Other Behavior Problems To Rule Out
Urine Marking
Urine marking is a problem that most pet owners consider a litter box problem since it involves elimination outside the box, but the cause and treatment are entirely different from other litter-box problems and therefore it is considered a rule out. A cat who urine marks will regularly eliminate in her litter box, but will also deposit urine in other locations, usually on vertical surfaces. When marking, shell usually back up to a vertical object like a chair side, wall or speaker, stand with her body erect and her tail extended straight up in the air, and spray urine onto the surface. Often her tail will twitch while shes spraying. The amount of urine a cat sprays when shes urine marking is usually less than the amount she would void during regular elimination in her box. For more information about this problem, please see our article, Urine Marking in Cats.
Litter Box Maintenance With Arm & Hammer
Try these cat-approved ARM & HAMMER cat litters to help keep your kitty happy and healthy and your litter box clean and tidy.
- ARM & HAMMER Clump & Seal AbsorbX lightweight cat litter. The desert-dry minerals absorb urine and odors extra quickly and the lighter weight makes it easier to lift, carry, and pour. Available in scented or unscented formulas.
- ARM & HAMMER Clump & Seal Multi-Cat. If you have a clowder of cats, use this hard-clumping litter for easy clean-up and 7-day odor control.
- ARM & HAMMER Feline Pine Non-Clumping Pine Pellet Litter. This litter is a good choice for kittens, cats recovering from surgery, and household that prefers a 100% natural kitty litter with no dust or tracking.
Out With The Old In With The Whew
Figuring out when to change the cat litter makes for happy cats and pet owners.
Remember: To prevent bacteria and pathogens from building up, wash the cat litter box with each change. A mild detergent is best preferably a natural litter and without citrus oils or ammonia. Some cat owners use liners or a disposable litter box for ease of dumping solid waste, while others prefer a deeper litter box. Both are more about convenience and your cat’s habits, and neither affects the necessity or frequency of changing the cat litter.
We hope these tips give you a better understanding of how often you should change your cat’s litter. Tell us how you make this necessary-but-unpleasant chore a bit easier in the comments below!
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Start Litter Box Training Asap
You should ideally have the litter box set up as soon as you bring your kitten or cat home so you can start immediately. Its never too early to start little box training for a cat or kitten. If youre wondering how to litter train an older cat, the steps will be the same, it might just take more time.
Tips On Transitioning To A New Litter
The ninth of December, 2018 2 minutes to read
Need to change your cat litter? If so, transitioning your cat to the new brand will require patience, understanding, and a little ingenuity on your part. Lets face it: Cats are creatures of habit and might not be all that excited about the change.
09.12.2018 Tuesday, December 9 Reading time: 2 minutes
Keep in mind that your catsflip litter box serves as a secure sanctuary for him.
Any adjustments have the potential to be disruptive. When moving litter, take it carefully and be conscious of your cats sensitivity to scent, texture, and weight. Try to keep any changes to a bare minimum.
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The Type Of Cat Litter You Use
The type of litter you use will have a big impact on how often youll need to change it.
For example, some non-clumping cat litters break down and turn to mush when your cat has a wee. In this case, you might need to replace the litter twice a week.
Clumping cat litter clumps when it gets wet. Instead of breaking down when it gets wet, it forms clumps. This means youll only need to remove the clump instead of having to replace the whole tray.
How To Scoop A Litter Box
Do you remember playing with a pail, sieve, and shovel at the beach or in the sandbox when you were a kid? Scooping out the litter box is much the same as sieving out items from the sand, but in this case the buried treasure is clumps of urine and feces. The real treasure, though, is a clean litter box in about the same amount of time it takes to brush your teeth .
Giving the litter box a scoop is easy and takes only a few minutes. Heres the basic process for how:
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What Is Non Clumping Litter
Clumping litter is the most common type of cat litter, but non-clumping litter has its own advantages. Clumping litter forms tight clumps when it comes into contact with moisture, making it easy to scoop out waste. However, non-clumping litter doesnt form clumps, so its not as easy to scoop.
But non-clumping litter has its benefits: its usually cheaper than clumping litter and lasts longer since you dont have to replenish it constantly. In addition, many cats prefer non-clumping litter because it feels more like sand and is easier on their paws.
If youre looking for an alternative to clumping litter, non-clumping litter is worth considering.
How Often Should You Clean/wash Your Cats Litter Box /tray
Its recommended to clean your cats tray monthly. However, the cleaning frequency depends on the number of kitties using it and the type of tray, either clumping or non-clumping.
If you have more than one cat using the box, increase the cleaning frequency to fortnightly or weekly.
The video below demonstrates how to clean a litter box effectively:
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When And How To Switch To A New Type Of Litter Thecatsite Articles
It is possible that we will receive commissions for purchases made through the links in this post. When it comes to litter, your cats preferences might be just as individual as their preferences for certain food tastes or scratching surfaces. Switching to a different type or brand of kitty litter can have a significant impact on your cats life, so only do it if you really have to, and then make sure you do it correctly.
Replace Litter Box Yearly
Even with the practices above, you should change the entire box that your cat defecates or urinates on, at least yearly. Your scooper can make unseen grooves in the box which are harder to sterilize by the method mentioned above. So you wouldnt be able to control the smell if you didnt change the box entirely.
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What Kind Of Cat Litter Should I Use
You might be surprised to discover the many different types of cat litter available on the market. There are clumping litters, biodegradable cat litter, clay litter, and more.
Clumping litters are the most popular because they clump together around your cats feces and urine, which reduces odor and makes scooping easier. Plus, cats often like them because clumping litters tend to be fine-grained and soft. Avoid scented litters, which most cats find off-putting. Once you find a litter your cat is willing to use, dont change it unless necessary. Cats can be disturbed by sudden changes in their toileting environment and this could stress them out or even derail their litter training.
Dont Throw Out The Old Box
Sure, its tempting, but resist the temptation to toss out the old box as soon as the new one arrives in the mail. As an alternative, place the new one in its allocated location and discontinue clearing out the old one. This will make the litter box she is accustomed to less appealing, as cats despise a filthy litter box.
She may be aware that both boxes serve the same purpose, if she looks closely. Quite maybe, your cat will opt to use the new one on her own own after seeing it. Do you want to know why your cat is laying in the litter box? Read on. Take a look at our guide.
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How Often Should You Change Clumping Cat Litter
Cat litter that clumps does not require as frequent replacement as litter that does not clump. As previously said, when your cat pees, the litter clumps together, separating the clean litter from the filthy litter and vice versa. If you do this, it will be much easier for you to clean the litter. After your cat has gone to the bathroom, you can easily scoop it out. You should scoop the litter at least once or twice a day, just like you would with non-clumping litter. When it comes to changing out the entire batch of cat litter for a new one, you wont have to do it as frequently as you would with non-clumping litter since it will last longer.
The complete batch should be changed at least once every two or three weeks if you have only one cat, according to my recommendations.
Despite the fact that it is a pricey litter, it allows you to save more money in the long run.
How To Change Cat Litter
When changing a cats litter its important to do so slowly, so your cat has a chance to become familiar with the texture and smell of the new litter. A small amount of litter mixed with the old litter and slowly increasing the ratio over a few weeks will help your cat adjust.
Start with a decent understanding of your cats litter box behaviour so youre more aware of any changes and can back off or slow down on litter changes as needed.
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Prevent Litter Box Problems
An inadequate number of litter boxes or a messy feline toilet can cause a cat to find another, more welcoming spot in which to do business – your bedspread, the corner of your closet, or the showermat in your bathroom, for instance.
Prevent litter box problems by having one litter box per cat plus one extra. Choose the litter box your cat will enjoy using. If your cat likes doing business out in the open, select a Tray. Need more space? Try our Modkat XL. We don’t recommend self-cleaning litter boxes since these can frighten household pets.
Give your cat the pick of the litter by selecting a high-grade, clumping option that your cat will use. Finally, make sure your cat’s litter box is in a quiet but accessible place such as a guest room.
Should I Choose Clumping Or Non
Cat litter comes in either clumping or non-clumping varieties. As the name suggests, clumping litter clumps together when your cat goes to the toilet on it. This makes it easy to scoop out small parts of the litter as necessary. Non-clumping litter simply absorbs urine, which means you will need to change the whole litter tray at regular intervals. Whichever you choose, if the tray starts to smell you may need to change the type of litter you use or clean the litter tray more regularly.
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What Should I Prepare For It
The scoop for cat litter is a necessity, allowing you to remove the dirty cat litter from the box without direct touch.
But you are still faced with the issue: how to prevent the smell. With urine and feces, the soiled cat litter gets stinky quickly.
You should consider equipping a Litter Genie and Lionpapa generic Litter Genie refill bag. Storing dirty litter inside Litter Genie seals the smell well due to its seal structure. Lionpapa offers cat owners cheap refill bags of good quality, reducing the burden.
Recommendations To Make The Change
Once you have determined the best location for your litter tray to be relocated or have discovered a new one for them, you will need to prepare for the relocation or replacement. When it comes to replacing a cats litter box, the following steps should be followed:
- Following your decision on where to relocate your litter box or whether to get a new one for them, you must prepare for the transition. It is recommended that you do the following while changing a cats litter box:
Once you have determined the best location for your litter tray to be relocated or have discovered a new one for them, you will need to prepare for the relocation or relocation. When it comes to replacing a cats litter box, the following steps should be taken:
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How Your Cat Accesses The Litter Box
The entry into the litter box will matter to your cat. If you need a high-sided litter box for a particularly kicky feline, youll need to make sure the entryway is short enough to allow them to access it easily. Some enclosed litter boxes even provide top entry, which some cats prefer.
As cats age, theyll likely develop mobility issues that will require a litter box with an easier entry some older cats even require a low-entry litter box they can step directly into towards the end of their lifespan. Likewise, if your cat has to have a procedure of some kind that temporarily limits their mobility, it might make their current litter box hard to use. Keep an eye on your cat as they use the bathroom to make sure they arent having problems with getting into their box. If they are, it might be time for a change.
How Often Should You Change Non
The most common issue seen with non-clumping cat litter is that cat pee tends to accumulate at the bottom of the litter box, causing it to overflow. In order to keep the litter box as clean as possible, you would need to replace it and clean it as often as feasible. Given the fact that non-clumping catlitter may hold on to odor for several days, the pee in the bottom of the litter box may not cause you any difficulties for at least a couple of days. In order to keep things simple, you should scoop out the solid waste at least once or twice a day, seven days a week.
It is not only necessary to scoop away wastes, but it is also necessary to change the entire batch of litter.
If you have already decided that you need to alter the batch, you can use the scent of urine as a decisive factor.
If you have many litter boxes, you may not need to clean them every day however, this will depend on how unclean the litter box is at the time.
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Can I Flush My Non Clumping Litter Down The Toilet
The answer to this question is a little more complicated than a simple yes or no. Some non clumping litters can be flushed down the toilet, while others should not be. If you are unsure whether or not your litter can be flushed, it is best to err on the side of caution and not flush it. Flushing litter down the toilet can clog your pipes and cause serious damage to your home.
Step : Keep An Eye On The Situtation
Its important to monitor your cats litter box behaviour in the coming weeks to ensure theyre still using the litter box. If your cat typically peed in the litter box twice a day and pooped once, be sure to pay attention if that frequency is continuing after switching litters.
If youre noticing theyre still pooping in the litter box but dont seem to be peeing in it as much, make sure theyre not finding another spot in the house to pee.
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Introducing A New Litter
Cats dont like frequent change. So, if youre planning to introduce a new type or brand of cat litter , be prepared that your cat might reject using it. Whatever the reason, one things for sure: you need to have a plan of action.
Gradual is good
Rather than making an abrupt change and presenting your cat with the unfamiliar , give your cat time to adjust to something new. Get it right, and your cat may not even notice youve switched.
Begin by mixing a small amount of the new cat litter in with the current brand every day for several days. Continue this method for three to five days. If your cat is particularly adverse to change, you might want to give yourself even longer for the changeover.
Put it to the test
If your cat is rejecting your current brand and you want to know what type they might prefer, put it to the test. Set up an additional box with a new type of cat litter next to your existing brand. It shouldnt take long for your cat to let you know which they prefer. Once their mind is made up, you can remove the other box.
Speak to an expert
If your cat continues to take issue with their cat litter box, speak to your vet. You might find there are underlying reasons that your cat isnt using the litter box. Cats are complicated creatures!