Health and Well Being - Using the Litter Box

In response to many emails I've received I'm writing an article specific to cats with Litter Box issues and will concentrate mainly on cats who have used the litter box but has developed a seeming aversion to it.

Kittens learn at an early age to use the litter box. Prior to that, the mother has to clean them herself and the kitten can't even "go" unless the mother

stimulates the area with her tongue. Having worked with rescue kittens who've lost their mothers, I'm very familiar with that process as I had to use a warm, wet cloth to stimulate the kitten to "go."

With some of the cats I've had over the years, as they aged,  I believe they just kind of "forgot" about the litter box. Something that affects most people as they age. What's a little forgetfulness between friends?

Other cats may have health issues, such as Kidney Stones, that, for some reason, makes them reluctant to use the litter box and instead use a secret place guaranteed to send the owner on a frantic search throughout closets and under beds for the source of the musty, overpowering odor.

If  the cat lives in a multi-pet household, litter box bullying is not unheard of. One cat may be

peacefully doing her business and another cat launches a sneak attack that scares the first cat out of her wits. One or two incidents may not change her behavior, but if it keeps happening, you can be sure she will become extremely grumpy and look for either a second box, or a nice, dark, quiet place probably among your clothes and shoes. Remember my previous post about the comfort they get from your odor? It makes sense they will search for a nice stinky shoe, as they associate that smell with you - safety, security and comfort.

Whatever the reason she may stop using the litter box, there are several steps you can take to help retrain her. The information here is provided as shared experiences only. I've tried them myself and they worked for me.

And I can't reiterate enough to always seek Veterinarian assistance whenever you notice a change in behavior; whether it is litter box use, over sleeping, hyperactivity, loud meowing that is new etc.

Please don't try these remedies with the idea that these will hopefully work and you won't have to take your pet to the doctor. By all means do them, but make an appointment with your Vet. If you don't have a current Vet, talk to your friends and see who they trust and use. But it's very important to eliminate any health issues, or address them, as soon as possible.

Now, before I continue, I also want to share that I am not a licensed animal trainer or "dog whisperer" or anything like that. I am just a typical pet-owner and animal lover who has refused to believe that "cats can't be trained" or "Pit Bulls are murders" or anything of that sort. While cats may take a little more attention and dedication to train than dogs, and pit bulls certainly have a genetic history of violence, I firmly believe what we do right now, as responsible owners and pet-lovers, is what makes the animal trained or not trained; vicious or not-vicious. So I'm offering this advice based only on personal experience with the hope that it will help.

Sterilize the Area

Sterilize; (verb) Make something free of germs, bacteria or other living microorganism.

Always do this before starting a new regimen, and always follow the directions given with the various litters I will suggest here, or follow your Vets advice on how to accustom your cat to the new litter.

• Thoroughly clean the litter box and the litter box area with soap and water. Finish with either a white vinegar and water rinse or a final scrub with baking soda and rinse with water. This will eliminate any odor and germs.
• Thoroughly clean any "accident" areas with a Urine Elimination treatment or, minimally
• shampoo the carpet with an effective cleaner such as the Bissell Spot Cleaner. They make a pet odor eliminator too, which is very handy.

Sufficient and Adequate Litter Boxes

This is very important. I've always heard you should have at least 1 box per cat-owned. I always do a "plus-1" So if I have 2 cats, I have 3 litter boxes. I know that seems like a lot, however, if your cat(s) are indoor, they will be urinating several times per day and at having a  bowel movement least once per day. With kittens I've seen 2 or 3 times per day. In a multi-cat household you could be looking at several pounds of waste every day. Now, imagine that all piled in ONE litter box. I know - it's gross - but that can be exactly what the cat is thinking too. Who wants to sit on top of a mountain of poo, in order to poo? You could inadvertently be encouraging your cat to find somewhere else to do her business.

Motto: Don't own more cats than you can handle their poop

So, plan on adding litter boxes if you have just one. If you have one cat and one litter box, I strongly urge getting one more litter box. Repurpose if you need to. You can use a cardboard box, line it with all those saved plastic shopping bags accumulating under your sink and add a layer of decent litter.  Or use one of those big plastic tubs that usually hold sweaters during the summer or Christmas decorations not being used. Having a makeshift litter box is much better than not having enough.

Clean Clean Clean

Plan on cleaning the litter boxes two times per day. This is very important. Both for encouraging the cat to use it AND to keep the germ load down. If your cat is prone to urinary tract infections, this is one step you can take to help prevent them.

It doesn't take long to clean, especially if you do it twice per day. Clean it once as part of you morning routine and once before you go to bed. Save your plastic shopping bags, or use a trash receptacle just for cat poop, and scoop it away. You can also use disposable trays, such as the repurposed cardboard box I describe above or buy them from the store.

Get a good scoop, metal if available. They need to last awhile, so try not to go with something flimsy. I've also used skimming or slotted spoons I've picked up at Goodwill.

Another way to try to stay ahead of the game is to buy the sifting litter boxes, or buy one of the automatic litter boxes. I've used Litter Maid with 100% usage by the cats. The Litter Maid with the ramp combines the best of both worlds for Kitty and you.

With the sifting litter box you have to have a receptacle that has a wide enough mouth to dump into, not too far from the litter box itself. You can also use larger lawn and leaf bags as these work just as well. Just don't let them get so full you can't carry it out.

