Why won't one of my cats use the litter box and how do I train her to use the box?

Question

I have two cats. They are both only 5 months old. One uses the box fine and the other one won't. She goes right NEXT to the littlerbox though.

I should have added the I do have two litter boxes. They are in the same room. Maybe I should move the other one???

Both the kitties are female.

The cats are actually my brother's but I am staying with him for a few weeks and I am tired of cleaning up cat poop.

How young can I get the cats spayed????

The cat has never used the littler box that I know of.

Answer 1

Well at least she's getting there. You just have to wait some time. When you see her getiing close to the box, though, put her inside. Her natural kitty instinct will tell her that's the place to do her business. Just keep doing that and eventually she will catch on. That's what i did.

Answer 2

that is kinda a hard question most kittens just use the litter box without guidence at all. plus with one of your using the litter box is should make the other. you might want to try to use a different kind of litter. your cat might not like the way it feels or maybe you are putting too much in the box. it could feel like it is sinking, maybe? also make sure its not a really big litter box that is too high off the ground where it could be difficult to get in and out of? a friend of mine had this problem once and she would take both cats to the box at the same time so the other one could see it using the litter box. it could be a matter of different things it will just take patience but since your kitten is only 5 months old you shouldn't have a problem.

Answer 3

So you have two....yes, I would recommend moving one. If that doesn't work, experiment with the box itself. If it's covered, take the cover off....if it's not covered, try getting a covered box. My cats both like the covered ones because of the extra privacy, but some cats don't because the hoods hold more of the smell inside the box.

It could also be the litter. Too stong an odor or she doesn't like the feel. This can be experimented around with, too. Just because your other cat doesn't have any problems with any of this, that doesn't mean the offending cat won't....all cats are different, and some are VERY finicky.

Has she EVER used the litter box? I mean, if this is a recent change, get her to a vet to check for infections. If a cat experiences pain while eliminating, they will avoid the litter box because they associate it with the pain.

Answer 4

It depends. Are both your cats female or male or is there one of each? How often do you change the litter box? How big is the litter box?

If you have one of each (sexes) then the problem could be simple pheremones. Even at that age. My male cat refused to use the litter box because my female cat went there. It wasn't until he was older and I had him neutered that he started using it.

If you have multiple cats (even just two) you should clean the litter box twice a day and completly change out the litter every other day. Cats are extremely finicky and will often refuse to use a litter box that is only the slightest bit dirty.

The size of the litterbox is often important as well. If you have anything other than one cat, get the the biggest box you can. Even spayed or neutered cats can be territorial and will have parts of the litter box they prefer to use. It's weird but I have three cats and a huge box and they use the same spot every time in different parts of it.

I suggest getting a bigger box and continure attempting to get the other cat to use it. If necessary, get one of them (or both preferrably) spayed/neutered and your problem shoudl clear up.

Answer 5

all the suggestions you recieved so far are all very helpful, i noticed. What I can add is this: It may take a bit chunk of your time, but try to supervise the cat's toilet behavior for a couple of days. When you see or sense that the cat is about to pee or poo (they do make certain ritual motions like scratching the ground), put it immediately in the CLEAN litterbox. Take hold of its paws and gently guide them in scratching or digging motions inside the litterbox. The cat should get the idea very quickly. Do this until the cat goes into the litterbox on its own. Usually it takes only a day or two until the cat gets the idea that the liiterbox is where he poops and pees.

This is how I trained my cats to use the litterbox.

If this does not help, then I agree with the suggestion that you take the cat to the vet to make sure that it is not a medical problem (like a blocked urethra).

Answer 6

GO TO YAHOO SEARCH SITE BELOW NOW.......

It's very informative. For topic: cat behavior problems liter box. Then on that page , choose #2:Solving litter box problems. It doesn't have a direct address to go to or I'd have put that in.

My answer is late because I was skimming it and it had all the things I was telling you so I deleted my answer because of that.

As for The Nature's Miracle, it is for YOUR nose. They can still smell were they went and will continue from my experience. Put newspaper under both boxes, enough to cover outside the box area and where she goes to help with the clean up for now. As as mentioned, when you can catch her wanting to go, put her in the box. Does she even go in the other one? If not, placing it near the other might help and put some of HER waste in it for her smell.

Every cat is different I guess. I had three at one time and they all shared the two I had, and at different locations of the house.

If she is just urinating, get her to the vet asap.
Use Yahoo Search about litter box problems.

My best to you and kitty,
pj

Answer 7

Are you trying to get both cats to use the same litter box? If that's the case, the other cat probably doesn't like going in the same place as the 1st cat. It would just be like, people...We wouldn't want to use the same toilet paper that another person has used. Best to get a 2nd litter box for your other cat. ;) Good luck!!

Answer 8

Catwoman's right.

Another thing you might try is getting an extra litter box: Some kitties don't like to share, though I'm not sure why that is a problem for a 5 month old kitten.

Good luck!

Answer 9

take her to the vet, there might be something medically going on with her. clean up the mess with Nature's Miracle. it is recomended that you have 1 litter box per cat plus one so with 2 cats you want 3 litterboxes. and make sure that there is one on every level of your house.

you may have to confine her to a small room with a litterbox and some water and she will learn that she has to go in the box or she will have to live in it and cats are clean animals and don't want that.

First start with a trip to the vet to rule out any medical problems and then go from there.

Answer 10

it could be that the litter has a scent that the kitty doesnt like, you can try switching to a different litter, one with no scent. or if its clumping try the non clumping kind.