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Library/Info--> Companion Animals--> Feline House Soiling Quick
info Feline House Soiling
Cats
do not defecate or urinate outside the litter box for spite. They
are either sick (and associate their pain with the litter box or
can't get to the box in time) or they don't like something about
the litter/litter box. The FIRST thing to do if your cat is defecating
or urinating outside the box is take her to your veterinarian to
determine if there is a medical cause. Ask your vet to check for:
Bladder infection (cystitis), crystals in the urine, parasitic worms,
cocciodosis/giardia, impacted anal glands and tumors. If there is
no medical cause, look at your litter box set up. Stick as close
to nature as possible. Cats in the wild always urinate far away
from their habitat or any place of activity because their urine
smells strong and could attract predators to the nest. Things to
consider if your cat is defecating or urinating outside the litter
box:
- Moving to a new house can result in house soiling (because it
results in a change in location of the litter box) - show kitty
where her box is right away. If she gets confused, you might want
to keep her in the room where the box is for a few days - remember
to keep her food, water and sleeping area far away from the litter
box.
- Have a large open plain litter box (no lid, no fancy sifting
stuff) - kitty must be able to get into the box and turn around
easily. Noises from sifting boxes can scare cats.
- Don't use plastic liners (most are very strongly scented and
cats can't dig) Use unscented litter - this means there are no
blue or green pieces in it.
- The only clay litters that are certain to be unscented are:
Country Fare (Hy-Vee), Cat Tails - yellow bag (Earl May) or Pet
Place (the best - least expensive & very little dust - from Pharmor)
- many others that say they are unscented but they are not The
only scoopable litter that is unscented is PetGold from Petco
- very little dust.
- Scoop the litter box(es) at least once a day. Twice a day is
better. Many cats do not like to step into a box that already
has urine or solid waste in it. Use a metal spoon without slots
to scoop the urine from clay litter. A metal scoop with small
slots works well for solid waste in clay litter and for wet and
solid waste in clumping litter.
- Completely dump the litter box at least once a week (twice a
week or more if you have more than one cat). Rinse it with vinegar
and wash it with dish detergent and rinse several times and then
dry. Vinegar will disinfect and deodorize. Do not use cleaners
other than dish detergent as they can be toxic to cats.
- Fill litter box only one inch full with litter. Place the litter
box in a place that is quiet, private and yet always accessible
for your cat. Don't keep litter boxes in your laundry room - cats
are easily frightened by the sudden loud noises made by washers
and dryers and may avoid the litter box. Don't keep litter boxes
in the bathroom - this is high traffic area and not always accessible.
- Place litter box far away from where your cat eats, sleeps and
plays.
- Don't keep moving the litter box from place to place. If you
must move a box, do so gradually - several inches a day - so kitty can always find it.
- Stick with the same litter OR mix some of the old with the new
when switching to a new one - don't constantly switch litter
- Always have one more litter box than you have cats (e.g. 3 litter boxes for 2 cats). You may need to place boxes in more than one
location - particularly if one of your cats chases another cat
out of the box.
- Often 2 boxes are needed for one cat - some prefer to defecate
in one box and urinate in another box.
- If you have an older cat in your household, you may need to
place litter boxes on more than one floor or in more than one
location so the cat can easily access a box from his usual sleeping or lounging areas.
- If your cat is declawed and you are using clay litter, the litter may hurt her feet - try switching (gradually) to clumping litter
(smaller pieces of clay may be more comfortable). Newly declawed
cats may associate the pain in their feet with the litter box
and not want to use it. Try shredded newspaper. Persian and other
long hair cats in particular are very fussy about their litter
box and don't want litter or waste clinging to the long fur on
their bloomers.
- You will want to thoroughly clean any area where the cat has
urinated or defecated outside the box. (Outright Stain and Odor
Remover is very effective - this can be found at a veterinary
clinic). You might want to place a piece of furniture over the
spot or aluminum foil to deter your cat from that area. Feliway
is a pheromone that can be sprayed in the area to discourage future
urinating or marking behavior.
Suggested
Resources: The New Natural Cat, Anitra Frazier; and Think Like a Cat, Pam Johnson-Bennett
LCS 2/01
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