Rain&thunder Shy Kitten Litter Box Problems

[Rain&Thunder]

I traveled 2 hours to adopt a kitten from a shelter. When i got there i realized he was completly insepersble from his borther. So I ended up getting him and his litter mate brother. Rain got very sick the next day. Almost died after aost 500 in vet bill he was on the mend. He had a peed on the carpet when he was sick but I didn't think anything if it other them he was to sick to make it the extra 2 feet to his potty box. I had boxes in 2 places so I could keep him close while I watched my children at the same time. Once I moved the boxes to more quiet and more private locations my shy sweet Rain started peeing where the boxes use top be and in his new boxes. I have tired cleaning up messes with urine removing cleaners. Added another box in the basement so now we have a box on all three floors of the hose 2 that are in aost untraveled areas. But he still pees in those spots. There close to his two favorite sleeping spots and one is only 5 feet from where the cat box is now located. His brother thunder is out going loud and will not be refused. They never leave eachother and his bother only uses his boxes. How do I keep him from peeing these places? I moved his food and water to the one accident location after cleaning It hoping it will help but thats not a perminent solution. They seem to old to need locked in one room to learn to use the box but all try that too. What do I do now? Should I move boxes back to those spots? Will that help or make the problem worse. Should I get more boxes and move them to those spots? When I did cat rescue I had all hard wood so I never had this problem with cat peeing on plush carpet.

 

[Shane Kent]

Welcome to The Cat Site. They are cute little boys I think it is great you kept them together.

I have never had the problem you have but there are lots of good articles on this site to read through while you wait for someone to respond.

You can click or touch the article title to take you to the article. The following article has links to all sorts of other articles to do with litter and litter problems.

The Litterbox: What Every Cat Owner Needs To Know

 

[susanm9006]

You need to be sure the carpet cleaners you are using are enzyme based - Nature’s Miracle is the one I would recommend and you need to really soak the pee spots with the cleaner so that it gets deep into the carpet pad where the urine has soaked in.

 

[ArtNJ]

I'd move the boxes to the cover the spots yes. Even if you use an enzyme cleaner as suggested, this will only get rid of the smell, not the habit. Get rid of the smell, break the habit, and you should be able to move the boxes at a later point.

Good on you for not trying to return the sick kitten to the shelter!

 

[Rain&Thunder]

I tried moving the food and water to the spot and covering the area with waterproof fabric so I will know if they try to pee again. But they pees on a blanket about 2 feet away that is only about 2 feet from the box. The cats will both pee if in the box if I take them there andI've the litter around. The one in always in one of the 3 boxes doing business. All try moving a litter box in both of the known offense areas. And see if that works. But the one spot it like right next to the kitchen table so it would need moved evenchualy. Any ideas on how long I should wait to move the box somewhere else. My one cat must not like the under the fish tank spot I made for the cat box. I'm planning on moveing the main level floor box to the laundry room once I can. picture of blue the blue fabric over offense spot and kitchen table. The black fishtail stand to the right is where the box is right now. The blanket they peed on was between the tank stand and the blue fabric.

 

[Rain&Thunder]

I considered locking them up with a box and food exc. BUT there both so needy and I hate to think of them locked on a small bathroom all day with no one around. They are using the box but also the house. Another question do kitten pee smell less bad then adult pee. There were a couple spots that smell kind of like something but not really like pee. More like cat food. I' having a hard time telling some times if it' cat or kid mess. I have 3 small kids. I know what adult cat pee smells like and its a no brained to tell if they pee.

 

[Rain&Thunder]

Oh and thank you. Once we take a cat we try our best to take care of them no matter what. Peeing is like the only thing that really is a deal breaker. And rain won' survive outside. He's seriously almost retardedellie and will lay down if scared. My son bite his ear (he' a special needs kid ) and rain was going to just let him kill him and not scratch or bite. So I have to get the potty thing taken care of. We spent 5000 on new carpet last year. Can' let him rui it and can' afford to replace it with wood for a long time.

 

[Rain&Thunder]

You need to be sure the carpet cleaners you are using are enzyme based - Nature’s Miracle is the one I would recommend and you need to really soak the pee spots with the cleaner so that it gets deep into the carpet pad where the urine has soaked in.

I used the simple solution cat iron enzyme cleaner frim petsnart it seemed to get the smell out and then a few days later I had a couple new spots.

 

[Shane Kent]

There is nothing wrong with keeping cats in a small room and slowly introducing them to a new home. In fact that is a common method of introducing a cat to a new home. I did it with a stray I got from the Humane Society and later with two rescued feral cats I socialized. It is referred to as the cat's safe room as it is a space for them to feel safe in and to fall back on if they get scared. It may seem cruel but I was told to do it by the Humane Society and they are against animal cruelty so it can't be cruel. Plus there are articles on this site about doing it.

Bringing Home A New Cat - The Complete Guide

In that article about 1/3 the way down under the heading "The Sanctuary Room". People on here have chatted about using a small bathroom.

I have seen people on here talk about re-introducing a cat to a house by putting them in a safe room and starting over. I am not sure if that would be appropriate for you. You could post the question "Should I re-introduce kittens with litter problem to new home".

 

[ArtNJ]

Blankets, bath mats, towels, laundry ... any soft stuff on the floor (and sometimes on a bed, as in unmade bunched blankets, or a giant pile of stuffed animals) that they can knead with their nails is just a problem. So the fact that you covered the spots and a nearby blanket got hit isn't a shock. Its basically a second type of cat proofing that a lot of folks have to do.

I had a lot of these issues a couple years back when we adopted a 3 year old stray, and I've had them in the more distant past as well. Once the cat settles in, a teen leaving their laundry on the floor isn't such a big deal. But during the adjustment period, got to make sure to remove temptations.

I can't give you a magic number for how long you need to do this, and keep the boxes in unsightly places. If you can go say two weeks with no accidents, you might be ok, but YMMV.