Cat not using litter box. Please help.

[doughnutouchme]

So I recently had my kitten Jinx (M) neutered, and brought him home Friday.

I also have an older cat, around 8, Nugget (F).

Following threads and info online I found to try and introduce Jinx back into the home by trying to put her scent back on him with a blanket she uses often.

It did not help.

Also to mention our neighbors had given us some new litter to try, as it's supposedly supposed to not make as much mess as normal litter.

Since I have brought him back home, Nugget constantly hisses and growls at him, I understand this is due to scent recognition, I'm not sure what to do at this point.

My other issue is that Jinx seems to have diarrhea and having issues with that.

As well as my older cat, Nugget, having pooped twice on the floor and peed on a shirt.

Do these things correlate?

Going to be switching the litter back tomorrow incase that is the reason, or does it have to do with Jinx and scent recognition?

I also have 2 litterboxes as well, I'm so desperate I'm not used to dealing with stuff like this, I cannot handle dealing with poop in this sense.

It has been a rough April fool's and I'm desperate for help.

 

[tiggerwillow]

Can you keep Jinx in one room for a few days so he gets the smell of the house back on him?

 

[doughnutouchme]

Can you keep Jinx in one room for a few days so he gets the smell of the house back on him?

It's already been 4 days since he's been home, I don't have a room to keep him in separate.

 

[di and bob]

Sometimes it just takes a while. I think they were overwhelmed by the changes and it will take a little longer. As long as there are no outright fights, drawing blood, everything should work out.Hissing and growling are normal, Nugget is releasing tension. Whether it is the change of litter or the new scent in the house, Nugget is very scared and unsettled and is pooping/peeing innapropriately. Jinx is traumatized about going to the vet. The diarrhea is most likely from the anesthesia or other meds he received and will resolve. Make sure you set little bowls of water around to encourage drinking. Absolutely no cows milk products or treats, both known to give diarrhea. Once Jinx and Nugget settle down into a routine, things should resolve. Get rid of that litter, the change wasn't worth it. Pick up all clothes off the floor, get some Nature's Miracle (a pet urine remover with enzymes) to get the urine out. Try not to get anxious, they can sense this and it adds to their own. They are both acting out because of teh chamges in routine, so get them back on a routine and give them both lots of reassurance. I have had cats take up to ten days to accept each other after a vet visit.

 

[shebaa]

4 days isn't enough. Sometimes it can take weeks. You need to start over and keep new cat locked up. Even a bathroom will work. Only interaction they should be having is underneath the door. Feed them on opposite sides of the door too. Keep it that way for a while.

 

[Alldara]

Take a poo to the vet! If it's both, it's likely needs testing.

 

[doughnutouchme]

So I recently had my kitten Jinx (M) neutered, and brought him home Friday.

I also have an older cat, around 8, Nugget (F).

Following threads and info online I found to try and introduce Jinx back into the home by trying to put her scent back on him with a blanket she uses often.

It did not help.

Also to mention our neighbors had given us some new litter to try, as it's supposedly supposed to not make as much mess as normal litter.

Since I have brought him back home, Nugget constantly hisses and growls at him, I understand this is due to scent recognition, I'm not sure what to do at this point.

My other issue is that Jinx seems to have diarrhea and having issues with that.

As well as my older cat, Nugget, having pooped twice on the floor and peed on a shirt.

Do these things correlate?

Going to be switching the litter back tomorrow incase that is the reason, or does it have to do with Jinx and scent recognition?

I also have 2 litterboxes as well, I'm so desperate I'm not used to dealing with stuff like this, I cannot handle dealing with poop in this sense.

It has been a rough April fool's and I'm desperate for help.

Update, his poop is now normal and I think it was from a change of cat food. But now he has started pooping on the floor and I'm getting frustrated.

I just cleaned the litterboxes as well and has clean litter and all he needs.

Why is he doing this? We got him fixed to prevent spraying and now we are being dealt poop everywhere.

 

[Alldara]

Did you get his poo tested at the vet for parasites?

 

[doughnutouchme]

Did you get his poo tested at the vet for parasites?

No, my husband is on swing shift and haven't had time to do so.

Just discovered he's been pooping under our bed for a while now, shouldn't he be normal by now?

Never had issues with the litter box before now, same litter now and had done it after it was just cleaned.

He's a sweet cat and my husband is pretty upset about this, I don't know what to do.

I called a local vet and they suggested to keep him in a bathroom with a litterbox for a while until he's re-litterbox trained.

 

[GranolaLouise]

Have you ever tried Dr Elsy's Cat Attract?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009X49IC/?tag=thecatsite
It worked for me for my Mom and Kitten. It is expensive , but it does attract them to the box.
I dunno...just a suggestion that might help.

 

[Alldara]

When a cat is sick in regards to poop or pee they can have litter box adversion. This means they think the box is causing the pain. Actually, that he's going the same place, and it's been normal poos reinforces to him that the box was causing pooping to be uncomfortable.

You can try putting a new box where he's going poo, or just a new box in that room in general. It should look different from your other boxes.

 

[orangie]

Reinforcing the above mentioned ideas about associating the box with pain … when our guy gets a little too backed up, our vet always suggests a low dose pain med to help ease the pain of going. That prevents the associating the litter-box with pain and also he doesn’t try to avoid pooping because it hurts. So getting him checked out for a “back up” might be worth it, even start with a phone call to your vet. It sounds like there’s been a lot of stress for everyone and that can definitely cause some “back up”. And I know when we first dealt with constipation I didn’t realize what I thought were normal poops, were actually too hard until we talked to the vet

I know we all like to avoid needing meds for our cats, but imagine if going to the bathroom room caused you enough pain that you tried to avoid it, we’d prob get something to temporarily help us along.

