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06/05/2021 owner reviews
It's a cat owner's worst nightmare—for some reason, your cat has stopped using the litter box. There are many possible reasons for litter box refusal: physical and psychological. Luckily, there are a few things you can do as a cat owner to encourage your cat to start using the litter box again.
- Physical reasons
- Psychological reasons
- What to do to solve the problem
Why do cats have litter box problems?
A cat may avoid using its litter box for behavioral reasons. She might be scared. irritated or stressed about something. To start working on returning the cat to the litter box, you must first find out the reason for this behavior.
There are also medical reasons why a cat may not want or be able to use its litter box. Therefore, as soon as you notice changes in the litter box, take your cat to the vet for an examination.
What could be the reasons:
— Metabolic problems such as diabetes and kidney disease increase the amount of urine produced, and a sick cat may not be able to get to the right place in time.
— An arthritic cat may have difficulty with stairs or getting into a high litter box.
—Painful urination caused by lower urinary tract disorders may prevent your cat from successfully using the litter box.
— Constipation or diarrhea, which are of course unpleasant for a cat, can cause her to avoid the litter box.
— The cat may not like the litter.
— Dementia in older cats can cause them to forget where the litter box is or even how to use it properly. Very old cats sometimes forget skills if they develop cognitive dysfunction. The disease is similar to a form of feline Alzheimer's disease.
Naturally, if a cat is diagnosed with the above diseases, it is necessary to begin treating them so that the cat starts going to the litter box again, both big and small.
Reason #10: demonstrative behavior
Perhaps walking outside the litter box is a sign the cat is sending you. Sometimes this happens when he wants to draw attention to a problem, for example, with health or improper placement of the tray. Sometimes provocative behavior is dictated by the fact that the pet wants to receive additional attention from you.
At first he didn’t receive enough attention, but then he noticed that you scolded him for his misdeeds, that is, you paid attention to him. After that, the cat began to do this just to get another portion of attention from you. You say it's stupid because it's negative attention? No, it's not stupid. This is how not only cat psychology works, but also human psychology: negative attention is much better than complete indifference. Watch the following video about people and you will understand a lot about cats.
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What should you do if it’s not a disease?
If your veterinarian has ruled out medical causes for the problem, your next step is to look for real psychological reasons why your cat isn't using the litter box.
For example:
— A cat whose owner’s work schedule has changed may stop using the litter box. Adjusting to a new routine may take up to two weeks or more.
-If you're away for a long period of time, you'll smell different, which can also disrupt your cat's toilet habits.
— A stressed cat may temporarily stop using its box after a big event. This could be moving to a new home, the arrival or departure of family members, the appearance or disappearance of other animals.
— A bored cat can also have problems with the litter box. Therefore, give your cat plenty of toys and daily entertainment to prevent boredom.
— Another problem may be related to the tray itself, which does not correspond to the pet’s wishes.
Health problems
First, it is ALWAYS necessary to exclude the possibility of illness! There are various diseases that can cause litter box problems in your pet. It is impossible to list them all in this article. Often problems in the genitourinary or digestive system are the cause of pain when visiting the toilet. The cat begins to be afraid of his toilet because of his associations with pain - “when I go there, it hurts!”
Painful and frequent urination can be a symptom of urolithiasis or urinary tract infections. These are the most common pathologies in cats and they cause severe pain. The result is a fear of your litter box.
Observe behavior . Often, owners learn about the disease by manifestations of anxiety when visiting the toilet - the cat can rush around the room, settle down in different places, and make plaintive sounds.
If you see any changes in the animal’s excrement (for example, blood), contact your veterinarian immediately Most likely, you will need to have your urine and blood tested. In some cases, an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity will be required.
If after using the toilet the cat does not bury the waste or, having finished, immediately disappears, then this may be an alarming signal: the animal is running away from the place where it hurts.
If the problem is illness, after recovery the cat returns to its litter box. Older cats may experience involuntary urination when relaxing. Just like in humans, animals' pelvic floor muscles also weaken with age. See your doctor.
Wrong location
The cat wants privacy, so the litter box should be placed in an area that is least visited. Think about the location from the cat's point of view.
Do children and the dog have access to this area?
Unwanted visits and unpleasant noises may send your cat to more secluded areas. Also, the cat does not want the toilet to be near the place where it eats and sleeps.
