Help!! My Cat Won't Use The Litter Box?

[RitterIsa]

Firstly, I'm sorry if there are any english mistakes, since it's not my native language. But I thought i could use some help from this forum.

Ok, so, I addopted a kitten named Louis about one week ago. He was 2 months and a half when i got him.

On the first days I got him, I kept my eye on him the whole day, to see if he was going to poop or pee. I would always notice him scratching the floor, and I would imediattly put him in the litter box, so he would do it in the right place. But when I put him in, he would just jump off, and I'd proceed to put him back on the box multiple times, until he gave up and did it inside the litter box. The problem with this thecnique: I had to keep my eyes on him literally the WHOLE day, because if I lost sight of him for too long, he would just do he's business anywhere else. This became very stressfull, because I wasn't sleeping or eating well, so I decided to change the strategy. So, to sum up this first moment: he would only use the litter box, if I place him inside of it.

So, in a second moment, I thought it would be good to leave him alone in the laundry. I thought that maybe Louis wanted some privacy, and didn't like me following him arround everywhere, and if I left him alone, he would just do it by himself. Also, my house is a bit big, so it seemed like a good idea confining him in a smaller place where he could easily acess the litter box. So, I put everything he needed in the laundry (that has a good size): food, water, toys, and two litter boxes. Guess what? It worked, for a while. He started peeing inside the litter box, but still pooping outisde, usually next to the box. It was still progress, so I was happy.

After a while, when he seemed to be peeing in the litter box with some conistency, I decided to give him some freedom. I would often pick him from the laundry, and let him spent some time with me in the house. But I would just let him stay in my lap, because i knew that if he started walking around I'd have to follow him. When he waked up from my lap I'd put him back in the laundry, just to make sure he would use the litter box instead of trying other places in the house.

But, it seems that this started becoming very frustrating to him. He was always a really meowing cat, but every time I would put him back in the laundry he would started meowing more and more. He doesn't like to be alone, and that might be the reason why he started peeing outside the litter box again. The progress that I had with him peeing inside the box, seems to be lost.

Then it started my dillema: if I let him wander in the house, he will just poop and pee everywhere. If I leave him in the laundry, he will be frustrated and still pee an poop outside the litter box. This just makes me feel like I'm out of options. What should I do?

Details:
-Yes, the food and water are far from the litter boxes
-I left two diferent litter boxes (one is bigger, and the other is a bit smaller) in separate places of the laundry. When he was at least peeing inside, he didn't seem to have a preference, peeing in both.
-I keep the boxes clean
-He seems to know what the litter box is for, he just don't want to use it
-When he pees in the box, he doesn't cover it

Things I tried:
-Picking his poop from the floor and putting inside of the litter box (when I did this, he would sometimes even cover the poop that I put inside the box)
-Putting him inside the box when I saw him scratching the floor
-Putting him inside the box every hour or so, and petting him inside the box (he doesn't seem to like this, if I put him inside the litter box he just jumps off)

If I remember more stuff, I'll add it later. It's so confusing to me, because there seem to be so many factors, and so many diferent stuff to test and it could take me forever. What should I do?

 

[di and bob]

I would go buy at least 2 other litters, he might not like what you are using. Put a different one in each box and see if he uses one more. Don't keep the litter boxes TOO clean fro a while, he has to smell where to go. You might call and see what kind of litter was used at his birth place. You can always switch him later when he is consistent. Get a good enzyme cleaner made just for cat urine, the spots he goes in the house must be cleaned thoroughly. For now, when you are not there he will have to stay in the small room, put the litter box by the door.Put him in the box after meals and when ever you see him doing that 'sniffing around' that means he is looking for a place to go. They do sell a 'cat attract' that you sprinkle on the litter that may help too. There is a reason he is not using the box, we just have to find out why. Others will come with more tips, good luck! PS don't put him in the box TOO often and make him stay in it, he will learn to hate it and that won't help. When he does use the box, make a big fuss and give him a treat.

