whatever you do for a dog, they end up doing so much more for you

[BrotherIvan]

15. Don't mean to butt in, but I rescue cats as well and maybe can answer some questions

It depends on if the cat was feral or just a stray or an unwanted pet. Ferals are the hardest to deal with but it is possible. Strays and abandoned pets mean the cat was at one time in a home or contact with humans. He/she will talk to you which ferals won't do and will allow you to pet or hold him.

That said, I recommend to everyone having litter box problems to try a product called Cat Attract scoopable litter (Amazon has the best price that I've found) It has herbs in it that attract the kitty to use it. Plus it's absolutely the best clumping litter I've used with very little dust or smell.

Cats are very easy to litter train. Depending on when this kitty lost his mom, he may not have learned. If he/she poops outside the box, put it in the box and then use his paw to cover it. Cats have a natural instinct to dig, do their thing, and then cover. They do it in the dirt outdoors. They are also very clean animals and most will stop using a litter box that smells (and their smell is far better than ours). I know you said yours was clean, so it's not that. They also like deep litter, so sometimes a bigger litter box will help. And if you have the kind where kitty has to crawl or jump into a little hole, get rid of it. Those are made for people, not for cats and it traps smells in like a nasty public toilet. Avoid heavily perfumed clay or crystal litters as the smell is too strong for most cats and very bad for their respiratory systems.

Second, if the cat is ripping up couches or chairs, get or make a nice TALL scratch post and put it right in front of the area that was scratched (we got the Smart Cat Ultimate scratching post). A lot of times scratch posts are not tall enough for the cat to stretch and give it a good scratch. When I got my new furniture, my cats wanted to scratch the corners. Put a scratch post right in front of the first corner when entering the room. Then they learned to use that instead of the furniture and I could move it, but they like to have it when they walk in, do a little stretch and a bit of a scratch as their way of making an entrance. A cat flourish if you will. Scratch posts and trees for them to sit in and look out the window in every room or the main rooms where people tend to hang out is a great idea.

Some people recommend the hormone Feliway or even Bach's Flower Essences to calm a new kitty in the home. They didn't work for me but they're worth a shot.

Last but not least, if it hasn't been done already, get kitty spayed or neutered right away. There are probably low-cost places that do it. Especially if it is a male, that will change his whole temperment.

Don't give up on kitty yet! Cats are extremely smart and their behavior is usually telling you something. They're just waiting for you to figure it out! There's a show on animal planet called Cat From Hell which actually has some good advice too. Like playing with your cat every night to get their nervous energy out and tame aggression and bad behavior.

If you have any more questions I can help with, I'd be happy to. You can PM me if you like. Hope this helps!