Cat Behavior- The Litterbox
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It is SO Much Easier to Get the Litterbox Strategy Correct at the Very Beginning
A huge and very important step in having preferred or acceptable cat behavior is having a good strategy for the litterbox. This is a move that really needs to be handled properly from the very beginning to help avoid ANY issues with your cat doing his/her business. There are some key steps to follow that will greatly decrease your chances of having a problem. The very best way to avoid cat bathroom issues is to not let them get started. However, if you do suddenly begin to see some evidence that Kitty is missing the mark, then these strategies can help turn things around quickly.
The best way to understand the litterbox strategies is to see things from your cat’s perspective. Most cats want a super clean box EVERYTIME! This means scooping out the box once in awhile or once a week will usually end in disaster. Scooping daily really should be the minimum standard. We scoop twice daily and more often as needed. We actually have a couple of cats that will use the litterbox ONLY AFTER it is recently scooped.
Many cat owners want to “hide” the litterbox or have it located in a remote part of the house, garage, etc. This strategy causes 2 problems: first your cat needs “easy” access and second it will be more difficult for you to monitor the box on a daily basis. Remember: out of sight out of mind. Now it makes sense that folks don’t want to be smelling Kitty’s fresh business all day, so they stash it as far away as possible thinking that will help. Keep in mind that if you scoop daily to 2x daily or as needed smell becomes a much smaller issue than before.
If this sounds way overboard just imagine this scenario: you are going to use the toilet and will be sitting. You open the lid to sit and are horrified and disgusted because that toilet has been used a few times and NEVER flushed. EWWW! gross right? Now imagine it’s the only toilet available, the flusher is broke, and the only way you can even go is you will need to stick your hand in there to move “stuff” around to clear a new space for you to do your business! OMG! Worst mind picture/nightmare ever! That is exactly what it is like for your cat when the litterbox is only scooped once in awhile…
Your cat does want some privacy so putting the litterbox in a high traffic and noisy area is usually not the best spot either. Also keep in mind that you need a box on each floor if you have a multi-level home and you need a box for EACH cat plus one. Cats typically want their own litterbox that only smells like them even if it’s scooped daily. An extra bedroom or guest bathroom, or maybe a screened in porch or den are all possibilities foir a litterbox. If you move it or put in a new box make sure to show your cat where it is. They will take it from there.
Another technique cat owners will use is the covered litterbox. The covered litterbox can help keep the smell from spreading and can be helpful keeping the litter from scattering about. However, most cats don’t like a covered box. This can be particularly distasteful if the cat is large and or you have a multi-cat household. If they are too big they can’t move around easily and perhaps the cat is not able to even get in the box in the first place. Also this is the perfect spot to be trapped in and other cats will often target the litterbox for ambushes. This will place unwanted obstacles in the path of the Kitty to go comfortably. All of our boxes are uncovered and we use specially designed mats to place under and around the litterbox to catch extra litter or any “stray” business. This has worked very well for us since we can just lift the mat and dump the extra litter back in the box or if needed we can just wipe or hose it off.
A number of cat owners will use scented litter to help cover up the smell after their cat uses the litterbox. This can help with the smell a little, but again many cats are turned off by the artificial, chemical smell of this type of litter. This could cause Kitty to look elsewhere for a spot to go. WE use unscented most of the time. Occasionally, when we can’t find unscented we will use scented, but will mix it in with unscented to dilute it as much as possible.
The takeaway here is by scooping daily or more you help to eliminate other things that humans think help, but that cats don’t like. ANY obstacles to using the litterbox can result in your cat going somewhere else that you don’t like. Cats are super clean and don’t want to hunt around for a place to go. Make it as easy as possible for them. If your cat does go outside the box, please don’t punish them. They are already traumatized from having to go somewhere else to begin with, and punishing doesn’t help and can cause other unwanted issues. If your cat was doing fine and then starts to have accidents outside the box, then you should consider taking Kitty to the vet to rule out any health issues that might be the cause. Any changes in litter, box location, food, routine, stress, changes in the human family, or changes in the pet family can be possible triggers for litterbox issues.
Don’t Punish Your Cat for Litterbox Issues…It’s Usually NOT Their Fault.
One of our cats had crystals and he started peeing and spraying everywhere else, but the litterbox. We took him to the vet he got treatment and is on special food to help prevent a reoccurrence and it has worked pretty well. Apparently, when he tried to go pee with the crystals it caused him pain. So he associated the litterbox with pain and looked elsewhere for relief. You just never know. I hope this was helpful info. Litterbox issues can become a real problem and usually it can be resolved or prevented with some planning and good strategies.
