Teach kitty to use litter box.

This cat adopted me last week and so far we get along pretty well even though I am definitely not a cat person, oh...and I'm allergic.

Why is it scared of the litter box?!?!

I got it one the next morning and the kitty won't go near it. When I gently coax kitty over, with a treat, it's like kitty knows where it is all the sudden and bolts.

Help?

I don't know why he would be scared of it unless he has had a bad experience with one in the past. With my two, I just placed them in the litter box when I first got them home and they used it instinctively. However, if your cat is already showing an aversion to the litter box this could just exacerbate the problem. I've read that if a kitten has trouble you can pick up a piece of it's poo after it has had an accident, place it in the litter box, and show the cat so they know what it's for. Here is a link to an ASPCA page that might be of some help.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/litter-box-problems

Is it possible that the litter box is next to something that the cat would find unpleasant in any way, like something that makes a lot of noise or smells bad?

freyaandzelda said:

I don't know why he would be scared of it unless he has had a bad experience with one in the past. With my two, I just placed them in the litter box when I first got them home and they used it instinctively. However, if your cat is already showing an aversion to the litter box this could just exacerbate the problem. I've read that if a kitten has trouble you can pick up a piece of it's poo after it has had an accident, place it in the litter box, and show the cat so they know what it's for. Here is a link to an ASPCA page that might be of some help.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/litter-box-problems

Is it possible that the litter box is next to something that the cat would find unpleasant in any way, like something that makes a lot of noise or smells bad?

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Our kittens were raised in a barn so had zero litter box experience and this is one of the methods we used to help with the training.  Also, whenever they would have an accident I would pick them up (without any scolding or punishment) and place them very gently in the litter box.  I got to know where they were choosing to have accidents so whenever they went to those spots I'd keep an eye on them.  If I saw them begin to squat I'd pick them up and place them in the box.  I even took their paws and showed them how to dig.  Pickles caught on first and once Pepper saw her do it, then he did it too.  It still took a week or so for the accidents to stop all together.

Also, really clean the areas where the accidents happen.  And I still use a litter attractant in each of their boxes (I have two -- one for upstairs and one for downstairs).