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In case you’re concerned in regards to the indisputable fact that your cat isn’t using their litter box, you’re not alone. Luckily, our Dear Tabby is here to reply all of your feline questions. Certainly one of our CatTime readers writes:
Dear Tabby,
One or perhaps all of our three cats recently began urinating outside of the litter box. It began after my husband built an elaborate, decorated cabinet for the litter box within the lounge.
Now either one or the entire cats are urinating on the sofas across from the cupboard. What can we do to stop this?
Signed,
Indignant Cats Creating Increasingly Dirty, Evil, Nasty, Terrible Stains
Dear Tabby Has The Answer!
Well, A.C.C.I.D.E.N.T.S., although your recent cabinet could also be lovely to take a look at, it will not be a great litter box housing solution for a lot of reasons.
Cats prefer eliminating in places where they don’t feel they will be ambushed or trapped. They will’t see if other animals are lurking outside the litter box cabinets able to pounce.
Your cats are selecting to urinate on the sofas because these are areas where they feels protected. They’ve an ideal view of the lounge and may see and escape from any potential threats.
One more reason cabinets don’t do well doubling as litter box enclosures is smell. Cats have a highly developed sense of smell, they usually find litter box odors offensive. Even when the litter boxes are scooped day by day, the cupboards retain their odors.
As an alternative of hiding the litter box in the cupboard, place several uncovered litter boxes in several locations throughout your own home. Because you could have three cats, ideally there ought to be 4 litter boxes, one for every cat, plus one extra.
Locate the brand new litter boxes in low-traffic areas where the cats have expansive views of the entire room. Avoid placing litter boxes in closets, behind doors, in cabinets, or in bathrooms due to ambush potential.
Litter box issues are probably the number-one reason cats are surrendered to shelters. It’s also an issue that will be easily fixed with slightly understanding of cat behavior, improving litter box management, and behavior modification.
Has your cat ever stopped using their litter box? How did you solve the issue? Tell us within the comments below!