Cat Chat Feline Forum

We just pseudo adopted a cat from my mother-in-law. His name is Sterling and I think somewhere between 8 and 10 years old. He's a Russian Blue. My mother-in-law adopted him I think after the death of one of her dogs (a lab). He was joining a female German Sheppard who has also been around for 10ish years and a male cat who I think is getting up there too. We took in the cat because he was not using the litter box, but he was going anywhere in the house. As far as I know there was no real acclimation allowed. She didn't isolate the cat to get him comfortable or anything. He was urinating on couches and beds-with people in them.

At my house now, we have him isolated behind a closed door. We have a few animals ourselves, so he probably has picked up on all sorts of scents. In his room, he was a cat bed, a card board box/carrier, a litter box, a plug in defuser, food, and water. I'm a cat person, so when I told my wife she was spear heading the training, that lasted all of two days. We took him in the day after Christmas. My wife had previously brought him to the vet long before we took him in (he's been in the family for a good number of months now, I'd say the better part of a year) and we thought that traumatized him a bit...he didn't forget about my wife after that. I tried going in. I laid on the floor and started petting him while he was sitting in the cardboard hut, not facing me. He warmed up to me pretty instantly and has greeted me when I come into the room every day since (today is Friday and we got him Saturday, so I think Monday and Tuesday were my intro days?)

I didn't see anything in the litter box on Monday and there were no odors. Tuesday, there were hard chunks of poop outside the litter box. The box has a top guard for kicking. I removed that so he could see that was a litter box from anywhere. I've even put him in it a couple of times. I put the poop in as well to show him where it should go. Wednesday, I found it odd that there had been no urine anywhere yet. We have hardwood floors, so I got out a flashlight to look for wet areas. Found two! We have tried putting some Sentry fur ball remedy on his paws to help clean him out, but I'm not seeing results. My wife says when she brought him the the vet before it was for these same symptoms that he is exhibiting now and they said it was just stress.

He is super friendly and outgoing to both of us and I think half of his meows right now are for attention. He is behind a closed door and alone for most of the day, aside from myself or my wife going in to check in the morning and evening. The dogs occasionally whine from the other side whether we're in there or not. I have cracked the door to let them all sniff each other and to my happy surprise, Sterling doesn't put his ears back and hiss! He sniffs a little and then turns his

On Wednesday, I took a wash cloth and smeared it all over the face of one of the other cats and put it under his food bowl. We'll see how that goes. That's my situation though. Timeline, set up, actions, precautions, everything we have done to help the cat. He has urinated on the floor I think four times now and the cat bed once. There has been no change in food or litter. My wife and MIL think he might be constipated since his poop has always been hard. My MIL thinks the Humane Society papers lied about him being litter box trained. I'd like to avoid a trip to the vet if we could, just for time and cost purposes but we'll do what it takes. I wouldn't have introduced another cat's scent if he wasn't as friendly and outgoing to me as he has been. He allows belly rubs and the first time I petted him he was on his back and pushing himself out of the box to meet my hand.

Sorry to be long winded, but I just wanted to be detailed. Thanks!

What litter are you using? I'm no expert with this but it might be worth trying a few different types of litter to see if he prefers them. And clean the areas where he has peed with biological detergent to remove any odours so he's not going back to 'refresh' the same area all the time. Also, some cats prefer to poo and pee in different litter boxes, so it might be worth giving him two. Good on you for trying to help him. Good luck!

This is very early days, and he is very stressed. It's not uncommon for cats to cross their legs for a couple of days before feeling safe enough to use a litter tray. You could try putting a tiny amount of Lactulose on his food to help his bowel movements, but as Crewella says, it might be worth changing his litter. Try one that's soft under his paws and easy to dig - I use Cats Best which is (non-clay) clumping and very good at covering the smell, and economical as you only need to scoop out the soiled areas. My two love it.

It sounds like you're doing all the right things at the moment though, so just keep it up. He's had so much upheaval in his life, give him plenty of time to settle in at his own pace. My current two hid under the bed for about 2 weeks when I first brought them home, and even after coming out their trust and confidence carried on developing very slowly, and they stll dive under the bed again when worried, around 6 months later, so don't expect too much from him. They don't settle in quickly like dogs, they just need to learn they're safe before they start exploring and this can take a long while for some cats.

