cat fear

Question
My parents adopted a kitten in October rescued from a "house of horrors" along with many other cats and dogs.  All is well (health, behavior) except that the cat is afraid to go down to the basement (it is not a problem with stairs).  He must be truamatized somehow by his early life.  Maybe he was locked in the basement of the house.

My parents have always kept the litterbox in the basement in the past and would love to be able to do so again (it works much better with the layout of the rooms).  Obviously, they don't want the cat to be upset or frightened.  Do you have any suggestions for helping the cat overcome his fear?  Thank you so much.

Answer
Maria,

My guess would be that this kitty was probably locked in a basement. My suggestion would be to find a place on the floor above the basement where your kitty feels comfortable with the litter box. I would suggest moving the litter slowly toward the door to the basement, and if it's at all possible to place the litter box on the steps leading down to the basement move it about on step a month and maybe the cat will accept a more gradual relocation of the box. On the main floor of the house I would suggest moving the litter a few inches at a time towards the basement. Unfortunately in heavily traumatised or abused cats you may sometimes have to accept that they have fears and quirks that may not be able to be altered due to severe trauma...For instance I have rescued my share of severely emaciated cats from horrible conditions and there are some who will eat an entire bowl of food no matter how many times it is put down for them in a day because they still have the fear of going hungry. You may be able to ask your vet for a anti anxiety drug which may or may not work to help with the fears..Your vet can also refer you to a behaviorist to see if a behavioral program will help. You should be aware though that cats who have been badly traumatised may still retain that fear in spite of your best efforts to help them overcome it. I hope that I was at least able to provide some insight. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.