Where To Put The Litter Tray
Location can be one of the big reasons why cats choose not to use a litter tray. Ideally, youll want it to be completely separate from where they eat and spend their relaxation time.
If the litter tray is too close to these areas, it can be very off putting for them and their natural inclination is to avoid it at all costs, in favour of somewhere that is more appealing to them.
Privacy is another factor to consider. Cats like their litter tray to be located somewhere with a good amount of privacy so they wont be interrupted while theyre doing their business. If theres a risk of their privacy being invaded, its likely that they wont use the litter tray because they dont feel comfortable enough.
Factors To Consider In Litter Box Placement
Cat Not Using Litter Box: Causes And Solutions
Is your cat not using the litter box? Cats stop using their litter boxes for a variety of reasons, including issues with the box or litter, dissatisfaction with the placement or number of boxes, changes in the environment inside or outside the house, and undiagnosed medical conditions. You may have to investigate several possibilities before you understand what your cat is trying to tell you, but most issues are easy to remedy.
Try to keep in mind that cats don’t eliminate outside their litter box to purposefully annoy you. Punishment won’t stop or correct the behavior. Since most cases of litter box avoidance are stress-related, punishment only increases the stress and makes it harder to identify the real cause.
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It’s All In The Timing
Most cats naturally know how to use a litter box and only need some gentle encouragement to get the idea. You can help your cat learn how to use the litter box by gently putting him in it at the times when hes most likely to relieve himself, such as after a meal or when he wakes up from a nap.
Pay close attention to your cats eating and elimination habits, so youll know when hell most likely need to go. When he does use the litter box appropriately, you can reward him with a tasty treat, some catnip, or play time with his favorite toy.
Keep New Kitties Confined For A Little While
When you bring a new kitten home for the first time, they will likely be a bit overwhelmed. There will be lots of new things, new people, new smells and its often best if they adjust gradually to their new surroundings. So, to start with, consider limiting their access to just a couple of rooms and keep their litter tray within this space – still of course, in a discreet and private place to make them feel comfortable and safe.
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Choosing A Litter Box
Your kitten needs an easily accessible litter box, so choose something with low sides that it can easily step into. It should be big enough for the kitten to turn around and eliminate in more than one spot as well. A basic small plastic litter box can work well. However, you may wish to start with something like an old baking pan or a shirt box with a liner, especially if your kitten is very tiny.
Covered litter boxes may or may not work for your kitten. In the beginning, it may be best to use an open box so you can observe your kitten in it. Once your kitten learns to use the box, you may wish to try covering one box and leaving another open so you can learn if your cat has a preference. Some cats prefer the privacy of a covered box, while others dislike the closed-in feeling.
If you have multiple cats, a good rule of thumb is to have one litter box per cat, plus one extra. It’s still a good idea to have two litter boxes if your kitten is the only cat in your home. In a multi-story home, put a litter box on each level.
Should Litter Trays Be Open Or Have A Lid/cover On Them For Privacy
Covered litter trays are popular with owners, as the contents remain largely out of sight and many people assume they are preferable for cats too as they provide a discreet and private space.
In fact, many cats like to feel they can see all around them when going to the toilet.
Most cats will adapt to a covered tray but there are some who feel vulnerable confined in a small space with only one exit point. In multi-cat households open trays tend to be preferable as any cat using one cannot be ambushed by another that has been hiding out of sight.
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Tricks To Help Your Cat Feel More Comfortable Using The Litter Box At Home
Going to the litter box is one of your cats daily needs. Nevertheless, many cats find it especially difficult to make good use of this disposal system. When this happens, your cat is trying to tell you that they dont feel comfortable with the methods you have provided them with. For this reason, we are bringing you a few simple tricks which will help your cat to feel more comfortable when using the litter box at home.
