5 month old house kitty will not use litter box, is always scared and hides.HELP

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Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
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  • #796910
    Victoria
    Participant

    Hello everyone.
    I got a kitten four months ago from a farm..in the beginning he was with his brother who now lives with my daughter. He used to go in his box in the beginning but now he doesnt anymore. He pees and poops on the floor right next to his box all the time. Ive changed the box, the type of sand, his box is almost always clean. I try sitting with him for 5 mins at a time while he sits in his box but he just wont go. As soon as I get up and leave, he goes afain right next to it. I love the little guy but I cant live like this. I dont want to have to give him away….PLEASE HELP ME!!!!

    #796923
    Jeankit
    Participant

    Have you tried putting remains of his oopsie in box as scent or brand of “cat attract” litter?

    #796924
    prairiecat
    Participant

    Hi Victoria, it sounds like maybe his sister leaving upset him…What if you put some of those puppy ‘pee pads’ all around his box? At least they would soak up the mess a bit…and if he would go on those, it might at least give you an alternative until you work out how to get him to use the box.
    The other thing to consider is he might be trying to tell you there’s something wrong, maybe a urinary track infection. A visit to the vet might be in order…

    #796930
    Buttons
    Moderator

    Is there any way you can get some of his sister used litter off your sister?? Add it to his litter and the finials smell might attract him.. Also if he has any urinary infection it may well present itself and accidents out of the litter box so keep an eye on him and only give him wet food for a while incase..

    #796944
    snowkitten
    Participant

    Is the cat declawed? I would assume no since kitty came from a farm, but in case kitty is, I’ve heard about this a lot with declawed cats because the litter is coarse & hurts their paws. With them, you have to use softer brands of cat litter, like ones made from cedar or news paper. Kittens are also known for having tender paws which are sensitive to coarser cat litters. A lot of kittens won’t use litter boxes solely because it hurts their paws to walk in the litter box. I had to buy soft litters for my cats when they were kittens, but now that they are adults, they will use anything I buy. If the other litters you’ve tried were not “soft” cat litters, you may want to try a soft one. I used Precious Kitty when my cats were kittens cause it has much smaller granules which are not as coarse. Also, Cat’s Pride is basically sand, so it is VERY soft.

    Also, do you have a hood on your litter box? If so, try removing the hood. Some cats greatly dislike hoods on their boxes. Also, try moving the box to a different location to see if that helps. Cats generally won’t use boxes that are in high traffic areas. A big recommendation: don’t put a litter box on any floor with carpet. If the kitty goes next to the box on carpet, you’ll have HECK breaking the cat of not going on carpet (speak from experience). I kept mine in the bathroom when they were kittens cause it was relatively low traffic, and when they were older, I moved it back into the laundry room (where it was when I only had adult cats). I keep the laundry room door shut & it has a kitty door which allows for their privacy and feeling of security while going potty. However, some cats won’t use a litter box if it is near a place with running water cause in the wild a cat would not potty near his/her water supply (instinct). I’ve heard of people having to keep boxes in bedrooms because of this.

    The others have a point about a possible urinary infection. Cats with it have accidents cause the coarse litter hurts their tender, infected private parts.

    #796975
    jcat
    Participant

    Great advice above but it sounds to me like a UTI. If kitten has pain when urinating, he will associate it with the litter box and so try to avoid the litter box. Try the vet first, if it’s not a UTI then come back to us, there are heaps of links etc we can give you. Also ask your vet about it in case he has any advice. In the meantime, you need to spray all the spots where he’s peed with a good enzyme cleanser.

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