Solving litter box Problems

Solving litter box Problems

Cats tend to have surface and location preferences for where, and on what, they like to eliminate. Most cats prefer a loose, sandy substance, which is why they will use a litter box. It's only when their preferences include the laundry basket, the bed or the Persian rug, that normal elimination behavior becomes a problem. With careful analysis of your cat's environment, specific factors that have contributed to the litter box problem can usually be identified and changed, so that your cat will again use the litter box for elimination.

Some common reasons why cats don't use the litter box: an aversion to the box, a preference for a surface not provided by the box, a preference for a location where there is no box or a combination of all three. You'll need to do some detective work to determine the reason your cat is house soiling. Sometimes, the reason the litter box problem initially started may not be the same reasoning it's continuing. For example, your cat may have stopped using the litter box because of a urinary tract infection, and has now developed a surface preference for carpet and a location preference for the bedroom closet. You would need 0 address all three of these factors to resolve the problem.

Cats don't stop using their litter boxes because they're mad or upset and are trying to get revenge for something that "offended" or "angered" them. Because humans act for these reasons, it's easy for us to assume that our pets do as well. Animals don't act of spite or revenge, so it won't help to give your cat special privileges in the hope that she'll start using the litter box again.

Medical Problems

It's common for cats to begin eliminating outside of their litter box when they have a medical problem. For example, a urinary tract infection or crystals in the urine can make urination very painful. Cats often associate this pain with the litter box and begin to avoid it. If your cat has a house-soiling problem, check with your veterinarian first to rule out any medical problems for the behavior. Cats don't always act sick, even when they are, and only a trip to the veterinarian for a thorough physical examination can rule out a medical problem.

Cleaning Soiled Areas

Because animals are highly motivated to continue soiling an area that smells like urine or feces, it's imperative that you thoroughly clean the soiled areas.

Aversion to the litter box

You cat may have decided that the litter box is an unpleasant place to eliminate if:

v  The box is not clean enough for her.

v  She has experienced painful urination or defecation in the box due to a medical problem.

v  She has been startled by a noise while using the box.

v  She has been "ambushed" while in the box either by another cat, a child, a dog, or by you, if you were attempting to catch her for some reason.

v  She associates the box with punishment (someone punished her for eliminating outside the box, and then placed her in the box).

What You Can Do

·         Keep the litter box extremely clean. Scoop at least once a day and change the litter completely every four to five days. If you use scoop able litter, you may not need to change the litter as frequently. This will vary per how many cats are in the household, how many litter boxes you have, and how large the cats are that are using the box or boxes. A good guideline is that if you can smell the box, then you can be sure it's offensive to your cat as well.

·         Add a new box in a different location than the old one and use a different type of litter in the new box. Because your cat has decided that her old litter box is unpleasant, you'll want to make the new one different enough that she doesn't simply add the old, negative associations to the new box.

·         Make sure that the litter box isn't near an appliance that makes noise or in an area of the house that your cat doesn't frequent.

Surface Preferences

All animals develop preferences for a surface on which they like to eliminate. These preferences may be established early in life, but they may also change overnight for reasons that we don't always understand. Your cat may have a surface preference if:

v  She consistently eliminates on a texture. For example, soft-textured surfaces, such as carpet, bedding or clothing, or slick-textured surfaces, such as tile, cement, bathtubs or sinks.

v  She frequently scratches on this same texture after elimination, even if she eliminates in the litter box.

v  She is or was previously an outdoor cat and prefers to eliminate on grass or soil.

What You Can Do

·         If your cat is eliminating on soft surfaces, try using a high quality, scoop able litter, and put a soft rug under the litter box.

·         If your cat is eliminating on slick-textured surfaces, try using a high quality, scoop able litter, and put a soft rug under the litter box.

·         If your cat has a history of being outdoors, add some soil or sod to the litter box.

·         Make the area where she has been eliminating aversive to her by covering it with an upside-down carpet runner or aluminum foil, or by placing citrus-scented cotton balls over the area.

Location Preferences

Your cat may have a location preference if:

v  She always eliminates in quiet, protected places, such as under a desk downstairs or in a closet.

v  She eliminates in an area where the litter box was previously kept or where there are urine odors.

v  She eliminates on a different level of the house from where the litter box is located.