Choose a litter box which coincides with your pets preferences
You should always make sure that the litter box you choose falls in line with your cats preferences. There are cats who may prefer a closed litter box. On the other hand, others may feel more comfortable using a litter box without four walls surrounding them. Try buying a litter box which can be both covered and uncovered. You will then be able to see which way they prefer it. Above all, the most important thing is that the litter box is large enough for your cat to maneuver freely and have the space they need to feel comfortable.
Give your cat some privacy when theyre using the litter box
Cats need privacy when using the toilet, just like everyone else. Therefore, it is important to place their litter box in a corner of your house where they wont feel too exposed. The area should also be quiet and peaceful. If your cat isnt able to enjoy some peace and quiet when using their litter box, they will choose not to use it.
One litter box for each of your cats
Keep the litter box clean
Check Your Kittys Health If You Have Concerns
If you are worried that your kitten isnt getting to grips with the litter tray as quickly as you would expect, or they are spraying outside the box, it may be best to get them checked out by your vet, to discount any underlying problems.
When you are happy that theres nothing to worry about, persevere and kitty will soon be using the litter tray on their own!
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How To Teach A Kitten To Use The Litter Tray Or Box
1) On arrival home, immediately show the kitten the location of the litter tray
2) Gently place them into the litter to allow them to feel it under their paws and to smell the odour
3) Simulate digging with a finger and make sure they do the same by gently holding their paw and helping them dig a little
4) Letting the kitten experience the litter tray in a calm and playful environment is key to ensure it will always be associated in a positive light
important to always keep the litter box clean
Train Your Cat To Use The Litter Tray
| Also in Cat Psychology and Behaviour : – |
Correct use of the litter tray is one of the easiest things you can train a cat to do, as cats have a similar view to humans on the best place for a toilet, and tend to get the concept of the tray pretty quickly.
None of us likes to eat too near the toilet, and none of us likes to relax near it either, and so it is for cats, so you’re already two steps ahead from most training tasks.
Unfortunately when litter training is not working it can also be one of the most unpleasant and frustrating problems to try and solve – but if you’re having problems in this area do not despair.
A cat will urinate for only one of two reasons, the first being waste disposal the second being territorial ‘spraying’. A cat will only defecate for waste disposal. It is the waste disposal aspect we are dealing with in this article.
If your cat is spraying then the problem is beyond the scope of this article, but there are some excellent resources on the web that deal specifically with spraying problems.
Getting a cat to do anything is almost always a matter of psychology. If you can work out how the cat sees the situation and change the environment to promote a different point of view, then often all that is needed is a little encouragement.
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How To Litter Train A Cat In A New Home
Moving house can be unsettling for your feline, especially if it is older. It will know the old territory like the back of its paw, and suddenly its in a new place. You will have to bear with your cat during this time.
Use a familiar litter tray if you can, and the same litter as in the old home. Keep the trays in locations that your cat will easily locate them.
If it looks like having an accident, quickly and calmly place the cat in its tray. Your cat will soon learn the lay of the land.
How Do I Litter
Most cats will instinctively use a litter tray from a very early age. Once you have settled your cat into their new environment, you will need to determine the best place for their litter tray. Choose an area away from your cats food and water where they will have some privacy and quiet and where you are happy for the litter tray to remain permanently. Avoid frequently moving the tray so as not to confuse and stress your cat. For the first few days after you have brought your cat home, place them in their litter tray within half an hour of feeding time and encourage them to scratch around in the litter. Praise your cat when they use their tray correctly but do not punish them if they have an accident outside of the tray as they are unlikely to associate your punishment with their mistake. If your cat is not using their litter tray try changing the type of litter you have used. Make sure the litter is changed frequently as cats are fastidious animals that do not like to use soiled trays.
If your cat starts to urinate or defecate outside of the tray it is worthwhile visiting a veterinarian to make sure there are no medical reasons for changes in toileting behaviour. Please see the article titled Why is my cat urinating inappropriately? for important information.
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How To Get A Litter Trained Cat To Go Outside
This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 362,445 times.
