How to Litter Box Train a Wild Cat
If you've decided to bring a wild cat into your home, one of your concerns is likely how to litter box train the unsocialized feline. The good news is that cats are generally easily trained to the litter box, and this includes cats that are feral. The process for training a feral cat to use the litter box is similar to training any newly adopted cat.
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Things You'll Need
- Large dog crate (optional)
- Litter box
- Garden soil
- Leaves
- Twigs
- Unscented, scoopable litter
Instructions
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Confine the feral cat to a small room, or a large dog crate, for the first few days he is in your home. The room/crate should contain his litter box, food, water and a bed. The food and water bowls should be at the opposite end of the room/kennel from the litter box.
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Fill the litter box with garden soil and place a few leaves or twigs on top. This mimics the "litter box" the cat used in the wild. Over time, you can gradually replace some of the garden soil with litter--preferably unscented, scoopable litter--each time you change the box. Continue this until the wild cat is using only litter.
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Place its stool in the litter box if the cat goes outside the box. This will help the cat to associate the litter box with its purpose.
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Open the door to the cat's kennel or room once she has mastered the use of the litter box for a few days. If she continues to use the box, gradually increase the space she is allowed to access again in a few days. If she has an accident after you increase her space, decrease her space again for a few days to give her more time to master litter box training.
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Tips & Warnings
If your wild cat isn't consistently using the litter box after a few weeks, try using different types of litter, adding extra boxes, putting the litter box in a different location or using a different litter box. Sometimes the key to getting a cat to use the litter box is finding the right combination of litter, environment and box that meet the particular feline's desires.
If your feral cat continues to refuse to use the litter box, have the cat checked by a veterinarian to ensure there are no medical issues causing the problem. There are several medical conditions that can cause a cat to not use the litter box.
References
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Comments
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ok I have a kitten... 5-6 months old he at first used the litter box just fine... but now he will only pee in the litter box... ive tried 2 diff kinds of litter, 3 different boxes, I have three boxes in the house... 2 where he normally will poo on the ground at.. hes been to the vet! What else can I do?
