LOL. Why not ask him?

I really enjoyed reading your update. I hope you can resolve his
litterbox issues!

Joyce

100% right Dan and it is working out wonderfully, except for the litter box
thing.  Today I opened the door from the porch to the laundry room and the
laundry room to the kitchen.  Four stepped in and then scooted back to the
porch.  During his three years "out" Four scavenged in this kitchen many
times coming in through doors and window and running out the same when
caught.  He has stepped back into the kitchen looked around for a minute and
has returned to the porch for a nap in the crate.  He is an interesting cat
and a delight.

Thanks Dan. I'm in the process of getting a photo of Sandy's wound to
show to the vet. Hopefully the antibiotics will help him until I can
get Sandy trapped, treated, desexed and into an enclosed area.

Dewi

I don't have anywhere to house Sandy just yet, but we can rig
something up hopefully by next weekend. We'll have to organise a trap
after we've set up some shelter for the boy. The wound on his cheek is
a right mess with necrotic flaps of skin on the edges, very oozy in
the middle and is about 2" in diameter. He got it from a cat fight and
only this morning he had a big fight with yet another tom cat. I'm
trying to take a photo of it for the vet, but in the mean time I have
plenty of doxycycline that I can give to him. Maybe this will help or
prevent other wounds from festering up.

Thanks Charleen.

Dewi

Oh I forgot to mention, I've been feeding Sandy for about 6 months.
All was going well until he had a big fight about 2 months ago, that's
when the wounds on his face and neck appeared. I'm changing his meals
to kangaroo mince, it's that pet mince I mentioned to you ages ago.
It's quality pet food IMO and he loves it. There's always cat biscuits
out, but he's losing interest them. I seriously doubt any of the
neighbours would be feeding him.

In regards to Four, I'm glad he was okay with being pick up. Even if
it was only a few millimetres above the ground. Hopefully he will let
you handle him even more.

Dewi.

... He still hasn't grasped the idea of a litter box. I

...> As for the litter box problems, I've got a couple of questions.

First, the declaimer that I am only guessing based on information I
have absorbed through the years and I am in no way an expert on cat
health or behavior.  This is only my opinion, so feel free to
disregard it or do whatever you want.  I hope others will chime in and
offer their opinions as well.

I find it encouraging that he goes twice a day and has chosen a spot.
I was concerned that he might have neurological or medical problems
that would affect his ability to control his elimination.  If he
grooms himself like ordinary cats, I would assume that he is not
cleaning himself of any leakage, also tending to rule out conditions
that would make him unable to control his elimination. However, he
might still have a medical condition and still be able to get to a
specific location in time.  Given all the antibiotics he's had, I'd
think that a urinary or other infection is not likely, but it would be
a good idea to ask about it when you get him to the vet again.

It is good that he is consistantly choosing and using one location.
It's too bad that the location is inconvenient for you and that the
surface he likes is carpet, which does not bode well for letting him
into carpeted areas of your house.  However, it seems to me that the
cause of the problem is most likely behavior related.  (Of course,
from his point of view, he does not have a problem; you are the one
with the problem.   He thinks that what he is doing is perfectly
logical and fine.)

So, we have to try to see it, to the best of our inferior human
intellect, from his point of view.

For starters, you migh try taking up the carpet in the Kitty Klubhouse
and putting a piece the right size in the bottom of the covered litter
box and whatever other litter box you have there.  I'm assuming that
the covered litter box is big enough for him to turn around easily and
feel comfortable. Spray the Klubhouse with an enzyme product to
eliminate the odor and go ahead and block it off.  Put the covered and
uncovered litter boxes, with the carpet scraps in them, in front of
the blocked Klubhouse.  Be sure that he is able to step into and out
of the boxes easily.

Then, (listen for the drumroll) he should consider the boxes the most
attractive and logical place to do his business.

You can encourage this by gently herding him to the boxes (I'd say
carry him, but you are not to this stage yet in handling him) and
gently lifting his front legs and putting them in the box so that he
can see what a wonderful facility he has there.  He probably won't
want to get in at that point, because it is your idea and not his.
However, you will have planted the seed and you are hoping he will
decide to climb in  it on his own if he thinks you don't have anything
to do with the decision.

And low and behold, it will feel and smell like his favorite place to
use.  Maybe he'll even decide to use it!

If this works, then put some litter on the carpet, a little at a
time.  If he continues to use the boxes with the carpet, add litter a
bit at a time, until you can remove the carpet from underneath and he
is using litter only.

One warning, do not allow him on any other carpeted areas until he is
totally reliable using the litter.

I hope this works.

Annie

Wow, purrs for him to get better quickly! I know it can be a bigger deal
for adults than for kids.

Joyce

course it would depend on how determined Four is to get to his
accustomed toilet, but maybe a staple gun and some heavy duty plastic
trash bags over the openings would work.

On another topic, I don't remember how Four became his name. Is he
going to stay Four, or is he giving you hints to a different name? You
may have already answered this, but lately I've been more of a hit or
miss reader of the group