Cat Litter Box Training
Cats aren’t born knowing that they have to go to the toilet in a tray full of cat litter, but since their behaviour in this area is very like humans, it isn’t too hard to teach them.
Location
When your cat is eliminating waste she likes a bit of privacy, doesn’t like to be disturbed and will not go in her bedroom, kitchen or dining room. In practice this means don’t place the cat litter tray in plain and open view, don’t place it near anything that makes sudden noises e.g. washing machine, letterbox, fridge or door, and don’t place it near your cat’s sleeping or feeding area.
Going In The Tray
If you are training a kitten, make sure she can climb into the cat litter tray. Some bigger trays have high sides that a kitten could struggle to get over. The last thing you need at this stage is a reason for the kitten to feel uncomfortable about getting to the toilet.
Keep a close eye on the kitten, and when she stops what she was doing to have a scratch and sniff about, pick her up and place her in the cat litter tray.
Give your cat a bit of praise and attention when she has successfully gone to the toilet in the cat litter.
If there is one thing not to do it is punish your kitten for going outside the cat litter tray. You will only succeed in stopping her going in front of you. This could lead to you hunting through cupboards for the source of a nasty smell.
Cleanliness
During initial training it will probably be necessary to remove soiled cat litter from the tray immediately. When your cat is fully trained and comfortable with using the cat litter tray, daily cleaning will suffice.
Clean the tray with warm soapy water and rinse thoroughly to remove the scent of the soap. If this scent isn’t removed, it could disturb your cat enough to start using the carpet instead of the litter tray.
Eventually the cat litter tray will permanently absorb some unpleasant smells. When this happens, replace it.
Mistakes
Sometimes a cat that has been using their litter tray without any problems suddenly goes on the floor. This could be due to a change in the location, surroundings or circumstances of the litter tray.
It could also be due to cat illnesses that affect the urinary or digestive tract such as anal gland disease, coccidiosis, constipation, feline colitis, feline lower urinary tract disease, intestinal parasites or kidney disease. For this reason it is vital to take your cat to the vet if you can’t be absolutely sure it was an environmental change that caused the mistake.
Summary
And that’s basically it. Cats are naturally inclined to use loose material for the toilet so they can throw a bit over what they have just done. Just like humans, they don’t like to leave it lying around for everyone to see. If they could invent a flushing system, they probably would!
If you follow these simple instructions your cat will be happy to use their litter tray within a very short space of time.