One of the most common reasons for euthanasia or re homing for cats is behavioral.  Of all the behavioral issues inappropriate elimination is normally top of the list.  Cats are funny, funny weird, funny weird in a way we often have difficulties understanding them.  They can act “spiteful” at times, hide sickness until the very last minute, act happy and purring and then turn around and bite.

I don’t know what could be more frustrating than going to cleaning out an immaculate litter-box only to find a big number 2 just outside or finding a pile of laundry stinking of cat urine.

A word of caution: do not assume your cat has a behavioral issue if these scenarios sound familiar, they could be signs of something medical in nature so SEE YOUR VET.

Use this blog post as a precautionary measure to best eliminate….pun intended, any possibility of future problems.

CORE: clean boxes out daily, replacing litter. Dump entire litter out every few weeks and clean box (possibly more frequently depending on # of cats). Keeping in clean and smelling relatively fresh is the name of the game.

Have an OVERWEIGHT cat or one with MOBILITY problems? make sure the lip is low enough so they can easily get in and out.

MORE than one cat? Make sure your litter-box count is 1+# of cats (2 cats= 3 litter-boxes). Place these boxes in different levels or different rooms. (This decreases competition and guarding). Sometimes having a lidded box will help to prevent one cat from pouncing on the other while they are doing their business. Keep these boxes in private areas away from noise (loud furnaces etc).

LITTER- cats will have substrate preferences. Some will use wheat based litters no problem, while other cats will prefer to poop on your rug. Sometimes testing out a litter in an extra box before switching is a good idea to make sure they will use it!

BE proactive! if you are noticing issues acting quickly is always the best.  For medical reasons this is obvious but for behavioral issues it is just as critical, once they get used to a certain behavior it can take a lot of time and effort to train it out of them.  Meaning, possibly restricting them to a room with just a litter-box and food and water. (Think for every 1 week of an inappropriate behavior it can take a month of retraining!)

Understanding your cat and their unique preferences and needs will go a long way to maintaining a happy clean home!