Why Is My Cat Not Using the Litter Box Anymore?
For cat lovers, cats should be the cutest existence in the world, but the process of raising cats is not always so pleasant, and cats also have some headaches!
That is, cats do not excrete in the litter box, but in clean places such as beds, sofas, floors, kitchens, and bathroom floors, but refuse to use the litter box.
As we all know, the smell of cat excrement is very bad, even the cat itself can not stand the smell, so they will use cat litter or sand to bury them. So under normal circumstances, cats will definitely not excrete outside the litter box, so there must be some problems to cause this situation!
Based on my past experience, I will summarize the following 5 possible reasons why cats refuse to use the litter box. If your cat has the same problem, for the sake of a fresh and smelly living environment, hurry up and take action!
1. You have not trained your cat how to use the litter box
Many people have the impression that all cats are born knowing how to use the litter box, but in fact, this is just an illusion, because most of the cats we usually encounter are trained pet cats. And most stray cats in the wild will not poop or pee in front of people.
If the cat is a kitten that has only arrived at home for a month or two, or a stray cat that has not used a litter box before, then it is actually normal that your cat doesn't use the litter box!
This situation is not difficult to solve, as long as the cat is taught to use the litter box, pay attention to the teaching from the kitten is the fastest! People look for a place to go to the toilet by their eyes, but cats rely on an extremely sensitive sense of smell to distinguish by smell. There is something called urine inducing spray, that is, the pheromones contained in the cat's urine are sprayed in one place, and then the cat will come here to excrete by itself.
Or you put the cat in the litter box after the cat has eaten, and then wait for it to finish excreting, insisting on this for about a week, and the cat will recognize and remember this place.
2. You didn't clean up the cat litter in time
Some people are used to pouring a lot of cat litter into the litter box at a time, and then cleaning the litter box once for several days, which is also related to personal habits and work intensity, but if the cat is in a very dirty litter box, it is resistant!
Cats are actually an animal with a strong cleanliness, so if the litter box is particularly dirty and you don't clean the litter box in time, then the cat will find a place to poop or pee that feels clean, just like the places we mentioned above.
For such a situation, you should adjust the amount of cat litter appropriately, if you clean the cat litter once or twice a day, then you only need to pour 2-3 cm thick of cat litter, and clean up all the cat litter inside.
If you find frequent changes of cat litter cumbersome, then Litter Genie's cat litter disposal system may be helpful.
3. Cat litter and litter boxes are not suitable
If you've ruled out the above two reasons, another key reason is that the litter or litter box you chose is not suitable.
When choosing cat litter, you can't just look at the price, the most important thing is to see which kind of cat litter your cat likes the most, and choose the cat litter it likes according to its preferences, so as to avoid the situation that the cat doesn't use the litter box because it hates the cat litter.
If you have a kitten, if the outer edge of the litter box is too high for the cat to climb into properly, then it may not use the litter box.
There are also some people who choose to buy a litter box with a lid, feeling that it is so concealed and the smell is small, but if you blindly replace the litter box, the cat cannot adapt to it, cannot find the entrance to enter, then it will excrete outside.
4. Cats are often disturbed when excreting
Another relatively rare reason is that people often stare at or disturb cats when they use the litter box. The cat is a particularly insecure animal, especially when it cannot move, if the person does this, the cat will feel insulted or stimulated!
I believe you didn't mean to... The best solution to this situation is to put the cat's litter box in a place where the cat feels safe, and then don't disturb the cat. I believe you don't like other people to come in and out and be disturbed when you go to the toilet, right?
In addition to these 4 reasons, it is also possible that the cat is sick, such as the cat's bladder inflammation, urinary tract infection, bladder stones and other problems can cause the cat to urinate pain, so at this time the cat will also avoid this pain by refusing to go to the litter box. At this time, it is better to see a vet as soon as possible.