Birman refused scented litter? What cats actually prefer

That wall-scratching is a pretty clear message from your Birman — scented litters are one of the most common reasons cats reject the box entirely, and lavender is a particular offender. Cats have roughly 200 million scent receptors, so a fragrance we find mild is genuinely overwhelming to them. Litter preference matters more than most packaging lets on: cats are far more likely to use the box consistently when the texture and scent match what they actually like, and most cats strongly prefer unscented, fine-grained clumping litter. To point you in the right direction — how many cats do you have, has there been any ongoing box avoidance beyond this episode, and are there any practical requirements like dust-free or low-tracking?

That timeline tells you everything — this is almost certainly the scented litter and not a behavioural issue with Miso. Birmans tend to be quite sensitive cats generally, and a sudden switch to a heavily fragranced product is exactly the kind of trigger that causes wall-scratching and box avoidance. The good news is that switching back to an unscented option usually resolves this quickly. What litter were you using before the lavender one?

That makes complete sense, and there's a straightforward fix here. Wood pellets work for some cats but the texture is coarser than what most cats naturally prefer — Miso tolerated it, but she may actually do even better with a fine-grained clumping litter. For odour control without fragrance, and with your asthma in mind, I'd recommend Breeder Celect Recycled Paper Cat Litter — it's 99% dust-free, completely unscented, and the paper pellet format is soft enough that most cats accept it readily. It absorbs ammonia well so odour is genuinely controlled without masking it with a scent. It's also lightweight and easy to handle. Given that Miso was already box-trained and this is a reaction to a specific product, I'd expect her to return to normal box use within a few days of switching.

In most cases a gradual transition is the right advice — but this situation is the exception. You want to get the lavender litter out of the equation as fast as possible because it's actively driving the avoidance behaviour. Do a full swap immediately, give the box a thorough clean first so no lavender scent lingers, and put it back in exactly the same location. Miso should recognise the box as her space and the new litter should feel neutral and acceptable to her. If she's still avoiding it after 48 hours with the clean box and new litter, it's worth checking whether anything else changed — new furniture, a different location, any stressors — but I'd be surprised if that's needed.

You haven't — you were trying to solve an odour problem and the packaging gave you no reason to expect this reaction. Most scented litters are marketed heavily on what humans want rather than what cats tolerate, which is a genuine gap in how these products are sold. Miso told you clearly and you've listened. She'll very likely be back to normal within a day or two of the switch.