way, peeing in the box on the way to the vet is not unusual. It's part of the stress of going to an unpleasant place. I've had cats both pee and poop in that situation.

Good luck to you and your new kitty.
 

cheylink

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With out knowing to many details, there could be a few challenges and issues she has with the litter box. Has she ever used a litter box? If so, regularly and these times were out of norm? If she has received a clean bill of health from the vet, a few things could be a stress issue for her. First, as Jean44 mentioned, peeing in carrier, especially during travel, does happen since this is a very stressful situation for any cat. Basically cats are claustrophobic, they do not like to be in tight, enclosed areas unless they go into on their own and can get themselves out! Second, it could be the litter you are using, or even the box.....She could be stressed out with new living situation or confinement.......
 
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berries781

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hey, thanks for responding...she had never gone in a box before and was given a clean bill of health from the vet.

but she finally went!! i was so excited this morning. she pooped and peed in the same box. so i think she's probably getting the hang of it. it was so funny...i was like a proud mom who had just potty trained their kid. "yay! you pooped in the box!"
 

jen

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I highly suggest you leave her in the bathroom or another small room with her litterbox and other things in there just to make sure she knows exactly where she is supposed to go!
 

saturdaysmom

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Many of my cats have preferred private litter boxes. I had a cat that would go in hidden places (ie closet corners). Then I realized that she preferred covered litter pans placed in quiet places. She was a dark corner pooper so to speak.
 
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berries781

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Originally Posted by Jen

I highly suggest you leave her in the bathroom or another small room with her litterbox and other things in there just to make sure she knows exactly where she is supposed to go!
she's doing pretty good, but yeah, i definitely wanted her to know where to go! She's been using it all day now. and we had her out of there for a couple hours with no accidents. so i think she's finally getting the hang of it!
 

jellybella

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You may want to keep her confined when you can't watch her, at least for a little while. When I got Stan, he came from a hoarder's house where he just went wherever there was a clean spot of floor. For the first week to 10 days we kept him in a large dog crate at night (a bathroom would also do) until we were sure he understood that was the correct place to go.

When we finally got rid of the crate, we put his box on the spot where he had his accident. He is now the most particular about his litter. We started with dirt, went to cat attract, then tidy cats and now corn litter. He also is the one that requires a seperate box for each function.
 

silentnate

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I think its also important that the litter box isn't near their food- they can be particular about this

Seems to be going well however and though we have had problems with little Sonic sometimes it just takes time and an observant eye
 
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