‘Scrunch basically adopted him like a son, he grooms him regularly, teaches him how to play’: A lonely adult cat’s life is enriched by a new kitten, who repays his mentor’s affection by subtly guiding him toward proper litter box etiquette

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Oct 15, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

Cats are stubborn. A phrase that resonates with pretty much every single feline pawrent in the world, it cannot be denied that when a cat wants to get their way, there is little that anyone can do to change their feelings. However, we have a story for you today that is going to shatter those preconceived notions and usher in an age of adopting kittens to correct the bad behaviors of senior cattos.

Now, it should be made very clear that this act can have the desired effect, but it can also have the complete opposite effect and instead of your senior cat learning some manners, your cute kitten begins to turn into a tiny terror. But those are the odds you play with when taking such a big bet on a tiny catto changing the status quo in your home. So prepraw to be amazed by the heartwarming feline-filled story we have in store, but be warned that it is not always this way.
 

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  • 01
    My boyfriend and I found Scrunch (RIGHT) almost two years ago. He was a stray but he was extremely friendly with us and he came to live with us in our apartment. He is the
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    sweetest cat, we took him to get his shots, and got him neutered, and he is always are sweet and lovable good boy. The only issue we had was his litter habits. He HATES litter. He hates the
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    feeling of litter in his paws. We tried all kinds, we tried different spots, we asked the vet if anything we could do. But nothing worked. He always
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    avoided the litter and used either our bathroom sink or our bathtub for using the bathroom. The only thing that remotely worked was putting a pee pad inside the litter box and putting the litter in top, but
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  • Well, we have to say that even with the litter issues, this is one of the most wholesome stray street cat adoptions we have ever come across. For a feline who is used to the streets and not the bedsheets, it is incredible that they would assimilate to cat chid life so easily and so politely. He could have gone potty anywhere in the house, sinks and bathtubs are very easy to clean, thankfully.

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    sometimes he would still just use the sink or the bare tub. It was stressing us out, but he is our cat nonetheless and we weren't going to give up on him.
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    8
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    Around April of this year, we decided to get a kitten because we knew that scrunch was alone for most of the day in our apartment due to our long work schedules and he was very sad. His
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    mood quickly changed for the better, as he became more energetic and happy again. The kitten's name is Dexter (LEFT), and scrunch basically adopted him like a son, he grooms him regularly, teaches
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    him how to play, and he's even adopting some of scrunch's quirky mannerisms that make him such a funny cat. Dexter, however, knows how to use the litter box
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    at just two months old, and he uses it without fail! We thought, maybe scrunch can learn from him. We weren't really expecting anything since Scrunch had never used the litter
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    18 4 13 60 10
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    box consistently in the ENTIRE TIME we had him. To our surprise, we see scrunch more interested in sniffing around the litter box and ping and png next to the
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  • Wow, that is just unreal. Scrunch is truly a legend, we cannot say that we have ever come across as intelligent and understanding a cat as Scrunch. To change your ways in later life, no less guided by someone your junior, just seems rather unreal in our opinion. It shows a great care and interest in his cute companion.

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    litter box because he sees Dexter using the litter boxes a lot. Still frustrating, but a step in the right direction. I because optimistic, I got a litter mat to catch the litter around the
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    box, and but both litter boxes on the mat. I moved the litter boxes to an area that was easier to access for him. Then, one day, he p… ›d I. The litter - T box. He didn't bury
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    it though because, again, he hates the feeling of litter in his paws. But then Dexter came in and bury Scrunch's p p for him. This is the third day where scrunch has consistently popped in the litter. He still
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    occasionally p. 's in the bathtub, which is an easy wash anyways. It would be preferable if he did both in the litter, but him pg in the litter has been such a massive improvement. I've
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    been keeping the litter cleaned every day to so that he can always have fresh litter to use, but I am so happy that we made progress in this issue because it has been stressing us out.
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    I thought I would post this here to sprinkle a little good news, and maybe it could work for someone who is having similar issues. Thanks!
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cat life guide groom teach adult kitten affection reddit story adopted cat story etiquette litter box play proper lonely son
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