How Do I Get My Cat To Use The Litter Box?

Question

My cat knows how to use the litter box. When we first got her it took a few days for us to get her to use it. Then we only had problems if I'd kick her out of my room because she was getting underfoot and she'd leave me a present to let me know she was mad. For the past few days though, she has not gone to the bathroom in her litterbox at all. My mom is going to get rid of her if I can't figure out how to get her to go in the litterbox. We've had her for about 8 months now.

I've tried everything I can think of. I've taken her and put her in the litterbox. I've put her nose in what she's left in the hall and put her in the litterbox...I don't know what to do!

Answer 1

When i have done litter box training with me cat i put her in the bathroom with her litter box and shut the door ! before you leave them in the bathroom alone put your cat in the litter box then leave shut the door behind you and if she hasn't gone to the bathroom do it again in till she understands

Answer 2

Maybe lock her in teh same room as the litterbox, preferably a small room like a bathroom. And just wait and see if she will use it. Otherwise I have no idea. If she used it before, its weird that she won't use it now. Maybe it is a health problem. Maybe she can't control her bladder and just goes whereever.  

Answer 3

Is your cat spayed? I don't know why but sometimes they do that when they are not fixed.  They also sell products that help attract the cat to the litter box at the pet store.  Are you sure she isn't sick?  My cat started using my clothes as a litter box once and it turned out he had crystals in his bladder.  He acted normal except he wouldn't use his box.  So maybe call the vet.  I hope you find the answer your looking for!  I wouldn't want to get rid of my kitty either.  

Answer 4

I know you said that you don't think she is sick, but the last time my cat didn't use the litterbox, she had a UTI.  Cats are very private and usually don't like to do their business in front of people.  If she is going in front of you, she is trying to tell you something is wrong.  You need to take her to the vet.

A lot of people have suggested changing the litter.  If you have started using a different brand recently, change back to the old one.  If nothing is different, then it isn't the litter.  

I've had four litter-box trained cats and none of them ever did anything like this unless they were sick or in heat (one of my cats went into heat before she was fixed and she peed everywhere).  I would call your vet; it sounds like something is wrong.  Cats never change their routine.

Answer 5

Maybe you need to put the litter box in a more private area, even changing the type of litter might help.  Best advice perhaps is ask a Veternarian, I am sure they would have more suggestions. Don't worry about cats getting underfoot once they get accidentally stepped on enough they will learn not to let i happen again. Good Luck.  

Answer 6

Maybe she is mad at you? Just be really sweet and keep showing her the litter box. Maybe she doesn't like the location that it's in - you could try moving it. She might not like the type of litter that is in it. Cats instinctively use the litter box so it could be one of those things.

Answer 7

No odor more foul then cat urine.  My cats have always used it from the time they were kittens.  But cats will only do what they want to do.  Which makes them very likable to some and  hated by others.  Good Luck, meow  xox  

Answer 8

try switching litter brands - maybe the scent is unappealling to her.  Maybe this site will help you more

http://www.xmission.com/~emailbox/litter...

Answer 9

You may need to keep her more isolated in an area so her choices are limited.  Try sand in the litter box.  She may not like the brand of litter you're using and needs something different.  Also try other brands of litter without deodorizers, etc.  She may just be sensitive to it.  Good luck

Answer 10

just because she 'doesn't seem sick' doesn't mean she isn't.  Cats are VERY good at hiding illnesses, and trying to modify behavior when there are health issues involved is like trying to stop a waterfall with a bucket.    Get her to a vet and rule health issues out.

You don't say how old she is, but only that you've had her for 8 months.  I'm going to assume she's still pretty young.  You also don't mention if there are other pets in the house, nor where the box is, so let me address several issues.

Young kitties.  Young kitties play and play until they have to use the box, but then can't see it, and they really really have to go, so they'll use a corner or some other spot.  If you have multiple levels on your house, putting several boxes out will help this issue.  At 10+ months, she SHOULD have good control, but she might not have gotten the whole go to the box concept.  Put out a few more boxes, see if this helps.

If you have other pets, they might be making it hard for her to use teh box.  Watch what is going on when she wanders around the house.  Are the other pets harassing her?  or might the box be in a place that might not feel safe to her - like near a washing machine that occasionally makes loud noises.  If there is a dog, put up a baby gate so the kitty can get to the box but the dog can't.  If there are multple cats, there absolutely positively needs to be multiple boxes, as cats are very territorial.  Put out a few more boxes around the house, and see if this fixes the problem  you don't need to keep all the boxes out for the rest of the kitty's life, but it will help you figure out what the problem is so you can remove the issue

Please stop "punishing' the cat - aka putting her nose in it.  The cat isn't (ok, most likely isn't) doing this to spite you, but because there is something wrong in her life.  Figuring out what the problem is will fix the issue of going outside the box.

If adding new boxes doesn't solve the problem, you might want to 'retrain' your kitty to use the box by isolating her in one room with food, water, bedding and a box.  Being in close quarters, the kitty will be more inclined to use the box, because going outside of it will put it near her, and cats are very clean animals.  They really detest a dirty box (make sure you scoop the box daily if not more often if you only have one box)  and really detest the smell of their own f***s, so she'll be inclined to want to bury it.  You can also buy a product called "cat attract" litter to help with the retraining.  It is expensive, but it is a really good product.  Once your kitty has shown she'll use the box, you can let her out of the room for supervised visits, and return her to the room when you can't watch her.  Leaving her out of the room for longer and longer periods will regain your trust, and help her learn what is acceptable.  Retraining though is very rarely needed.

Honestly, get her to a vet for a once over.  chances are it will solve all your issues.