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Cats are usually very clean animals and need very little persuasion to use a litter box. Normally if a cat is raised with its mother before being given a new home, it will copy the mother cats’ habits and quite happily use a litter box.

However occasionally problems can occur quite suddenly and your cat may not use the litter box, but rather other areas of your house, which you would rather it not. This is not because the cat is being fussy, there is probably something wrong with your cat which you will have to investigate. A cat that is not litter trained is usually a very unhappy cat. If your cat stops using the litter tray all of a sudden after long term use, or simply refuses to use one, then your cat is trying to communicate something to you.

Problems with adult cats
There are many causes of cats not using the litter box. The litter box could be unsuitable for you cat, you may have a large cat, which means it will not comfortably fit in the litter box, or the sides may be too high for a smaller cat; try changing the litter box to see if this helps the situation. It could also be a sign of sexual maturity; this is more so for male cats as they will mark their scent though out your house, which defines their territory to other cats, the only real way to prevent this is to neuter your cat once it reaches a suitable age. Has there been a large change in the household recently? Often cats hate change, this could be as simple as a rearrange of your furniture to moving to a different house, there is no direct fix for this problem, other than to try and ease your cats worries by surrounding it with familiar things.

A huge problem that many cat owners face with cats that refuse to use a litter box, is the position and the quietness of the area. Cats hate to be disturbed when they are in the litter box, so make sure it is placed away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and children, but make sure the cat has easy access to it. Also avoid placing it near food, cats will not eat where they use the litter box. This is also helpful when you are trying to stop your cat from toileting in other areas of your house, simply place a food bowl in that area and the problem will soon stop.

You could also try providing your cat with two litter boxes, some cats can be incredibly fussy and prefer to urinate and defecate in different places. This however does mean you will have to place the litter boxes in separate areas of the house, make sure all other members of the household are aware of this new place as you could find them accidentally removing the litter box and confusing your cat even more.

If you have two cats and only one litter box, then that might be your problem. Some cats might happily share litter boxes however, most of them will not. They find the smell offensive and refuse to use it. To solve this you will need another litter tray. Don’t place the litter boxes directly next to each other and keep them as clean as you can.

Another big issue with cats not using the litter box is that it has been cleaned. This may sound contradictory, however often the smell of disinfectant will put a cat off. When you’ve cleaned the litter tray make sure that you only use hot water and wipe it dry.  It could even be something as simple as a change in the type of litter you’ve used in the tray, try and stick to one brand. Most cats prefer cat litter that they can scrape around in.

Litter training kittens
If you welcome a kitten into you home, you will normally find that the mother cat has done a very good job litter training and you have litter or no extra work to do. However kittens that have come in from a rescue centre will often not have been trained. A simple way to get started is to show your kitten the litter box, place it in it, and show it how to scrape around. Keep an eye one your kitten around the house, when it starts to bare down with its tail slightly lifted, then quickly pick it up and place it in the litter box. Your kitten will very quickly get the idea that the litter box is where is needs to go, not behind the sofa.

If you are struggling, then try using news paper in the litter tray instead of cat litter. This way, if you can’t get to the litter box in time, you can use a piece of news paper in that room, then put the kitten in the litter box with the newspaper.  Kittens are very quick learners and will often pick up the idea of using the litter box with in a few weeks.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laura_Marsh
http://EzineArticles.com/?Litter-Training-Your-Cat&id=718278

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