# Kitten afraid of litter box?



## alayaya (Aug 6, 2014)

Okay so I have a problem...

I adopted my 2 month old kitten, Koshak, 5 days ago (Sunday), and he's been having some litter box issues.

Now I know that he knows how to use the litter box, because I saw him use it at the shelter AND he knows what to do when he's placed in or near the box. He's so great at burying and he really digs before pooping (like REALLY digs). So yeah, he knows.

BUT he seems to be afraid of his box. He's had some blood in his stool (the vet gave us a prescription for metronidazole) and he cries constantly while he's pooping, which makes me think it might hurt him to poop. Starting on Tuesday he was showing increasing signs of being afraid of his litter box. He wouldn't go in unless he absolutely had to, he would avoid touching the litter and instead try to balance on the edges, he would get all skittish and puff up whenever I brought him to the bathroom where his box is... There are no children in the house and no other animals, so he hasn't been startled by anybody while using his box.

Yesterday I bought him a new box with a different kind of litter, because I thought maybe he just didn't like the old stuff. I set the two up side by side in the same room and for a while it seemed like he really preferred the new box. He used it consistently all day yesterday (after being brought into the room) for both pees and poops. He still cried and dug like crazy while pooping though.

This morning he peed in his new box no problem when I brought him to it, but then later when he started showing signs of needing to go again (sniffing and sitting in corners, meowing) I brought him to the box and he put his two paws up on the edge and then sniffed it and ran away. I played with him for a bit and then brought him back to the room. This time I shut us both in there so I could sit with him. He went and sat behind the toilet and cried so I coaxed him out with a toy. He then sniffed his new box and then went into his OLD box and dug around like crazy and cried and cried while having a poop....

I'm just wondering if anyone has any idea what his deal is, and if there is anything I can do to help him? I haven't had a kitten for about 15 years so I'm not really sure what to do or if this is typical kitten behavior. :?


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## Mandy and Ellie (Oct 22, 2013)

It sounds like he's having pain while pooping, which isn't really "normal". Has he been dewormed and had a fecal test to make sure he is parasite free? 

A painful experience while using the bathroom, especially if it's persistent, can definitely make a cat fearful of their litterbox because they associate it with the pain.

Hopefully your little guy gets better soon!


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## alayaya (Aug 6, 2014)

Yes he was dewormed before we adopted him, I think about 2 or 3 days prior. They didn't do a fecal test at the vet but I think the doc assumed it was giardia because he's a shelter kitten. He has a prescription for metronidazole, which I started giving to him this morning.

Ugh that's a whole other issue though, boy does that kitty hate his medicine....


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## Heather72754 (Nov 1, 2013)

It sounds like he is definitely having pain with defecation - if I were you I'd look into taking him to the vet since this has lasted 3 days so far and the poor little guy sounds very uncomfortable. What is the consistency to his stool when he does go? Does it seem hard and not much volume? If so, he could be constipated.


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## Mandy and Ellie (Oct 22, 2013)

Hmm... I would definitely go to a vet and have a fecal done before assuming something and treating for it. It could be something totally different and the medication could just be worsening it.

I agree with Heather, it could also be constipation, but regardless I do think a fecal is in order to be sure you're treating the right issue.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Alayaya, 
Koshak is indeed, showing all the classic symptoms of bowel/urinary distress...
The blood in the stool worries me...
I agree with Heather, could be constipation...
Also agree with Mandy whole heartedly! 
Vet check please!
Sharon


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## alayaya (Aug 6, 2014)

Thanks for your input everyone. It appears that he is now afraid of both of his litter boxes.. *sigh* He hasn't used either one since the poop this morning (5 hours ago)

His stool is soft, not like diarrhea soft, but pretty soft. When we took him into the emergency vet on Sunday night we brought in the poop with blood in a baggy. The vet poked at it, saw the blood and gave us the prescription to fill IF it didn't clear up on its own by Tuesday. No blood all day Monday (because he didn't poop all day Monday...) and then no blood Tuesday morning, but Tuesday evening there was blood again so I got his prescription filled on Wednesday. He has only had about half a dose so far because he scratched me to ribbons when I tried to give it to him this morning. He only took about half before he leaped out of my arms and started dancing around the room sputtering and drooling. I put the rest in his food, but he won't eat it. It's supposed to be fish flavoured, but I guess it still tastes gross to him.

I do have an appointment for the vet set up for him for next Wednesday. That was the earliest they could get him in, even after I expressed my concerns. I guess I will try calling a different vet to see if they can look at him sooner.


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## Heather72754 (Nov 1, 2013)

Yes, Metronidazole is one of the nastiest meds out there - cats immediately foam when you have to give it. They HATE it usually. It doesn't matter if it's compounded by a pharmacy, there is nothing they can do to disguise that taste. I've read on here the best way is to get empty gel capsules and put the medicine in there being careful not to get any on the outside, then give the cat the pill and hopefully they won't taste it.