What You Can Do

·         Put it least one litter box on every level of your house.

·         Make the area where she has been eliminating aversive to her by covering it with upside down carpet runner or aluminum foil, or by placing citrus-scented cotton balls over the area.

Or

·         Put a litter box in the location where your cat has been eliminating. When she has consistently used this box for at least one month, you may gradually move it to a more convenient location at a rate of an inch per day.

Oops!

If you catch your cat in the act of eliminating in the house, do something to interrupt her like making a startling noise, but be careful not to scare her. Immediately take her to the where the litter box is located and set her on the floor. If she wanders over to the litter box, wait and praise her after she eliminates in the box. If she takes off in another direction, she may want privacy, so watch from afar until she goes back to the litter box and eliminates, then praise her when she does.

Don't ever punish your cat for eliminating outside of the litter box. If you find a soiled area, it's too late to administer a correction. Do nothing but clean it up. Rubbing your eat's nose in it, taking her to the spot and scolding her, or any other type of punishment, will only make her afraid of you or afraid to eliminate in your presence. Animals don't understand punishment after the fact, even if it's only seconds later. Punishment will do more harm than good.

Other Types of House soiling Problems

v  Fears or Phobias: When animals become frightened, they may lose control of their bladder and/or bowels. If your cat is afraid of loud noises, strangers, or other animals, she may house soil when she is exposed to these stimuli.

Starting Out Right with Your New Cat and the Litter Box

Starting Out Right with Your New Cat and the Litter Box

Most cats have a specific preference about where they want to eliminate. By following the suggestions outlined in this handout, you'll be able to start off on the right foot with your new cat.

Location

Most people are inclined to place the litter box in an out-of-the-way spot to minimize odor and loose particles of cat litter in the house. Often, the litter box ends up in the basement, sometimes next to an appliance and/or on a cold cement floor. This type of location can be undesirable from your cat's point of view for several reasons.

If you have a kitten or an older cat, she may be startled while using the litter box if a furnace, washer or dryer suddenly comes on and that may be the last time she'll risk such a frightening experience! If your cat likes to scratch the surface surrounding her litter box, she may find a cold cement floor unappealing.

Therefore, you may have to compromise. The litter box should be kept in a location that affords your cat some privacy, but is also conveniently located. If you place the litter box in a closet or a bathroom, be sure the door is wedged open from both sides, to prevent her from being trapped in or out. Depending on where it's located, you might consider cutting a hole in a closet door and adding a swinging door. If the litter box sits on a smooth, slick or cold surface, put a small throw rug underneath the litter box.

Type of Litter

Research has shown that most cats prefer fine-grained litters, presumably because they have a softer feel. The new scoop able litters usually have finer grains than the typical clay litter. However, high-quality, dust-free, clay litters are relatively small-grained and may be perfectly acceptable to your cat. Potting soil also has a very soft texture, but is not very absorbent. If you suspect your cat has a history of spending time outdoors and is likely to eliminate in your houseplants, you can try mixing some potting soil with your regular litter. Pellet-type litter or those made from citrus peels are not recommended. Once you find a litter your cat likes, don't change types or brands. Buying the least expensive litter or whatever brand happens to be on sale, could result in your cat not using the litter box.

Many cats are put off by the odor of scented or deodorant liters. For the same reason, it's not a good idea to place a room deodorizer or air freshener near the litter box. A thin layer of baking soda placed on the bottom of the box will help absorb odors without repelling your cat. Odor shouldn't be a problem if the litter box is kept clean. If you find the litter box odor offensive, your cat probably finds it even more offensive and won't want to eliminate there.

Number of Litter boxes

You should have at least as many litter boxes as you have cats. That way, none of them will ever be prevented from eliminating in the litter because it's already occupied. You might also consider placing them in several locations around the house, so that no one cat can "guard" the litter box area and prevent the other cats from accessing it. We also recommend that you place at least one litter box on each level of your house. It's not possible to designate a personal litter box for each cat in your household, as cats will use any litter box that's available. Occasionally, a cat may refuse to use the litter box after another cat has used it. In this case, all the litter boxes will need to be kept extremely clean and additional boxes may be needed.

To Cover or Not to Cover

Some people prefer to use a covered litter box; however, there are some potential problems with using this type of box. You may want to experiment by offering both types at first, to discover what your cat prefers.