On the other hand, cats don't want to go too far to get to the litter box.
Avoid placing the litter box in areas such as the basement.
Reason #13: old age
In old age, not only people can suffer from incontinence, but also cats. Plus their mental abilities deteriorate. Then the cats start peeing and pooping anywhere. Don’t scold the respectable animal: it’s already difficult for him and he doesn’t do it on purpose. Instead, buy a litter box with low sides if you find that your pet has difficulty getting into the toilet. And it’s better to place several trays around the apartment so that the cat has time to reach them. Well, if your cat has incontinence, buy special cat diapers.
Not enough trays
Many cat lovers have more than one cat in their home. The calculation should be as follows: one tray for each cat plus one additional one.
While young kittens will often share with each other without any problems, older cats may squabble over it. One cat in the house may actually take over the litter box and try to prevent others from using it.
Make sure multiple litter boxes are in different rooms or on different floors so they cannot be occupied by one cat.
Even if a cat is alone, she may need more than one litter box because some prefer one litter box for urine and another for feces.
Reason #12: the smell clogs
Sometimes cats pee on the bed or other places to cover up the bad smell. For example, a child pees in the bed, a cat smells it and wants to kill it with its smell. Moreover, it is not even so important whether the child peed recently or a long time ago: cats have a sensitive sense of smell. Sometimes the issue can be resolved only by changing the bed linen or mattress. This situation is typical not only for beds. A noteworthy story is that of one man whose cat persistently peed on the parquet floor in his room, and then during the renovation it was discovered that dirty men’s trousers were walled up under the parquet. The cat smelled them and tried to cover it with her own.
Which litter to choose for a cat?
To ensure your cat enjoys using the tray, pay attention to the filler that your cat likes. Once you find a suitable option, you should not change it. Any change in litter may encourage your cat to avoid the litter box.
A good litter absorbs moisture, controls odors, and is liked by the cat. If you have certain preferences regarding the product, you can accustom your kitten to this option.
But adult cats have their own preferences. If, however, you have tried everything and eliminated other possible causes of litter box problems, changing the litter may be the right solution.
Does your cat prefer to go to the toilet on linoleum, wood, paper, carpet or fabric?
Try using less, less litter, or even an empty box.
You can cover it with paper, add a piece of carpet, or put in an old hand towel. The idea is to pay attention to the surface the cat likes to use and try to replicate that in the litter box to help the cat regain the habit of using the litter box.
Various psychological reasons
Cats are conservative animals; they react subtly to stress, which provokes behavioral deviations in the cat. Any change in your usual routine can cause anxiety and stress. If there are children in the house, then explain to them that cats should not be scared! Make sure that guests do not cause fear or anxiety in the cat by their behavior. If the cat is sick or simply does not like the touch of strangers, then do not allow guests to disturb it. If necessary, warn guests not to close the door where the cat's litter box is located. The litter box should be a safe place for her!
A loving owner must do everything possible to make his pet feel comfortable and completely safe. If the stress is caused by a medical aspect - illness, rehabilitation after surgery, parasites, then a doctor will help. And if the anxiety is emotional in nature, then you can help the animal.
It happens that a cat feels that she is losing control over her territory and then begins to go to the toilet in inappropriate places in order to leave her smell there, making it clear to others and convincing herself that this is still her territory. In this case, you need to understand individually the reasons for the cat’s lack of self-confidence - perhaps a new animal has appeared in the house, a new person, there were unpleasant guests for the cat that she is afraid of, for example. There were cases when a very timid cat, sitting on the windowsill, saw street cats at her window every day, and this forced her to pee on her owner’s bed, thus protecting her right to own the territory. How can you restore your cat’s confidence, relieve her of stress, so that she doesn’t have to mark her territory with her scent? You can try it yourself, you can contact animal psychologists (easy to find on the Internet) for advice, you can watch episodes of the “Hell Cat” program, where the host of the program, Jackson Galaxy, analyzes such cases and effectively solves the problem. Read more about common anxiety factors in cats in the article “Causes of stress in cats and how you can help them.”
Cats live by different laws. To help your beloved four-legged friend, you need to try to understand what laws of nature they live by, and not try on our way of thinking on them, and not “humanize” cats. Cats are living beings, so troubles can happen to them, but it is important to remember that love involves caring. Take care of your four-legged friends, they deserve it!
