The Litter Box – Choosing the place

There is actually one rule that cat owners should never break under any circumstances when it comes to its location: don’t put the litter box near the cat’s food and water.

Many owners mistakenly believe that having the box right next to the cat’s food will serve him as a constant reminder to him. Unfortunately, this plan can only backfire and you lay the groundwork for litter box rejection. Don’t forget that cats eliminate away from the nest.

By placing the food and box together you’ll only send a very confusing message. Thus, your cat will be forced to make a decision about whether to choose that area as a feeding station or as an elimination spot. Since the food is only available in only one area, he’ll search for another location for his other biological needs.

If you have no choice but to keep the food bowl and litter box in the same room, at least make the effort of placing them as far apart as possible.

The most common place owners put the box is in the bathroom. This is a good spot provided you have the room. It makes cleanup easy and it’s convenient in terms of your being able to regularly scoop it.

Remember, however, that if lots of steamy hot showers are taken in the bathroom it will be humid in there and that may cause the litter to take longer to dry.

Another popular location is the laundry room. Like the bathroom, the laundry room is usually not carpeted, which makes it ideal for cleanup. The downside is that if the washer goes into the spin cycle while the cats is in the box, the sudden noise could make the room lose its appeal.

Pick a spot in your home away from heavy traffic to provide your cat with a feeling of privacy and safety. However, don’t choose an area too remote or you’ll forget to check it on a daily basis. This one is perfect.

Wherever you locate the box, make sure you’ll remember to check it twice a day. If your indoor/outdoor cat doesn’t use a litter box and prefers the comforting effect of the great outdoors, keep a litter box indoors anyway in case he chooses not to go out in bad weather or for some other reason.

In a multicat household, more than one box will be needed. This is not just because one box gets dirty too quickly, but also because some cats object to sharing and one cat may be too intimidated to pass another cat in order to get to his litter box. The rule is to have the same number of boxes as you have cats.

Here are a few things your veterinarian looks for:

• Urinary tract/bladder problems: A cat with urinary tract or bladder problems finds it painful to urinate because it burns. Because cats can’t think to themselves as humans do, they simply stop using the box. What’s worse, these kinds of problems may even encourage spraying.

• Medications: Your cat may be on a medication that may cause her to drink more and to urinate more volume, more frequently, or have looser stools. Either of these conditions may cause a cat to need to go before she has time to get to the litter box.

• Infectious disease: The feline leukemia virus, feline immunodeficiency virus, or feline infection peritonitis may make a cat sick enough so that the litter box ceases to be a priority.

• Noninfectious disease: Untreated diabetes can lead to an increase in the amount of urine a cat produces. In fact, more frequent urination is a symptom that veterinarians ask about when they suspect the disease. Hyperthyroidism, a disease of older cats cause by an overactive thyroid gland, also increases urine production.

• Old-age-related causes: Some cats may become a little senile as they age, so they’re not as particular about where they go. Other cats may have arthritis, making it difficult to climb in and out of a box or to access a box on a different floor of your house.

• Constipation: Stools that are difficult to pass or cannot be passed cause a great deal of discomfort, which she tries to relieve by straining to pass the stool. The result can be something that looks like diarrhea – a soft substance produced by frequent efforts to pass the stool.

• Diarrhea: Loose stools can be a problem, too, making it difficult for a cat to “hold it” until she gets to the litter box. Diarrhea is a symptom, however. The causes can vary, especially in long-term cases.

Correct diagnosis and proper treatment alone may take care of a problem with inappropriate eliminations, but not always. The cat who learned to associate the litter box with discomfort, for example, or the cat who learned it’s just as easy to go on the rug will need retraining – after the medical problem has been resolved.

► Click here to discover how you can make your cat enjoy the location of her litterbox