Litter box problems are often due to a lack of human care in attending to keeping litter clean – i.e., scooping the box often enough. I liken the litter box to a latrine. If you can imagine using a latrine or outhouse every time you must go to the bathroom, you’ll understand where I’m coming from.
If your cat does not use the litter box… if your cat leaves you ‘presents’ outside of the litter box or perhaps is using one of your plants instead of the litter box, the very first thing you must do is to consider how often you are cleaning the box. If you scoop regularly – like three or four times per day equaling the number of times your cat likely goes to the bathroom – then your next move is to consider perhaps your cat is having a medical problem.
If you have more than one cat, how many litter boxes do you have? The general rule of thumb is to have a litter box for each cat plus one. Yes, an extra box. So, if you have three cats, you should have four litter boxes in your house. Each of the litter boxes should be placed in separate, quiet areas out of the way of the activities of your family – just as we have doors on our bathrooms – for privacy. And one more thing about the number of litter boxes you have… if two are in the same area, they count as one box, not two.
Additional considerations include the type of litter and the type of litter box.
Litter — Clumping litter makes the chore of keeping the box clean an easier job. Most of the smell of a litter box is the urine, in part because, like us, cats urinate more often than they defecate. Clumping litter as opposed to clay or crystals or newspaper or pine litter simply contains it so that it can be completely removed from the box.
Cats have significantly greater sense of smell compared to people and even better than that of dogs. While it is possible to buy litter that is odor suppressing, usually that corresponds to additional smells to the substrate that can be noxious to cats that’s causing them to choose not to go into that litter box. This I compare to how many people get headaches from the strong concentrated smell of perfumes and colognes worn by others. It is my strong suggestion that you use litters that do not have added odor reducing crystals and focus more on cleaning the litter box more thoroughly.
Some litters cause a significant amount of dust and can contribute to respiratory issues in cats. Many cats are also reluctant to use litters that don’t feel right under their feet as well. It is an individual issue. One solution to litter box issues is to try different litters in different litter boxes and make note of the litter box that your cat chooses to use.
How much litter you put into the box is an important consideration. Too many people, in my experience, put too little litter in the box. Cats dig and bury their feces and being able to cover up and hide the smell of their feces correlates to a matter of security. This is about predator-prey relationships. More on that in another blog post but for now, realize that your furry little feline friend is a predator and is also a prey animal.
Litter boxes – certainly the litter box will by necessity need to be plastic. Cats tend to have the following preferences regarding litter boxes:
(1) The height of the litter box must allow for enough litter to allow for adequate covering as well as to providing for standing position during urination. This is why you see many litter boxes with higher backs and sides compared to the entry side.
(2) Given what I’ve just written above, please understand that most cats do not like using covered litter boxes because there is a sense of vulnerability and going into an enclosed space.
(3) The location in which you place the litter box matters immensely. Position the box where your cat has full view of what is coming toward them. Again, this is a matter of feeling safe and secure. If the place you put your cat’s litter box in does not provide that for them, this increases the chances that your cat will find a more private location for elimination.
(4) The shape of the litter box factors in to how well you are able to clean you it. This is the reason why you see many boxes that are round or oval so there’s no corner for bacteria to thrive. It is critical to clean the litter box regularly. I suggest that you do so once per week, maybe two weeks if you are diligent about scooping.
(5) If you decide to put the litter box in an area completely out of sight, be sure that your cat always has access to the area. You know the feeling that, when you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go… The same applies to cats.
Always remember that, cats, by nature, are very clean animals. It causes them great emotional distress to have to use an unclean litter box. In closing, please also remember that there’s always a reason for every behavior and it’s critical to look at who cats are when addressing behavioral issues.