Expert: Dear Tabbi - 5/17/2008

Question
We have been taking care of a kitten/cat that was living under our house.  Eventually he came out and started hanging around and sleeping  by our garage door (I, of course fed him and gave him a bed and toys, etc.)  We finally had to catch him and take him to the vet because his leg was all swollen and he wouldn't walk on one of his legs.  We had all of his wounds taken care of and they neutered him at the same time (they put him out to clean/treat his wounds because they were so bad).  He's only 1 year old or so.  My problem is that he doesn't know what a litter box is, much less how to use it (the vet had me get special litter so none of it would stick to his wounds on his paws and legs).  So far, he has urinated on his cat bed and the guest bed in the room we have him in (we were told not to introduce him to our two cats until his health is 100%).  How do I get him to use the cat box?

Answer
Sheila,

A cat instinctively will use a litterbox. Most likely his behavior is due to severe stress. Especially having to be an indoor cat. He is used to being outside. He is out of his element, has people to deal with, an injury that is probably painful, getting neutered, being handled, new smells, other cats, etc. He is probably depressed about all of it too.

Put him in one room with food, water, and his litterbox nearby (it probably is painful for him to go far to use it). That gives the cat a chance to get to know you, gain confidence and trust, and get acclimated to having a new home. Then you let them explore the home gradually, one room at the time. It is too overwhelming to have a whole big house at one time to be in. You can put the cat in a carrier  for short periods of time in a room that has the most traffic so it can get used to the normal people movements in the house and voices. Then as the cat is comfortable with the expanded area, let it go where it wants but still have the safety of it's 'safe' room to run back into.

You should NOT add the introduction your other cats until the cat feels secure and comfortable with you and his new home. Then you start the getting acquainted process. Otherwise there are too many new and confusing things going on, and too much to learn and accept all at once. After he is healed, you may want to give him the option to go back outside, maybe just part of the day.

I am attaching a couple of links on how to go about the introduction process: (copy and paste, or type the whole links into your address bar)

http://www.messybeast.com/first-impressions.htm

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=cattocatintro...

There is a calming product that you can add to the cat's food or water that reduces anxiety called Bach's Rescue Remedy. It is available on-line and in health food stores. Here is a link about it: http://www.bachflower.com/Pets.htm

For the cat's stress you can get what is called Feliway (or Comfort Zone with Feliway). It is a spray (or you can get plug-in diffusers). Try PetSmart/Petco, etc., a vet's office (they use it too), or on-line. It is very popular and is good for calming cats and reducing stress. It copies the relaxing pheromones that cats produce from rubbing their faces on things.

Another option is to talk to your vet about getting a prescription for "kitty Prozac". It is commonly used for cats with stress and emotional problems to calm them. For some cats a short term therapy works (about 2 weeks), and others need it for a long period of time.
I hope this helps and things work out.

Tabbi