Your cat suns in the yard but comes indoors to use the litter box. Not only is this frustrating, but it can be unhygienic, especially if you have young children crawling around the house. If you simply remove the litter box, youre more likely to end up with indoor accidents than outdoor toileting. You can retrain a cat to toilet outside, but you must make the cat want to toilet outside instead of indoors first.
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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Supplemental Encouraging A Cat To Use The Katpak Disposable Litter Trays When They Are Usedto The Old Style Trays
If your cat is used to the hooded litter trays then moving to the disposable ones should be no problem, but some cats who are more used to the open plastic trays dont know what to do with the hooded type.
Here are a few ideas you can try in conjunction with the above instructions to show kitty whats what.
- Place the Katpak in the plastic litter tray
- Set up a regular litter tray and as soon as its been used transfer the litter into a Katpak
- Cut the top half of the Katpak off and use it like a normal tray.You can, of course, stop doing the above steps once Kitty is used to using the tray.
This is not an exhaustive list and the tips are in no particular order. We havent had enough time with Katpaks yet to write a training guide, or even to know if one is needed maybe you could write one for us?
Why Do Some Cats Refuse To Use A Litter Box
If you adopt an adult cat, you might assume that they know their way around a litter box. However, that’s not always the case. Cats who have previously been kept in a home with outside access may not have had the desire nor the necessity to use a litter box.
Equally, stray or feral cats will have been used to finding their own toileting area wherever they choose. So, for many cats, the litter box might be a distant or even a non-existent memory. It could also be that the cat has used a litter box before, but they are used to a different type of cat litter or litter box. After all, cats can be pretty fussy about these things!
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Introduce Litter At The Right Time
Newborn kittens need to be stimulated to go to the bathroom, and won’t start using the litter box until around 3 weeks of age. Once the kitten has reached 3 weeks, it’s appropriate to introduce them to the litter box. Every kitten develops at a different pace, so be patient with the kitten and continue stimulating until you’re confident she is using the litter box with regularity.
My Older Cat Has Stopped Pooping And Peeing In Its Litter Tray
There are many reasons why an older cat may stop using its litter tray. These could be medical or psychological. Some of the concerns that may cause incontinence in a senior cat could include:
- Stress. The most common cause for cats to stop using their litter tray is stress and anxiety. If something has changed in your home, your cat may be struggling to adapt.
- Diarrhea. If your cat has an upset stomach, it may have intended to use the litter tray, but didnt make it in time.
- Urinary Infections or bladder stones. A cat with a UTI may make regular, fruitless trips to the litter tray. As this will be painful, it may believe its the litter that causes the problem. If your cat cries while eliminating, it may have a UTI and require antibiotics.
- Senility. As cats grow older, they can start to develop feline dementia Loss of bladder and bowel control is one of the first symptoms.
However, there may be another reason why an older cat is not using its litter tray. Ensure that none of the following are a problem:
There is also a chance that your cat has a preference for eliminating elsewhere. You may be able to rectify this by changing their litter.
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Use Toys Treats And Praise
The goal is to help your cat create a positive association with her litter box. To achieve this, you can use anything your cat enjoys, whether its a tasty treat, favorite toy, or catnip. Put her toys around the new box. Scatter treats in the area with her litter box. Sprinkle some catnip near the boxs entrance or on the mat.
You should also provide positive reinforcement whenever your cat approaches and explores the litter box. Give her a treat to let her know shes doing the right thing. This way, shell connect using the litter box to getting treats or playing with her preferred toys, and shell be more likely to use it in the future.
Warm, positive emotions work just as well as treats when rewarding your kitty for her good behavior. If you praise and show support for your cat, it lets her know that you approve of her behavior. With your reassurance, she will feel better about using the new litter box. Additionally, you should never force your cat to use the new litter box or scold her if she doesnt. Negative reinforcement doesnt work it will only make your cat afraid of the new box and of you. Give your cat the time and support she needs to get accustomed to the new litter box.
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