The Cat Litter Is Not Something that Keeps Only Cats Happy but Their Owners, too

For many, a cat is a dream come true. However, while waiting for your new pet friend, some people unfortunately forget that a pet also means responsibility. One of the most common questions when it comes to adopting a cat is this: How do things actually work with the cat, and can you get her to use the cat litter? First, you must place it in a place easily accessible for the pet but not in anyone's way. Because cats are spotless animals with a highly developed sense of smell, the tray should never be placed directly next to the feeding area.

The ideal place is between the cat's sleeping place and the feeding place because the cat often passes through these places when moving around its territory; thus, the toilet is on the way. A bedroom is a quiet place where you relax, but it is not suitable for the litter, only for your rest on the one hand, because of the smell; on the other hand, because of the disturbing noises that the cat makes cleaning its paws. Cats are known to be nocturnal and will sometimes defecate while you sleep. You can imagine that is not so nice for you to experience.

How Do Cat and Cat Litter Become Best Friends?

For cats to accept their toilet, the size is essential in addition to the optimal location. The pet cannot sit or turn comfortably if the cat litter is too small. In this case, there is a high possibility that the cat will refuse to use it. Can valerian attract the cat to the box? While some cats are downright dependent on valerian and may be attracted to it, it has no noticeable effect on other cats. Even though cats like it, they are generally more likely to play with the box instead of using it to defecate.

Whether it's classic litter, hygienic, or pellet one, the choice depends on what suits your pet best. Classic bedding is a wise choice, as the granules absorb their weight several times, and the resulting piles can be easily removed. The sanitary pad does not clump; the liquid tends to sink into the lower layers. On the other hand, organic cellulose or pellet bedding contains no chemical additives, is completely degradable, retains odours, and is absorbent, making it friendly to the environment and the fish's paws.

No matter what cat litter you prefer, it should be completely changed at least once a week. Also, the box itself must be thoroughly cleaned at each litter change: ideally, it should be cleaned with warm water and possibly a liquid detergent, but not one that contains a lot of fragrance. When the box wears out and the smell persists even though it has been cleaned regularly, it is time to throw it away and replace it with a new one. Careful! The plastic can be recycled and should only be disposed of in the plastic waste.

Why Does the Cat Refuse to Use the Litter Box?

Cats are animals that rigorously respect the behavioural routines developed throughout their lives. This particularity is best highlighted in the excretory behaviour of felines. Once the place where the cat defecates is, it will only use this space for urine or defecation. Therefore, if your cat starts to voluntarily refuse to use the litter box, there is always a reason. First of all, a clear distinction must be made between:

Accidental non-use of the tray - no possibility of reaching the box
Territory marking behaviour, especially evident in unsterilized specimens
Voluntary refusal to use the limited space of the box to urinate/defecate

Reasons why the cat refuses to use the litter:

medical reasons
it doesn't know how to use the box
dirty box
the cat does not accept the type of tray
The model (look, colour, dimensions, etc.) is changed frequently.
Too little or too much sand in the box
it is too small compared to the size of the cat
Inadequate location of the box (crowded, noisy, exposed place, etc.)
the cat is stressed due to some changes in its living environment
a new preference for removing certain surfaces or textures, such as carpet, bedding, potting soil, etc.

In the case of families with two or more cats, the reasons that can lead to the refusal to use the tray can be completed with:

Insufficient number of litter boxes
Territorial disputes
Cats use urination (and sometimes defecation) to communicate.

The fact that they stop using the box always signals that something is wrong. Punishing the feline for this deviant behaviour does not solve the problem. It will only teach it to urinate/defecate when you are not around. Punishing the cat will have the opposite effect since the refusal is often caused by stress, and the punishment does nothing but amplify this state.

cat litter 2

You Must Identify the Cause

Identifying the causes of the cat's refusal to use the cat litter and mitigating/eliminating them solves this behavioural deviation. This unpleasant situation can be overcome with understanding, patience, and perseverance. Possible medical causes can make the cat refuse to use the litter. The cat's voluntary refusal to use the litter box can be a symptom:

of a disease of the lower urinary tract,
of a urinary infection or interstitial cystitis
of irritable bowel syndrome
or painful arthritis.

For this reason, the appearance of this behavioural disorder must be followed by a visit to the veterinarian, who will confirm/disprove this assumption.

Common symptoms that signal the presence of a disease in the cat's lower urinary tract include:

frequent elimination of small amounts of urine
painful urination and, with effort, externalized by the cat straining (rising) at the end of the act
haematuria (presence of blood in the urine)
inflammatory condition of the urinary bladder
the presence of urinary stones or a blockage is manifested by frequent attempts to urinate without result.
painful urination leads to excessive meowing.
the cat's abdomen is sensitive to palpation.

A visit to the veterinarian should follow the appearance of any of these symptoms. They constitute an emergency, which sometimes can endanger the cat's life. Once the veterinarian has eliminated the possibility that the cat does not use the cat litter due to an illness (acute or chronic), you can proceed to solve this behavioural deviation by trying to identify the non-medical cause that generated it. As you can see, there are so many problems that a cat can that makes her want to use her litter. Just find the cause and solve the problem.