New cat won't use unscented litter box, pees in shower. What to do?

Question

I just adopted mittens from my local shelter on June 8. When I brought him home he was very scared. Now he has settled in our home. I found out that mittens doesn’t like scented litter and was refusing to use the litter box. So I bought him arm and hammer unscented litter. I put him in the litter box and he sniffed it and jumped out. What should I do now? He has been going potty in the shower, should I put the litter box in the shower? Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Male | neutered | 6 years and 7 months old | 8 lbs

Josie Drayton, MS, DVM · Accepted Answer

I love that you have already switched to the unscented litter as that can be a big problem for many cats. Putting the litter box in the shower is a great idea. I would also make sure to clean up the spots he went outside the litterbox using an enzymatic pet stain cleaner to ensure he does not keep smelling urine/feces there and think that it is akin to a litterbox. Other things, like cleaning the litter box often, having multiple litterboxes which are different types of boxes, and trying different types of litter (such as fine-grain litter) may also help you figure out what type of litter Mittens likes. While it certainly sounds like Mittens is having trouble getting used to his new litterbox, it is important to remember that internal diseases (like organ, hormonal, or orthopedic diseases, among other possible causes) can cause Mittens to have a hard time making it into the litterbox so it is important to take Mittens to your vet for evaluation to make sure we are not missing something else that is making it hard for Mittens to make it to the litterbox. I have attached a link to an article with more great suggestions below. Good luck! https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-train-your-cat-to-use-a-litter-box/

New cat won't use unscented litter box, pees in shower. What to do?

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