 

[RitterIsa]

I would go buy at least 2 other litters, he might not like what you are using. Put a different one in each box and see if he uses one more. Don't keep the litter boxes TOO clean fro a while, he has to smell where to go. You might call and see what kind of litter was used at his birth place. You can always switch him later when he is consistent. Get a good enzyme cleaner made just for cat urine, the spots he goes in the house must be cleaned thoroughly. For now, when you are not there he will have to stay in the small room, put the litter box by the door.Put him in the box after meals and when ever you see him doing that 'sniffing around' that means he is looking for a place to go. They do sell a 'cat attract' that you sprinkle on the litter that may help too. There is a reason he is not using the box, we just have to find out why. Others will come with more tips, good luck! PS don't put him in the box TOO often and make him stay in it, he will learn to hate it and that won't help. When he does use the box, make a big fuss and give him a treat.

Thank you for taking your time to answer!
About your suggestions:
-I will try buying other types of litter, and see if it works
-I thecnically don't keep the litter boxes TOO clean, because everytime he poops outside I pick his poop and put inside the box (I leave there, until he poops on the floor again. Then I will throw the old poop in the the trash, and put the fresh poop on the litter box)
-I don't know if putting him in the litter box after his meals would help, because his elimination time is very unpredictable
-I've heard of Cat Attract, but I don't think I can find in my country

 

[di and bob]

He still is a baby, so the main thing is to not make getting into the litter box a bad experience. He will get control of his bladder better as he gets older, just keep watching him and making sure he gets into the box when he looks like he needs to go. I really think that like most children he is SO interested in all the new things to explore, he waits too long top get to the box. Keeping him in one room with you would help, and I think once he settles down and gets used to the house and you he will be fine.

 

[catlover73]

He is still a baby. How many levels is your home? If you have more than one level it is helpful to have a litter box on each level. Also are the litter boxes covered? My Casey would only use an uncovered litter box when he was a baby. As an adult he will also use the covered litter boxes. If both boxes are covered try removing the top from one of them. I also agree about trying other litters.

 

[RitterIsa]

He is still a baby. How many levels is your home? If you have more than one level it is helpful to have a litter box on each level. Also are the litter boxes covered? My Casey would only use an uncovered litter box when he was a baby. As an adult he will also use the covered litter boxes. If both boxes are covered try removing the top from one of them. I also agree about trying other litters.

My house has three levels. For the first days, when I'd let him wander in the house, I put one box in the first level and other box in the second level (I didn't bother putting one in the third level, because he don't have the habit of going up there. He also never eliminated on the third level, so I didn't see a point). Now that he's staying just in the laundry, the two boxes I have are there.

And yes, both boxes are uncovered

 

[RitterIsa]

He still is a baby, so the main thing is to not make getting into the litter box a bad experience. He will get control of his bladder better as he gets older, just keep watching him and making sure he gets into the box when he looks like he needs to go. I really think that like most children he is SO interested in all the new things to explore, he waits too long top get to the box. Keeping him in one room with you would help, and I think once he settles down and gets used to the house and you he will be fine.

I'm honestly worried.
He has been sleeping and passing most of his time in the laundry for 4 days now. I'm sure he's used to the place, even though he does not seem to like being alone. But it's the best place I can think of, until I've learned how to use the litter box. I spend most of my day in the living room, but if I let him stay with me there I would have too little control over him: he could hide in the kitchen, or go upstairs. I would easily lose sight of him, and he would end up peeing and pooping anywhere but the box.

I like to go to the laundry from time to time to make company. The problem is that everytime I leave the place he'll start meowing really loud for a while. It breaks my heart, though I believe it's the best place for him to learn.

 

[RitterIsa]

Update:
I went to the laundry now and he peed on the box (as usual, he didn't cover it). It isn't the first time he pees on the box, my biggest problem is still the poop, since he seems to refuse pooping in the right place by himself. Still, I praised him and gave some treats, to encourage him.

Now I'm wondering if I should scoop, or keep the pee there.

Also, about changing the litter: if he actually had a problem with the litter, wouldn't he also refuse to pee in it? Or that doesn't mean anything?

