My new cat won't use the litter box in our small, crowded home.

Question

My husband and I live I a very small house . One bedroom ,one bath. We have one adult indoor cat, and a large Husky/ wolf dog. It's crowded! Now we have "Scruff" and i am going through a very very hard time trying to litter box train her. She hides under the bed, but, is starting to come out, she will not use the litter box. I have 3 set up. Our problem is space, I can't put her in a room because we only have one room. What can I do?? Pet's info: Cat | American Curl | Female | 3 lbs

Amber W · Accepted Answer

I'm sorry you're having this issue with Scruff! Inappropriate elimination (peeing or pooping outside the litter box) in cats can be frustrating and difficult to treat. In your situation it may be a bit complicated by your issue with space as this may be a large stressor for Scruff. The first step you should take is scheduling an appointment for your cat to see a veterinarian. A lot of times a cat will start going outside of the litter box due to health problems like urinating tract infections, pain, urinary tract inflammation and digestive problems. Once you have established that there aren't any medical reasons for inappropriate elimination the following may be helpful: 1. Cats will urinate or defecate outside of the litter box for stress related reasons. Therefore it is best to keep the litter boxes in several different, quiet areas of the household. 2. A pheromone diffuser like Feliway Multicat can be quite helpful. 3. Ensure you have at least one litter box in the household per cat plus one. For example, if you have 3 cats, then 4 litter boxes are recommended. 4. Feeding an all canned food diet can help if there is inflammation in the bladder. There are also prescription diets available to help with bladder inflammation or digestive issues. Your veterinarian can help you choose the best one for your cat. 5. The litter boxes should be cleaned once to twice daily and completely emptied and washed weekly. Most cats prefer litter to be the clumping type that is kept a few inches deep. Certain litter types like Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter may be helpful. Litter boxes should be very large with a low cut out to make it easier for older cats with arthritis to climb inside. 6. If you are still having problems after taking the above steps you may want to talk to your veterinarian about behavioral medication. These articles may be helpful to you: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-common-litter-box-mistakes/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/litter-box-training-for-your-kitten/ Thanks for using PetCoach and good luck!

My new cat won't use the litter box in our small, crowded home.

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