Rescued kitten will not use litter box.

Sam~
Thank you for responding. I have taken in the cat, and I can honestly say he is the best cat I have ever had. However, (Im not sure if this is the right place to be posting this)he has been urinating and deficating all over the garage where we have been keeping him. He is litter trained, however, he has been doing this in the gravel that comes in from the cars when we pull them into the garage. He uriniated on an old piece of insulation, and I have cleaned his litter box every day. I am not sure if he is just getting bored and doing this because it's something to do, or maybe he isn't happy in the garage and we need to move him somewhere else. We have been giving him a lot of attention, and we do have to go to work to pay for him, so maybe he is getting starved for attention. Does anyone have any advice for this behavior, and has anyone experienced this when they brought home a stray? Please advise...

Unsure,
Clint

Aww I'm sorry I'm not sure what to suggest , I live in New Zealand and there are alot of pet products on the market, and if you spray them the cat wont toilet in that place BUT my kitty Yogi will just find another place , it's really starting too stress me out amd I can get angry with him,especially when he pees on the bread..

Good Luck! .. Sam

and No I'm not making a mistake there when I say BREAD , not bed but ewww bread

I should say too, that Nakita is not neutered, and we think he is just marking his territory, because maybe he is finally getting comfortable. Because he is going to be a house cat, we have to get him neutered, and we were wondering, will the marking stop once he is neutered?

Clint

If he has not been neutered, he will mark his territory. However, he could also have a problem in his urinary tract. I will move this part of the thread to Behavior under Rescued kitten will not use Litter Box. Since this kitten was abandoned, this could be either a health or behavior problem. The rest of the thread will remain in SOS.

I would not say that he has a urinary tract infection, as he was just to the vet last week Tuesday. He does have an appointment this coming Tuesday, and I will make it a point to mention it to the vet. My concern is that we have another cat in the house, and if Nakita (the rescued kitty) comes into the house he will begin to mark his territory in the house. I also noticed that his urine was yellow, and not red from blood. He has been urinating a lot, but I think that is because he has been drinking a lot of water. I had taken a look at Hissy's information, and I am just not sure if what I am going through fits into any of those categories. Is it common for cats to have urinary tract infections? I thought those come in to play when cats are a little overweight?? Please advise.

Clint

Urinary Tract Infections can be caused by stress. Your boy has had a big stressful event happen (being adopted into a new home, being confined for now in the garage), so it is possible that he has become ill in response.

I have been dealing with URIs in three of my otherwise very healthy (and not overweight) cats due (I think) to the stress of being exposed to ferals who live in my back yard. One of the cats with the URI would sometimes spray and sometimes pee in inappropriate places. It turns out that both were related to the URI. Also, his pee was clear or slightly yellow, but when the vet tested it, it showed a very bad infection. So, the color doesn't necessarily indicate that there is no problem!

I am glad you are taking him back to the vet. When there tell the vet specifically about the peeing so the cat can be checked. If it is not a URI, chances are very good that the problem will go away once he is neutered.

Thank you~
I was thinking about this post after I had sent it, and he had only peed once outside the litter box. I know we had the dogs outside one day, and the cat maybe smelled them and decided to mark his place. It hasn't happened since, but I will mention it to the vet on Tuesday.

Something a little humorous happened to me last night. I was out in the garage spending some time with Nakita, and I had decided it was time for me to come inside. When I came inside, the resident cat, Cairo, was quite vocal. He would not let me step foot inside the house, and he began sniffing me and walking between my legs and all around smelling my clothes. I know he smelled the other cat. His ears were forward, and not pinned back, and his eyes were really big. His mouth was halfway open, as if I had been unfaithful... After about 5 minutes of sniffing, he let me in the house, but he wouldn't get near me for the rest of the night. I think this is actually the first really weird sign I have seen from him since we had brought the new cat home. The new cat, Nakita has not been in the house yet, and we have at least another week of quarantine before we let him in. Is this a good sign from Cairo, the resident, or could this lead to trouble?

Thanks,

No worry! That is exactly the same way my cats behave when I bring in the smell of another cat or dog.

Have you read Hissy's column on how to introduce a new cat into a home with a resident cat? You definately will want to follow her directions so the introduction will be successful when the time is right.

Click here for Hissy's instructions on introducing cats.

Thanks for the confidence. I did take a look at Hissy's page regarding introducing new cats into the house. I was actually pleased that Cairo, the resident, was actually very good about it. He just sniffed for a while, and when he was done, he left. We think after about a week, we will bring Nakita into the house, and hopefully they will live happily ever after. But, it's nice to know that what just happened was normal.

Thanks,
Clint

Hi Clint-

Even if Nakita was just at the vet's office, the UTI can be caused by stress and it is possible that Nakita has one. That being said, I would give Nakita another litter box, and make sure the one he is using is clean enough. I would also pick up the phone and bump up the vet appointment though.

I am not by any means suggesting your litterbox isn't clean. It's just when they go outside the box it is either:

A. Health
B. Litterbox issues
C. Behavior

You just have to go down the line until you figure it out. Next time you go visit Nakita have some tasty treats in your pocket (for Cairo) When Cairo meets you at the door, sit down, and place some treats in front of you so he has to come forward to get them. Cairo will be more interested in smelling your clothes as cats are scent-driven. But afterwards he will eat the treats and remember a pleasant experience along with the smells. Change your clothes, take a shower and try to wear the same clothes on your vist all the time (if you can) After a few days of visits, take your clothes and dump them in a corner where Cairo can find them (unwashed) then watch his reaction when he encounters the pile of smells.