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Litter
can be silica, clay or clumping. We use Litter Pearls in our cattery as
it is very effective for odor control and is less messy on the coats of
the cats. If you choose to
go with a clumping litter, NEVER EVER use with pregnant cats, nursing
cats or kittens. Instead, use a dustless clay brand, which reduces
inhalation. Scoop daily! Look on the package to see if it says
"Dust Trap" or "99% Dustless".
When
we have only one cat and she misses the litterbox, it can be hard to
fix. When we have more than one cat in the house, it can be even harder.
Here's a step-by-step guide to help stop litterbox problems in a
multi-cat home.
- Act
Fast. A litterbox problem that continues for a long time can
become harder and harder to solve. Litterbox mistakes can lead to
territorial responses, and disturb the routines and hierarchies of
your entire household. Will Muffin still want to take her daily
afternoon snooze on the couch if Tiger urinated there? She may find
some other area, displacing more and more of your cats, and creating
fighting and other dominance displays. If you put off solving the
problem, hoping it will go away on its own, you may find it
multiplying in your home.
- Find
the Culprit. Before
you even try to determine the "why," figure out the
"who." If you catch it early enough, you can hopefully
nail it down to one cat. Many people like to isolate each cat to
determine which cat is causing the problem, but displacing one cat,
even overnight, can sometimes lead to dominance displays in the
others, as they claim undefended territory. If you have new cats, or
kittens reaching adulthood, you may want to visit the vet for help.
Your veterinarian can prescribe fluorescein for your cats, helping
you to determine which urine stain(s) glow under an ultraviolet
light.
- Rule
out a Veterinary Problem. Veterinary
causes underlie many litterbox problems, particularly in household
with older cats or those with access to the outdoors. Urinary tract
infections are one of many common causes, where the cat develops an
aversion to the box as a painful place to be. Other health problems
can also cause litterbox mistakes. Worse, without visiting the
veterinarian, your other cats may be at risk, which could cause the
problem to multiply. No behavior techniques in the world will help a
cat with a veterinary problem, so don't skip the trip to the vet.
- Observe
the Behavior. If
the vet rules out a health problem, I next recommend a brief
observation period. It's always very frustrating to the owner to let
the cat continue his litterbox mistakes, but it gives you the
knowledge to attack the specific problem. During the observation
period, try to concentrate on the things in the environment that may
be important to your cat, like litterboxes, food bowls, favorite
places, the routines of the other cats and people in the home, etc.
Start a journal where you record as much information as you can
about every litterbox mistake, then look for links. Does the cat
always use the same room? Is it always on carpeting? Does it happen
after meals, or at some other time of day? Are the other cats
nearby? Did you have guests over? When you isolate the specific
stimuli involved, it allows you greater control without making major
changes in the environment that may upset the rest of the cats.
- Break
the Habit. Elimination
sites are matters of preference, and when the cat gets into the
routine of going to a certain location, you'll need to prevent the
behavior from recurring. Since the smell of declining urine is a
signal for the cat to "reapply," clean the accident site
with a pet odor remover - perhaps multiple times to get past the
cat's sensitive nose. Block off the area while the product does its
work. Remote deterrents, that work whether you are around or not,
will keep the cat from returning to the area whenever you aren't
standing guard. Double-sided tape or an upside-down plastic carpet
runner, pointy feet up, can keep your cat from standing in the same
area. Cats also hate to be startled, so anything that can safely
surprise the cat when he visits that area can help make the area
less "cat-friendly."
- Make
the Current Litterbox More Appealing. While
you are preventing bad habits, make good habits more appealing. The
litterbox should be clean, have privacy, and in multi-cat homes,
escapability is also important. This simply means that the cat can
see off a distance, so he won't be ambushed in the box, or on his
way there. Most cats prefer clumping, non-perfumed litter, but work
with your individual cat to determine whether a box of a different
size, shape, or litter would help.
- Retrain?
If
it doesn't seem to help to address the individual factors in your
journal, or your cat has never regularly used the litterbox, you may
want to retrain the cat by himself. Use this as a last resort, since
removing the cat from the hierarchy may upset the routines of all
the cats in the home. Keep the cat in a small, uncarpeted room, with
a clean litterbox, food bowl, and toys in opposite corners. Pick up
all rugs from the floor, so the only soft place to choose to
eliminate will be the litterbox. Visit the cat often, and clean the
box regularly. I also recommend recording the times that the cat
uses the box. Many cats stick to a regular routine, so once you've
determined when the cat is likely to use the box, you can let the
cat out during low-risk times to maintain the hierarchy, and put him
back in the room with the litterbox during high risk periods.
Repetition of successful use will increase the cat's preference to
the box.
- General
Stress Reduction. In
some situations, it's difficult to determine specific environmental
triggers for a problem behavior. However, sometimes general stress
reduction techniques will prove helpful, particularly in multi-cat
homes. For litterbox problems that have arisen from territorial
disputes, additional resources may reduce competition for resources.
Extra litterboxes and food bowls are always helpful, but remember
that YOU are also an important resource, so give each cat as much
attention as they could possibly want. Exercise can also help
redirect cats energies. It can also help desensitize cats to each
other, while they are praised for attacking a toy while the other
cat watches. Routines are also very important in multi-cat homes,
particularly when older cats are involved. Scheduled feeding,
petting and exercise periods at the same time and location every day
can further reduce stress that may be contributing to the litterbox
problem.
Litterbox
problems in multi-cat homes can be difficult. However, caring
responsible owners can have an advantage solving the problem with they
use quick, decisive actions and apply solid behavioral techniques.
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