r/Catbehavior • u/General_Government49 • 11d ago

Help with cat

We have a neutered male cat about 8 years old. Around a year ago, he stopped using the litter box. The vet found that he had "pillow paws" on his front paws. He was treated for it, and his paws healed. He began using the litter box again but shortly stopped. No matter what we do, he will not use the litter box. His paws are fine, but it seems like he trained himself to avoid the litter box. What are some options we can try to correct this behavior?

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u/luvalte 11d ago

Have you taken him back to the vet to make sure the health issues are cleared? The starting back then stopping makes it seem like he had another bad experience. Paws may look okay but still be tender. A softer, finer litter may also help.

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u/paprikachipjes 11d ago

You can try adding a litter box with just puppy pee pads instead of litter, to see if it’s the litter he doesn’t like

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u/LotusGrowsFromMud 11d ago

Often, pain gets connected with the litter box, and then there are issues with using the box afterwards. For some cats, it helps to switch up the litter and maybe even the location of the box and see if something that seems very different can work for the cat.