The smells, clean-up and in fact litter box problems are probably the most common reason people reject cat ownership or established cat owners give up their cats. With a little knowledge about how the cats instinctively take care of their business and providing the proper setting helps solve this issue. One of the biggest myths about cat ownership is the constant smell of having a litter box in the house.
Most cats prefer the sand like texture of clumping litters. Cats are very fastidious about where and when they prefer to eliminate. Moving around the litter box when the first location doesn't seem to be working takes a bit of patience but ultimately the owner and the cat's location preferences will become solved. If there are no options for where to place the litter box there are several ways to disguise or change the looks which may solve the issue. As litter boxes are now are available in all shapes and sizes, the answer may be as simple as a new litter box.
Changing the litter with regularity can solve most problems especially the smells and the cat's desire to take their business elsewhere. Cats are extremely sensitive to the texture of the litter and also have an excellent sense of smell. Either one of these issue may create dissent. Changing the type of litter easily solves the former problem while keeping the litter box cleaned often can eliminate the latter problem. Worrying about offending guest with the odor of a cat box is easy to solve and I know this to be true. We have a friend who adopted an entire litter of 7 kittens when the mother cat was killed. This was over fifteen years ago and the cats have lived within his home the entire time as he did not want to risk their safety to coyotes or cars. There has never been an occasion that I have entered his home and smelled even the slightest odor suggesting he has house cats. His solution is cleaning out his multiple cat boxes at least once per day. Please keep in mind he has 7 fully grown cats now.
When a cat suffers from a medical problem it is not unusual for them to eliminate outside their litter box or designated area. Crystals in the urine or a urinary infection can be extremely painful to felines. Cats often associate this pain to the litter box and begin to avoid the area in hopes of avoiding the pain. If your cat begins to eliminate away from their box with regularity this is a red flag that a trip to the vet is in order.
Cats are not very social when it comes to where they use the potty. Very often the cats prefer their own box and if possible in a different location than each other. Keeping the boxes separated can prevent location avoidance problems by one of the cats.
The best place for locating you cat's box is somewhere private and quiet preferably where the cat will not be ambushed by its brethren or disturbed by small children. Noisy areas like those near washing machines furnaces or under stairs may make this an undesirable location for the cat.
Once you have successfully found a location you and your kitty are happy with do not change the liter, the boxes location and keep the same box. Cats are creatures of habit and dislike change. Like they say "if it's not broken don't fix it."
There is one over-riding reason why a cat stops using their litter box and that is because of cleanliness. You may think that everything looks great but remember the view that matters is the cats. If you can smell the odor from the litter box then you can be sure your cat is repulsed. We recommend that the litter is scooped once per day and replaced every 4-5 days including cleaning the box. Once the box is cleaned allow it to air dry or preferably dry-out in the sun. This drying method is good for 2 reasons, the first is killing germs and the second is the fresh air smell eliminates any need of perfume which most cats find distasteful. Of course these are only guidelines as large cats that are oversized may have different needs than smaller cats. Also types of food and selection of litter may have an effect on your schedule.
When you bring a new cat home we recommend that you confine the new addition to one room where their litter box is located. Remember to provide food and water. Once the cat has used the litter box several times and appears calm and ready to explore the rest of the surrounding give them a bit more freedom until they have become fully acclimated to their new home. Also be sure to give a bit of thought as to where you place the cat and its litter box for the initial period because the litter box should not move for the reasons given earlier.
When you bring a other cat to your home a stressful situation is unavoidable. The new cat may mark his new territory by urinating or defecating away from their litter box.
If you catch your cat in the act of urinating or defecating away from its litter box try and get their attention by a firm voice or clapping your hands. Try not to scare the cat but only get their attention and then place the cat on the floor near the appropriate litter box.
Never punish your cat for eliminating outside of his or her litter box. There may be many reasons why the cat chose not to use the box such as the litter being dirty, a medical problem, loud noises and many other causes but punishment will more than likely backfire. Animals do not understand punishment even if it is only seconds after the event. This may be counter to your thinking but punishment to a cat will do more harm than good.
Travis and Diane Medley own and operate http://www.thecattreesite.com and a blog " The Scratching Post " which is dedicated to cats, cat trees, towers condos and supplies. Like many pet lovers Travis and Diane support the ethical and humane treatment of animals. They also advocate no-kill shelters and donate money to local and national pet causes.
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