Behavioral Causes Of A Cat Litter Box Problem

There may be more than one cause of a cat litter box problem, but they come from one of two categories. If you’ve read my article on the physical causes of this dilemma, then you already know that this problem is either physical, or behavioral.

Since your cat can’t tell you what’s going on, you have to rule out each possible cause, until you are left with the most logical answer. This is known as a diagnosis of exclusion.

You’ll need help from your vet on this one, since you’ll want to first rule out any physical cause. It’s always best to assume your cat has a physical problem until your vet proves you wrong.

Once your vet says your cat’s problem does not have a physical cause, then you assume that your litter box problems are behavioral. Let’s see if we can think of some behavioral reasons for why your cat won’t use the litter box.

1. Dirty Box - some cats will use a dirty box without complaining, but others are fussy. In any case, clean your litter box at least once per day. You should change your litter at least every few weeks, unless it gets too dirty more quickly than that. Whenever you change the litter, wash and dry the litter box thoroughly. If you have a hooded box, be sure to wash the lid also.

2. Box Odor - some cats will refuse to use a litter box if it doesn’t smell right. Remember, that means smell right to the cat, not to you. You might be thinking that your clean box smells just fine. This is not always the case.

If you don’t clean the box well enough, your cat will know. If you don’t rinse thoroughly, or use a scented cleaner, your cat may detect a smell that says don’t go in there. You should use a solution of one part bleach to 30 parts water to sanitize the box. When you’re finished, the box should be clean and dry, and not smell like cat waste, bleach, or soap.

3. Litter Smells Bad - certain cat litters don’t agree with certain feline noses. Unscented litters of varying brands have an odor all their own, and your cat may not like it. Different types of litter have unique odors as well. You may have to try different brands or types until you get it right.

4. Wrong Litter Type - brand aside, your cat may be turned off by the type of cat litter you use. Switching litter types too fast can be an issue. When you switch litters, add 20 percent new litter to 80 percent old, and then increase the amount of new litter over several days.

5. Wrong Litter Box Type - the type of box, including the shape and size may matter. Some cats may like a hooded box, while others prefer the open type. Things like higher or lower walls, or a larger box may be preferred. If you’ve recently changed litter boxes, this could be your problem.

6. How Many Boxes? - another cause of a cat litter box problem relates mainly to multi-cat households. Remember the one plus one rule when selecting how many boxes you’ll need. You should have one box for each cat, and one extra box so that there is never any waiting for a box to free up. Cleaning chores are a little easier if you have more boxes since that keeps each box a little cleaner.

7. Bad Location - this can be an issue since in some cases, you just can’t find a good spot for the box. I’ve seen them in busy and noisy areas like laundry rooms and kitchens. If your cat is not pleased with the location of the box, she may stop using it. Always try to keep the box in an area that is low traffic and low noise.

8. Territorial Battles - territorial arguments are common in multi-cat households, and usually of no consequence. Some cats, however, like to sneak up on others when they’re using the box and pounce. If one of your cats is attacked every time he’s in the box, he may develop litter box aversion. Follow the one plus one rule for multi-cat households.

9. Stress - stress is a leading cause of box aversion. If your cat is stressed by a life event, such as a recent move or a new addition to the household, this may be the cause of the problem. One of my readers found out the hard way that one family member was trying the wrong form of behavior modification on one of their cats. The result was a litter box issue. Try to think about what might have changed recently in your cat’s life, and then try to reduce or eliminate the stress.

Cat litter box problems can usually be solved, once you know the cause. The solution doesn’t have to mean getting rid of the cat. Your veterinarian needs to first rule out physical causes so you can tackle the behavior side of things. Think like a cat, and you’ll be able to solve your box problems.

By: Kurt Schmitt..

Kurt Schmitt is an experienced cat owner and helps you solve cat litter box problems and other cat care issues at Cat Lovers Only Click here to get your own unique version of this article: Uber Articles directory.

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Cats And Cat Behavior

Understanding your pet cat and cats; behavior is easy now when you start to observe their activities, try to understand their communication medium. They are mighty creatures who love your care and seek your attention all the time.

Cats are endearing, nonetheless they can be hassle and mess incarnated. Once you intend to pet a cat, you have to fully understand and be aware that you must be willing to fulfill all of its needs and to deal with its problems. Raising cats is very similar to raising a baby. While a baby has feelings of contentment, sadness and disgust, it is not articulate enough to express these feelings and thus we might find some difficulties understanding them; a cat is just the same. It usually expresses its feeling through bodily signs and we should be apt to understand such signs in order to find a proper medium of communication.

Any cat behavior has an interpretation and an implication. We might not be familiar with all cat behavior implications, but we are just dead sure that they have a meaning. If you have a cat, you should always have a continuous avarice to acquire more knowledge about cats and their diverse behaviors. Failing to communicate effectively with your cat can have disappointing results both for you and the cat.

Cat behavior is not simplistic or superficial as we might think; rather, cat behavior is actually as intricate and complex as human behavior. For instance, when a cat flicks its tail it means that this cat is uptight and is suffering inner conflict. While when a cat swishes its tail against somebody that implies that the cat is aggravated and is suffering an outer conflict.

Moreover, shaking the paws indicates disgust. The stronger the shaking and the more frequent, the higher the feeling of disgust. Kneading the paws or patting a person with the paws is sign of satisfaction and contentment. While humans usually produce a quite moan when relaxing, cats usually keep rolling as a sign of relaxation.

Interestingly enough, cats make their tails’ shape like a question mark as a sign of greeting somebody they love. Moreover, as a sign of love and affection towards somebody, cats usually rub their heads against that person’s body. Also if the cat feels weary and is not willing to get in a struggle, it succumbs by simply lying on its back. Even the ears’ position has implications. If the cat feels that a situation is gripping it would direct its ears to the front. However, if the cat’s ears are directed backwards, it means that the cat is far from being engrossed in the situation, it’s bored most probably.

Cats are usually too attached to their owner and so they put high expectations that he/she would comprehend what it is trying to convey. Hence, it is very paramount to actually be familiar with what your cat is trying to convey in order to be able to comply with its emotional and physical needs. This in turn would result in your cat obeying you and complying with your instructions. For instance, if you tell it not to jump on people, it would obey you just because you are complying with its needs. So understanding your cat’s behavior is essential to good psychological health for your cat and less embarrassing social situations for you.

By: Scribbler

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Tips To Start Your Cat Toilet Training

You may have heard stories about cats that use a toilet to relieve themselves. Many people want to know how to potty train their cats to go on the toilet simply because they are sick and tired of handling and changing the litter box, and lugging home large sacks of expensive litter.

The process of cat toilet training can take anywhere from 3 or 4 weeks to 3 or 4 months, depending on the receptiveness of your cat. With patience, you too can banish the cat box forever.

To start potty training your kitty, go slowly. The transition from litter box to toilet should be accomplished in a series of stages. If at any time he has a setback and uses a rug instead of the potty, then you may be going too quickly. Just back up a stage or two and try again.

You have to gradually train your kitty to use the toilet properly. Start your cat toilet training off by placing the litter box next to the toilet bowl. Gradually, after a few days or a week, when you know he’s used to the new arrangement, add newspapers or a phone book under the box to raise it a few inches at a time. Continue adding height until the bottom of the litter box is even with the top of the toilet seat.

Now, move the litter box over so that it is sitting directly over the toilet seat. Let your cat adjust to this for a few days. The next step in potty learning is a big one. Take away the box entirely.

Toilet training for cats is big business and many companies sell "kitty potty training" kits or a toilet training system online and at pet retailers, or you can purchase a metal mixing bowl or aluminum roasting pan for this next step. Place either container (measure the inside of the rim to make sure your bowl or pan is big enough) inside the toilet bowl and lower the seat.

Fill it with a few inches of scoop-able litter. You may need to tape it in place to prevent it from sliding around.

Begin reducing the litter in the container every few days. Go as fast as your cat will feel comfortable with. Make sure to flush the waste immediately to minimize both the smell and the possibility that your cat tries to cover it up and ends up tracking unpleasantness into the rest of the house.

By now, you should be down to a teaspoonful of litter in the bottom of the container. Start adding a little bit of water to the container. Increase the water level every few days. Remember that if your kitty isn’t adjusting well, back up a step and try again more slowly.

Once the water in the bowl or pan is a couple of inches deep and your cat is comfortable with everything, take the container away, leaving the bare toilet. The task of potty training is now complete.

Cat toilet training timeframes are different for each cat. If your kitty is reluctant at any stage of training, then go back a step or two. Don’t sweat it. Just slow down and just follow these potty training tips. You have to be patient.

By: Michael Selvon

Discover more information about cat toilet training from Mike Selvon portal. We appreciate your feedback at our potty training advice blog.

