Cat Toilet and Litter Box Problems: Prevention and Treatment

Cat Toilet Question

Keeping a cat in one’s home usually doesn’t cause any problems. However, it is important to know that a kitten or an adult cat is one more member of the family. The household cat is like a child for some people or like a close friend for others.

And of-course all people who love and keep cats in their homes want to create a cozy and comfortable environment for their pet. What is most important for cats? The answer is quite simple; balanced quality nutrition and a comfortable area for a litter box.

Cat Litter Boxes

Cat litter boxes can be of different sizes. The bigger the litter box the better for the kitten/cat.

Cat litter boxes can be different types: open and closed. Closed boxes are a good idea for cats who like to dig absorbent in a very active way or for very shy cats who like to do all their needs in an alone space. Usually all cats like and use big closed boxes with great pleasure.

Closed boxes are unacceptable only in two cases. The first is if you have a bad memory and therefore you won’t see what is happening in the cat box so you forget to clean it. You should remember cats don’t like dirty boxes and absorbent. It stresses them a lot.

The second is if your cat doesn’t want to use a closed box with the door. Some cats don’t understand how to use a box that is enclosed. In a case such as this one, you should remove the door or put an open box for your cat.

Cat Toilet Absorbents

Today’s market has a lot of high-quality absorbents choices that block the smell a long period of time. Some cats are very picky about absorbent so you have to choose not only an economical and hygienic absorbent but also the one that your cat likes.

Are absorbents so different that your cat can like one or dislike the other? Of course, it is. I know a lot of not pure breed cats that are much pickier about absorbent than Persian cat pretties. For example, the quality of absorbent is very important for white Persian cats. Their white long hair turns a yellowish color and becomes dirty very quick and very easy. And their owners have to wash them more often and carefully.

The pet market has differentabsorbents and new brands of absorbents appear every year.

Whichone suits your cat exactly? Mainly the choice is up to your cat. If the cat uses this absorbent willingly and with pleasure it means it is exactly what your cat needs.

In this article we will discuss advantages and disadvantages of some absorbent types.

Clumping litter kittens

The advertising of cat litters say that this type is the best. Due to these litters, keeping your cat litter box clean is very easy. A good of high-quality clumping absorbent forms solid hard lumps. Such lumps are removed with a scoop very easily.

No smells and no moisture in the box needed. Wash the cat litter box and to change the absorbent very often. You only need to remove clumps regularly and to add the absorbent in descending order of its quantity in the box. You can wash the cat litter box once a month if you use such type of absorbents. Clumping litter is very comfortable if you have several cats and your cats use the same box. However, some cats don’t like someone else’s smell.

There is only one disadvantage. You can’t flush clumps down the toilet.

And the price for this type of absorbent is slightly higher than for non-clumping absorbents.

Non-Clumping Litter (Absorbent).

The price of this type of litter is a bit less than for the clumping kind. The market has several types of non-clumping litters (absorbent). Litter absorbents made of clay predominate can be found on the pet store shelves. From our point of view there two disadvantages: there is more dust when your cat digs in the box and you need to clean it more often and change the absorbent.

In the pet shops you can find silica gel absorbent. It’s not dustyand it absorbs the liquid better than clay ones. But a lot of cat’s don’t like when crystals of silica gel touch their paws and when it produces unpleasant creaky sounds.

If you are not sure and are hesitant, the best way to do this is by offering different types of the litter to your cat and your pet will make the choice instead of you.

Toilet: choosing a place

To place the cat litter, they choose places that are easily accessible to the cat, easily cleaned, ventilated and where no one interferes with the cat. It depends on the specific living conditions whether to put the box in one place or place it in many parts of the room.

If possible, it is better to put the box in a place where the floor is often washed (in the corridor, in the kitchen, in the toilet).

If it is impossible to constantly monitor the place of the litter box, then the contamination must be washed off on a case-by-case basis and the litter must be changed. Many owners have a litter box in the toilet. The only problem is that the toilet door must always be open.

