The following article is a bit lengthy, but worth it if your kitty is having litter box issues.
Why
won't cats use the litterbox? There are several reasons that we will tell you
in this article. We will also give you solutions to help you solve your litter
box problems.
Litter
box avoidance and inappropriate elimination (urinating
outside the litter box) are the most frequent and irritating disagreements
humans have with their kitties.
Inappropriate
urination and defecation may mean that the litter box facilities are sub par,
that there's a medical problem or, in the case of marking behavior, that your cat is trying
to signal something.
Cats
use elimination of urine (and sometimes feces) for communication – a kind of
pee-mail, if you will. That can be a sign that something is wrong. In the
latter situation, your kitty is not being mean or spiteful. She's got a problem
and you'll have to figure out what it is if you want it to go away.
Punishing
your cat for inappropriate elimination will not solve the problem. It
will only teach her to fear and avoid you, and eliminate when you're not
around. In fact, it can actually make the problem worse, since inappropriate
elimination is often caused by stress, and punishment will only add to her
stress level.
What
Should You Do if Your Cat Doesn't' Use the Litter Box?
When
your cat eliminates outside the box, you should first schedule an appointment
with your veterinarian. Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD), a group of
disorders and diseases affecting the urinary tract, and colon disorders, such
as irritable bowel disease, can cause inappropriate elimination.
Symptoms
of FLUTD include frequent voiding, straining at the end of urination, and blood
in the urine. If your cat shows any of these signs, schedule an appointment
immediately. Both males and females are at risk, but males are more likely to
develop life-threatening blockages. If your cat strains to urinate and produces
only a tiny amount of urine, rush him to the veterinarian. This is a
life-threatening emergency.
Once
your veterinarian rules out a physical problem, then you should start to
unravel the problem by looking at what's going on in your cat's life. Watch
carefully and find out when and where she is eliminating inappropriately, and
what's happening in the household at the time.
Recognizing
the reasons for litter box avoidance and addressing the cause will help you
find a solution to the problem. With understanding, patience, and persistence,
most such problems can be overcome.
Here
are the top eight reasons cats won't use the litter box with some helpful
solutions:
8
Common Reasons Cat's Won't Use the LitterBox
1.
Dirty Litter Box
A
common reason for litter box avoidance is the cat's natural
cleanliness. If you think the box smells bad, just imagine how it smells to
your cat, since she has 200 million odor-sensitive cells in her nose compared
to your 5 million. If she is turning up her nose at the box and eliminating
elsewhere, it could be that it's not clean enough and offends her sensitive
olfactory apparatus. In the wild, there's a good reason for such
fastidiousness. Predators locate prey by scent. This is one good reason why
cats are so careful about covering their waste – to keep bigger predators from
locating them. A dirty litter box can make your cat feel vulnerable.
Clean
the box often. Scoop out the soiled litter and solid wastes daily or twice a
day, and change the litter and scrub the box with warm, soapy water weekly if
you are using regular clay litter. Don't use harsh cleaners, such as bleach, to
clean the box; they may offend your cat's delicate sense of smell further and
add to the problem.
Some
cats are simply fussier than others, so a weekly scrubbing might not be enough.
If so, you might try a clumping litter. With clumping litters, the litter needs
changing less frequently, and still remains relatively odor free. By scooping
out the clumps and solid wastes once or twice a day, depending upon the number
of cats you have, you can make all but the most sensitive cats happy.
Ultimately, you and your cat will have to reach an agreement on the cleaning
frequency.
2.
Placement
Location
is also vital. If your cat doesn't like the litter box's location, she may not
use it. For example, if you place the litter box too close to her food and
water dishes, she may avoid the box since cats don't like to eat and eliminate
in the same area. If the box isn't easily accessible – for example, down in the
basement or up on the top floor – she may not be able to get there in time, or
may think it's too much trouble. If she has to brave some stressor to get to
the box, such as a noisy water heater, the washer and dryer, or a dominant
cat's territory, she may look for a safer place to eliminate. Cats like quiet,
safe, private places to do what they have to do. Follow your cat and observe
what's going on.