Thank you for all the replys so far

 

[RitterIsa]

Update here, since I tried a few more things
-I tried buying two different kinds of litter, as you suggested. One of them was a kind of natural litter, and as I poured into the box he looked interested and even sniffed it. That made me a bit hopefull, but it didn't work. He continued to poop outside.
-I observed that he didn't seem to like the litter box, because everytime I put him inside, he will try jumping off as soon as possible. So I improvised a third litter box using a cardboard lid. It has really low sides and it's a lot less 'intimidating', and I tought it could work, but... It didn't.
-I also tried keeping him in my bathroom. As I mentioned, my laundry is quite big, it has lots and lots of spots for him to go off (as he already did). I have a small bathroom, so I tried putting his food, water, place to sleep, and of course, his litter box there, and then locking him in. He started meowing really loud and desperate, almost like a cry. I couldn't keep up with that, and returned him to the laundry after 20 minutes of trying (he also meows on the laundry, but a lot less, and he eventually stops). It seemed like a really good idea leaving him in the bathroom, since it's a small place. I thinking of trying again and staying with him a bit, so he get used to the bathroom. You think it's worth a try?
-I recently saw him about to poop, so of course, took him imediatly to the litter box and he pooped there. He didn't even bother covering, though.
-Also, something I forgot to mention: he hasn't be dewormed yet. His poop is really soft and smells quite bad, and I heard that might be a sign of worms. Could worms have anything to do with his litter box problem at all? Either way, I'll be deworming him.

 

[breadstik]

Firstly, I'm sorry if there are any english mistakes, since it's not my native language. But I thought i could use some help from this forum.

Ok, so, I addopted a kitten named Louis about one week ago. He was 2 months and a half when i got him.

On the first days I got him, I kept my eye on him the whole day, to see if he was going to poop or pee. I would always notice him scratching the floor, and I would imediattly put him in the litter box, so he would do it in the right place. But when I put him in, he would just jump off, and I'd proceed to put him back on the box multiple times, until he gave up and did it inside the litter box. The problem with this thecnique: I had to keep my eyes on him literally the WHOLE day, because if I lost sight of him for too long, he would just do he's business anywhere else. This became very stressfull, because I wasn't sleeping or eating well, so I decided to change the strategy. So, to sum up this first moment: he would only use the litter box, if I place him inside of it.

So, in a second moment, I thought it would be good to leave him alone in the laundry. I thought that maybe Louis wanted some privacy, and didn't like me following him arround everywhere, and if I left him alone, he would just do it by himself. Also, my house is a bit big, so it seemed like a good idea confining him in a smaller place where he could easily acess the litter box. So, I put everything he needed in the laundry (that has a good size): food, water, toys, and two litter boxes. Guess what? It worked, for a while. He started peeing inside the litter box, but still pooping outisde, usually next to the box. It was still progress, so I was happy.

After a while, when he seemed to be peeing in the litter box with some conistency, I decided to give him some freedom. I would often pick him from the laundry, and let him spent some time with me in the house. But I would just let him stay in my lap, because i knew that if he started walking around I'd have to follow him. When he waked up from my lap I'd put him back in the laundry, just to make sure he would use the litter box instead of trying other places in the house.

But, it seems that this started becoming very frustrating to him. He was always a really meowing cat, but every time I would put him back in the laundry he would started meowing more and more. He doesn't like to be alone, and that might be the reason why he started peeing outside the litter box again. The progress that I had with him peeing inside the box, seems to be lost.

Then it started my dillema: if I let him wander in the house, he will just poop and pee everywhere. If I leave him in the laundry, he will be frustrated and still pee an poop outside the litter box. This just makes me feel like I'm out of options. What should I do?

Details:
-Yes, the food and water are far from the litter boxes
-I left two diferent litter boxes (one is bigger, and the other is a bit smaller) in separate places of the laundry. When he was at least peeing inside, he didn't seem to have a preference, peeing in both.
-I keep the boxes clean
-He seems to know what the litter box is for, he just don't want to use it
-When he pees in the box, he doesn't cover it

Things I tried:
-Picking his poop from the floor and putting inside of the litter box (when I did this, he would sometimes even cover the poop that I put inside the box)
-Putting him inside the box when I saw him scratching the floor
-Putting him inside the box every hour or so, and petting him inside the box (he doesn't seem to like this, if I put him inside the litter box he just jumps off)

If I remember more stuff, I'll add it later. It's so confusing to me, because there seem to be so many factors, and so many diferent stuff to test and it could take me forever. What should I do?