How to train kitten to a litter box.

Kittens raised in urban, apartment conditions receive the ability to use the litter box inherited from their mother.

An experienced mother shows her kittens the box and explains in her feline language what it is for. If the mother is inexperienced, then the owner must take on this responsibility.

Usually the tray/box is installed in the “nest” where kittens live or in the immediate vicinity of the place with babies. It is not recommended to use clumping litter for kittens under 5 weeks old, because fools try to taste everything new. Better to use an open mesh tray .

Some paper or special natural litter made from processed wheat/corn grains or from pressed wood shavings is spread on the bottom of the tray so that it covers the entire bottom of the tray.

When the baby starts to worry, he should be placed in the tray and not allowed to leave until he has done his work. Praise and affection will be great encouragement! You don’t need to change the paper right away. Let the smell remain in the tray, next time the kitten will quickly understand what this device is for. It is usually enough to follow the baby 2-3 times so that he remembers the tray.

When moving into a new home, ask the breeder for a “letter from home,” meaning some paper or some absorbent with the kitten smell.

Toilet problems

Sometimes there are situations when a kitten or an adult cat refuses to use the offered toilet. What does it happen from? There may be several reasons:

1) The cat does not like the litter box or absorbent in the litter box. The box is not tall enough or it is small , the cat is afraid to visit a closed litter box or is not doing well with the door of this construction. .
.. The way to solve the problem: replace the litter box or put a second litter box, because many cats prefer to do their needs in different boxes.To poop in one box and to pee in another…. Add, remove, or simply change the type of absorbent.You have to remove the door from the closed litter box.

2) The cat does not like the location of the litter box. The place you have chosen is not secluded enough, or, on the contrary, is extremely far from the kitten’s habitat.
Sometimes the cat persistently proves to the owner that the corner in the hall is the best place for the toilet, and the owner, so unwise, swears instead of taking a hint …
The way to solve the problem: put another litter box or move the usual litter box to the place chosen by the cat. But what if this place is inconvenient for the owner?
For example, a tray/box under the table will interfere with diners, and toilet smells are not the best seasoning for dinner … In this case, you need to deceive the cat – agree with her decision to change the place for the toilet. But then, gradually, 2-3 cm a day, move the tray in the right direction, and so on until it “reaches” the goal. The place originally chosen by the cat must be made inaccessible – put a piece of furniture or a box with toys in this corner … And one more good method based on the cleanliness of cats.
The cat will never shit where it eats. That is, placing a bowl of water and food in a forbidden corner will help her explain that this place is not suitable for “toilet affairs”.

3) The cat is sick. In this case, urination or defecation causes pain in the cat. She associates the appearance of pain with being in the tray/box and reflexively tries to avoid the place that gives her trouble.
Solution: it is most important to notice the first symptoms of these diseases in time and conduct an examination by a doctor (tests, ultrasound). When the pain has passed, the cat will no longer be afraid of the litter box and its cleanliness will be restored.>

4) Sexual behavior. Often, a male or a female, at the time of sexual activity, tries to attract a sexual partner, leaving odorous puddles in the wrong places. Not all cats mark in the “traditional” way, sprinkling odorous drops. Some just do their business at the doorstep, thus luring the passing cats by. Solution: mating or castration (sterilization).

5) Psychological reasons. When a cat or a cat shits in completely unsuitable places for this – in bed, in shoes, in the middle of the room, this behavior is clearly caused by psychological reasons.
The way to solve the problem: to establish the irritant to which the cat reacts in this way and, if possible, find a compromise solution to the issue.
For example, cats often shit in bed with children who offend them, thus taking revenge on the offender. Also, a cat can write in a chair in which an unpleasant guest often sits. Sometimes spoiled cats perceive the appearance of a baby or other animal in the house in this way.
In this case, you should try to give the cat as much attention as you paid before.
Avoid petting a new kitten or puppy in front of an older, resentful cat. Close the cat’s access to the room with the child at a time when you cannot control the cat’s behavior.