Crewella wrote:What litter are you using? I'm no expert with this but it might be worth trying a few different types of litter to see if he prefers them. And clean the areas where he has peed with biological detergent to remove any odours so he's not going back to 'refresh' the same area all the time. Also, some cats prefer to poo and pee in different litter boxes, so it might be worth giving him two. Good on you for trying to help him. Good luck!

Well, I thought we were using the same stuff my MIL had. No idea what that is. We use Arm and Hammer though. Usually the scent killer or multi cat (the big orange box that weighs 40lbs). Do you have any recommendations for a different litter? Something that Walmart, Target, Petco carry? I have just sprayed Orange Clean on the wood floor where he has peed. Is that enough?

lilynmitz wrote:This is very early days, and he is very stressed. It's not uncommon for cats to cross their legs for a couple of days before feeling safe enough to use a litter tray. You could try putting a tiny amount of Lactulose on his food to help his bowel movements, but as Crewella says, it might be worth changing his litter. Try one that's soft under his paws and easy to dig - I use Cats Best which is (non-clay) clumping and very good at covering the smell, and economical as you only need to scoop out the soiled areas. My two love it.

It sounds like you're doing all the right things at the moment though, so just keep it up. He's had so much upheaval in his life, give him plenty of time to settle in at his own pace. My current two hid under the bed for about 2 weeks when I first brought them home, and even after coming out their trust and confidence carried on developing very slowly, and they stll dive under the bed again when worried, around 6 months later, so don't expect too much from him. They don't settle in quickly like dogs, they just need to learn they're safe before they start exploring and this can take a long while for some cats.

Those are my thoughts as well. Especially since he never settled in his last home. When I went to check on him this morning, he bolted out of the room. He wants out. We want him out. We just don't feel comfortable letting him have free roam that is unmonitored until we know we won't come home or wake up to a mess. I'll check into Cats Best!

ALSO: he is declawed. Not sure if that holds relevance anywhere, but just in case, I thought I'd mention it.

LDG wrote:ALSO: he is declawed. Not sure if that holds relevance anywhere, but just in case, I thought I'd mention it.

I saw something on a TV show about a declawed cat that wouldn't use a litter tray. Apparently the surgery can leave their paws very sensitive, and the litter hurts them. They got that cat to use puppy pads rather than litter, although I think in the end they found a litter it would tolerate. You might try offering him puppy pads, and if he will use those, gradually add a little of the softest litter you can find.

MarySkater wrote:

LDG wrote:ALSO: he is declawed. Not sure if that holds relevance anywhere, but just in case, I thought I'd mention it.

I saw something on a TV show about a declawed cat that wouldn't use a litter tray. Apparently the surgery can leave their paws very sensitive, and the litter hurts them. They got that cat to use puppy pads rather than litter, although I think in the end they found a litter it would tolerate. You might try offering him puppy pads, and if he will use those, gradually add a little of the softest litter you can find.

Funny you mention that! After the first couple days went by and we discovered he wasn't using the box, we put puppy pads down everywhere he had gone. One day, a puppy pad was utilized, so I moved the litter there. No pee since. Poop is still as hard and randomly placed as ever. I'll be home in about an hour, so I'll check to see if he has gone anywhere else. This morning when I checked, there was nothing anywhere.

Managed to find Cat Attract...or rather, "Kitten Attract" at Petco. I also saw World's Best Cat Litter. I bought the box of Kitten Attract because that seemed to match-at least in name. Obviously, it was designed for kittens, but it does say it is softer for sensitive paws. Something I assume kittens and declawed cats have in common. He was starting to use the other litter though. Bought a new gate as well so he can still have a safe room while he explores.

Hey just wondering did you find a solution to your problem?

I came across a article here http://www.heartministryga.org/cat-you/ ... itter-box/ found it to be helpful. I am going through something similar right now so would love it if you can share any solutions.

Thanks

De clawed!!! How horrible. Poor little thing is probably traumatised.
Such an unnecessary and cruel practice which is rightly banned in the UK.

For those who are having the same problem, you guys can grab a piece of rag and wipe off the urine and poop. But don't throw it away just yet. Keep it and place it inside your litter box. Don't fill it with litter just yet, let the cat know the place and get used to it. Once he/she has, you can throw the rag away and fill the box with litter.