sometimes not using a litter box

Question
Hi Cher,
I just adopted a male kitten about 4 weeks ago, he is now 12 weeks old, and although he was using the litter box great from day one, he has
gone several times in my living room ( three diff. locations) The smell is awful and I dont know what to do. We have grown very attached to him, but I cant have cat poop and pee in my house. he seems to be in fine health otherwise, and does use the litterbox ( when he wants to)
Thank you for any help you can offer.\Patti


Answer
Hi Patti,

Whenever a kitten/cat starts eliminating outside of the litterbox, the first thing to do is bring him for an exam by the vet.  Very often, inappropriate elimination is caused by a urinary infection; if the cat feels pain or discomfort upon elimination, he associates it with the litterbox and thinks if he goes elsewhere, he won't feel that discomfort.  If the vet finds an infection or 'crystals' (sand or grit-like substance formed in urine because of unbalanced pH) he will prescribe an antibiotic and may recommend a different food so his urinary pH will be balanced.  Male cats, if they're prone to form crystals in the urine, may develop a blockage (the crystals all clump together) which can become a very dangerous situation if urine can't pass.  So, whenever you have reason to suspect something is wrong (first sign is usually not urinating in the litterbox--it could be accompanied by straining to urinate while only a few drops come out, frequency, meowing in pain as he tries, seeing blood in the urine) you should always take him to the vet.

Also, a cat will definitely return to the same spot where he's soiled before, if he can smell it--he thinks it's the correct place to go.  What you have to do is thoroughly clean the areas where he's inappropriately eliminated with an enzymatic cleaner specifically made to eradicate pet stains and odors.  A good product for this purpose is called 'Nature's Miracle', and is sold in major pet supply stores like Petsmart/Petco and also online.  Here is a website with more info about this product:

http://www.petcarecentral.com/nm-155.html

Once you clean the areas he's soiled with an 'enzymatic' product like this, the smell should be totally gone.  YOU shouldn't smell it, and HE won't smell it any longer.  

Another thing you could try (assuming he gets a clean bill of health from the vet) to lure him back to the litterbox, is a litter called 'Cat Attract'.  This product contains an herbal attractant that helps cats who have strayed from the litterbox, to want to go in it again.

So, first make sure to get him to the vet for a check-up, and clean all the soiled areas with Nature's Miracle to prevent him from returning to do it again.  There ARE other enzymatic pet stain/odor removers on the market, but I've only had personal experience with this one.  If you buy another, just make sure it does say 'enzymatic'.  It must be able to break down the enzymes in the fats and proteins contained in cat urine.

Good luck; I hope there's an improvement in the situation very soon!

Cher   : )