kitten won't use litterbox

chipsdeluxe

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my kitten was really good about using his litterbox the past few weeks. but all of a sudden he won't use it anymore. it seems like he just goes where ever he pleases. i don't know what's wrong. to be extra careful we placed a litterbox in every room but he just won't use it. we haven't changed litter or anything, everything is the same. please help. it's getting to be a bit frustrating having to clean up after him every day.
 

catsarebetter

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Is there anything that *he's* doing differently? Does he seem to be trying to go more often? Is he crying at all when he tries to go? Have you been scooping regularly, and if it's not the scoopable kind, have you put fresh litter in the box?

Um.. Is there anything that's changed about his environment.. i.e., have you moved his food, water, stopped playing with him, changed your or his schedule in any way, added another animal to the house, painted, is there a new person living there... *any* of that might affect it.

Is it only pee or is it pee and poo? Does there seem to be any pattern to what he's doing, a favorite type of surface.. is it close to the litter box but not in it..

How old is the kitten? Does he have diarrhea? Have you noticed any change in his eating or drinking habits?

You may want to take the cat to a vet and make absolutely sure that this isn't a medical problem. Medical problems can cause him to avoid the box. If he's crying when he potties, then it's a very good possibility that he's avoiding the box due to a medical issue.
 

laureen227

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once you've ruled out any medical problems, or have had them treated, try the Cat or Kitten Attract litter - it really works!
 
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chipsdeluxe

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he did have diarrhea one time. he's about 15 weeks old. it's not even close to the litterbox. the first time this happened, he pooped in the basement and his litter box was in the corner of the sun room. we made an appointment with his vet for tomorrow. hopefully it's nothing serious. we feed him a combination of wet and dry food. he definitely prefers the wet food. he won't eat the dry food at all unless he's starving. so we feed him wet food during the days but leave out a handful of dry food over night, in case he gets hungry than. i don't think he cries when going, or at least i've never heard him cry.
 

ms.blackie

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I second this:
try the Cat or Kitten Attract litter - it really works!
Give a try, its expensive but it beats cleaning up.
 

white cat lover

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If you see this before you go to the vet, I suggest checking for a UTI as well as having a fecal sample examined.
 

greenvillegal

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My boyfriend had this problem... sometimes little things such as the depth of the litter and the type of litter may make a difference. Your kitty may have decided that he doesn't like going in that type of litter anymore. You can get small bags of different litters and put a different kind in a couple of the boxes and see if he starts using one box more or solely. Good luck!
 
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chipsdeluxe

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i'm sorry it took me so long to respond. but the vet checked over my kitty and said he was very healthy. we told him about the situation with the litterbox and he told us to keep him on a dry food diet and to observe him. we fed him dry food all week long, even though he hates it, but it seems to be working so far. he hasn't had any accidents.
 

sadieandziggy

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Heres a theory....

His paws are probably big enough now to just about retract his claws. Prehaps now that his paws are bigger litter is getting stuck in them and it may be uncomfortable. And so he is avoiding the discomfort. Ziggy often gets litter stuck in her paws as we use a peble-like litter, and paws at the wall until it's all off.

What litter are you using? Is it clay? Pebble-like? Try using one with smaller grains if that is the case.
 

catsknowme

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Glad to hear the little guy is healthy. To give him the meat that he craves, try boiling some chicken and add some cooked rice to it, to keep his stools solid. Also, avoid any perfumed cat litters - the scents can irritate their delicate sinuses (I've never understood why litter companies keep on insisting on using those strong fragrances
)
 
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