HELP!! I'm at my wit's end!

[drlisa0318]

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I have a cat (~8 yrs old, male, neutered, declawed) who absolutely REFUSES to use the litter box. We've pulled up all the carpets and pads (they were old, nasty, and ugly anyway). We're down to bare concrete (linoleum in the dining room/kitchen). I clean up the mess as soon as I see it. Hubby is holding off on updating the flooring until the problem is taken care of. As a last resort, we'll either take him to a no-kill shelter (as of today, none of those shelters in our area are taking any more cats for an indeterminate amt of time) or put him down. Neither idea is palatable to us. We've had him since before he was weaned - I bottle-fed him for a couple of weeks.
I would REALLY appreciate any help y'all can give!

 

[sofficat]

due to the rules and regulations of sdn, we cannot give you any medical advice. with that said- i am assuming you have brought your cat to the vet to make sure it is not a physical problem (stones, uti, etc). if you have and he has come up normal (more than once!), how about considering a vet behaviorist?

 

[Electrophile]

I'm a dog behaviorist, but a few things...

-how many litter boxes do you have (many people don't put out enough)?
-what substrate do you use (some cats develop substrate aversions)?
-how big are the litter boxes (most litter boxes are too small)?
-where are they placed (he's not real old, but a cat developing arthritis might not want to climb stairs to get to one, etc)?
-what are you using to clean up the accidents with (enzyme cleaners like Nature's Miracle are going to be the best bet)?
-you've had him for 8 years...has he ever used the litter box or is this a recent occurence?
-do you have any other dogs or cats?

 

[drlisa0318]

I'm a dog behaviorist, but a few things...

-how many litter boxes do you have (many people don't put out enough)?
-what substrate do you use (some cats develop substrate aversions)?
-how big are the litter boxes (most litter boxes are too small)?
-where are they placed (he's not real old, but a cat developing arthritis might not want to climb stairs to get to one, etc)?
-what are you using to clean up the accidents with (enzyme cleaners like Nature's Miracle are going to be the best bet)?
-you've had him for 8 years...has he ever used the litter box or is this a recent occurence?
-do you have any other dogs or cats?

-2 boxes
-We've used the clumping kind and the non-clumping kind
-both are big boxes
-we live in a single-story house, so this shouldn't be an issue
-we've used enzyme cleaners, bleach, you name it, we've tried it
-it's been going on for a couple of years...we've tried everything that we know of
-we have 1 dog & 5 cats total. But this started before we got the dog and before we got the last 2 cats
-the only thing we haven't done is take him to the vet...at the moment, we can't even afford to go to the doctor ourselves

 

[sofficat]

-
-the only thing we haven't done is take him to the vet...at the moment, we can't even afford to go to the doctor ourselves

😱

i really think you need to take him to the vet asap.

this could be something very common (like a urinary tract infection) that can be treated and done with in just a few weeks. on the other hand you may find out that he has stones and may need surgery (or a thousand other possibilities).
just think that if it is something like a uti or a stone he could be in A LOT of pain.

quick story- we had a client that adopted a dog from a couple who was giving him away because he was peeing on the carpet. every time he would pee inside they would kick him in the stomach and boot him outside. we took an xray and found a ping pong size stone in his bladder. *i'm NOT saying you are similar to these people and i'm sure you don't kick your cat, but this is just an example of what has happened in the past.*
moral of the story? bring him to the vet 😉

 

[ShelterGirl]

About half the cats we get surrendered to our shelter for litterbox issues turn out to have a physical problem (infection, stones, etc.) - please get him to a vet!

 

[drlisa0318]

Thanks, everyone! I'll see what I can do about getting him to the vet.

 

[Beagingese]

Ack! 2 boxes for 5 cats!!! You need to have 1 more box than cats. They're picky little critters and sometimes they don't want to go where someone else has been. You need AT LEAST 6 if you've got that many cats.

 

[Electrophile]

Ack! 2 boxes for 5 cats!!! You need to have 1 more box than cats. They're picky little critters and sometimes they don't want to go where someone else has been. You need AT LEAST 6 if you've got that many cats.

This is correct. A basic rule of thumb is (especially when having problems like this) one litter box for each house cat plus one. Once things calm down a bit, you may be able to consolidate, but maybe not. Also try using very large litter boxes, like a plastic Rubbermaid container (like a wide low sweaterbox) with one of the sides cut low for an easy entrance with a variety of substrates. Most cat litter boxes are too small for most cats.

 

[Foofur]

Hey!
We were just discussing this in class the other day.. but apparently declawed cats sometimes have this problem (especially if their declawing was done when they were an adult).

I would take your cat to the vet, but if they do not find anything... it may have been the declawing. Have you tried other litters like Yesterdays News or Scoopes- they are made from recycled newspaper and tend to be softer on the pads.

Take the cat to the vet- soon!