8 Ways To Create Litter Box Problems In Your Cat

Cats have their own ways of communicating with us, and when we first don't understand their messages, they sometimes resort to more practical ways to tell us something is wrong. Poohing and peeing outside the litter box is one way cats have of trying to tell us that something is not quite right with their litter arrangements. Of course, they much prefer more subtle methods of communication, but we non-cats don't always seem to get it ...

So here are 8 ways to create litter box problems for your cat

1. Put the litter tray in an out of the way place, preferably a basement where your cats rarely go.

Or only on one story of a multi-storey house. You get the picture...

2. Put the cat litter in a cold, or noisy place.

Maybe on cold concrete. Or in the laundry where the jarring sounds of the washing and drying can interrupt your cat trying to do his business. Basically, anything that can startle your cat so that he is too wary of the litter box - and that can include things that are stored above the littler box falling out of the sky suddenly, as Susan found when an old calendar fell out of the rafter near her cat's litter one day (after years of her kitty using that same spot).

3. If you have more than one cat, not having enough litter boxes or keeping them all in the one place.

This one got me. I had all the cats litter boxes together in the one room. And I generally had enough, one for each cat, (though it is a good idea to have one for each cat plus one).

I had gotten a new kitten, Sha-la-ah, a beautiful but timid tonkinese cross ragdoll. And to my horror, she started going regularly on top of the fridge. And not just any fridge. But the $2000 fancy fridge/freezer that beeped if you kept the door open too long and had the indoor and outdoor temperature on it, amongst many other fine and completely necessary features. Oh, and did I mention that it belonged to my mother and was on loan?

Anyway, to minimize the problem, I ended up putting a large bowl up there with litter in it for her to use, after she made it clear this was no passing phase. Then Mum suggested I put a litter box in another place. I couldn't think of anywhere, though I did eventually find a spot, near where she hung out. And pretty much straight away, after months of using the top of the fridge, she stopped going there entirely. It turns out one of my older cats was 'guarding' the litter boxes in the other room - or rather, Aslan, my other cat in question, hung out there a lot (in the spare room), and Sha-la-ah felt intimidated.

4. Give your cats no privacy.

Put your litter box in a busy area, where small children and maybe the family dog, have access to it - especially when your cat is trying to go.

Cats like privacy when doing their business. They need to feel safe and undisturbed. Whilst you don't have to go to the length of playing Mozart every time your cat starts scratching in the litter, a little alone time for your kitty won't go astray.

5. Use scented litter.

Cats have a very sensitive sense of smell. And scented cat litters, whilst pleasant to us, are a big no-no in the kitty world. The same goes for air fresheners near the cat litter.

6. Use bleach or ammonia based cleaning agents when cleaning the litter.

Ammonia is in cat urine, yet when we use ammonia based cleaning agents this can really throw them off. To them, it's akin to a big lion coming into their private space and taking over the litter. It can make them wary of it. Soap or dishwashing liquid is fine as a cleaning agent.

7. Use a litter tray liner.

This makes changing the litter really convenient, but cats can dislike it. Try your litter with and without for a day or two to see how your cat reacts.

8. Use litter that your cat doesn't like.

Purely in terms of cats preferences, there is no single type of litter that will suit every cat. Some cats will use anything, including linen in a linen cupboard, especially if they are still young. Some cats are happy with soil, others prefer clay. And then there are the crystal cat litters. I prefer the biodegradable recycled newspaper litters, and my cats are quite happy with this. To discover your cats preferences, given her the choice of several and see which gets used. Once you have this as a starting point, you can then work through the maze of often conflicting claims about the health benefits/risks of the different litters!

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