Potential Problems

─     You may forget to clean the litter box as frequently as you should because the dirty litter is "out of sight-out of mind."

─     A covered litter box traps odors inside, so it will need to be cleaned more often than an open one.

─     A covered litter box may not allow a large cat sufficient room to turn around, scratch, dig or position her in the way she wants.

─     A covered litter box may also make it easier for another cat to lay in wait and "ambush" the user as she exits the box. On the other hand, a covered litter box may feel more private and may be preferred by timid cats.

Cleaning the Box

To meet the needs of the most discriminating cat, feces should be scooped out of the litter box daily. How often you change the litter depends on the number of cats you have, the number of litter boxes, and the type of litter you use. Twice a week is a general guideline for clay litter, but depending on the circumstances, you may need to change it every other day or once a week. If you scoop the litter daily, scoop able litter can go two to three weeks before the litter needs to be changed. If you notice an odor or if much of the litter is wet or clumped, it's time for a change. Don't use strong smelling chemicals or cleaning products when washing the litter box, as it may cause your cat to avoid it. Washing with soap and water should be sufficient.

Liners

Some cats don't mind having a liner in the litter box, while others do. Again, you may want to experiment to see if your cat is bothered by a liner in the box. If you do use a liner, make sure it's anchored in place, so it can't easily catch your cat's claws or be pulled out of place.

Depth of litter

Some people think that the more litter they put in the box, the less often they must clean it. This is not true. Most cats won't use litter that's more than about two inches deep. In fact, some long-haired cats prefer less litter and a smooth, slick surface, such as the bottom of the litter box. The litter box needs to be cleaned on a regular basis and adding extra litter is not a way around that chore.

"Litter-Training" Cats

There's no such thing as "litter-training" a cat in the same way one would house-train a dog. A cat doesn't need to be taught what to do with a litter box. The only thing you need to do is provide an acceptable, accessible litter box, using the suggestions above. It's not necessary to take your cat to the litter box and move her paws back and forth in the litter, in fact, we don't recommend it. This may be an unpleasant experience for your cat and is likely to initiate a negative association with the litter box.

If Problems Develop

If your cat begins to eliminate in areas other than the litter box, your first call should always be to your veterinarian. Many medical conditions can cause a change in a cat's litter box habits. If your veterinarian determines that your cat is healthy, the cause may be behavioral. Most litter box behavior problems can be resolved by using behavior modification techniques. Punishment is not the answer. For long-standing or complex situations, contact an animal behavior specialist who has experience working with cats.

Atmospheric Stability and Instability

            Instability is a race to get cold between the parcel and the environment, and we want to environment to win. We could help the environment win by making the environment cool more slowly and / or make the parcel cool at a slower rate. The parcel method, for example, talks about the parcel being a hypothetical box that does not allow any transfer of heat in or out but, allows only adiabatic temperature changes.

The stability of the parcel is dependent on the parcel’s motion after a forced displacement. As the parcel undergoes adiabatic change, its temperature is compared to the surrounding environment to relate differences in density. If the parcel returns to its original position it is considered stable, whereas if the parcel continues moving away from its original position it is considered unstable. Moreover, if a parcel is displaced but remains at its new position it is considered neutral.

            Due to the fact that density differences are affected by the differences between the adiabatic lapse rates and the environmental lapse rate, one may notice that absolute instability occurs when the environmental lapse rate (Г_E) exceeds the dry adiabatic lapse rate (Г_D) [i.e. Г_E > Г_D]. Whereas, absolute stability occurs when the environmental lapse rate (Г_E) is less than the wet adiabatic lapse rate (Г_W) [i.e. Г_E < Г_W]. However when the environmental lapse rate (Г_E) falls between the wet adiabatic lapse rate (Г_W) and the dry adiabatic lapse rate (Г_D) [i.e. Г_W < Г_E < Г_D] the atmosphere is considered conditionally unstable, as you can see from the picture below.

            On the other hand, especially with regard to the potential for severe storm development, another type of stability becomes important: potential instability. While, static stability (discussed above) considers what happens to a small parcel (box) of air when lifted or lowered while the surrounding air is kept in place, potential instability contemplates what happens when an entire layers of air are displaced upward [i.e. a mass of warm air displaced upward by the movement of a cold front].