Messes are inevitable when you are a cat owner, especially when it comes to maintaining their litter boxes. Keeping your cat’s litter box clean to their standards is essential for preventing them from avoiding their litter box. Here are a few ways you can prevent litter box problems for your cat.
Maintaining Your Cat’s Litter Box
In order to keep your cat comfortable enough to use their litter box, you will have to keep it cleaned regularly and make sure the design of the litter box does not make them uncomfortable. If you have multiple cats in your house, you will have to have one litter box for each cat plus one extra to avoid additional messes and crowded litter boxes.
According to Petsho, ensure your cat’s litter box is also big enough for them to climb into comfortably, but also make sure that the litter does not go too deep.
Covered Boxes
There are both advantages and disadvantages to having a covered litter box for your cat. On one hand, covered boxes can provide an extra sense of privacy for your cat. It can also prevent some of the litter from coming out of the box when your cat cleans up after itself.
On the other hand, larger cats will have a harder time maneuvering around a covered litter box since the space inside will be more limited. Furthermore, odors can become trapped inside of the litter box and cause your cat to become more uncomfortable. If you are considering getting a covered litter box for any of your cats, make sure they will be comfortable using it or else they will want to avoid using it.
Location of the Litter Box
Some cats tend to be particular about where they choose to use the bathroom and will avoid any area that makes them uncomfortable as often as possible even if that is where their litter box is located. Take a mental note of all of your cat’s preferred locations around the house and place their litter box somewhere you know they will use without a second thought.
Medical Problems
There are some medical problems your cat may have that could make it difficult for them to use their litter box properly, such as a UTI, kidney stones, etc. Certain medical problems will affect your cat differently and can even cause pain for your cat during urination, which will also make it harder to use their litter box.
It is recommended that you take your cat to the vet in order to determine whether or not they are being affected by medical issues and what solutions are available to help your cat.
Negative Litter Box Association
Something could happen to stress your cat out while they are using their litter box, which will cause them to have negative associations with their litter box. Keep an eye out for signs of your cat being hesitant about approaching or entering their litter box.
Conclusion
Whatever the problem may be, there are usually simple solutions behind the issue. However, some issues will take more time and effort to overcome but it will be worth it to help you cat use their litter box properly.
