Is it possible to re-train my cat?

I would assume your cat has been stressed by some change in the home. Any idea what that change might be?

There is no way to retrain for this. You have to get a different kitchen table. They will smell their own scent through anything you put down, plus the habit is now firmly ingrained. It’s probably not that his box is too dirty – you seem to have a handle on that (though the scent of the air fresheners might be throwing him off, making him dislike ‘marking’ in his own space – try baking soda or a plugin mini ionic breeze instead) – but that he simply picked a spot to mark. You can try giving him a substitute like a plant or fake plant on astroturf near the same area. It might have to do with stress, but it might not – some cats just do this. How old was he when you had him neutered last year? He may have been a marker before then (do you know his history prior to your and his acquaintanceship?) and felt the need to restart the habit somewhere.

I have no idea what could be stressing him out. I left town for the weekend around when this started, and my brother-in-law cat-sit for us, but he’s done it several times in the past without incident. Would moving the litter-box help? It seems like it might confuse him more, but I’m not really sure. I’ve never owned pets until this cat, and apparently I’m not very good at it.

It’s my understanding that @Noel_S_Leitmotiv is on the right track. Cats will change their bathroom behaviors like that if there’s something that stressed them out. I don’t think it’s a matter of re-training, although I would stop the cat anytime he tries it, but of waiting it out.

My cat likes the smell of bleach, so it could be that your cat does too.
I don’t know though if bleach-odour triggers cats to poo.
What i did some years ago, when my cat was leaving drips of urine anywhere in the house, was taking the top of the litter-box.
I read somewhere that that could help.
It did.

When i started to leave my house for some weeks for the first time, she also started with letting some pee on my sofa and on my bed.
So, i think stress can be a factor.

Good luck with it (i know that it sucks).

Male cats are also susceptible to urinary tract infections, and this can cause them to change their litterbox behavior. Get your cat checked out by a vet.

Sounds like a kidney or bladder problem. See the vet. Also, it is possible to retrain. See the book Starting From Scratch.

Also, to discourage him, you could try putting aluminum foil on the table top. SOme cats hate the noise it makes.

If you catch him doing it rub his face in it. Worked for my dog.

It may not be the prettiest thing, but I would first suggest buying a few of those flannel backed vinyl tablecloths. They are non-absorbent and can be machine washed which will at least minimize cleanup while you work on diagnosing and trying to correct the problem.

There is a product called Natures Miracle which works at an enzymatic level to neutralize the odor.

Now for the cat. The first step is a vet visit to rule out any medical underlying causes.

Ask the vet for a recommendation for a pet behaviorist (NOT a petpsychic) if you are not having any success at finding the cause. Also if there are any vet schools nearby they usually have pet behaviorists on board.

It is definitely possible to re-train this cat. Something upset him and cats are very very sensitive animals

Has this cat been de-clawed? There is a significantly higher incidence of litterbox problems with de-clawed cats.

Cats have such a natural instinct toward cleanliness that whenever they behave otherwise it’s a tipoff that something is wrong in his world——not necessarily according to your perceptions of the world but according to his. You just have to try to figure out what that is. It may take a bit of patience but it’s definitely not hopeless.

Is it possible for you to teach him to go outside? My cat has been trained to meow at the door when he has to go, or when he wants to go catch a mouse, and then we either let him out if we’re home, or he holds it. Really I’m not sure how this happened, since none of us spent time training him, but it’s lovely.

Anyhow, I don’t know too much about cats aside from my own, but the fact that your cat is going on the kitchen table made me laugh really loudly. I mean, it’s horrible, but cats are just so weird and hilarious. My apologies!

l. Have him checked by a vet, and ask her advice about the problem.
2. Replace the table
3. Cover the new table with aluminum foil, slightly crupmpled and put several training pads down to keep clean-up to a minimum
4. Confine the cat to the room you put his box in most, if not all, of the day for about a week.

Good Luck, I hope this helps.

Thank you all. This has been really frustrating for all of us (the cat included) and I’m sure that some of this advice can help us. I’ll make an appointment with the vet today.

If it’s a urinary tract problem, it will probably go by the diagnosis FLUTD or “FUS” (these are the same; the former is the updated name but some vets use the latter). A cheap way to address this problem in the long term is to buy a cat fountain. PM for details if you want.