# all advice greatly recieved



## lolly (Jan 25, 2011)

Hello. I'm new here and i'm looking to learn as much as i can about cats.
Around 4 months ago i took in a stray cat. She had been a stray around my friends area for as long as my friend lived there which was 2 years.
people in the close fed her occassionally but no one ever claimed her or took care of her.
I saw her once before i took her home. She's now healthy and glossy and has put on weight.
My only problem is litter training her. She won't go in the same area more than once! She won't even use a tray but is happy to use newspaper.
I've tried making my own litter trays, covering regular ones in paper but she just won't. She does go out but only when i open the door and let her out and if she doesn't want to go pee she won't but 5 mins later does it inside.
Any advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.


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## swimkris (Jul 17, 2010)

What kind of litters and boxes have you tried? How often do you scoop? 

She may not like the type of litter you are using, so maybe you could try some other types. I think there is even a type that is made from old paper. Doing a bit of googling, I came across this homemade version too: Make Your Own Kitty Litter

If you test several other types out, and she still doesn't want to use a box, maybe you could put a "cat/dog flap" in the door for her to go out on her own?


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## lolly (Jan 25, 2011)

Hi and thank you for your reply. I haven't ever scopped as she has never used any litter tray! There is a cat flap and i have spent ages trying to get her to use it but she won't.
She will use newspaper and as soon as she does i clean up and lay more down.
I actually don't mind too much usually as i'm in a lot and i know her routine.
If i want to go out for the day and eve i'm in real trouble.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Well, I also took in a stray/feral a few months ago. I had no probs with him when I set out a litterpan with clay in it. I also mixed in some powdered up pine litter as well. He still used the thing. 

The solution may lie in how I dealt with her though. When I took mine in, I set out to turn him into a strictly indoor cat. So I had him locked up in the bathroom for about a month or so. Then I moved him into my dining room and confined him in there for another 2 weeks. Giving him such a small area perhaps helped in getting him to realize that the litterpan is the area to go for bathroom breaks. Now he's so used to it that the dining room is literally his homebase. 

There could be a multitude of reasons for her not using the litterbox. You have to trial and error to figure out what works for your specific cat. It could be the type of litter, the amount of litter, the type of litterbox, the location of the litterbox, how often you scoop, etc. I or the others can help you figure those out, but only if you want me to go into detail. Don't want to bore you too much. Let us know! And thank you for taking her in. It is very kind of you!

Oh yes, also, she's probably confused. She's grown up outside and is used to going anywhere, whenever she wants. So that's probably why she's just going wherever.


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

Well, I would say that if she goes willingly on newspaper, put some plain old dirt on top of the newspaper. Increase the amount of dirt if she uses it. At some point you can slip a shallow tray under it. 
If this works you might have to top-coat your litter box with dirt, sand or potting soil for the long run. Good luck.


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## lolly (Jan 25, 2011)

Thank you both. I will certainly do the dirt on top of the newpaper and see how that goes.
One thing i don't understand about her is that if she's done one thing on her paper if it's during the night and she needs to do the other she will go somewhere else, she'll never use the paper for both! This is fine during the day and evening when i can change her paper but not during the night when i'm asleep. 
She also won't sit anywhere after she's been sick even though i've scrubbed the spot lots. If i try and put her there she'll bolt like her feet have been burned.
She's actually running out of places to sit now. Is this normal cat behaviour?


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

That's so funny about her using newspaper, because that was the only solution I found to my first cat peeing on furniture and rugs. It's actually a great solution -- newspaper is cheaper and easier than litter! 

I would suggest putting two litterboxes side by side, one with regular litter and one with only a liner and a couple sections of folded newspaper in it. Let her take her pick. It could be that she only wants to pee on the newspaper but poop in the litter, so that way both are next to each other. Whatever happens, I think newspaper is a great solution!


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## lolly (Jan 25, 2011)

That's great advice, i've just done it! 
I do love her.


