Cat won’t use litter tray.

TheresaW

TheresaW

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My sister has taken on our mums cat. Mum passed away in March. Ronnie, the cat will be 15 in September.

Mum and Dad got him as a kitten.

He has always been clean in the house.

Since sister took him home, he has point blank not used the litter tray (they have 2 set up) and has been weeing and pooing in the house.

On Monday, they started letting him out in the garden. He’s happy going in and out, is not weeing at all indoors, but is still pooing.

Any ideas to help much appreciated.

Pics just because.

ETA. I took him to our vet when mum died. He is hyperthyroid which is now medicated, and he’s now under vets at my sisters. Thyroid controlled, and everything else is fine.

77540804625__71E7BD5E-41BC-4D1F-AF9B-0C1242DECB93.jpeg
IMG_1846.jpeg
 
Was he using a litter box previously? Or is this the first time he was expected to use one?

Assuming yes: Are they big enough, he is a big cat. Is the litter the same. Are they in secluded spots where he feels safe.

If no, and actually maybe even if yes, then the gold standard advice is confine to large dog crate or the bathroom with space for bed, food, litter box and not much else and they will generally pick the box for lack of better options. Any accessible carpet is always a "better" option! Since he has been there a bit too long to make complete confinement to bathroom really make sense they could try and confine when he normally poops in the house, so after meals for an hour or so, or overnight if that is when he does it. It might seem mean but it is less mean than everyone coming to resent him because he makes them scrub the carpet every day.
 
Thank you.

At Mums, he had a cat flap, so went in and out as he pleased. Obviously they had to keep him in for a few weeks to get used to his new home.

Pretty much what I’ve been suggesting. Will pass the messages on.

He really isn’t a big cat, that’s the photo’s.
 
I'd also play around with litter types- some prefer wood, others fuller's earth etc.
Are they keeping his litter boxes scrupulously clean? Some cats won't go in a box they have previously been in until the litter is changed.
 
Can they make him somewhere appealing in the garden to poo? Like a big litter box type arrangement tucked away in a corner somewhere?

We have one that won't use a litter tray to poo - he came from rescue and was the reason he had been there a while. At previous place and current place though there are good poo hiding spots in the garden so once he could go out the issue stopped (but there was a short period of crossover)
 
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