My 4 year old (much loved) Domestic long hair has had litterbox trouble since recovering from URI when he was one year old.

The vet suspects he lost his sense of smell, and has forgotten his original training.

He has previously used the tile floor beside the box (great help), but since we recently moved we have no tile floor, and he will not use the box at all.

We have tried moving it to various locations but this is causing more confusion as we have other cats.

I have been advised to have this cat put down and am unwilling to do so - can anyone help?

(Oh yes, we have more than one box - the trouble is just with this one cat.)

Insteas of moving the box, how about providing additional boxes

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Originally Posted by Gulliver

My 4 year old (much loved) Domestic long hair has had litterbox trouble since recovering from URI when he was one year old.

The vet suspects he lost his sense of smell, and has forgotten his original training.

He has previously used the tile floor beside the box (great help), but since we recently moved we have no tile floor, and he will not use the box at all.

We have tried moving it to various locations but this is causing more confusion as we have other cats.

I have been advised to have this cat put down and am unwilling to do so - can anyone help??

(Oh yes, we have more than one box - the trouble is just with this one cat.)

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Good luck

No sense of smell would explain the problem, there is no solution for that though.

Is there a way for you to "catch" it when the cat eliminates?

If so, perhaps you could get the puddle or solid waste, and place it in the box you want that cat to use.

If it is a lack of ability to smell, this will not help, if it is not, you may get lucky.

Personally, I don't think smell has anything to do with it. Cats use litter boxes much more because of the texture of the litter. It is entirely possible that your cat associates the feel of the litter with the pain of the URI, and so won't go in the box. I'd try switching to a litter with an entirely different feel to it, and see if that works. Also, for now I would try confining the cat to one room when you aren't around (a spare bathroom would be excellent for this) with food, water, and litter box. The idea is to limit the options that he has.

I was thinking almost the same thing about the association of the URI and painful urination with that litter box. I know you said you have multiple litter boxes, but was this one only his? If so, I would try replacing it with a different kind altogether. Changing the sand might also help.

Some of the things you referenced sounded very strange to me. Since when does a URI cause one to lose his sense of smell? And since when does it cause forgetfulness? I believe that your vet told you these things, but unless there are other factors we haven't heard, it sounds like nonsense to me. Also, this is not an old cat! He's only 4 years old.

I am really upset with the idea that anyone could tell you to put a cat down for a litter problem. That's absolutely crazy.

There is a solution out there. Take your time, and try as many of them as you have to. Thank you for sticking with your cat.