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Having a problem with the litter box.

post #1 of 6
8/29/10 at 2:50pm
Thread Starter 
My wife and I recently adopted a cat from the shelter. He is about 5 years old and his name is Doogie. We are having problems with him using his litter box. He uses it sometimes, but other times he goes in this one area of our apartment on the carpet. Each time he goes on the carpet we go show it to him and tap him on the head and tell him NO with a stern voice. Then we put him in our bathroom, where his litter box is and make him stay there a while. Like I said before its hit or miss. Usually after that he uses his litter box for a day or two then goes right back to that spot and uses the bathroom. We have tried different cat litter and currently have the natural pine cat litter. When he uses his litter box we always tell him he did a good job and scratch and pet him. He has been doing this for the last several weeks, and started about two weeks after we brought him home. Does anyone have any advice? Thank you so much.
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post #2 of 6
8/29/10 at 2:59pm
Vet visit in case there's a UTI.

You must get a very good enzyme cleaner to clean up those urine spots. If you don't do this he can still smell it and that's going to mean he'll think that is where he should go.

Add at least one more litter box. It's a cheaper alternative than ruined carpet. Put it in the room he goes to. Many cats like to poop and pee in different boxes.
Try another litter, maybe he doesn't like the pine that well.

Don't bother reprimanding him. He won't know or even remember. While this may make some people mad... cats have brains only a bit bigger than a walnut. They do the best they can with them, and that's quite a bit for a small animal, but complex reasoning of cause and effect for many circumstances and trying to figure out what this weird large animal (human) is going on about is just beyond them.

And try reading a few of the other current "cat peeing outside of box" threads. There's always tips that some people don't repeat in another thread
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post #3 of 6
8/29/10 at 3:00pm
What do you use to clean up the pee?? You should use an enzyme cleaner otherwise he will still be able to smell the pee and he will keep going there.

Have you taken him to the vet? It could be a medical issue, so I would take him to the vet so they can test him for a UTI.
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post #4 of 6
8/29/10 at 3:00pm
First, thanks for adopting, and especially thanks for adopting an adult cat - my own were about four years old when I got them.

If you search around the forums you'll find a lot of advice, but here's mine - from experience
  • First, be sure there's no physical cause - a UTI can make a cat not use his box - there are so few ways for them to tell us that something is wrong
  • If there's a clean bill of health, I'd definitely provide at least two boxes - many many cats prefer to pee in one box and poo in the other
  • Never (and I know this is hard) punish the cat for peeing in the wrong place - cats don't react well to negative reinforcement; at best, he'll just find someplace hidden from you to pee, and at worst he'll stress out and may even develop crystals - you don't want that to happen.
  • Use an enzyme cleaner to take care of the accident spot - otherwise, he'll keep going back there. Even better, maybe just put a box on that spot, after cleaning. Often, a convenient location for humans isn't that great for cats - too noisy, not enough privacy, suddent noises (like a washer or furnace kicking on)
  • And, I swear by Cat Attract litter when a cat has shown an aversion to the box. That litter, and maybe a new box or two, can often work wonders. BTW, what kind boxes are you using - a lot of cats don't like covered boxes (yes, my first boxes were covered - don't have those anymore)

Normally, when a cat decides not to use a box, he's trying to tell you something is not right - either physically, the location of the box, the type of litter, the box type (BTW, it's good to scoop at least twice a day). I've seen suggestions to set out a 'buffet' of litters, just to see what's preferred - and also change up the depth of the litter - my boy doesn't care for deep litter at all.

But, honestly, I do think adding a box, in another location than the bathroom, and trying Cat Attract litter is a good start at this issue.

Try to stay calm - believe me, I know it's stressful to you as well. But cats pick up on human stress, and this guy's world has been turned upside down - if you can try to provide him consistent love and goodwill, that would be good.

Good luck to you all.
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post #5 of 6
8/29/10 at 7:19pm
Thread Starter 
thanks for the replies guys. I ordered some UTI supplements and enzyme cleaner. I will try to get him to the vet asap. Do you think a UTI infection would cause him to poop too? I will stop punishing him. I also am feeding him Life's Abundance cat food, so it is a premium cat food, no chemicals. I have looked him over for ticks and found none. he is just an indoor cat, but could this be a possibility? Would ticks cause this type of behavior?
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post #6 of 6
8/29/10 at 8:05pm
Hi,
Please take him to the vet as soon as you can. Ticks should have never to do with it... UTI supplements will not cut it- he will need antibiotics if he has an UTI. It is very painful and the more you wait the more serious it gets. Ask the vet specifically for an urinalysis.
Do keep in mind that a lot of cats do not like Pine litters- as soon as I changed to pine my cat Lucky started peeing in my living room. The scent and the texture is not too agreeable to many- Cat Attract Litter might be a your problem solver.
Add one more litterbox, make sure both are uncovered, large (at least 1 and 1/2 his length), in a quiet place, and not inside of a closet.
Clean all the spots with a good enzyme cleaner- highly recommend anti-icky-poo and nok-out.
Never, ever ever reprimand your cat- this will just aggravate his stress, and compromise your relationship with him- and as mentioned before, he won't learn from it.
Good luck!
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