Thursday, September 6, 2018

And Even More Litterbox Tips for a Happy Cat

Since litterbox issues are one of the most frequent reasons that cat owners request euthanasia or rehoming of their cat, I cannot offer enough tips on how to remedy this problem. The cat cannot fix it’s litterbox issues without the human’s input. You have chosen to have a cat, so it is your responsibility to figure out the problems and to fix them. If a cat does not like the location of it’s litterbox, it cannot pick it up and move it to a more suitable location. That is the responsibility of the human.

If a cat has been declawed, what is left of it’s toes may be very tender, and therefore the type of litter can be very important. Some litters will just make it too painful for the cat to scratch and do it’s toileting, making the carpet look very attractive. Nowadays there are numerous different types of litter with variations in texture and feel, not to mention scent. Depth of litter is also important for most cats - about two inches is just right for my cat. All of these things may be very important to your cat.

The litterbox itself can be an important factor to some cats. Is it too small or is it too big? Perhaps a covered litterbox would be preferable, adding to the privacy of the cat, or maybe no cover. And, as I’ve mentioned before, some cats won’t share a litterbox with another cat, and some require one litterbox for pee and one for poo. And I cannot stress enough how important the location of the litterbox is to the cat.

With all of these variables, it’s easy to see how long it can take to get the litterbox placement to the cat’s liking, and all of this is after the vet has given clearance of the cat’s health - no amount of litterbox tweaking will help if the cat has a urinary tract infection.

Do not despair, with patience, most litterbox issues can be solved humanely, but it may take some time.

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