About Dear Tabbi Expertise My expertise is in helping people understand their cat (or cats) and their behavior. Questions are welcome even if you don't have a cat....just a question about them. Hopefully my experience, suggestions, and comments will be of help to you...and your cat (or cats). Looking through my past responses to questions will give you additional information and/or answers too.
Domestic Cats = cats (no matter what breed) who are tame or not wild, or abandoned cats who were pets that became wild, but can be tamed again.
Ferals = cats who are born with one or more parents who were wild stray cats. They usually have had no interactions with people. They have an inbred distrust of humans and are difficult to socialize. They are skittish, hide, and are afraid of people. They take a lot of time and patience to work with them. A lot of kittens from shelters had a feral parent.
Experience Since I was a child, over 45 years, I have been owned by a LOT of cats and kittens of almost every temperament, behavior, and personality. I have had experience with neurotic, disabled (including blind), stray, and 'problem child' cats and kittens. (A few normal cats too!) Plus all the things a lifetime of owning cats and research has taught me. I also have experience in feral cat behavior (which is different from domestic cats), and some experience with feral colonies that includes colony feeding and feral cat TNR (trap/neuter/release).
Education/Credentials ***********
Awards and Honors * One of the top 50 Experts Of 2008 *
Question Hello,
I have had my kitty for about 3 weeks we got him when he was 8 wks old, the person we got him from said he was already using his litter box. I have another cat about 4yrs old and 2 labs. The introduction went very well, initially had two separate litter boxes in two separate rooms but both cats were using each others, so I combined them. But the kitty started having accidents from the get go, so combining the litter boxes didn't change anything. Now he does not poo anywhere but the litter box, only pee, and he doesn't do it on rugs or carpet, and its not all the time just everyonce in a while, he has tried to do it on laundry that I have put on the couch to fold, he has done it on plastic bags that might be on the floor, on the dogs bed, once in the corner of my bedroom. But we usually catch him before and take him directly in his litter box and give him a treat if he goes. Like i said he doesn't do it all the time only every once in a while, I took him to the vet yesterday, but they couldn't get any urine, but they gave him an antibiotic just in case. But what do i do about a behavioral issue.
Answer Misty,
When the person you got the kitten from said he was using the litter box was the kitten in a cage or a small area? Usually kittens don't go too far to use a litter box. If he was using the litter box before you combined them then I would go back to having the two litter boxes until the kitten is a little bigger.
Quite a few people have solved litter box issues by switching to Cat Attract litter because the litter is blended with a natural herb attractant. It's the first cat litter marketed to provide a solution for owners of cats who are not using their litter box.
Personally I wouldn't give him a treat if he uses the litterbox, just praise. Cats catch on quick and you don't want the kitten to learn to manipulate you to get a treat by using peeing and pooping to do it.
I wouldn't include plastic bags with a litterbox problem. There is something about plastic bags that seem to make male cats associate peeing with them. It may be the chemical composition of them, but even my cats will periodically pee on them if they are on the floor and they don't have any litter box issues.
It is possible that it is a medical issue instead of a behavioral problem as you were thinking. Urinary tract infections and/or urinary crystals will cause avoidance of the litter box because the cat has pain when he pees and he associates that pain with the litter box and goes elsewhere.
I am not that familiar with Bengals and possible breed-specific behaviors but I am including a link to a very good site about Bengals that you may find helpful:
(copy and paste, or type, the whole link into your address bar)
I am also including some links to good articles about improper elimination. They have additional information that you may find helpful.
(copy and paste or type the whole links into your address bar)
