Content
- Considerations to be taken into account
- My cat still doesn't use the litter box
- What if the cat still doesn't use the litter box?
If it's the first time you're going to welcome a cat into your home, you should familiarize yourself with the fact that this animal is wilder than it might seem, in addition to being captivating, it's also an excellent hunter.
Generally, the use of the sandbox does not need a learning process but a maturation process. From 4 weeks of life onwards, the cat will start using the litter box instinctively since, due to its hunter nature, the cat needs to somehow hide the smell of its feces so that possible "preys" do not detect your presence in the area.
However, this process is not always so simple, so in this PeritoAnimal article we will explain how teach a cat to use the litter box.
Considerations to be taken into account
The type of litter box and its location, as well as the sand used are essential to avoid any problem in using the litter box, let's see how we can facilitate this process of the cat urinating and defecating in the right place:
- The litter box should be big enough for the cat to get around in it, just as it should be deep enough so the sand doesn't come out.
- If your cat is small, you should make sure it can access the litter box without problems.
- Do not place the litter box near the cat's food, but in a calm place, where the cat can have privacy and that, in addition, is always accessible for your pet.
- You must choose a suitable sand, those that are scented are not recommended.
- The location of the sandbox must be final.
- He must remove feces daily and change all the sand once a week, but do not clean the litter box with very strong cleaning products, this will make the cat not want to come near.
My cat still doesn't use the litter box
Sometimes the cat's innate tendency to use the litter box doesn't show, but that shouldn't worry us, we can solve this using simple tricks:
- Once we have located the litter box we should show it to our cat and stir the sand by hand.
- If the cat has urinated or defecated outside its litter box but somewhere that is acceptable and has the same locational conditions as your litter box, a practical and easy solution is to move the litter box.
- If the cat is going to evacuate or urinate in a place that is not suitable, you should gently pick it up and take it quickly to the litter box to associate that this is the place to do so.
- In the first days we should be less strict with the hygiene of the litter box so that the cat can easily detect the smell of your trail and go back to its box.
- In the case of kittens that are not yet going to the litter box alone, they should be placed inside the box when they wake up and after meals, picking up their paw gently and inviting them to dig.
Every time the cat uses the litter box, we must use positive reinforcement rewarding you for your good behavior.
Also read our article on how to get rid of the smell of cat urine.
What if the cat still doesn't use the litter box?
In case you have used the advice mentioned above and the cat still does not use the litter box and it is already over 4 weeks of age (when it starts to develop its instinct), the best thing you can do is consult the veterinarian for the patient to perform a complete examination and be able to rule out the presence of any disease.
We also invite you to continue browsing PeritoAnimal to find out why your cat doesn't use the litter box. Maybe that's how you'll find the answer!
