Litter Box [re]training

[thatfilmgirl]

TL;DR at the bottom of the post:

I posted about my boy Poe a few weeks ago. He was going outside the box and we found out he had a bladder blood clot and tapeworm. Well, both seem to have passed but he is still going outside the box. In the middle of our ripping up of all the carpet, we're pretty positive at this point that he's been only using the cat box half the time. Case in point: His personal litterbox is upstairs in my bathroom, door open and everything. He instead walks down the hall to my parents room and pees right on the rug and saunters back out.

The litter is impeccable. I'm cleaning it morning/evening and am using Cat Attract. I have feliway plugins through the house. I'm figuring that at this point, we actually have to litter train him.

• Poe was 5 years old when he was picked up by the ASPCA in September 2016. He was a fully intact male and former stray. Within the month, he was neutered, and three weeks later I adopted him. So he went from a man of the streets to coming into my home. I, naively, assumed he would use the litterbox but realized that while he figured out what it was, and had used it, he doesn't care.

• I have identified three new [strays?] cats that have come around in the past couple months, but they certainly weren't here a year ago. When we first got him, we noticed defecation in out of the way spots.

• I'm going to buy a different bag of cat attract litter and try a different litter pan as well to see if he prefers the low sided pan. His first "litter box" at our house was a paper box lid that he used just fine, but now I think he was also peeing in other corners of the room.

TL;DR: My former stray doesn't care about the litter. So when it comes to litter training, should I lock him in my bathroom with some food, water, toys, and his litter box so he learns to use it like we did with our kittens? Should I get a big doggie crate and put him in it so he learns to use the box? He's going to be miserable with both those options, but he has to use the box. He has to learn how to use the box CONSISTENTLY.

 

[rubysmama]

You may have already read them, but here are the links to the TCS articles on litter box aversion:

The Litterbox: What Every Cat Owner Needs To Know
How To Solve Litterbox Problems In Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Litterbox Problems? Here's Why You Should Call Your Vet

Also, since you mentioned a doggie crate, I'll add the links to litter box crate training. I don't know enough about it to recommend trying it, but I have seen it mentioned occasionally, so it might be something to read up on.
http://www.ourcompanions.org/pdf/OC Crate Training for Your Cat.pdf

This is a TCS thread a by a member:
About To Start Crate Training For My Extremely Litter Box Averse Cat

 

[Timmer]

If he liked that cardboard lid, what about putting it in the litter pan with the cat litter?
Are you using an enzyme cleaner when he pees in the house? That's important to get that scent up and cleaned properly, otherwise, he thinks that's where you go.
Since he was an outdoor cat, he probably thinks you do go anywhere. I've seen that issue with other people here who have outdoor cats.
I have no experience with litter box training so I'm sorry I can't help in that regard. I hope you get some other responses. Don't give up!

 

[thatfilmgirl]

Thank you both for the replies. He's been checked over by the vet and has been treated. He's not spraying, he is squatting on rugs. At this point he just needs to be totally trained. We have six weeks before construction begins on our remodel so *crosses fingers*

We have used enzyme cleaners on everything. It does nothing. He'll still do it in various spots. I'm going to invest I think in some low sided trays because I have a hunch he is not a fan of the litterbox. It's a large box, but it also has large sides.

Thanks for the PDF! Hope it helps *crosses fingers*

 

[rubysmama]

Please let us know how it goes. Especially if you try the crate training, as I'd like to know if it helps or not.
Good luck.