When setting up a litter box for your cat, it can seem deceptively simple: put litter in box and then place box in a convenient, yet out of the way location. Cat will use box and owner will be happy. Oh, if only it could be that simple! Actually, the reason my days are booked with numerous clients is because it isn’t as simple as that. In reality, your cat’s relationship with that little plastic box is very complicated.
Cats can refuse to use the litter box for many reasons. The key to solving the problem is to uncover the underlying cause. The first place to start is by having your cat checked by the veterinarian to rule out any potential medical cause. Surprisingly, there are many conditions that can result in kitty deciding to eliminate in any other location in your house other than his litter box, such as lower urinary tract disease, renal failure, thyroid problems, diabetes, to name just a few.
When trying to figure out why your cat is peeing on the carpet instead of in his box, you also need to take a long hard look at the litter box set-up itself. What you determine to be clean and acceptable conditions may not be up to kitty’s standards. So let’s get right down to the one part of having a cat where some of us drop the ball – scooping the litter box.
Are you really keeping up your end of the bargain when it comes to scooping the box? Ideally, the box should be scooped twice a day. You’d be surprised how many times I visit a client’s home and discover that the cause of the cat’s inappropriate elimination is because of inadequate scooping. Cats are very clean creatures and it isn’t pleasant to have to step on mounds of urine-soaked litter or old feces in order to find a clean area for elimination. Scooping the box at least twice a day ensures that kitty will be able to find adequate clean litter when it comes time to take care of personal business.
If you find that you have to rely on air fresheners, litter additives, boxes with lids, or placing the box in the farthest corner of your home in order to control odor, then you may not be doing an adequate job of scooping. The best way to control odor is to simply get rid of the soiled litter rather than allowing it to remain in the box day after day.
Scooping twice a day also provides you with a very valuable diagnostic tool – the ability to discover any potential problem in its earliest stages. Even though scooping the box isn’t one of the fun aspects of living with a cat, it’s that time when you’re sifting through the dirty litter that you may discover signs of diarrhea, constipation, blood in the urine, or an unusually large or small urine clump. Cats are creatures of habit so if you scoop regularly and are familiar with the approximate size of the urine clumps your cat produces, then a sudden change in size may indicate a urinary problem or other medical condition. A larger than normal urine clump could indicate the possibility of a medical problem. Catching this early can make a big difference in terms of treatment success.
So, even though scooping the box isn’t fun, it’s a quick and easy way to control odor, monitor your cat’s health, and keep kitty happy when it comes to his personal business.
Visit our website Cat Behavior Associates to find information on my books or to schedule a telephone behavior consultation.
