litter box problems

Have you taken the cat to the vet to rule out a UTI? If it’s not a medical problem, try changing the litter that you’re using. Do you keep the box clean? Cats hate dirty boxes.

Cats are very clean animals, and their sense of smell is at least 60 times greater than a human’s. So, if YOU can smell the litter pan, imagine what your cat is smelling! Cleanliness is the biggest rule. What is the first thing you do upon entering a public toilet that has not been flushed? You turn around and leave, don’t you? You must scoop their litter pans daily to prevent unwanted odor and kitty presents in the corner. It may be necessary to put out more than one litter pan, each with a different type of litter to see what your cat prefers. Some cats will not use heavily scented litters, or litter made out of things other than clay.

Some cats show a preference between covered versus uncovered litter pans. If you have more than one cat, you will need on the average one litter pan per each cat. At least every 2 weeks, and preferably weekly, you should discard all cat litter from your pans, and soak the litter pans in a bleach/water solution (1 part household bleach to 32 parts water) for 30 minutes in order to disinfect and deodorize them. Use care to completely rinse the bleach solution from the litter pans. Do not use any other type of a household cleaner.

Lysol and PineSol for example, are highly toxic to cats.

When a cat stops using his litter box, he’s trying to tell you something. And since cats can’t talk, the trick is figuring out what it is.

The first thing you need to do is take your cat to the vet to rule out any medical problems. Please note that if your cat is straining in the litter box and can’t pass any urine, he has a medical emergency and needs immediate veterinary care.

If your cat has had a urinary infection in the past, he may associate the litter box with pain and stop using it. You may need to try a different type of litter box if this is the case.

Your elderly cat may have arthritis, which would make it painful for him to get into and out of the litter box. Modifying the box so your cat can get in and out more easily should help.

An unneutered male cat marks his territory by backing up to a wall, raising his tail, and spraying urine all over the area. Having your cat neutered usually stops this marking behavior.

Even cat litter can be a factor. If you’ve adopted an older cat, he may be used to another type of cat litter. Different litters have different “feels.” He may be used to the gravelly feel of clay litter, or the sandy feel of clumpable litter, or the softness of shredded newspaper. And if the litter has a strong scent, or gives off a lot of dust when he’s scratching in it, your cat may stop using his litter box.

Going to the bathroom is a private business for people, and it’s no different for cats. Be sure the litter box is in a quiet place, away from the main traffic areas in your home. Something you may not have thought of is that a cat needs to know that he can escape from danger, if necessary. Try to put his litter box in a place where he can see people or a dog or another cat coming.
If your cat was startled by something while he was using the litter box, he may have decided that it’s too scary to go in there, and he may start using a place that he thinks is safer.

Too many cats using one litter box be a problem too, especially if they don’t always get along. In multiple cat households, the rule of thumb is one litter box for each cat, plus one more. So if you have two cats, ideally you should have three boxes.
Some cats don’t adapt to change very well. A new addition to your household, whether it’s a new baby or a new kitten or puppy, can upset your cat and cause him to start eliminating in places he shouldn’t.
Moving to a new home, or even moving the litter box to a new location can also cause your cat to abandon his box.
Why has your cat stopped using his litter box? There can be many reasons; sometimes it’s a process of elimination to figure out why.

http://www.ezinearticles.com/?Why-Wont-My-Cat-Use-His-Litter-Box?&id=787923

Source Link: http://www.ezinearticles.com/?Why-Wont-My-Cat-Use-His-Litter-Box?&id=787923

Comments to Answer

1

This person really knows cats and their problems. Listion to them.

By: szaro   574

Report Issue

Use this to alert us to material you believe violates the Cats.com Terms and Conditions. This includes offensive, irrelevant content, as well as solicitations for commercial purpose. Thank you for helping us make Cats.com a useful and friendly place.

Submit

Cancel

Report

Your cat might have some medical problems like urinary tract infection or other.
Many reasons like it does not like that litter box . So change it. Always clean their litter boxes.
Many cats in the house? If then your cats need different litter boxes for each of them. Because cats mostly don’t like sharing things.
If brought a new litter box and your cat does not like it then it might take time to get used to it.
Many problems still occur then pleasego to the vet because your cat might have any urinary problems or something else.

my cat did the same thing..it wasnt that he was urinating outside of the box it was that when he was in the box he pee right up against the side and it would shoot over the edge onto the floor…try getting a covered box maybe one that had the hole in the top (petsmart has these) to avoid any type of mess

If you need to stop your cat from peeing over the side first check to make sure that there isn’t a medical problem if it’s not then try changing the litter in the box maybe it doesn’t like the old litter and if you’ve just got it then maybe you just need to train it to use the box.Here are a few tips.
1.You must first check the vet to make sure s/he dosn’t have a illness or uninary tract infection or something like that.
2.If it need’s to be taught then try putting aluminum foil in places that you don’t want it to go on because they don’t like the feel on there feet.
3.If it’s trained then try to change the litter in the box,maybe they don’t like it.
4.If you have more than one cat then get more litter boxes because once one cat has urinated in it,it becomes that cats territory and other cats won’t tresspass.
5.Always make sure that it stay’s clean, box that look’s clean might not be because cats burry there litter and you might not see it.
6.If you have a open cat box try to get a closed one with a small door because cats like there privacy.
I hope that this helps.

Litter boxes. Kittens will instinctively use the litter box as they get older, but their mother also helps to teach them. Make sure that a litter box with sides low enough for the kittens to get in and out is easily accessible. Use regular litter, not the clumping kind! Small kittens can lick themselves, swallow the clumping litter, and suffer dangerous blockages in their digestive track! Once the kitten is 3 months old, they can safely use the clumping litter. Keep the litter box clean - this encourages the kitten to develop good litter box habits.

well.. my cat wastes on the litter box. but it missed and went on the floor.. is it bcuz the cat is too big or is the litter box is too small? well.. why dont you try training your cat to waste in human toilets?

it probably isnt potty trained.