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

Great! Let us know how that works. I even tried giving Murphy a newspaper box in the hopes that he'd use it to pee in, but he wasn't havin' it.


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## Shamu (Aug 6, 2010)

I'm not sure what others think, but would it help to collect her droppings after she goes and puts them in the litter box, and then pick her up and put her in the litter box, so she knows she's supposed to go there? And how about using "Feliway"? That really seems to relax cats. (I'm asking these for others advice too, as I'm learning as I go ) : )


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

> I'm not sure what others think, but would it help to collect her droppings after she goes and puts them in the litter box, and then pick her up and put her in the litter box, so she knows she's supposed to go there?


I have used this method to help litter train kittens and found that it works! We often suggest this to clients with litter-box confused kitties!


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## Shamu (Aug 6, 2010)

RachandNito said:


> I have used this method to help litter train kittens and found that it works! We often suggest this to clients with litter-box confused kitties!


 
Thats great then, I hope it works for the OP! The reason I put it up was when I was younger, and my mom had cats (we didnt even have all this info we have no on cats and forums etc) if the kitty went in a wrong place, my mom would put the cats nose next to and sometimes right on the the droppings (I wouldnt go that far, I think they would know by just putting their nose near it and them carrying them with the poo) and then put the droppings and cat in the litter box. Seemed to work back then.. but wasn't sure if that was too aggresive or not.


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

I think that sounds perfectly reasonable to me. Some people might argue that a cat could never understand the message you are trying to give them, but I to that I say _pish-posh_. Cats are *way* smarter than a lot of people give them credit for, it's just a matter of figuring out how your cat learns and understands.

Another method I have used, which works especially well with kittens, is to place the cat in the litter box and gently take a hold of a front paw and move it through the litter in a digging motion. This can sometimes jump start the cat into digging themselves, which usually leads to them having a pee ;-)


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## Shamu (Aug 6, 2010)

RachandNito said:


> I think that sounds perfectly reasonable to me. Some people might argue that a cat could never understand the message you are trying to give them, but I to that I say _pish-posh_. Cats are *way* smarter than a lot of people give them credit for, it's just a matter of figuring out how your cat learns and understands.
> 
> Another method I have used, which works especially well with kittens, is to place the cat in the litter box and gently take a hold of a front paw and move it through the litter in a digging motion. This can sometimes jump start the cat into digging themselves, which usually leads to them having a pee ;-)


Yes, that too! I forgot about that, but definately helps too! 

Please let us know if it works!!:kittyturn


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## suwanee (Jan 22, 2011)

lolly said:


> One thing i don't understand about her is that if she's done one thing on her paper if it's during the night and she needs to do the other she will go somewhere else, she'll never use the paper for both! This is fine during the day and evening when i can change her paper but not during the night when i'm asleep.
> She also won't sit anywhere after she's been sick even though i've scrubbed the spot lots. If i try and put her there she'll bolt like her feet have been burned.
> She's actually running out of places to sit now. Is this normal cat behaviour?


Some cats (my two included) like to use one box for urinating and one for defecating. I've heard to always have as many boxes plus one for the number of cats. That means two cats, three boxes.

The thing about getting sick...have you had her checked by a vet? A healthy cat should not be vomiting repeatedly unless there are hairballs involved. Even that can be stopped with regular grooming.

You can buy an enzyme cleaner that eliminates pet odors. It is most helpful for urination problems, but will eliminate the sick smell too. Most pet stores will sell it. There are several brands. Just ask for an enzyme cleaner for pet stains.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

suwanee said:


> You can buy an enzyme cleaner that eliminates pet odors. It is most helpful for urination problems, but will eliminate the "sick" smell too. Most pet stores will sell it. There are several brands. Just ask for an enzyme cleaner for pet stains.


Since I originally bought Nature's Miracle (an enzyme cleaner) for when my Smokey was peeing in inappropriate places the week before I lost him, I've been using it to clean up the spots where my other kitties have deposited hairball soup. It works wonders!


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