Cat Won't Use Litter Box - Evanston,IL

I had 3 cats and a dog. Shortly after having my first and only child, my male cat started spraying. Cats are funny because things bother them so easily. First, is your cat fixed? Having them fixed is almost always the way to get it to stopped, although the longer you wait, the less likely it will work. Also, have the cat checked for an urinary infection immediately. That can usually be cured right away with medication.

My cat was already fixed, so let me assume yours is too. We went to three different doctors and went through so much before we finally got him to stop. My cat was peeing everywhere. He peed on clothes, our bedding and mattress, random corners, ANYWHERE! It went on for nine months before it stopped as well.

The first doctor put him on some medication (can't remember what) but it did not work. After trying three medications, we still couldn't get anything to work. We went to three doctors and they all told us we had already done everything we could and that we basically had to deal with it. Finally, we went to Bartlett Animal Hospital. They were actually the fourth doctor to tell us we had done everything (including using Feliway) but they called a specialist for us. The specialist prescribed another medication, not well known to most vets, and it worked! He is almost completely off the medicine now... sadly, at the same time putting him on the medicine, we gave him to my parents. He sprayed at their house in the very beginning, but since the med has kicked in, he hasn't done it even once.

If you would like to know the name of the medicine that worked for us, please email me privately because I can't remember what it is called off the top of my head. Also, I recommend bringing him to Bartlett Animal Hospital. I know for a fact they will do more than most other places and they are very familiar with my cats situation and what worked and what didn't (not that that completely matters because every cat is different). Anyway, there are two docs there- Dr. Nelson and Dr. Baker. They both are very good and will know what to do!

Good luck!

I have been using Lavender oil on a cotton ball when I dry our clothes. My male cat is funny. If I change anything in the house he uses the bedding and couch as a litter box. I just loving doing all the bedding at 9 P.M. I have cleaned the litter daily. Hand wiped the box each time. God forbide I change the type of litter. I have not put Fresh Wave by the cat box. I am putting in another litter box that is larger. If I were you I would let her go in the bath tub. I know it is gross but it is easier to clean up. I was on line and found a good website for animal behavior products. I cannot remember the sights name. They sold non harmful products.

With 12 cats I hope I can be useful, but we'll see.

We have a little room in the house (originally designed for a dog house) that we confine our not so trained cats to, then as they become trained we move them to slightly bigger rooms. Rooms that are of course easy to clean and easy to spray stuff onto. We found some "stay away" spray, I can't remember the brand but I think we got it at Petco. Some brands do work better than others even though they have the same exact active ingredients.

If you're going to move the box, move it to a place the cat seems to use a lot. Then continue to clean up and discourage the use of other places with spray or whatever you can find that they don't care for.

The other person did have a point about having two boxes. But we have our 2 boxes in one room and both cats use the boxes. Just don't put them side by side. Also all this talk about privacy isn't always true. For example, our cats prefer the boxes w/o lids. You also said this started before the new cat came, so if shes's having personal issues it's not because of the new cat. But that doesn't mean that she's not "mad" about something and this just happens to be the way to show it.

The thing with cats is they never do what you want when you want, it's always on their terms, but you can at least limit the messes you have to clean up by confining to one area of the house.

Good Luck!!

K.,

I had cats for years, take the kitty to the vet first but my experience is to keep the litter very simple - plain old clay litter - nothing with any scents or clumping or anything else extra, changing the brand or type of litter can really put them off... And change it EVERY DAY, just use less litter and dump it daily. I used to use those cat box liners (or you can use small trash bags) and put several layers of liner and litter in the box, so all I had to do was remove the top layer, tie up the bag and you have fresh litter.

Cats can be very finicky, the least little thing that upsets them can also cause them to urinate where they should not.

Two litter boxes will likely help. I would introduce the new box with a very plain litter, put the kitty in there and praise her over and over. good luck to you.

W

Your cat might have a bladder infection or some other urinary infection. Take her to the vet. When they refuse to use the litter box it is usually a sign that they have an infection of some sort. I never knew this until it happened to one of our cats.

General rule of thumb for cats is 1 litter box per cat plus 1 extra. Also if you have a multilevel house make sure there's one on each level. I have a tri-level and have 5 boxes for 2 cats, both neutered males.Here's a few ideas I have.
Cats don't like change, even the smallest. Even if it's rearranging a room, clutter in a corner etc.
Another idea, your cat is trying to tell you something, or show you something is wrong with them. If you smell the urine and it's real weak, kidneys or something is not functioning properly and needs medical attention.
I had a cat that started uriniating in the bath tub drain and then moved to bed, sure enough took him to vet and he was diabetic. Had to give insulin shots 2x a day and special food.
If theres blood droplets in the urine,strain to pee, frequent urination or a yeowl/painful sounding meow, there's an infection. Again go to vet.
Have you started spending less time with this companion? Could be telling you he's lonely.
You can try to reprogram her to use the litter box again by putting her in a crate large enough for cat, food, water and litter box for about 3-4 days straight and then let her out and see what happens. If marking occurs again put her back in for 3-4 days more.
Let her go in tub, cleans easier than carpets, etc. Use a product called Petastic, way, way better than Nature's Miracle, for clean up. Petastic does have an Especially for Cats line. www.petastic.com
Cats are very smart and if you don't pay attention to what they are saying to you, they will find out more and creative ways to let you know. I hope this helps.
In any event, call your vet and talk over with them.