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This may sound ridiculous or like a near-impossible feat, but you’ll find life is a pleasant new world when you finish potty training your cat. You’ll have a very low-maintenance cat. Your cat will also make a great conversation starter. And, you even save money on cat litter when you are done with potty training your cat. If you want more detailed information than you’ll find here on potty training your cat, try a library or book store.

In the mean time, I’ll give you enough of a basic overview of cat toilet training that you probably won’t need one of these books to successfully undertake potty training your cat. The main thing you need to keep in mind as you go about cat toilet training is that cats require a lot of patience, with punishments being a very ineffective cat training method.

You will need to have a cat litter box, flushable cat litter, a bowl that fits inside your toilet,and a stool that stands approximately even with toilet. You will want to have your current cat litter box next to the toilet where you want your cat to potty for several days before you begin the process. This way your cat will get used to the location before you begin with potty training your cat.

When you notice that your cat is consistently comfortably using the new cat box location, you can begin cat toilet training. To do this, simply move the cat litter box up about two i

nches by placing it on a phone book or other solid object, and start using the flushable cat litter at this point. After the cat has used the new location a few times, you can continue cat toilet training by putting the cat litter box on the stool up against the toilet. Make sure it is easy for the cat to get to this location and that the little box is very firmly placed. Also, make sure the lid on the toilet seat is down. If the cat litter box ever dumps the cat during cat toilet training or the cat ever falls in the toilet, you may do irreversible damage to your cause.

After the cat has successfully used the new cat box location, your are again ready to proceed to the next step in the cat toilet training process. For this step, you want to place flushable cat litter in the bowl and put the bowl in the toilet. This is the trickiest part of the procedure, so be patient with your cat at this point. You will want to leave this bowl here until your cat has reached the point in its cat toilet training that it is comfortable enough to use the bowl without having to step down into it. This will probably take the longest time of any of the procedures.

When the cat looks comfortable using the cat bowl inside the toilet, you’re ready to proceed with potty training your cat once again. This time, you will remove the bowl. The cat will have only two choices: Continue going in the toilet or find a new place in the house to go. In most cases the cat will finish the cat toilet training process successfully by continuing to use the toilet. If not, you may want to put the bowl back in the toilet for a couple of days. Then, when you again remove the bowl, put the cat on the toilet five minutes after each meal and lock it in the bathroom for up to ten minutes. This should give the cat the general idea.

By: Birgit Hulsing

Brigit Hulsing is a cat behaviour researcher and helps cat owners with practical tips and advice on cat toilet training and cat training.

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Cat toilet training in easy steps:

Toilet training your cat is an easier task than you might think. Several techniques can be used for training your cat to use the toilet, and you can even buy products that will assist you in toilet training a cat.

The advantages of cat toilet training:

Teaching your cat to use the toilet can hold several advantages for any cat owner. The biggest advantage of having your cat use a toilet is that eliminates most of the disadvantages that using cat litter holds. Cat litter is expensive. After toilet training your cat, you won’t ever need to buy cat litter again. Cat litter boxes needs to be cleaned regularly or they will become smelly. With cat toilet training, the water in the toilet masks most of the offending smell and all you need to do is flush regularly - much simpler and easier than cleaning a litter box. Going away for weekends or holidays also becomes easier for your neighbor - instead of asking someone to clean out the litter box, all they need to do is flush your toilet once in a while (when they come around to water your plants and feed your cat).

How to toilet train a cat (do it yourself):

Toilet training your cat depends entirely on the cat’s personality. Toilet training sociable cats that love being praised make the training task much easier. You might want to adapt the toilet training technique described below to fit your cat’s personality. Training your cat to use the toilet can take anything between 2 weeks up to 3 months, depending on the individual cat’s personality.

Cat toilet training basically consists of a simple procedure: gradually moving your cat’s litter box closer and closer to the toilet, finally placing a bowl with cat litter inside the toilet, and removing it altogether when your cat is comfortable and used to it. Toilet training a cat is a gradual, step-by-step process, consisting of making small changes to the location of the litter box and only continuing to the next step when your cat is entirely comfortable with its current situation.

You might have to wait anything between 2 days or 3 weeks before moving on a next step in cat toilet training. You might even have to go back a step once or twice when it turns out that your cat wasn’t ready to move on to the next toilet training step. Beware - cat toilet training takes a lot of patience!

