Cats Like It Clean!

NOBODY likes cleaning out the litter box.  NOBODY.  Cats like a dirty litter box even less!

I personally believe and have experienced that a one cat household is the happiest.  No, they do not need a playmate.  The cat is dependent on his or her human for affection and play.  Generally they will be a sweeter cat because there is not another to compete with for dominance, domain, or the human's attention.  Yes, I know this first hand and from more than one occasion.  Unfortunately, even I can't stick to my own insight and currently have more than one (this will be the last time that will happen in this house!).

Cats are great 1st pets, senior's pets, only pets, apartment pets, pets for working busy families.  They can be very independent and take care of themselves.  Most don't require as much grooming although many love to be brushed and only truly hairless cats don't shed.  (Just because they have short hair does not mean they shed less but, in many cases, more.)  You can place huge bowls of food and water out for them when you go on vacation and have a friend clean out their litter box....

Oh, litter boxes.  That's what I was going to write about....  Maybe I'll return to discuss more about cats in another post :)

Let's discuss the litter box from your cat's point of view.  You should know that inappropriate elimination is the number one reason that cats are relinquished to a shelter, tossed out, or even abused.  Usually the fault lies with the human that is in charge of litter box duties.  Please do not force your cat to suffer a dirty litter box by designating this responsibility to your children without checking that the job was done on a daily basis.  It is much easier to prevent an inappropriate elimination problem with proper diet and proficient litter box practices than it is to fix once it starts.

Do you know anybody that just loves to use a porta potty?  I didn't think so.  Neither does your cat and yet we allow their litter boxes to frequently reach beyond that point.  Cats have a great sense of smell and it is in their nature to be very clean and want a place they can cover up their waste and not have to walk around in it.  Some are pickier than others but all will start eliminating outside the litter box if it is too small, not clean, or doesn't provide the privacy the cat needs away from other cats in the house.  If your cat is inappropriately eliminating elsewhere this is a list of things to consider changing:

• Dirty litter box
• Poor choice of litter
• Location ~ should be easily accesible, especially if there is a dominate cat blocking a lesser cat
• Too small of a litter box
• Lack of privacy (yes, this is an issue for some cats)
• In a multi-cat household you may need multiple litter boxes available
• MEDICAL ISSUES
• diabetes
• cystitis
• stones
• partial urethral blockage
• urinary tract infection
• incontinence in seniors

Upcoming posts will cover: do's and don't for litter boxes, litter, size, location, my favorite litter box, and whatever else comes to mind.