Special needs kitten: Litter box problems!

My best friend has a special needs kitten and since she does not have the internet I've decided to help her out.

The kitten is approximately 4 months old and has yet to use it's litter box. He gets close, that's for sure. He always seems to go right next to the box but just doesn't seem to want to go in it.

When his mother was queening there were complications. I don't know every detail but what I do know is that the kittens (3 of them in total) were much too big for the mama so she had to have a c section. The only kitten that survived was this one. Now, one can tell that his oxygen supply was cut off or something like that. He walks very strangely, falling quite occasionally and when he was younger he would shake somewhat violently for a couple of seconds. But other than that he is extremely loving and his only problem is this litter box situation.

I'm not aware of the litter box training he may or may not have received before he went to my friend. I know that she took him in about a month and a half ago and when she first got him she made sure he knew where the box was and that it was within his main living quarters. Since he was too small to climb into a normal box, we made him one from a cardboard that was small enough for him. So he should have no trouble learning how to do it. I especially do not understand why he only goes right next to it. He's so close!

So I was hoping to find some good tips as to training him. I hope it's not too late for him since he is 4 months old...

So PLEASE someone help my friend. She really, really loves this kitten and her dad said that he will get rid of it if the problem does not get solved soon.

Thank you! Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Tiffany

Hi Tiffany,

I am not very experienced in this area, and many other members may have better advice.

I have read that if a cat uses restroom outside the box, regular cleaning agents will not hide the smell from kitty. So kitty has higher chances of using the same spot again. Maybe another member knows what type of cleanser would be good to use.

I might also try moving the box so that the box is over the spot kitty has been using.

If neither of those things work, maybe your friend can get a little mat to put outside the box so that if kitty misses, the floor will still be clean. Newspapers could be used and thrown out when soiled. Or, a plastic mat that could be easily cleaned?

Good luck! I hope your friend is able to keep her cat!

Thank you. I really appreciate your input and I will pass the advice over to my friend as soon as possible.

I'm really hoping to get as much feedback as possible. We are willing to try anything in hopes to get Genius (thats his name) past his litter box phobia.

i had a cat just like that. he was brain damaged since birth. i never knew what really happen to him either since he was a shelter cat we adopted.

anyways, he refused to use the litterbox. we think he was afraid of it, but u cant really know for sure what he was thinking. he also would go close but never go in. we bought puppy potty training pads for him and sat him on them. they are soft so he could scratch on them like in a litterbox. he would use the pads without a problem.

if your friends cat is brain damaged he might have to be reminded every now and then to use his potty pad. maybe he just doesnt remember where his potty spot is. cats like that are very trick to figure out. but im sure after a while your friend and her cat will get the hang of it.

good luck

I would try picking up one of those really big, flat dog litterbboxes (for small breeds I suppose) but I have one and my cats love it. The ones who usually miss the box go in this one and they have all kinds of room. Might be worth a try. If this cats senses are screwed up he might THINK he is in the box but really isn't. So more ground cover for him to go would be ideal.