With the automatic litter boxes, you will still need to pull out the small trays that capture the waste and dispose of it. When I had these, I had to wear plastic gloves as those little trays are VERY unpleasant (at least to me). Keep refills  on hand as well so you don't have to get creative on catching the waste. The Litter Maid trays are usually sold in packs.

After trying the sifting litter box and automatic litter box, I found it much easier to just scoop twice per day, morning and night, but use what works for you.

If your cat is getting older, is small, a kitten or a dwarf-like cat with shorter legs, get a litter box (Or make one) with a ramp or lower sides so she can easily get in and out. You can even make steps out of old books or scrap wood lying around. There is no end to repurposing an it will make you Kitty much happier!

Also, remember that if you use a box and it doesn't work out, and you're unable to return it, donate it. Keep your receipt and get a receipt from the place you donate to. Be sure to hand it over to your CPA during tax time!

Litter Selection

The choice of litter can also affect how your cat use, or doesn't use it. Anything from Texture to Odor can affect your kitty. They are very opinionated! For example, I started using a Cedar/Pine based litter as it was clumping, natural and a smell I could live with. However, the cat I had at the time did NOT like it. He refused to use it and wanted to go outside all the time. Well, that became a pointless exercise since I couldn't be home all the time to let him out when he needed to go. I had to go back to clay. Here are some of the litters that I personally liked. You can test them for usage by Kitty.

• Precious Cat Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter. Very good litter, with just a little bit of dust.
• Precious Cat Cat Attract Problem Cat Training Litter. Again, a very good litter with just a little bit of dust.
• Precious Cat Senior Litter. Excellent litter for a senior kitty. Again, I've used this myself and for whatever reason, my 17 year old cat loved to use it. I truly don't know what was different about it, but I guess she did!
• Precious Cat Touch of Outdoors. I use this for my outdoor kitty. He is always desperate to be outdoors, however, he is black with a heavy coat, and since I live in the desert, the temperature would get to 120 degrees. Way too hot for him. To help him adjust being inside I use this litter during the summer.
• This is the Pine Litter that my cats DO use. I use this in the garage litter box and it has become more popular to use than  the indoor litter boxes. It is clumping AND no dust.

There are a variety of other litters to choose from. See Luving Petz Store for more options.

Now that these first steps are done and/or in place as part of a routine, lets look at some different scenarios more specific different behavioral issues.

The Aging Feline

As cats grow older, they have the same issues that we do; stiff joints and/or arthritis, forgetfulness, weakness, eyesight and hearing degeneration, and probably a score of other issues we have no idea about because they can't tell us.

The other issue of course is that the cat will try to hide any weakness. So it's very important to keep a good eye on your aging cat. Treat them as you would an elderly family member, gently and a lot of encouragement.

Whenever you see changes in behavior, such as digging in the litter but not producing urine or feces, loud meowing, drinking water more than normal, not drinking water at all, or any number of "differences" talk to your vet and get some advice. You may need to schedule an appointment to have her checked out.

I recommend making the following changes to the litter and litter box for senior kitties:

• Get a litter box with a ramp or add steps for her to be able to  get in and out more easily.
• Use Precious Cat Litter for Senior Cats. Follow the instructions as to depth of litter.
• Use a larger litter box (not higher) so that it is easier for kitty to turn around and maneuver in.

For forgetful kitties, try these following steps to help remind her about using the litter box:
To remind the cat to use the litter box, try the following;

• After ensuring the litter box is sterilized and cleaned as above;
• Sprinkle Dr. Elseys Herbal Attractant over the top of the litter;
• In the morning and in the evening, place Kitty very gently into the litter box;
• Gently take the front paws and help her "dig" the litter just a little bit; AND
• Be sure to use a soft and encouraging voice and tell her she is good.
• Watch the kitty for a minute or so after she jumps out of the box to ensure she doesn't head somewhere else to do her business.

When kitty has an accident

• If you witness it, you must take action immediately. Remember, you can be stern but don't go crazy. Use a quiet but firm voice, and I have always treated them the same way as I would a dog. Have them smell it and say "no." Don't hit them or scream.
• Right after telling them no, carry them as you would a kitten to the litter box.
• Take the scruff of the neck in hand but don't CARRY them that way. Hold them in your arms, but take the scruff in hand. My thought is this is what the parent-cat would do. But because they are so heavy, you don't want to injure or choke them, so always support their weight.
• Follow the same steps as outlined above, place them gently into the litter box;
• Gently make their paws dig a little;
• Tell them they are good.
• Use a soft and encouraging voice.
• After these steps are done. Thoroughly sterilize the accident area so that no odor remains.

Training Trick

Now, here is a trick I used to break cats of urinating, spraying and jumping on areas I didn't want them to go. All you need is a good water gun or spray bottle that will shoot a stream about 10 or 20 feet. The nice thing about this is you really don't need to fill it with anything else except water, as long as you do it right. It's all about timing and not letting Kitty see you doing it.

• Watch your cat for signs of one of the above misbehaviors, let's use jumping onto counters as an example.
• Have your water gun handy.
• Make sure kitty does NOT see you pointing the spray bottle at her.
• As soon as she crouches to jump, spray her. Don't let her actually jump up. Again, as soon as she crouches to jump, spray her.
• For counter jumping - spray the head or butt.
• For urinating or spraying, spray the butt.
• VERY IMPORTANT: Kitty can't know you are doing it. The water in the head or butt must be the result of an action Kitty is taking, not because of you. So she can't be looking at you when you spray her.

Summary

By taking a little extra time you can ensure the health and happiness of Kitty and your own peace of mind. Patience is always the key!