New adopted kitty not using box

Hi all - first time post and new here.

Three weeks ago my husband and I decided to bring a second cat into our home. We ended up adopting a 6 year old male cat who was unfortunately declawed by his first owners. He is a total love bug when he is comfortable with you. Our current resident cat has done a bit of hissing/growling, but there hasn't been any fighting.

Regardless, when we first brought him home we confined him to a room with his box, toys, food, etc. Almost two weeks after bringing him home we had someone stay in his room and had to move his stuff. Ever since then he hasn't wanted to use the litter box. 

Once people left we moved the box back, but we are finding that he is pooping everywhere BUT the box. I bought a third box today with the kind of litter the shelter used but found that he had peed on a sofa this evening.

I'm feeling like a total cat owner failure. He's back in his room upstairs where we first confined him and I've moved his stuff and both litter boxes back in there.

Any tips or advice? I'm at a loss I just want him to be happy..but I'd be happier if he used his box.

Hi, and welcome to TCS

I would go back to the beginning, and confine him to his safe room until he feels more confident again. It's not surprising that he was totally unsettled by all his stuff being moved abruptly like that. Litterbox issues are very common in declawed cats anyway - they often end up with permanently sore paws, and using litter HURTS.

Give him multiple boxes with different types of litter until you are able to work out which type he's most comfortable using. Often its the softest litters that declawed cats find most comfortable on their paws. You might find Dr Elsey's Cat Attract litter helps too - it often works when all other attempts have failed. The downside in this case is that its not one of the softer litters, so the 'attract' aspect MAY be cancelled out by the paw pain. The manufacturers may be able to advise you on this point - I've never dealt with declawed cats - thankfully, the practise is illegal here in the UK.

Be sure to use an enzymatic cleaner to clean up after him - its really important to get rid of every trace of the smell. Soft furnishings, like sofas, may need multiple treatments to fully remove the odour. Also, NEVER use bleach - to a cat, it smells very similar to their urine. This can cause confusion, and may exacerbate the problem.

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Hi Columbine - thanks for the welcome and the help.  

We've gone back to basics... put him back in his spare room with two boxes (and two types of litter). Got up this morning to find pee in one.. .but  two messes on the floor. 

I have a feliway diffuser set up in that room.. and was thinking of going to get some cat attract tonight too.

He is a very sweet guy - love to cuddle in the crook of my arm and give HUGE kisses or look out our windows. I just hope I can find something to help him.

I'm sure you'll find a way through this - it will just take time and patience. He sounds like a lovely guy, and well worth persevering with. The fact he peed in one of the boxes suggests that he WANTS to do the right thing, but something's stopping him. You could try adding an extra box tonight, with the same litter as in the one he used. He's clearly more comfortable with that than the other option he was offered. Remember that some cats are ultra fussy, and will only use a totally clean box. Sometimes a bigger box can help with that little issue - I know others here have had success with Rubbermaid boxes with a notch cut out for easy access, and some even use those big, shallow under bed storage boxes. There are plenty of things to try...you just sometimes have to get a little creative!

Thank you again! The last box I purchased is a larger size - hopefully he will like that better. I also have a vet appointment set for him on Wednesday evening after work. 

I do feel bad - he definitely wanted out of his enclosure last night and was not happy to see me this morning..until he got some pets.

You have no reason to feel bad - life happens! All you can do is go from where you are. Focus on the present and the future.

I know it's hard when they want out of the safe room, but it's not forever. I used to give an extra yummy snack when I left my girl at night - that way, I could take her mind off my leaving her. Once I'd gone, she'd settle pretty quickly. I'm sure your boy will be the same.

Thanks Columbine.

Do you think he may he may be having problems because he is declawed? I'm willing to try newspaper in a box for him too. The shelter had no record of him having box problems.

It could absolutely be linked to being declawed. The most likely scenario (though I'm just guessing here ) is that he has always been in some degree of pain from the declawing but was just about coping with it, and the extra stress tipped the balance. Its just one of those things.

It would be a good idea to get him checked by a vet though. It will rule out any other physical issues (such as FLUTD) as well as giving you a better idea of just how sore his paws are.

some updates - took him to the vet. everything came back clear (except for maybe needing to lose a pound or two). since then.. he has pooped in his box, but peed on my sofa. lol. i feel like we're making progress. 

i actually found out that he was part of a bonded pair so i'm attempting to find his sister. 

Great news that there aren't any health issues at the root of this

Just stay patient and calm, and work on reducing his stress levels. Make sure you stick to soft litters too, to reduce any chance of it hurting his paws. You could try having a box by the sofa for now - he's clearly want to pee there, so give him somewhere appropriate to go. Not ideal, but far better than cleaning up accidents on the sofa.

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Thanks Columbine. I got some worlds best kitty litter ... he is currently on a blanket on our sofa. I hope we can resolve this.

I'm sure you'll be able to get him through this. It'll just take a little perseverance and patience. I hope he's back to using his boxes soon

So we had a difficult morning. He was super cuddly and affectionate last night - slept curled up with us in bed. But this morning we discovered he pooped downstairs and also squatted and urinated on our new sofa.

Not quite sure what to do. I'll place another box out for him to use.

Hi @dustypaws

I've never encountered anything like that, but I would scoop his "more solid materials" in front of him and place them inside the litter box. I would make sure he would witness the whole procedure. Then I would take his paw and cover the  (hazardous) "materials" and cover them, so he is a bit trained on what to do, once he "goes" inside the litter box.

Until he learned to do the right thing, I would keep him confined in a room and not roaming free in the entire house. I would also spray the furniture with citronella spray (I think they're sold on Amazon). Cats hate the smell of citronella. That keeps them from scratching the furniture too and it also keeps the fabrics clean from mites.

I'd try the above and then go from there. You need to set him some boundaries, while it's still early enough, honey.. Did you find his sister?

It sounds like he's just struggling with insecurities at the moment. Stay patient - he WILL get through this. Focus on stress relief for him. I honestly think he'll feel happier and less overwhelmed if he goes back to living in his safe room for a while. It's a small space to own, and it'll be easier to tackle the litterbox issue in a smaller space.

Hang in there. This WILL pass

thank you.

he's been in his room and we went out to dinner, came back, and he pooped on the sofabed.

sigh.

my husband says he loves him so much but at the same time i don't want my house to turn into a kitty box..lol. i might call the vet tomorrow to see about some kitty prozac.

Have you tried him on Composure yet? I'd definitely give that a go before putting him on Prozac. It can work wonders.

Thanks Columbine - I'll get some of those for him.