My cats not using the litter box

Question
someone droped off a cat at a farm and i took it cause it was declawed and fixed!! it is very friendly and loves everyone and anything..but it will not use the litter box, i have tryed differebt littler, paper and nothing work he will only go beside the litter bx every day!! i really need help cause i dont want to give him away!!

Answer
Ashley,

A problem is that you do not really know the history of this cat.  If you put the litter box on news papers will he go on the paper?  If you were to put the litter box on a plastic tray, would he go on the tray.  Although these do not cure the problem, at least they may contain it.

When we have had kittens who are reluctant to use the litter box properly, we have put the kitten in a cage with "wall-to-wall litter boxes except for food and water.  Usually, most kittens get the idea pretty quickly as they have no other options!

I am giving you a link to some excellent articles on litter box problems written by all kinds of knowledgeable people:

http://www.geocities.com/heartland/pointe/9352/litterboxhelp.html

One other piece of advice is to clean up the mess with an enzyme based cleaner specifically for pet stains and pet odors (available at most pet supermarkets or farm stores).

I suspect, on the farm, he went outside and may not exactly know what a litter pan is for!!!!!

Best regards... Norm.