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Litter box advice from a professional cat behavior consultant.
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I’m scrolling through Reddit tonight and seeing a lot of litter box posts, so here are my quick tips if you’re struggling with litter box issues.

  1. TAKE THE CAT TO THE VET. I don’t care if you “think it’s behavioral.” This is always, always, always the first step.

  2. Where are your boxes located? Are they in a dark corner of the basement? Would you buy a 3-story house where the only bathroom was in the basement? Of course not. You should have one per floor, in a private but not isolated spot. Multiple cats? Issues between cats? Multiple options, spread out is key to allow the cats to have boxes away from each other.

  3. How many boxes do you have? You should have one box per cat, plus at least one extra. Two boxes placed next to each other counts as one box, sorry. Spread those boxes out!! No clumping of resources.

  4. How often do you clean the box? Scoop once a day, minimum, and fully dump the litter and scrub the box with soap and water at least twice a month.

  5. What’s in the box? Unscented, clumping clay litter is what MOST cats prefer. Stay away from pellets or crystals. They can be sharp or unpleasant on cat paws. Depth should be 2-3 inches in general.

  6. What size is the box? It needs to be big enough that your cat can turn in a complete circle without touching any walls. Most commercially made litter boxes are too small. Bigger is better, people.

  7. Covered or uncovered? There are exceptions to every rule, but if you don’t like pooping in a port-a-potty, why would your cat? Covered boxes are statistically cleaned less (out of sight out of mind) and retain stink inside. They’re also almost always too small.

If your cat is peeing/pooping right next to the box, it’s probably a problem with the box.

If your cat has one preferred pee spot not near the box, it’s probably location.

If your cat is peeing on your bed, laundry, or couch, it’s probably stress.

If your cat is peeing everywhere, it’s probably medical.

If your cat is peeing vertically (spraying) on walls, doors, and windows, it’s probably territorial marking.

Also, there are many cat behavior professionals out there (myself included) that handle litter box cases virtually. You can hire them! Many people still do not realize this resource exists.

This has been litter box 101. Thanks for coming to my talk.

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2 years ago