Also, the way I understand it is the Metronidazole just stops diarrhea, which it doesn't sounds like he really has. It isn't going to do a thing for the pain he is experiencing. When my cat Penny had blood in her stool she was diagnosed with pancreatitis, but she wasn't having pain when she went to the bathroom.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Alayaya, 
A different vet, sounds like a very good idea at this time...
Unfortunately, many of us can attest to the fact, that all vets, are not created equal...
It is very important that Koshak be seen as soon as possible, because if he keeps trying to hold both pee & poo, it will lead to serious problems...
Or the poor little guy will start going in random places...
If he does, please don't get mad or yell at him...remember, he is hurting...
Prayers and Hugs, 
Sharon


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## alayaya (Aug 6, 2014)

Thanks again everyone for your support and input.

Koshak has an appointment tomorrow morning at a new vet. I have a feeling they won't be able to tell us anything new, but it puts my mind at ease a bit just having made the appointment. In the meantime I'm going to keep trying with the metronidazole because if it is giardia then I would rather be treating it than not.... I just might have to wear some more layers first :lol:

He's trying so hard to be a good little boy and use his box. It breaks my heart to see him so scared of it


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Aw, I'm so sorry for your little boy - it sounds like he's pretty miserable. The fact that he cries while pooping might indicate colitis. One of my girls has had that - it makes it painful to poop, and it could explain the blood as well. 

I'm glad you have a vet appt. for tomorrow! I hope the vet can diagnose the issue and find a quick resolution so that your little guy isn't so uncomfortable - and so that he doesn't develop a permanent fear of the litterbox and start to poop elsewhere. My constipation-prone kitty won't use the litterbox when she finds it painful to poop. Then I find cat poo elsewhere, like on my bed. It's not very fun.


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## Mandy and Ellie (Oct 22, 2013)

Aww, I hope Koshak's appointment goes well and they find what is wrong so he can feel better soon! Poor little guy. Definitely don't want him to fear the litter box.


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## Jeckybeanz (Nov 29, 2012)

First thing comes to mind my kitten didn't like using the box. Come to find out the fragrance in the litter box was the problem. Switched to precious cat litter. But I don't think that is the reason because of being hard to poop. Poor baby.


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## olywhizz (Mar 25, 2014)

This is terrible I hope he gets better soon.


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## alayaya (Aug 6, 2014)

Thank you again everyone.

Vet check went well I think. The new vet didn't do a fecal, but changed his medication to Clavaseptin... She changed it I think because I was complaining about how difficult it has been giving Koshak the Metronidazole (He has literally torn my hands apart trying to get away... I swear he's trying to kill me). She also says that she's had quite a bit of success with that medication in the past. Also the vet said that if he hasn't shown improvement by Monday I should bring by a fecal sample for them... so that's progress I guess.

She put him back on the gastro food, which is Purina Vet Diet EN gastroenteric. Anyone have any experience with that food? 

Also he hasn't pooped ALL DAY (not since 9pm last night, 17 hours ago!) but he has peed in his box twice. The vet said his bowel felt full, so he definitely needs to go, he just won't. Other than that he seems like his happy little self. He was very friendly and calm at the vet, and he's been playing all afternoon.

All in all the vet said it doesn't appear to be anything dire. I was right though, she didn't tell me anything new... I'm going to keep Koshak's other vet appointment for Wednesday because it's always good to have another opinion (plus its a free check because of a voucher the shelter gave me).


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Poor Koshak...he's probably holding it because he knows it's going to hurt...
If you've got two litter boxes, maybe empty one completely of any litter...he might go in it, since the litter wouldn't be in it...
He's such a CUTIE! I hope something is found out soon...
For both your sakes!
Hugs and Prayers! 
Sharon


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## KsKatt (Jul 6, 2014)

The way you described it is a perfect example of being afraid of (associating) the litter box due to pain. 
Poor baby was afraid of that first painful box, you give him a new one, he's happy because he believes this one won't hurt him! Then he uses it, and it still hurts. 
There has to be some real pain for him to cry the whole time he poops. My heart just breaks for him!!:-(
Holding it because it hurts just sets him up for even more issues.

I'm going to throw out an idea and ask for those with ore knowledge than me say if it is any good. Would it hurt him to try and soften up his stool? It can't be healthy to hold it and maybe softening it would make it hurt less?
I understand you said the stool is not hard, that it is on the soft side. I'm talking about making it even softer.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

Sounds like he has definitely associated the litter box with his pain, poor little guy. One thing I would definitely do if he were my cat, I would put him on a wet food diet. He gets virtually no liquids in a dry food diet, which is about 10 percent, vs wet food which is about 80 percent. More moisture in his diet will help him if he's constipated. He's still little, so don't write off all wet food if it doesn't seem to agree with him at first, in fact, you should slowly add some to his dry food to get him used to it. Not saying wet food will entirely fix the problem, but it will certainly help him get more water in his diet, which will help a lot.


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## alayaya (Aug 6, 2014)

thank you all for your suggestions.

10cats - I tried emptying his newer litter box to see if he would go in the empty box. No dice.

