walking our cat to litter box

we adopted a stray young male cat last winter during the bitter cold. He always insisted on going outside to 'do his business' and did not have a litter box. This year he is older and due to his fighting and getting nasty injuries, we felt it would be better for him to stay inside to recouperate. We set up a litter box.It took a few days for him to finally decide it was okay for him to use. However, he would hide in the corner after using it the first few days although we would give him a treat and tell him he was a good boy. I always accompanied him to the box (figuring it would be until Buddy got used to it and then he could go on his own). We had him neutered. During the night, he uses the box because we close the basement door because he will wake us up with his howling until we walk him to the litter. However, when we are up, he kicks up a fuss to go outside (which because of his injuries and the fact he wants to stay out and get beat up by the bully cat, we won't do) he won't use it unless we walk him downstairs all the way to the end of the basement to his box and stay there until he has finished. He does not urinate anywhere, he just holds it until we walk him to the litter box.

Poor guy, I guess he just wants reassurance that he is doing the right thing!

Please give him a total of three boxes. You will likely find that he will have an easier time of pooping and peeing for you with multiple boxes. It is against his nature to poop and pee in the same spot.

thanks for your help. We think he does need that reassurance, so we give it to him. He is a well-behaved little guy. When he does come and wake us up to go to litter and he REALLY needs to go...he goes running ahead of us into box but waits for us to get there before doing what he came to do. If course, he gets his treat and "good boy".

Once hes been fixed its very likely he can still go "out" and not get into fights. Back when I grew up our "Patches" was a heck of a fighter until that day he got snipped. After that he never came home beat up, just bringing home prey to munch on and leave on our porch.

Maybe you can try phasing out the treats and just use the verbal encouragement. Maybe without food as a reward he will not feel the need to "hold it" so badly? And multiple litter boxes are a very good suggestion as well, as far away from his food and water as possible.