All you need to know about Cat Litter boxes

Simple tips to promote desirable toilet training for cats.

Image Credit -www.petfinder.com

Cats love litter boxes that are easily accessible!

Cats very naturally get drawn to a litter box, there’s simply no need to teach or tell a cat where to relieve itself. In fact placing it forcefully in the box may frighten her wanting to ignore facing the object in future. Let instincts take over and you would be gladdened to see a naturally obedient pet cat. It’s important to decide a suitable location for the litter box so that the cat or kitten can conveniently get into it.

A spot that offers some amount of privacy will surely be preferred by your pet. Avoid noisy areas where there is frequent activity in the house by the people inhabiting it. Also place the litter box away from heat causing domestic devices such as refrigerators, heaters, etc as the heat radiated can intensify the box’s odor resulting in the cat evading the overly smelly spot.

Another point that needs to be brought to light is that a cat does not prefer it’s so called toilet to be placed close to its food and drinking water. The smell of waste is not compatible with fresh food.

Also placing more than one litter box in the house helps a great deal. Place one or two on each floor in case you live in a duplex or a multi-storied abode. This way no matter which corner of your home the pet is unwinding it will have constant access to its bathroom to do its business. Having more than one box on each level also helps when you own more than one cat.

Owners may get tempted to place the litter box at a secluded spot to keep away bad odor or litter from spreading in the whole house. But make certain you choose the above pointers for designating ideal locations to the litter boxes.

Image Credit -www.petcha.com

Clean the box daily, the scooping routine really helps!

A cat’s olfaction is overwhelmingly powerful leading it to detect smells humans cannot fathom. A litter box that hasn’t been cleaned properly in days results in an unwelcome stench your cat will want to stay away from. Don’t be surprised if the cat ends up messing your house in a manner not intended by the owner.

Dig up the fecal matter using a cat litter scoop two times each day.

A clumping litter must be changed within a period of two weeks or earlier depending upon the intensity of smell or if the majority of litter is soaked.

Empty the box and clean with an ammonia free detergent before filling in fresh litter. Exert caution while using any cleaning agent that may be poisonous to the pet. Fragrances such as citrus oils in soap may also put off the feline.

Strictly avoid using perfumed litter to block odors as these smells can prevent the cat from even going near the box. Placing a room freshener near its toilet also produces the same undesirable effect.

What type of CAT LITTER to choose?

There are primarily two broad categories namely clumping litter and non-clumping litter.

It is important to pick a variety that is characterized by smooth grains that are in no way harsh on the paw pads of the feline and to an extent help in masking bad odor, though the latter shouldn’t necessarily be the main criterion for selection.

Then there are the eco friendly options that are biodegradable made from pine-wood, recycled paper (newspaper), corn and wheat grain. These eco friendly alternatives are extremely safe for cats of all ages and the best part is this type can be turned into manure or simply flushed for the purpose of cleaning.

Talking about silica cat litter that is made up of sodium silicate pellets of a fairly large size come with a strong absorbent quality, hence favored by cat owners. Also another plus is that it produces little to moderate dust. Usually a fresh fill up may last a fortnight.
How effective is a covered box?

Well not such a good choice after all!

Instead use Hygienic Cat Toilets but check for sufficient height and head room for cat before purchasing one.

Covered cat litter boxes don’t provide the desired space your pet would need to relive itself. The enclosure may be an uncomfortable one not permitting the feline to scratch, plow and move about, eventually ditching it.

Secondly, if not scooped or cleaned everyday, they get way too smelly for the cat; the trapping mechanism will keep the unpleasant smell from reaching the owner but will be extremely unbearable to the cat. As discussed earlier, felines are gifted with excellent sensory perceptions including the strong sense of smell, hence magnifying the bad odors for them.

Slack cleaning procedures don’t go down well with a covered box. In fact twice daily scooping and regular cleaning is deemed necessary with a hooded box.

Lastly a covered box conceals vital health related signs pertaining to the pet that a cat owner must be fully aware of such as loose motions, or if the cat is passing comparatively less or more than usual urine.

How much litter is to be placed in a box?

Coat the box with litter till a height of about two inches or so. Also some felines like a glossy plane with a lesser amount of litter. Caretakers mustn’t overload the box on the pretext of lesser clean up.

If your furry feline begins to evade its toilet/toilets then there could be a deeper problem to the situation at hand. Consulting a veterinarian becomes the need of the hour as one cannot rule out the chances of illnesses. In case the cat is not diagnosed with any medical ailment it would be wise to talk to an expert who has closely worked upon cats and corrected inappropriate behavioural problems.

Sometimes examining and modifying the location or cleanliness levels of litter box is all that is required to redevelop ideal bathroom habits in the cat.

Article Resource Box:

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/preventing_litter_box_problems.html?referrer=https://www.google.co.in/

http://www.catnutrition.org/litterbox.html

http://www.pet-happy.com/silica-cat-litter-review/