If
location is the problem, move the litter box to an area that allows the cat
privacy but is accessible and convenient for cleaning. Some people prefer
keeping the box in the bathroom, but in a multi-cat household that can get
crowded. Consider using a closet in a spare bedroom or a well-ventilated porch
with easy access. Some owners locate litter boxes in a rarely frequented second
bathroom or even in the bathtub. Try several locations until you find one she
will use consistently.
3. Litter Changes
If
a change in litter box behavior occurs after you've switched the type or brand
of litter, try changing back. Your cat may not like the new litter. Cats are
individuals and what appeals to one cat may not appeal to another. Some are
highly perfumed to mask odors from human noses, but perfumes are offensive to
some cats; other litters just don't have the right feel. Cats evolved from
desert animals and a litter with the texture of sand is usually well accepted.
Experiment
with several types to see what he likes best.
Buy a small box or bag of each – test clumping and non-clumping clay (try the
unscented versions), recycled paper, wood byproducts, plant-based material –
the varieties are practically endless. Fill several boxes with different kinds,
and see which one your cat prefers. With all these choices you are bound to
find one that suits. Choosing a litter should be a team effort. If you find
yourself needing to switch litters, try changing the litter gradually. Slowly
add more of the new litter into the old to increase the chances of your cat
accepting the switch.
If
you are bringing a formerly outdoor cat indoors, and he is not using the litter
box, it could be that the litter is not what he's used to. Try filling the box
with clean dirt or sand – whatever he's been using in the yard. After he's
using the box consistently, very gradually, over the next two or three weeks,
mix the dirt with increasing amounts of the litter you want him to use.
4.
Litter Box Issues
The
size, shape, and depth of the litter box can also affect your cat's behavior.
She may reject the box if, for some reason, she doesn't like it. Hooded litter
boxes are popular with some cats, but most don't like the confining nature of
them and feel trapped when using such a box – a particular problem in multicat
households with dominance disputes. Large or overweight cats may find the
opening to a covered box too small, or may not have enough room to maneuver
inside such a box, and longhaired cats may have trouble keeping their fur
clean.
Older
cats, or cats with health problems, such as arthritis, may have trouble
stepping into boxes with high sides, or into boxes with smaller openings. If
cats have any health problem that makes movement difficult, provide a sturdy
ramp in front of the box, and a step down inside, if needed.
Some
cats dislike litter box liners. Remove the liner if you notice your cat pulling
it up or leaving claw marks in the plastic.
Providing
several boxes of different sizes and types may help resolve the litter box
problem.
5.
Environmental Changes
Cats
are creatures of habit and they don't like changes in their environment. If
your cat stops using the litter box after a change has taken place in the
household, it could be that the change is causing her to become anxious.
Anxiety is one of the more common feline emotional problems, and may contribute
to a number of behavior problems, including house soiling. Have you just
brought home a new child, spouse, family member, or pet? Have you moved or
remodeled the house? Have you recently changed your routine – gone back to
work, say, after being at home all day? Even healthy cats can become stressed
and anxious by changes that might seem minor to you. Look at the situation from
the cat's viewpoint and see what might be going on.
During
household changes, reassure your cat, give him extra attention and treats, and
keep the litter box squeaky clean. This will help him regain his feeling of
safety and routine, and help him adjust more quickly. If you've added a new
baby to the household, check out the helpful advice on Helping Your Cat and New Baby Get Along; if
a new pet has arrived, read Pet to Pet Socialization – Adding a Kitten.
If you've moved, check out How to Introduce Your Cat to Your New Home.
6.
Territorial Disputes
If
you have more than one cat, disputes can arise over litter box usage. Cats are
territorial by nature. Their societies are sometimes structured in a
hierarchical manner, governed by strict rules of conduct. In multicat
households, the dominant cat will sometimes leave her feces uncovered as a form
of scent marking, to announce her presence and status. Uncovered feces mean
that the territory is taken. If the other cats feel they're encroaching on a
dominant cat's territory, they'll be reluctant to use that box.
Also,
some cats don't like sharing their litter box with other cats. The solution is
to provide a litter box and a private location for each cat. As a rule, you
should have one litter box for every cat in the household. Also, consider
keeping an extra box in another location to circumvent disputes or clashes. If
a cat doesn't want to approach the main box area while another cat is there,
she can detour to the other box to do her business. This prevents the cat from
choosing a less acceptable location if the need is urgent.
7.
