Cats need litter boxes, even indoor/outdoor cats. It is not fair to a pet cat to force it go out in the rain or freezing cold to eliminate, or to go outside to eliminate when the cat is feeling sick. Of course, no one needs to be told that strictly indoor cats must have litter boxes! Cats have an instinct to eliminate in soft substrate, such as fine grained cat litter, so cats will naturally will use a litter box if they were introduced to one as a kitten. Adult cats who had no experience with litter boxes previously do come to get used to them, once they know what they are for.
Health alerts. Monitoring a cat's eliminations gives valuable health information, and may be the only way you are alerted that there is a health problem, before it gets so severe that the cat's life is at risk. For example, if you see a cat straining to eliminate, you would know that the cat has a problem, which might be due to a urinary or intestinal blockage, or some other disease or condition such as a severe urinary infection. Or, you might see blood in the urine or stool if the cat can eliminate. If you do not have a litter box in the home, or if you do not pay attention to a cat's eliminations if you do have litter boxes, you will miss those symptoms of a serious medical problem with your cat.
Cleanliness. Litter boxes need to be kept clean. They should be scooped at least twice a day. The litter should ideally be changed every week, with the box washed at that time. Litter box liners can be used, but some cats are put off by them and don't want to use a box with them. Or, the cats don't mind but wind up shredding the plastic liners.
Type of box. Litter boxes need to be large enough. Many litter boxes are actually too small for the cat, especially most adult male cats. What is labeled as "large", is not really a large box. The boxes that are truly big enough for many adult cats are labeled as "Jumbo", or "Extra Large." Click here to find Jumbo Sized Litter Boxes
Litter boxes come in covered and non-covered versions. Some cats don't like covered boxes. In multi-cat homes, or homes with dogs or small pesty children, many cats won't use a covered box for fear of being trapped in the box and then harassed by another cat, the dog, or a child. Usually that has happened, so the cat's fears are realities.
Number of boxes. The general "rule" for litter boxes is one more box than the number of cats. Even one cat should have two boxes available. Many cats do not like to urinate and defecate in the same box. Some cats won't use a box that has eliminations from another cat in it, and some cats won't use a box with even their own past eliminations in it. Although one hopefully checks the boxes and scoops out any eliminations promptly, very few people are home or awake at all times to check the boxes. Having several boxes, especially in a multi-cat home, can result in at least one clean box. Some cats will eliminate on the floor or in some other location if they do not find a clean box or if the litter box situation is unsatisfactory to the cat for other reasons, such as location, type of litter or intimidation or harassment by other cats, dogs or children.
Litter box enclosures, or hiders, can be desired when a litter box is needed in a room where one does not want a litter box in plain site or where space is limited. There are many litter box hiders that also serve as furniture for humans. See the Litter Box Solutions page for many different types of litter box disguises.
Type of litter. The type of litter used makes a difference. Cats do not like perfumed, deodorized litters that have strong scents. Cats have a much more acute sense of smell than humans. If a litter or deodorizer smells strong to you, it will be overpowering to a cat.
Cats prefer softer, fine grained litter, such as clumping clay litter (however, do not use clumping clay litter for kittens under 12 weeks, as they sometimes ingest it). If one chooses to try the larger pellet litters, such as Feline Pine, it must be gradually mixed with the previous type of litter or most cats will not use it. If a cat stops using the litter box after you tried a new litter, simply go back to the kind of litter the cat liked and did use.
The best depth to fill a litter box is 2 inches. Cats do not like it higher than that, as they sink into it up to to their thighs. If you use too low a level of litter, the cat won't be able to dig in and then cover it's eliminations.
Problems. Cats do not stop using a litter pan due to being "angry" or out of revenge. When a cat starts going out of the box, it is due to either a medical issue, or some problem regarding the litter box. Punishing a cat for going out of the box is the wrong thing to do. Instead, the people need to play detective and go through the above points, making modifications, until all is well again. The most important point is to get a cat to the vet if the cat stops using a litter box.
See the Litter Box Solutions page for more help and information.
See the selections of various kinds of litter boxes available in the store below.
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