Older Feral Tortoise Shell Momma Cat Not Learning the LItter Box

nakajami55

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I have adopted another older "Momma" Cat Tortoise Shell Cat;  She finally came in from the cold after surviving "abandonment" by previous owners and mistreatment by the local Humane Society (Bloomington IN) Bad Humane Shelter, (Don't care about stray cats) She is  not learning to go to the litter box,  She won't pee or poop in litter boxes.  Because I love cats so much and, I believe she has been traumatized by Human Shelter failures to properly care for her, I think she may have some type of issue with relearning to do her business and cover it up.  I will still keep her because she is so sweet and her voice is gone because of what I "witnessed"  when she was trapped in a cage and abandoned for almost 2 days crying out for help and no one helped her until I finally was aware and called the HS and told them I was going to report them for animal cruelty if they did not take care of her.  Sadly they failed and Momma tuned up at my doorstep last year and I have had her ever since.  I just wanted to share this story because I found it very troubling about the Humane Society lack of care and concern and I wanted other readers to know that sometimes Shelters are not always the good guys!
 

di and bob

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Oh, I know that! It breaks my heart to think of the animals 'put down' in most of those shelters. And don't think 'no kill' shelters won't do it either, any sick, injured or feral animals are destroyed too, even there. Most are good though, they just don't have the manpower, finances and facilities they need to function right. The one we have in my town is wonderful, they even go to surrounding towns and bring in dogs and cats that are 'on the list' to be euthanized.They are also setting up a TNR (trap-neuter-release) program here so the city will stop trapping and destroying the feral population around here, they have even made a law against feeding wild animals, so i guess all those cats, and birds, and possums, and squirrels I feed are my pets!  So not all are bad, it's the people who run them. 

Did you try a shallow tray with outside dirt in it, maybe she prefers that, or shredded newspaper or a different kind or shape of litter. I'm sure the beautiful girl has had a bad experience with a box and shys away from it now. Maybe try a large cookie sheet. Where is she going now? Any kind of special medium like cloth, carpet or tile? Maybe there is someway to incorporate these into some kind of litter area. You will be blessed for taking her in, even with her issues. She deserves a little happiness in her life and will be a wonderful companion for you. I pray you find a solution, please keep us posted! 
 

sprin

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I agree with trying dirt from outside, or some litter/dirt mixture. Some cats don't like certain textures, so trying different litters in different boxes is good. How many litter boxes do you have? How many cats? I usually see the suggestion a litter box per cat plus 1 extra box.
 
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