Overcrowding
Having
a companion for kitty is a good way to keep him from becoming lonely when
you're off earning the cat food. However, overcrowding – having too many cats
for the space you have available – can create considerable stress. Many
territorial-type behavior problems arise from overcrowding, including house
soiling. For cats to feel secure, they must have an area to call their own, to
which they can retreat when threatened. This is particularly true for
indoor-only multicat households. Make sure you can provide facilities for each
of your cats. You can also expand the territorial range by adding cat trees,
outside enclosures Selecting a Cat Enclosure, cat condos,
kitty hideouts, window perches, cat shelves, screened patios, and so on. You
don't have to spend a fortune – cut holes in several cardboard boxes, turn them
upside down, and place them strategically. Make sure each cat is given enough
love and attention, too.
8.
Spraying
This
marking behavior is not connected to other
litter box problems, because the reason for the behavior is completely
different. Unaltered male and female cats spray urine to mark their territory.
While more common in males, both genders can spray. Spraying has sexual and
dominance-type connotations; the behavior being most prevalent in intact cats
with a full complement of sex hormones. This is why spaying and neutering
usually ends the behavior.
It's
easy to tell the difference between spraying and urinating. During spraying,
the cat backs up to a vertical surface, raises his tail (which often quivers),
treads, and sprays urine onto the vertical surface. This is as opposed to
squatting to urinate. Spaying and neutering often eliminates spraying and is
the first step to take toward resolution of the problem.
However,
spraying can also be a sign that a neutered male or spayed female cat has some
issues related to anxiety or stress (e.g. a territorial dispute or a
disturbance in their routine). Battles for dominance or territory may cause
spraying in a multicat household, regardless of the cats' neuter status, and
you'll need to resolve the dispute before the behavior will cease. A project
such as this can be challenging. Spraying may also occur if a reclusive cat
sees other cats outside in the yard, an area he likely considers an extension
of his territory. One little wrinkle in the diagnosis of stress-related urine
marking is that it does not always occur in the form of spraying. Sometimes
urine marking may be performed from the squatting posture. The key to
diagnosing this curve ball delivery is to pay attention to the sites on which
urine is deposited. Litter box problems result in deposition of urine in relatively
uninteresting "other" locations, usually on rugs or carpets in
out-of-the way locations that are convenient for the cat. Horizontal urine
marking, however, might be found on a person's possessions, on new things
brought into the house, on a particular bedspread, on the stovetop, on a
heating register, etc. When the location of urine deposition becomes as
interesting (or perplexing) as this, consider anxiety-related urine marking,
even if the cat "performs" in the squatting posture.
Urine-marked
areas must be well cleaned with a non ammonia-based cleaner and then the area
should be blocked off so that the cat no longer has access to it for a while,
or the significance of the area can be transformed by moving the food dishes
there. Products for cleaning pet stains that contain enzymes or bacteria work
by eliminating odor-causing chemicals. Such products are usually effective.
It's important to remove all traces of the urine (and/or feces) or the scent
will attract kitty back to the spot. But you need to address the problem's
underlying cause to end the cycle of inappropriate elimination; otherwise, your
cat will just move to another area to spray. Ask your veterinarian for advice
if you're stumped for a solution. Certain medications combined with behavior
modification techniques can help resolve the problem.
Remember these important tips on litter
box care and cat behavior:
·
Don't perform disliked procedures, such as pilling and nail clipping,
near the litter box. Your cat may associate these activities with the litter
box and avoid it.
·
Don't try to catch your cat to perform disliked procedures (such as
those listed above) while he's using the litter box.
· Don't do anything else that might cause your
cat to associate its litter box with unpleasantness. E.g. Don't force him into
the box after an accident; don't punish your cat when he's near the litter box
(or any other place, for that matter).
·
Don't rub the cat's nose in urine or feces if he eliminates outside the
box.
·
Don't use harsh disinfectants or cleaners to clean the litter box.
·
Do check with your veterinarian to rule out possible medical
contributions.
·
Do clean the box daily.
·
Do make sure your cat has a quiet, private, stress-free litter box
location.
· Do praise and reward your cat when he uses
the box correctly.
We
hope these tips help you understand why your cat won't use the litter box and
give you some solutions.
Source: www.petplace.com
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