Help with new kitten please

[tonibelle chan]

Hi, a couple of weeks ago I took home a stray kitten who is about 3 to 4 months old according to the vet. I had no problems with her during the first week; she peed and pooped in the litter box. But this week, I've come home to poop on the floor when her litter box is still reasonably clean.

Her litter box is inside an unused bathroom, near the door. There's poop in it so I know she pooped there once, but for some reason she decided to relocate to the shower floor afterwards and poop there instead. This happened yesterday. I thoroughly cleaned her litter box thinking that it might be the problem, so today the litter is new, the box wiped down, but I come home to the situation. I don't understand why this is happening. I'm ruling out disease because we've just been to the vet and he said she's healthy. I live alone, and she's the only pet in my house, so far she's only done this while I'm not home.

For now, I've moved her litter box to the shower floor where she likes to poop, hoping that it will solve the problem. But if it doesn't then I won't know what to do. Any advice?

 

[gitabooks]

There are so many reasons a cat can be stubborn about their box. It can be very frustrating so I'll try to help you figure out why your cat is doing it:

A change in litter, scented litter, or litter texture

A change in diet, environment, or a new pet in the house

A box that is too small, too big, or a strange shape

A box that hasn't been "scented" with its droppings so that they know where to go

Discomfort while using the bathroom (harder or softer droppings than normal).

Some cats like to use the bathroom in water, which may explain why it has chosen the shower. If you have a curtain or door try closing it. You can also try offering a second litter box in another room and just closing the bathroom door for a few weeks until the habit breaks.

You can try getting a larger box, a covered box, or changing the litter. Also, clean up the area where it has been going and place some of the droppings in the box to get its attention. Cats don't like to go near their food, so you can place something where it has been going that makes it not want to go there.

I hope this helps. Best of luck!

 

[ourlittlecat]

I had a similar problem with my new kitten but with pee!

I highly suggest two decently large litter boxes, one for pee and one for poo!

After  a week of accidents on our bed he has gone two weeks no problems since we got a second large box!

They like to use one for pee and the other for poo.