Cat toilet training steps:

1. Start gradually moving your cat’s litter box nearer to the toilet until finally it should be next to the toilet. Ensure that your cat is always comfortable and sure of its litter box’s location.

2. Now start elevating the cat’s litter box. Put something non-slippery like newspapers or cardboard underneath the litter box. A normal rate to increase the height of the litter box would be about 5cm a day, but be very attentive to signs that your cat is not comfortable with the current height, and adjust the pace of raising the litter box accordingly. The cat litter box should be raised until it is at a level height with the toilet bowl. Throughout this process it is very important to keep the toilet lid open and the seat down, because your cat will get used to it and might even start climbing on the toilet seat in order to reach its litter box.

3. Move the litter box to rest on the open toilet seat. Keep it there until your cat seems comfortable with this arrangement.

4. Buy a metal bowl or tray that will fit snugly inside the toilet bowl. It would be advisable for the metal bowl to have small draining holes. Fill the bowl with cat litter (preferably the flushable type). Now remove your cat’s litter box entirely. If you have reached this step successfully you are very close to having a toilet trained cat!

5. While your cat is using the metal bowl inside the toilet, be attentive to where its paws are. The goal is teaching him to squat with all four paws on the toilet seat rim. You can move the cat while it is using the toilet and praise it (or reward it) when it is sitting in the correct position. Normally the cat will first sit entirely inside the metal bowl, then with front paws on the toilet seat, and finally it should sit with all four paws on the toilet.

6. Start using less and less cat litter. This can get smelly, so be sure to clean the bowl after every time your cat uses it. Cats scratch in sand or cat litter to cover up the smell (this is out of instinct), so if the bowl becomes too smelly your cat won’t be comfortable using it (and you probably wouldn’t be comfortable with using your toilet either). Using flushable cat litter makes cleaning the bowl very easy - just throw out the contents in the toilet and flush down, rinse out the bowl, refill with correct amount of cat litter and replace. A handy tip is to place newspaper on the floor around the toilet to help keep the room clean should your cat scratch in the cat litter. Decrease the amount of cat litter in a pace that your cat feels comfortable with.

7. When you basically don’t use any cat litter inside the bowl anymore, start gradually filling the bowl with water. The water will also help mask the smell so your cat will be more comfortable using the toilet. Be attentive to your cat’s behavior through this whole process - if your cat stops using the bowl inside the toilet, you may be moving on too fast and might need to go back a couple of steps.

8. When the water level in the bowl has reached about 4cm and your cat has no problem using it, it is time to remove the bowl entirely. Your cat should now be toilet trained. Remember to always leave the toilet seat up and flush regularly!

Products to assist you in toilet training your cat:

There are several cat toilet training kits available on the market. They basically consist of a tray that fits inside the toilet, and with a hole in the middle that you can gradually make bigger. When choosing a cat toilet training kit, ensure that you buy quality. The cat training kit should not be flimsy and should be able to support your cat’s weight even when the hole becomes large. Be aware of cheap, flimsy products you buy at toy stores or pet stores, because if your cat falls in, it might loose interest in toilet training completely.

The disadvantages in toilet training your cat:

Not everyone agrees that cat toilet training is such a great idea. They argue that it is unnatural for a cat to use a toilet, as it goes against their natural instincts to cover up their smell. Toilet seats can also be slippery and there might be the risk of your cat injuring itself. Even if your cat doesn’t fall in at all, he may become anxious whenever he uses the toilet and going to the toilet can become an unpleasant task.

A litter box also has the health benefit in that it’s easier to monitor your cat’s urine for signs of infections or sickness.

Moving locations will also be harder for the cat, because a litter box can be moved easily but the cat will first need to get used to using the new toilet. With some cats this is no problem and they can become comfortable with the new toilet very fast, while other cats might be less adaptable.

Things to remember when toilet training a cat:

The most important thing to remember is that the toilet training should be done gradually. Be very patient and never rush to the next step until you are sure that you cat is completely comfortable with the current setup.

Make using the toilet as easy as you can for the cat. Always remember to keep the toilet seat up and the bathroom door open. When you have guests, ensure that they also know about considering your cat. Flush the toilet regularly as cats do not like using smelly toilets.

For more information about interesting facts about cats, cat urine problems and cat urine removers see http://www.cat-urine.net

By: Claudine du Plessis About The Author

Claudine du Plessis is a cat-lover and webmaster of the site http://www.cat-urine.net. Please link to cat-urine.net when referecing this article.

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