Feral kitties and litterbox training

[beowulf]

Any COTHers got some secret tricks for habituating a feral to litter boxes? I’ve had tons of ferals-turned-house cats, and they’ve all taken well to the litterbox except this one. I habituate ferals using the dog kennel/restricted area method. This feral was in a dog crate for two months before I allowed her access of one private room. She used the LB regularly and consistently up until I transitioned her to a few hours of freedom a day in her own room.

This feral will use the LB as long as she is locked in the dog kennel. If she is loose, she will eliminate in corners of the room – even if the kennel is open. I have gone back to locking her in the kennel to re-establish the behavior several times now and I am at a loss with what to do. I’m starting to wonder if this is why she was feral in the first place. I don’t want her to live in a kennel. She is healthy, outgoing, and friendly and is by all accounts a good feral rehab - except for the fact she leaves presents in random places.

She has been seen by a vet, is spayed, and is UTD on all vacs. Vet doesn’t think it is a UTI, since it’s an established pattern related to the cat’s freedom. I’m leaning towards agreeing with the vet, as I have one old lady who is prone to UTIs and her elimination behavior is very different. I’ve tried different LB types, different litter, and different freedom schedules.

[BrownDerby]

Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract Litter. It works!

[chestnutmarebeware]

Do you think she hated being in the crate so much that she doesn’t want to risk going back in to use the litter box?

You’re an experienced kitty wrangler, so you’ve probably tried this already, but I’ll throw it out there. Have you tried putting the litter box out in the room away from the crate, maybe in the corner she’s using? (At least until she’s confirmed using it, then you can slowly move it to a new location.)

[rubygirl1968]

@beowulf, If she has one or two places she’s going I’d try putting litterboxes where she’s using the bathroom and gradually moving them where you want them when she’s using them.

[JB]

Is it always corners? I’d put a litter box in every corner, even ones she hasn’t used yet.

Are the corners open, or private? Maybe she prefers a covered litter box?

[jherold]

Could it be marking behavior? Are there other cats in the house? I’d try boxes outside the kennel, but she may be a better candidate for a barn cat…

[beowulf]

You know, there is an idea. While there are multiple cat boxes in this room (I trotted out a few different types of LBs thinking maybe she wanted privacy), I haven’t put one where she is going. The corners she picks are usually covered by furniture - IE under a shelf space, under my raised cabinets, etc. I’ll have to move them over a tidge but it’s worth a try. A few weeks ago I swore I kept smelling pee and poop and went hunting - she had pooped on the TOP of one of my hutches!!

When this first started I thought it was anxiety about the other cats - she is timid around the other cats despite them coexisting fine. So I shut her off in her own room. But she’s still doing it, regardless of whether she is isolated or not - and the behavior actually predates her introduction to the other house cats as she had her own room in quarantine.

It’s not the same corner every time, she seems to go wherever is closest to her – and she rips the carpet up to try to cover it. She’s actually very destructive. I’m not in love with that, considering the carpet is only a year old and it’s shredded in a bunch of places.

[Scribbler]

After a certain point you just rehome her as a Bath Cat.

[beowulf]

I would feel like a failure if I rehomed her to barn cat life. They die very fast here between exposure and hungry predators. I’m also not sure if she would stick around.

[Chall]

Besides the litter box in every corner, try a cover on one.
And perhaps one with dirt, if he was truly feral.
If he responds to dirt, then start making it 3/4 dirt, 1/4 litter and keep decreasing the amount of dirt until it’s all litter.
But corners behind/under furniture sounds like he wants a bit more privacy, so covered top.
You can use a cardboard box over the whole litter box and then cut out two entrance ways.

[rubygirl1968]

Have you tried pheromones? Flower remedies? A friend of mine has had success with the Jackson Galaxy brand. She adopted a feral cat and called them and they recommended a couple for her.

She can tell a big difference.

[red_mares]

No suggestions, but good luck. As a kid, we had a cat who started life as a barn cat. She was a kitten when we got her, but she always thought the world was her litter box, particularly the 12’x9’ Karastan rug.

She spent most her life as a garage cat. She came in periodically, but was generally shucked out at night, as she wasn’t trustworthy. Besides that, she wasn’t super nice.

BTW, she once dropped a load in the large potted plant in my parent’s bedroom - while they were sleeping. Dad put rose canes across it, which didn’t bother her a bit.