….and it’s a great suggestion to put him in a smaller room with a brand new box until he gets sorted out again.

good luck!

 

[doughnutouchme]

No, my husband is on swing shift and haven't had time to do so.

Just discovered he's been pooping under our bed for a while now, shouldn't he be normal by now?

Never had issues with the litter box before now, same litter now and had done it after it was just cleaned.

He's a sweet cat and my husband is pretty upset about this, I don't know what to do.

I called a local vet and they suggested to keep him in a bathroom with a litterbox for a while until he's re-litterbox trained.

We made it impossible for him to get under our bed and I woke up to find that he has now pooped on our couch. I'm at a loss for words.
Called his vet and they said it's just behavioral issues.

Don't know what to do at this point, we got him neutered to prevent spraying and now he's shitting everywhere.

I don't deal well with poop/vomit which is why I prefer cats to dogs because normally a cat would NEVER do this.

 

[doughnutouchme]

Reinforcing the above mentioned ideas about associating the box with pain … when our guy gets a little too backed up, our vet always suggests a low dose pain med to help ease the pain of going. That prevents the associating the litter-box with pain and also he doesn’t try to avoid pooping because it hurts. So getting him checked out for a “back up” might be worth it, even start with a phone call to your vet. It sounds like there’s been a lot of stress for everyone and that can definitely cause some “back up”. And I know when we first dealt with constipation I didn’t realize what I thought were normal poops, were actually too hard until we talked to the vet

I know we all like to avoid needing meds for our cats, but imagine if going to the bathroom room caused you enough pain that you tried to avoid it, we’d prob get something to temporarily help us along.

….and it’s a great suggestion to put him in a smaller room with a brand new box until he gets sorted out again.

good luck!

Beforehand he had some diarrhea, found in the house, and then they have changed from that to normal consistency.

I'm about to put him in a bathroom with a litterbox because I don't know what else to do, when I called the vet they didn't recommend any other issue besides it being behavioral.

I don't want to put him alone like that, but if this doesn't work I guess we will bring in a sample and try to take him to the vet because it's ridiculous and frustrating.

 

[doughnutouchme]

When a cat is sick in regards to poop or pee they can have litter box adversion. This means they think the box is causing the pain. Actually, that he's going the same place, and it's been normal poos reinforces to him that the box was causing pooping to be uncomfortable.

You can try putting a new box where he's going poo, or just a new box in that room in general. It should look different from your other boxes.

First he was pooping under our bed and now on the couch. I'm not putting a litter box there.

 

[doughnutouchme]

So I recently had my kitten Jinx (M) neutered, and brought him home Friday.

I also have an older cat, around 8, Nugget (F).

Following threads and info online I found to try and introduce Jinx back into the home by trying to put her scent back on him with a blanket she uses often.

It did not help.

Also to mention our neighbors had given us some new litter to try, as it's supposedly supposed to not make as much mess as normal litter.

Since I have brought him back home, Nugget constantly hisses and growls at him, I understand this is due to scent recognition, I'm not sure what to do at this point.

My other issue is that Jinx seems to have diarrhea and having issues with that.

As well as my older cat, Nugget, having pooped twice on the floor and peed on a shirt.

Do these things correlate?

Going to be switching the litter back tomorrow incase that is the reason, or does it have to do with Jinx and scent recognition?

I also have 2 litterboxes as well, I'm so desperate I'm not used to dealing with stuff like this, I cannot handle dealing with poop in this sense.

It has been a rough April fool's and I'm desperate for help.

We made it impossible for him to get under our bed and I woke up to find that he has now pooped on our couch. I'm at a loss for words.
Called his vet and they said it's just behavioral issues.

Don't know what to do at this point, we got him neutered to prevent spraying and now he's shitting everywhere.

I don't deal well with poop/vomit which is why I prefer cats to dogs because normally a cat would NEVER do this.

Something else he's been doing is meowing at me a lot.

He has food and water, but still keeps meowing at me, so I don't know what he wants.

We haven't started treats with him yet so he's not asking for treats.

Could this be related?

He's also been chewing on cardboard boxes and things, which I know in retrospect is normal but could this also be related to his poop-only litter box avoidance?

He is peeing in the litterbox, I've watched him and the areas he's pooped don't reek of ammonia.

 

[Alldara]

First he was pooping under our bed and now on the couch. I'm not putting a litter box there.

That's why I also added "in the room."

 

[Sarthur2]

I wonder if he has an infection and is trying to tell you he doesn’t feel well. It’s possible he picked up something when he was being neutered and needs meds to treat. I think talking with a different vet is a good idea.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi.
This is frustrating, I am sure. With all you are describing, this may be a health issue that needs to be addressed by a feline only veterinarian.

Assuming it is behavioral, can you think of a reason he isn’t pooping in the box? Could the other cat be chasing him out? Is there any stress to him going on?

The rule of thumb is one box per cat plus one. I have 2 cats and 3 boxes.

You are going to have to make the couch unwelcome to him. Try putting tinfoil on it. I know, sounds crazy but it’s only temporary.

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm going to say "third" on the fact that he needs to be seen by a veterinarian, sooner than later.