In the Litter Box!
Welcome back to another blog! Today, I was searching for an idea on what to talk about for a cat blog since I didn’t write one in a quite a while. So I looked up what was a common problem that many cat owners face and one of them happened to be litter box problems -specifically the kitten not using their litter box. Let’s leap into it!
How common is this problem?
According to ASPCA, about 10% of all cats will develop elimination problems with some not using the box, some using their boxes for urination or defecation but not both, and some eliminating both in and outside of their boxes. So it is safe to say that this is a common problem that cat owners could potentially face.
Why do these problems develop?
Knowing how this elimination problem begins can help you prevent this from happening to you. Elimination issues can develop due to conflicts between multiple cats at home, a dislike towards the type of litter box, a dislike towards the type of litter used, a dislike where the box is located, a medical condition, declawing -I will talk about this soon-, or an unclean litter box.
How can I prevent these problems from arising? (Part I)
A great way to solve elimination issues caused due to conflicts between multiple cats at home is to accommodate by having one to two litter boxes (since some cats prefer urinating in one and defecating in the other) for each cat in the house.
As for the litter preferences, your cat may not be a fan of the litter selected as their noses are sensitive, especially to chemical or perfume scents. Studies show that the most appealing type of litter to most cats is unscented, clumping litter that has the consistency of fine sand but this does not mean that your cat will fall under this category. To make sure that your cat is the happiest they can be, give your cat a selection of litter to see what they like the most. However, if there was a change of brand or type of litter recently, that could be culprit. Cats need time to adjust to their new litter so the best thing you can do is to slowly introduce the new product every time you change the litter!
How can I prevent these problems from arising? (Part II)
Litter box sizes do matter. If your kitten’s litter box is too small, you can try to use a large plastic storage box as their new bathroom to see if a little more room for your cat to do their business will make a difference. This can hold to be especially true if your cat is a senior or overweight (cats that have difficulty getting into litter boxes with high walls). If the litter box is covered, it can also feel too confining to a stressed cat so unless your cat is shy, try to remove the covers.
Moving the litter box suddenly to a different location can also cause your kitten to not eliminate in their bathroom station. They like to know where their stuff is! The best place to establish the boxes is in a quiet, open, and private area that are away from your kitten’s food and water.
Declawing?
I will be going over this briefly since this is a bit off topic on what we are supposed to be discussing but I thought that we should talk about it since it was brought up. It is mistakenly believed that declawing cats is a harmless, “quick fix” for unwanted scratching. However, the procedure also makes the cat less likely to use the litter box -due to heightened sensitivity in their paws- and more likely to bite. It can also cause lasting physical issues with the practice banned in many countries for good reasons.
Then what is so bad about it? Declawing is a surgery that removes the cat’s nails. Doesn’t sound too bad right? I didn’t think so too but after some digging, I found that declawing involves the amputation of the last bone of each toe. This is basically cutting off each of your fingers at the last knuckle. Ouch!
How can I train my cat to go to the bathroom in the box again?
If your kitten seems to prefer to “go” in other places in the house, what you can do in order to get him/her back in the litter box is by setting up at least one litter box that looks appealing and also easy to access. You should also clean the offended area thoroughly to help eliminate the odor so your kitten isn’t tempted to “use” the same spot again. For further measures, you can block off the area as a deterrent. Cats also will usually not eliminate where there’s food (just make sure to not overfeed him/her)! If this doesn’t work, you can try to make “inappropriate” areas as undesirable as possible by covering them with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. After a few weeks of success, start to remove the covering in areas that the cat is not eliminating in, working slowly toward the “trouble” spots. Hopefully, your kitten should now be using their litter box!
I hope you find their blog helpful and let me know if the above methods worked out for you. You can let me know through the contact page! Stay safe and hope to see you soon :)
Citations:
[1] “Cat Not Using Litter Box: Causes and Solutions.” Best Friends Animal Society, resources.bestfriends.org/article/cat-not-using-litter-box-causes-and-solutions.
[2] “Declawing Cats: Far Worse than a Manicure.” The Humane Society of the United States, www.humanesociety.org/resources/declawing-cats-far-worse-manicure.
[3] “Litter Box Problems.” ASPCA, www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/common-cat-behavior-issues/litter-box-problems.