What to Do When Your Cat Won't Use the Litter Tray

There is nothing more frustrating than when your cat decides he no longer wants to use his cat litter box and prefers to soil the carpet instead. Read on for explanations as to why this may be the case and how you can help to resolve the problem. Please bear in mind that the sudden change in behavior may be health related so you should consider taking your cat to the vet for a health check.

The first question you must ask yourself is, are you maintaining the cat litter box regularly enough. Cats are extremely clean animals and will not use a dirty litter box, fact. So if it is a case that the box is not being maintained often enough your kitty will just go and find somewhere else to do the business. Waste should be removed frequently, and if you use clumping cat litter, the clumps should be removed also. If you are out of the house for long periods of time, at work, for example, then consider providing more than one litter box for your cat. The general rule is that you should provide one tray per cat in the household plus a spare one.

You should also ask yourself when the last time you actually cleaned the litter tray was. Whilst this does not need to be a daily occurrence, you should aim to wash the cat litter trays at least once a week. Don't use strong smelling detergents. Whilst this may be pleasing to your nose, it won't be to your cat and may be a reason for him refusing to use it. Bear in mind a cats sense of smell is much stronger than a humans and strong smelling detergents may put him off. Hot soapy water is really all that is required when washing out the litter trays.

Have you changed the type of cat litter that you are using? Many cats will have a preference to types of cat litter, usually the one he has been most used to. So your cat deciding to do the business elsewhere may simply be because you have changed the type of cat litter. As mentioned earlier you should bear in mind that such changes in cat behavior may be a result of underlying health problems, so if you have any concerns you should take your cat to a veterinary surgeon for a health check, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

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