Litter Box

Litter Box Basics

The Basics

As you get ready to bring a cat or kitten into your home, make sure you have all the things you will need to make your new pet feel welcome. Besides providing Litter Box. While this may not seem like a very important subject at first, it can quickly become the major focus of your attention should your cat decide to stop using it. Elimination disorders are one of the biggest reasons for cats to be given up to shelters, and one of the most common problems for which people seek veterinary advice.

Self-Cleaning Litter Box

New kittens

Cats have a natural instinct to eliminate in sand or soil, and kittens also learn from observing their mother. Kittens usually start learning to use the litter box at 3 or 4 weeks of age, so by the time you bring your kitten home, she will likely be used to using one.

You will not need to train your kitten to use the litter box in the same way that you would housebreak a puppy. However, it is important to make sure your kitten knows the location of the litter box in its new surroundings. Make sure the box is not in a noisy or hard-to-reach place. Soon after you bring your kitten home, take it to the litter box at a quiet time. Place the kitten into it, gently take the front paws and show ir how to scratch at the litter once or twice. Don't worry if s/he jumps right out again. Place the kitten in the box at the times throughout the day when a cat would normally go to the bathroom: first thing in the morning, and after meals, playing, and waking up from a nap. Remember that cats prefer privacy when using the litter box, so once you see that the box has been used, leave the kitten alone.

CatGenie Self-Flushing, Self-Washing Cat Box

Number of boxes

The rule of thumb here is that you should provide one litter box per cat, plus one extra. While this may seem excessive to us, cats are very fastidious and some cats will not use a box that other cats have used. Some cats also prefer to use one box to urinate in and another to defecate in. If your house has several levels, make sure there are litter boxes on every floor.

Location

Cat Litter Pans

If you have a dog and it tries to steal a snack from the cat's litter box, try placing a baby gate across the doorway to the room the box is in (this would also work in a closet doorway, if needed). Place the gate a few inches off the floor so that the cat can get under it but the dog cannot. Besides preventing the dog from harassing the cat as it enters or leaves the box, this will prevent any chance of your dog developing an intestinal obstruction from eating cat litter, or becoming infected with any intestinal worms the cat may have. If your dog is small enough to go under the gate, position the bottom of the gate at floor level and for kittens or arthritic cats, place a stepstool in front of the gate to help the cat jump up and over.

If you have more than one cat, make sure that the litter box is not in a location where one cat can 'corner' another as it leaves the box (for example in a hallway that ends in a dead-end). There should always be an entrance and an escape route.

Most cats prefer not to have their litter box right next to their food dish, so avoid this situation if possible.

Size and type of litter box

Dome Covered Litter Box

LitterMaid Mega Automatic Self-Cleaning Litter Box

Litter type

In general, cats seem to like a litter that has the consistency of beach sand or garden soil. They seem to prefer fine-textured litter (such as the clumping type) to more coarse litter, and unscented litter to scented. Two inches of litter in the box is usually sufficient. It generally works better to use less litter and change it more frequently. If you're not sure what type of litter to use, put several types out, including clumping and non-clumping, and see which your cats prefer.

Cleanliness

How to Toilet-Train Your Cat: 21 Days to a Litter-Free Home

Summary

Most cats have a strong instinct to use a litter box, and cats do not need to be housebroken in the same way that we housetrain dogs. However, keeping some 'litter box basics' in mind can help keep your cat content and prevent problems from starting.

Suggested Reading and Products:

How to Toilet-Train Your Cat: 21 Days to a Litter-Free Home - Last year Americans spent 400 million on 1.8 million tons of cat litter--enough to fill the Empire State Building two and a half times! Now, Paul Kunkel presents a foolproof, 21-Day Program for teaching any litter-trained cat between the ages of six months and ten years to use a toilet instead of a litterbox.
Litter Kwitter (Litter Quitter) Cat Toilet Training System - Litter Kwitter trains your cat to go into the bathroom whenever they need to 'go, ' and to hop up onto the toilet to do it.
Nature's Miracle Litter Treatment - 32 oz - Eliminate litter box odor in one easy step. Simply sprinkle this amazing powder in the litter box to stop unpleasant odors on contact.

To find out more about a specific cat behavior, here's a list to choose from:

• Purring

• Litter Box Training: The Basics

• Cats Landing on Their Feet

• Hearing in Cats

• How the Sense of Smell Influences Behavior

• Smelling with an Open Mouth (Flehmening)

• Rubbing Against Legs & Furniture

• Seeing in the Dark

• Sleep & Cats

• Height & Cats