I had this problem with my first indoor cat. His name was Tofu and he was a stray before we adopted him, so I don’t think he even knew what a litter box was. Some strays immediately respond well to them, some don’t; Tofu didn’t.

Tofu was a *horrible* case. At the time my boyfriend and I were living with my parents when we were just out of high school and we kept Tofu solely in our bedroom as my mom wasn’t keen on having a cat in her clutter. One morning we woke up to semi-solid poop, at least 10 piles, all over our dirty clothes. It was absolutely awful.

I have been told that cats don’t respond well to punishment. I have experienced this with future cats and Louis may be the same, but considering that he isn’t responding well to positive reinforcement, it may be worth trying.

If he poops on the floor, do as you would with a puppy, and make him look at it while shouting “NO!” or “BAD!”. For some reason this was effective with Tofu. It took about a month of blunders, but they became fewer and further between as he realized that pooping on the floor resulted in anger from us, and pooping in the box resulted in treats. This may be a bit harder since Louis refuses to poop in his box altogether (Tofu would pick and choose), but try giving him a treat when you catch him peeing in the box and it might encourage him to poop there as well. Also, keep trying with the scooping his poop into the box, and give him a treat if he buries it. It will probably take a lot of trial and error, and a cat that doesn’t use the box sucks, but good luck!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi - sorry that you've not been getting answers to your direct questions above. So you'll be taking him to a vet, or did already - and he's being dewormed and did they check for any other issues? Is his little rear end red or painful looking?

 

[RitterIsa]

I had this problem with my first indoor cat. His name was Tofu and he was a stray before we adopted him, so I don’t think he even knew what a litter box was. Some strays immediately respond well to them, some don’t; Tofu didn’t.

Tofu was a *horrible* case. At the time my boyfriend and I were living with my parents when we were just out of high school and we kept Tofu solely in our bedroom as my mom wasn’t keen on having a cat in her clutter. One morning we woke up to semi-solid poop, at least 10 piles, all over our dirty clothes. It was absolutely awful.

I have been told that cats don’t respond well to punishment. I have experienced this with future cats and Louis may be the same, but considering that he isn’t responding well to positive reinforcement, it may be worth trying.

If he poops on the floor, do as you would with a puppy, and make him look at it while shouting “NO!” or “BAD!”. For some reason this was effective with Tofu. It took about a month of blunders, but they became fewer and further between as he realized that pooping on the floor resulted in anger from us, and pooping in the box resulted in treats. This may be a bit harder since Louis refuses to poop in his box altogether (Tofu would pick and choose), but try giving him a treat when you catch him peeing in the box and it might encourage him to poop there as well. Also, keep trying with the scooping his poop into the box, and give him a treat if he buries it. It will probably take a lot of trial and error, and a cat that doesn’t use the box sucks, but good luck!

Thank you for your story!
It makes me a bit hopefull when I see people that gone through the same situation, but still found a solution.
I don't know much about Louis's past, because I got him in a adoption event on the weekend, in a petstore. The owner didn't seem to know much about Louis, so I don't really know if he was a stray cat, if he spent enough time with his mother teaching him the basics, or anything.
I might try repreending him if everything else fails. It's a bit hard encouraging him to use the litter box though, since he rarely use it. I tried luring him inside the litter box with treats though, so he makes a positive association.

 

[RitterIsa]

Hi - sorry that you've not been getting answers to your direct questions above. So you'll be taking him to a vet, or did already - and he's being dewormed and did they check for any other issues? Is his little rear end red or painful looking?

Now that you mentioned, it looks a bit red and wounded. I already saw him pooping, but he never showed any signs of pain. Also, his poop is very soft, and doesn't look like it would be trouble getting it through.
Still, maybe he's feeling pain?

