Adopting a cat with a small problem

Hi all...i really need some help and advice to pass on. A friend of mine is adopting an older cat that he just fell in love with at the shelter. The cat was dropped off because he was peeing everywhere but in the litter box. Any suggestions on how to keep this from happening when he introduces Lightning into his home? (he doesn't have any other cats).


thanks everyone!

I am not sure what to offer as I havent experienced this problem. Maybe if he is put in a smaller space till it is certain he is going in his litter box all the time. I wonder if the shelter had him looked at to see if there wasnt a health issue.

Anyway good luck to your friend and more advice on the way I am sure

Make sure the shelter's vet does have a look at him to rule out a health problem first but putting this kitty into a smaller room with his litter, food and water, his bed and a few interesting toys at first is the way to test the waters (no pun intended). There are a lot of good threads on this Forum's index (stickies at the top of the index) about inappropriate litter box behavior - try reading a few of those, employ some of the advice given and see how it goes.

The vet at the shelter checked him out and ruled out health issues. So i'm guess that something in his last home triggered this behaviour. It's upsetting that some people just dispense with their pets if they ever cause any problems...or when they stop being kittens.

I'll pass this all along to my friend and keep my fingers crossed.

Sometimes, stress causes problems in cats. Inappropriate litter box behavior, if not caused by health issues, can almost always be traced back to some sort of stressor. It is one of a cat's only ways to let you know something is wrong.

I wish your friend the best of luck and as an aside, if your friend has access to the Internet, introduce him/her to The Cat Site. I am certain your friend will find some informative information here.

~gf~

Originally Posted by gayef

I wish your friend the best of luck and as an aside, if your friend has access to the Internet, introduce him/her to The Cat Site. I am certain your friend will find some informative information here.

~gf~

Click to expand...

already done...i sent him the link to the site and this thread. Maybe he'll even post a picture of the new guy when he gets him.

thanks everyone

I volunteer at a shelter and know that their financial resources are always limited. Vet services are available but not necessarily as deep as you would like them to be. Even though the vet looked at him, he may not have specifically tested for a urinary tract infection. It's the first thing to do when cats start eliminating outside the litter box.

I suggest that your friend get him to his vet right away and start building a relationship between the cat and his vet. Have the UTI test run and check for any health problems. Cats coming out of shelters are stressed and may not show illness until they are out.

Congratulations to your friend for adopting an older cat - you see too many of these linger in shelters for a long time and it just isn't fair to them!

If UTI is definitely ruled out and he does choose to try the small room method, a caveat .... Most folks will use the bathroom as the most convenient "small room" available. Make sure that you take up any scatter rugs that are in there! Have you ever put you face down to the latex backing used on "non-slip" rugs? It smells just like cat urine, and if it does to you it certainly does to a cat! It took me years to figure out why the cats would be so attracted to peeing on the bathroom rugs.

Hello, Thanks for your advice. I am the one who has adopted Lightning. Last night went well, I found evidence he used his litter. Once I get a site to host some pictures i'll post them.

Thanks