Good Morning K.

You might want to have your cat checked out at the vet. We had a similar problem with out cat and found out that she had a kidney infection. Once the meds were done, she was back to using the litter box.

God's Blessings
D.

K.,
Don't laugh, I have had similar issues and after taking the cat to the vet, discovered that he had a urinary tract infection. I had another cat who messed in my bed signaling he now needed his own box because the other cat no longer considered him a kitten (vet said it was a psychological issue and he was trying to relate his 'stress' to me) Another box cured the problem. I also had a cat who was just plain picky and her litter box required us to dump and scrub daily or she would just go around the box!
Supposedly cats will display this kind of behavior when they are either ill or stressed out. I would suggest a vet visit. Good Luck!!

you need 2 litter boxes the new cat needs his own territory

I have had cats all my life. Cats always do as they please, but some training does stick. When we got our cat from the pound she was used to going in newspaper.We had to keep physically putting her in the box over and over again until she went. We had to transition her from paper to litter. It took about 3 weeks. Maybe you could try paper for a while and see if that works. It is kind of a pain to clean but i found the coolest things at walmart that really save time. They are cat pan bags that sift the litter and only take the clumps. It dosen't waste as much litter. They are great. If your cat still refuses to go even in paper, take her to the vet asap. It may be that she has a urinary infection or maybe something as simple as a cut on her paw that hurts when she steps in the litter. Good luck to you.

Have her checked for a bladder infection. Also, get an enclosed litter box. Our female cat does the same thing and it has been resolved with a cover around the litter box.

Take her to the vet, there may be something wrong. Urinary tract issues are common in cats.

K.,

I have a cat that for some reason started a year ago to not use the litter box every once and a while. From all the research I've done I've found that if the cat is not comfortable using the box, they won't. Is it in an open area where there are people that could see her go? They like privacy. Did something happen that she was spooked while going and is afraid to go back near the box? Also, you might want to take her to the vet to make sure she doesn't have a urniary tract infection. That will cause her to eliminate everywhere. Also if you have 2 cats, you should have 2 boxes, each on opposite sides of the house. Cats do not like change. Did something change back then?

I look forward to seeing what other replies you get because we are going thru the same thing.

Foe each cat in a family, you should have one and a half litter boxes. In other words, if you only have one litter box, you may want to get two more. Check with the vet, on the very slim chance the cat has a UTI (cats with UTI's will avoid the litter bow because they seem to think it might not hurt to go if they go somewhere else.) Lastly, keep up what you are doing, keeping the boxes clean.

You need 1 more litter box than you have cats. So in your case with 2 cats, you need 3 litter boxes. Just like people, I guess, they need their own space. :-)

Good luck,
J.

I have had my share of cats for a long time. We had adopted another cat before I got pregnant with me son. Everything was great until we brought Kenny home, and then she started peeing outside the box. We tried everything, adding an extra box (we had 2), confining her to a small room, and taking her to the vet, nothing worked. We then bought one of those black lights to see exactly where she had peed, and I thought I was going to die when I saw exactly where she was going! There was a 8 foot by 6 foot area under my dining room table that she was peeing on! I was so shocked by this. We decided to take her back to the animal shetler. My son was starting to crawl at the time and I could not even think about letting him crawl on that floor! Don't get me wrong, I love cats (and dogs) but I love my son more and this was the best thing for us to do. We did find out that she was adopted by a nice lady, so she will be getting all of the attention she needs!
To answer your question, I don't know how to solve the prblem, but I do recommend getting the black light and a product call Natures Miracle (Petsmart, Petco) to help with the cleanup. This stuff works miracles (no pun intended!)!
Good luck to you!

Oh Lord do I know about this one!! We did everything. I read online and got books. Tried a $200 self cleaning litterbox and a host of other types. Tried different litters. Talked to 7 vets. Our cat started it when she was about 4 years old. She would poop in the box but not pee. We ended up buying a cheap platic shower curtain and putting it under and around the litter box. We had to clean it up every day, multiple pees.

If your cat will go in the tub, let it. You can just rinse it down. I would have loved if mine would do that! Instead, her behavior got worse and worse, ruined every carpet in our house and it all had to be replaced, along with the pad underneath. We had to put her down. She was only 5, it was heart breaking. The only thing I didnt do, and I wish I had, just in case, was anxiety meds. I tend to think it wouldnt have cured her, not to be 100% trustworthy, but in my heart there is always the "what if?". If it had been an option for my cat I would have sent her to live on a farm. But she was such a princess, I knew she would be completely miserable living in a barn. Giving her up to a shelter wasnt an option either as she wasnt adoptable being like the way she was. I wish you the best of luck and hope you dont have to go through what we did!

We had a cat who did this. He would urinate in strange places and on things like plastic bags. Sometimes he would poop in our plants! We added a second litter box in the same room but in the opposite corner and that seemed to cure the problem. Why? Who knows! But the vet suggested it and it was our last resort.
Good luck!
T.