help! hates litterbox

[witch's mom]

Two months ago, we rescued Blackberry--a 9-month-old black female--from a parking lot. Trapped her, had her spayed, brought her home and got to work on socializing her. She lived in our bathroom sink for the first month, used her litterbox, gradually became more and more friendly. When we let her out of the bathroom to explore the house, she enjoyed the freedom, continued to warm up to us, played with our other cat. I left her food and litterbox in the bathroom. (Litterbox is away from the food, way across the room in the shower.) She continued to have no problem finding her food and litterbox.

Two weeks ago, I thought she was ready to start using the cat door to get out to the garage litterbox. I was wrong. She began using our guest bed as a litterbox. I moved the litterbox back into the house, but the problems continued. She pooped on my daughter's bed, peed in my laundry basket. It always seemed to happen at night, so I began locking her up in the bathroom at night, which forced her to use the box (because there's no soft bedding in the bathroom). Now, she seems to be holding it all night until she can get out and "go" on somebody's bed when we're not watching her.

This cannot continue. I'm about ready to make her an outdoor cat. Right now, she's locked in the bathroom again, my daughters are sobbing and I said I'd post to thecatsite in a last-ditch effort to save this cat from becoming a yard cat.

I eagerly await replies!

 

[elizwithcat]

Originally Posted by witch's mom

Two months ago, we rescued Blackberry--a 9-month-old black female--from a parking lot. Trapped her, had her spayed, brought her home and got to work on socializing her. She lived in our bathroom sink for the first month, used her litterbox, gradually became more and more friendly. When we let her out of the bathroom to explore the house, she enjoyed the freedom, continued to warm up to us, played with our other cat. I left her food and litterbox in the bathroom. (Litterbox is away from the food, way across the room in the shower.) She continued to have no problem finding her food and litterbox.

Two weeks ago, I thought she was ready to start using the cat door to get out to the garage litterbox. I was wrong. She began using our guest bed as a litterbox. I moved the litterbox back into the house, but the problems continued. She pooped on my daughter's bed, peed in my laundry basket. It always seemed to happen at night, so I began locking her up in the bathroom at night, which forced her to use the box (because there's no soft bedding in the bathroom). Now, she seems to be holding it all night until she can get out and "go" on somebody's bed when we're not watching her.

This cannot continue. I'm about ready to make her an outdoor cat. Right now, she's locked in the bathroom again, my daughters are sobbing and I said I'd post to thecatsite in a last-ditch effort to save this cat from becoming a yard cat.

I eagerly await replies!

Take her to the vet. Sometimes cats begin to pee outside the litterbox because they have uti. If using the litterbox is painful for them, they will associate it with pain and not use it. I would take her to the vet and check her out for UTI. If she does not have UTI, I would buy CAT ATTRACT litter. It's supposed to work by attracting cats to it, although I personally haven't used it.

 

[cloud_shade]

After you get the cat checked, replace the litterbox with a new one. They will often associate the old litterbox with any pain they experienced while using it, so a replacement of the actual box can be helpful. Also, be sure to clean any areas that she has peed or pooped on with an enzymatic cleaner designed to treat cat urine. If she can smell the urine, she will be attacted back to that spot, and her nose is much better than ours.

 

[beckiboo]

And much better to shut her in the bathroom for another week while she relearns her manners, than to send her outside. (After a vet-check, of course!)

 

[arielrain]

We had a rescued cat with the same behavior,but it was due to stress.We bought feliway and she's been fine ever since.Do take your cat to a vet first though to be on the safe side.Good luck!

 

[ladie7]

what is feliway??????????????? maybe I need to try that too,....