Cat won't litter train..

[Amanda]

There is a cat at my work placement that is absolutely stunning, and would have been rehomed 10 times over but for the fact that it will not use a litter tray.

It will poop almost anywhere (inside), but not the tray nor outside. So I was wondering if anyone had any tips, hints or tricks that they would care to share... Or are we on a losing battle with this one?

The cat is approximately 3yrs old..

[Fran]

Have you tried..

-putting the litter tray where he likes to do his business?

-using a different type of tray i.e. a covered one if using a normal one and vice versa. Is the litter tray big enough for him?

-Try putting some of his 'business' in the litter tray to encourage him to use the tray

-experiment with different types of litter. Some cats don't like the sensation of gravel under foot, have you tried one of the wood based litters?

-You will also need to thoroughly clean any area he has soiled or it will just encourage him to use the same areas again. Biological washing powder is good at eliminating odours.. Here's a link to a previous thread r.e removing odours
http://www.catsey.com/showthread.php?t=17923

I am sure others will have more suggestions, please let us know how you get on and good luck!

[Sweet]

I hope you/they can sort this and the kitty can find a new home soon x

[Mags]

That's good advice from Fran, I hope her suggestions help .....

[Jac]

Also try placeing the cat in the litter tray and move it's paws in a scratching manner. As if it was digging. Also all of Frans ideas.

[Elaine]

Sounds a bit like my Diva. She will pee in the litter box but always poops on the carpet within a foot of the litter box. Unfortunately for us we have tried absolutely everything we can think of to try and break this habbit but nothing has worked for us as yet. She will on occasion use a tray to poop[ in but its not often and we cannt find the link as to when she does use it and why.
Our only other alternative now is to totally re-train her by confinement, I am not keen on this idea though as she is a very sensitive soul and will be stressed by this, so am waiting till I get some holidays so I can be here with her for the confinement period.
The latest thing we are trying at the moment is........
We plan to get a new bedroom carpet very soon so we have cut the carpet where she poops and have placed it in one of the litter boxes with just a handfull of litter scattered on it. The idea being that if she uses the carpet in the tray, we will reduce the amount of carpet and increase the amount of litter gradually.
I hope you have much more success than we have had to try and resolve this quickly so the poor cat can be rehomed and loved. I have to add here that we love the Diva deeply, warts and all.

[Fran]

Elaine, I have a friend who has a male cat that wouldn't poop in a tray although he always used his tray to pee in. I suggested putting two trays quite close together in his run (He is a stud cat) and that solved the problem immediately. He now pees in one and poops in the other..just a suggestion?

[yola]

The only thing I can add is the inclusion of lots of litter trays around the house with some poo or pee of hers that will guide her to what the tray is there for.

Other than that - liberal supplies of cat odour eliminator liquid to dampen down those offending areas.

Good luck!

[Elaine]

This may turn out to be a long one and I will apologise first if I seem to be hijacking this thread
We have been through everything. We have 4 litter trays, we have tried different litters, different trays(all shapes and sizes), different positions of trays including side by side, oposite sides of the same room, placing the tray where she poops, placing the Diva in the box to poop, feliway diffussers, felifriend sprays, rescue remedy, training sprays, paper litter, wood based litter, gravel litter, worlds best litter, clicker training, rewarding her and praising her for using the tray, we even tried a tray with nothing in it, then we tried a tray with newspaper. Seriously, I have spent a small fortune and alot of time trying to find the solution, I have even kept 2 poop diaries to try to find the explanation and answwer. I have even tried puppy pads and bath mats outside the litter trays where she poops. I also tried placing a small food bowl with a few buscuits in it on the carpet where she poops, which worked but she then found another spot of carpet to poop on instead.
I am sure there arent many cats like the Diva though

[Fran]

Sounds like you have tried just about everything Elaine It sounds like this is just one of her little quirks...good job you love her isn't it?