 

[breadstik]

Thank you for your story!
It makes me a bit hopefull when I see people that gone through the same situation, but still found a solution.
I don't know much about Louis's past, because I got him in a adoption event on the weekend, in a petstore. The owner didn't seem to know much about Louis, so I don't really know if he was a stray cat, if he spent enough time with his mother teaching him the basics, or anything.
I might try repreending him if everything else fails. It's a bit hard encouraging him to use the litter box though, since he rarely use it. I tried luring him inside the litter box with treats though, so he makes a positive association.

Treats are a good idea! For some reason it seems like he’s completely avoiding the box which is strange. Another idea (it’s odd but what do you have to lose?) is to try removing his litter from the box and see if he uses it. Maybe he’s missing the hardware up there telling him to poop somewhere soft and earthy and that’s why he’s choosing the bare floor! I’m sure you can get him to use it somehow, it’ll just be a matter of finding out why he doesn’t like it.

 

[Furballsmom]

Still, maybe he's feeling pain?

Maybe so, can you get a photo of it and send that in to your vet to see what they think?
Oh, and breadstik reminded me - I've seen a few times on this site where people have mentioned if they put potting soil into the box, sometimes that helps. Granted, I don't know if you'd want to do that in this situation until you find out what the redness/possible ouchiness is. All the best wishes - let us know what the vets say, and what happens !

 

[basschick]

you say his poop is very soft. have you taken him to a vet? when kitties have pain when pooping, they tend to go outside the box. a vet can take a stool sample and test it for common problems.

 

[duckpond]

He is still a young kitten, i would not reprimand him, give him some time. i would suggest an unscented liter, fine grain, clumping clay, as dust free as you can find. Precious cat has a kitten attract litter that is suppose to help train kittens to use the box. may be worth a try. keep one litter box a bit deep, like 3 inches, the smaller box maybe just 1 to 2 inches, some cats like less litter, some like more. Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Kitten Attract Training Cat Litter, 20-lb box

I am not a fan of clay litter, but it is normally the easiest to get a cat to use. once all is well with his litter box habits you can try some of the natural litters if you want

Also as some have already said, a vet visit would be helpful. Parasites, or an intestinal infection that is not treated can cause a cat to go outside the box, as well as smell bad. Almost all rescue kittens have some problem with this, and until that is treated any training you try is likely to fail. Hopefully the vet can help you get it resolved quickly.

 

[RitterIsa]

Hello!
I'll be taking him to the vet tomorrow. His stools definetly don't look normal right now, the consistency and smell aren't right. I hope the vet find out what's wrong with him, and prescribe some medication. Once he's better, I'll see if he'll start using the litter box, and if he don't I'll try some of your suggestions.
I'll keep you updated.
Thank you for all your replys so far!

 

[RitterIsa]

So... I don't even know how I should give you the news after all these months, but... Louis is finally using the litter box! For both pee and poop!
I can't even begin to describe how glad I am.
As I mentioned earlier, I used to keep him on the laundry. Now I keep the laundry open and whenever he wishes to do his stuff, he just goes there and do it, in one of the litter boxes, then come back, like a normal cat. This honestly blows my mind, because I was basically giving up on teaching him to use the box. He still doesn't seem to known how to bury his stuff, altough he tries, and end ups scratching the walls of the litter box (but who am I to complain? As long as he keeps using it, I'm happy lol)

In case there's someone out there with the same problem, and ends up in this thread... Unfortunately, I'm really not sure what made him change his behavior. I did a lot of trys, a lot of changes, and nothing seemed to work. I can't think of any punctual change that made him learn. But, there was as interesting pattern. He first started peeing in the litter box, until he was very consistent, always using the box for pee and never going out. Later, he started to gradually poop in the litter box as well. Sometimes on the floor, sometimes in the litter box... But now, finally, he went at least 6 times in a row pooping on the litter box, so I suposse he learnt.

I sute have a lot of hypotheses on the reasons why he started using the box, but I can't say any of them are necessarily right. Cats are a bit hard to understand sometimes, lol

Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone that tried helping me throughout the problem. It sure made me feel less lonely dealing with the situation.

 

[KarenKat]

I’m pretty new to this site but I wanted to say awesome! Congrats on Louise using the litter box! We have a silly 10 year tabby that starts pooping in the box and decided walking would be more fun than finishing his business. So I think this poop isn’t cause for celebration!!