MsKatt - do you have any suggestions of something that would soften it up? I don't really want to mess with his diet too much, because that might make things worse.

howsefrau32 - he has been on a mainly wet food diet all along. We have been feeding him the purina vet diet EN gastroenteric canned that was suggested at the vet the first night we had him (and also some Inovo cat and kitten canned food, but he didn't like it as much). We do keep a little bit of dry food in his bowl for grazing but to be honest he barely touches it.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Canned pumpkin is often recomended to soften stool - you could try putting a teaspoon or so into wet food. Some cats really like it and will even eat it plain. You could also mix a little warm water into his wet food and make it a little soupy so that he gets some more water.

The vet checked around his anus and it looked ok? If he's constipated and then strains to pass stool, the tissue could get inflamed. Several years ago, my vet once suggested for Celia that I put a little Vaseline on a Q-tip and dab it around the anus. 

That's not going to help getting him to poop, but it might make it less painful when he does. 

I hope he feels better soon!


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

If you've got TWO litter boxes...
Leave one empty FULL TIME for right now...
That way Koshak can have a choice!
All Paws Crossed for him!
Sharon


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I think that extra litter boxes is a good idea too. Some people think it's a lot of extra work to have more, but they usually favor one over the others. But I have 4 cats, and 4 litter boxes. 

FYI, my cats are not big fans of Innova or EVO, they just don't really like it. When one of my cats was little, he was about 5 months old when I got him, nearly everything gave him runny poop, except Wellness chicken. So I fed him that one until he was almost a year old, before I tried a few others, and he was fine then. But when he was little, his stomach was so sensitive to any change. They mostly eat that particular food, and I even add a little warm water to every meal, to make the food kind of soupy, so they are getting extra water. I'm just a big believer in wet food and some extra water in it. Not that they can't get constipated, but none of my cats have ever had that problem. 

Sounds like you are doing a good job with him. If you have extra litter boxes available to him, maybe he will start to favor one over the others. Many times it is the location of the litter box that is scary to a cat. I have had that be the issue a few times. Maybe it was near the AC vent, and it kicked on and scared them, or the washer, or not far from the kitchen and the ice maker kicked on....I ahve one cat terrified everytime he hears the ice maker drop ice, LOL. I don't think in your case it's that, I think he has definitely associated the litter box with his pain, but hopefully if you can get things moving a bit for him, he can get over that fear. If he isn't eating much of the dry, you probably don't even need to leave much, if any, out for him. I have one cat that if I left dry for her, she would eat that and nothing else. It can be very addictive for some cats. We use dry as a treat only, a few pieces at a time. 

I have used the pumpkin before, it is great stuff. Works well for both diarrhea and constipation. Maybe a bit of that mixed in his food would help get things moving along for your poor little guy. I hope he feels better soon.


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## alayaya (Aug 6, 2014)

Thanks to both of you.

I originally had both his old and his new box side by side in the same room with different kinds of litter to see if having a choice in litter would help him. He used the new one almost exclusively until yesterday when he went back to the old one. Unfortunately we live in a small 2 bedroom condo so there isn't really another spot to put the boxes besides the bathroom... I've emptied out the old box this time and put it back in it's spot. I don't know that it will help though, because he really really likes to dig before he poops. 

It's now been almost 24 hours since his last bowel movement and I'm starting to get quite concerned. I don't even care if he goes in my bed at this point, I just want him to poop  

I might head out and pick up a can of pumpkin from the grocery store tomorrow, thanks for the suggestion.

On a more positive note his new medication is a breeze to administer compared to the old stuff.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Alayaya, it may have already been mentioned...
But you want Plain pumpkin! Not the pie making canned pumpkin!
And I understand completely, about wanting him to poop, wherever that might be!!
I hope he does to! Maybe you could massage his tummy a little??
I know he's an older kitten, but maybe a warm, wet (not to wet!) Washcloth, against his butt, might help stimulate him to go??
(((HUGS)))
Sharon


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## alayaya (Aug 6, 2014)

I was thinking 100% pure canned pumpkin puree. That's what I need right? I know not the sweetened pie filling stuff, just regular old canned pumpkin.

I've tried the warm washcloth trick, it didn't seem to help. I will try to massage his tummy later. Right now he's running around like a maniac and won't sit still long enough to be petted. Hehe.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

LOL! Glad he's running around!!
And yes! You got it right on the pumpkin!


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## KsKatt (Jul 6, 2014)

alayaya said:


> thank you all for your suggestions.
> 
> MsKatt - do you have any suggestions of something that would soften it up? I don't really want to mess with his diet too much, because that might make things worse.


The reason I put it out more as a question and hoped those more knowledgeable than I would respond, was to get those suggestions.
The pumpkin is familiar, I don't think you need much. Adding a touch of water and heat the food up just a bit. Warmth can make it smell a bit more, which cats/kittens usually like. 10cats2dogs' suggestion of the cloth couldn't hurt, it is how mommy stimulates and would probably be comforting. Then you could try the Vaseline to sooth his little bum. Have you checked to see if it looks irritated.


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## alayaya (Aug 6, 2014)

We he finally went this morning! He didn't even cry as much as usual, though he did dig to bloody China beforehand.

He's still afraid of his box though... Is there anything I can do to nip this litter box aversion in the bud before it becomes a permanent problem?


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