Cat Behavior: Cat Litter Box Problems

Cat litter box problems are one of the most common cat behavioral problems most owners encounter. It is a very frustrating experience for an owner to come home to find that their bed or couch is soaked in cat urine. Fortunately there are some simple steps you can take to get the situation back under control.

First of all cats can stop using the litter box for any number of reasons. The cause could be behavioral or medical. Some medical causes of a cat not using the litter box could be feline lower urinary tract syndrome and a lower urinary tract infection. You need to seek your veterinarian’s medical expertise if you suspect one of these.

There can be many possible behavioral reasons for having cat litter box problems. Some of these can be quite complicated, while others will become quite obvious to you after little investigation.

The obvious reasons why a cat stopped using the litter box is maybe someone closed the door to where the litter box was and now the cat does not have access to that area. Another obvious reason could be that the litter box was placed in a noisy area near a washer or clothes dryer.

Other more complicated reasons for a cat not using the litter box include stress. This stress could be from a new family member, a visitor, or a change in the house hold routine.
Cat litter box problems can have easy solutions. If you think the problem is more involved it is best to seek a veterinarian who has knowledge of cat behavior.

Luke Blaise

Investigating Litter Box Issues

When a cat stops using the litter box and starts using your bed or couch it becomes a very frustrating experience for the cat owner. By taking some simple steps to investigate the litter box issue you might find an easy solution.

Cats can stop using the litter box for any number of reasons. Some are health related and some can be pure behavioral, and some can be neither.

Forget the litter box all together by training your cat to use the toilet!

One of the most common reasons for a cat to stop using the litter box might be due to a urinary tract infection. Signs of this might be frequent urination, straining to urinate, or blood in the urine. If your cat is showing these signs you should seek veterinarian assistance.

If your cat has a really sudden behavior change and stops using the litter also seek veterinary help because this might be due to a hormonal problem.

If your cat is older, your litter box might have sides that are too high for your cat to jump in and out of the litter box comfortably. If you have large heavy cat your litter box might be too small for it. There can be many simple reasons why your cat has stopped using the litter box, you just have to try and do some problem solving.

Some other simple reasons why your cat might have stopped using the litter box is because it was placed near a loud washing machine, or maybe the door to the room where the litter box is was accidentally closed.

By taking the time to investigate litter box problems you might find that there is a simple solution. If you need help ask your veterinarian for assistance.

Luke

Where is Your Cat Litter Box

When people try and tell me about why their cat is having behavior problems and not using the litter box, do you know what the first question I ask them is?

Where is your litter box!

This might seem overly simple to some of you but for many people the concept is lost.

They will put their litter boxes next to loud washing machines or driers and wonder why their cat is not using the litter box.

Another not so common problem is someone in the house simply closed the door to the room that contains the litter box. This of course prevents the cat from using the litter box.

For most people if I can't help them I recommend this book on cats: Cat Behavior Problems.

It is a great read and comes with a 60 day money back guarantee if the people I recommend it to don't like it.

I look forward to your comments.

Thanks,

Luke

Stopping Bad Cat Behavior In Its Tracks

Correcting bad cat behavior is bad enough, but when you are starting to try and correct it after several months it can be even harder.

Many people email me asking me about cat behavior and they usually state that a certain behavior has been going on for a couple of months.

One thing to be aware of is that conditioning takes time. It took time for your cat to become conditioned to bad cat behavior, and it will take time to condition him for good cat behavior.

This concept is expanded on further by Dr. Chris in his book Solutions to Cat Behavior Problems.

People I email are often disappointed when they find out how much hard work is ahead of them.

The main thing when conditioning animals or people to how you want them to behave is consistency.

Consistency cannot be stressed enough when it come to trying to change bad cat behaviour.

So if you are trying to change your cat's behaviour, do it early and consistently.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Luke