Another litter box question...

[Carina]

OK, my turn to ask a question.

We have a very nice adult male cat. He is generally a house cat, but we are rural and he does go outside. His litter box has been in the basement and he has always been good about using it. However, we've done some remodelling and I've moved his litter box upstairs to a safe (ie safe from the cat poo eating dog) place. It's not near his food.

The problem is, he won't use it. Now he meows incessantly to get into the basement, or outside & this is often at 3 am. I'm thankful he doesn't pee on the rugs! But I would like him to use the box in its new location. After he eats, or when he meows, I take him over to it but he won't use it.

Any ideas on how to encourage him to go there?

[Lucky Rescue]

Is the new location of his litterbox private enough? Some cats don't like to use the box if there is a lot of traffic around it.
Outdoor cats may be even fussier about this requirement. If the box is in the middle of the room ,try putting it close to the wall so it seems more secure to him.

Does the new location mean your cat may have to pass closely or be in contact with your dogs to get to it? That could also make him hesitant to use it.


Cats are also very much creatures of habit and really dislike change. If it's impossible to leave your cat's box in it's original location, you might try locking him in at night in the room his box is in, until he gets used to using it there.

I had to lock my last indoor/outdoor cat up every night for 18 years, or he would wake us up at 3:00 a.m. without fail!

I don't know how old your cat is, but hopefully he is young enough to make the switch without too much trouble.

[Carina]

Thank you LR!

It is quite private, and he doesn't mind going past the dogs if he needs to. He is quite comfortable around them anyhow, and rather fond of my little female Rottweiler.

He is between 4 & 5 years old - I'm thinking you are right; he just doesn't like the change. I guess I'll keep another in the basement...well maybe I'll put a slightly "used" one in the new place too! Maybe that will give him a clue.

[Carina]

YAY!
Update: Krazy has decided to use his nice new litter box, finally. Maybe the fact that it's been either raining or snowing for the last week helped make up his mind about going outside...