Waking up in the morning to a wet puddle under your foot or a squish in the carpet is never fun. For all of us cat lovers out there, this can happen every once in a while. However, for those of you who are dealing with this situation regularly I have some tips for you.
The most common reason for cats to urinate in places other than the litter box is a cleanliness issue. Cats are very finicky and like things clean. The rule of thumb is scoop your litter box daily and replace litter weekly. Now, this does not mean just top your litter off with fresh litter!! It means remove all of the litter, wash the box out with warm water and soap, and then put in fresh litter. I know some of you out there do the former!
Secondly, have enough litter boxes. The golden rule is to have one more litter box than the number of cats in your household. So, if you have 3 cats.......sorry you need 4 litter boxes (don't hate me).
Cats may also have preferences for types of litter and litter boxes. Some cats like scoopable litter, clay, pine, crystals.....you just have to figure out which one your cat likes. Studies show scoopable litter is preferred by cats specifically Fresh Step. Studies also show that cats prefer large open litter boxes. In addition, cats don't like their litter type changed. This may lead your cat to choose other places to use the restroom. Be consistent with the location of your litter boxes and the type of litter you use.
Lastly, don't forget our older senior/geriatric cats may be painful getting into the litter box due to arthritis. So our older cats should have low walled boxes to make it easier for them.
Dr. Kim Simons
West Boca Veterinary Center
http://www.westbocavet.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment