Starting from Scratch

5 Tired of Those Out-of-Box Experiences?

Retraining to the Litter Box

Cats and their litter boxes. Oh, what complicated relationships they truly are. How can a concept that initially seems so simple—get box, fill with litter, cat uses box—go so wrong? Perhaps the fact that a cat uses a litter box is one of the reasons you chose a cat over a dog in the first place. Cats don’t have to be walked, and having a litter box tucked away in the corner is so convenient. So why did your cat long ago decide that the dining room carpet was going to be his new litter box?

I wish the answer to the above question were a simple one. For some of you, the answer will be relatively simple, but for others, you may have to do some serious detective work and be patient as you apply the recommended behavior modification techniques. If your cat just started eliminating outside the box yesterday, it’ll be easier to solve than a problem that has been ongoing for months or even years. If you’re dealing with a long-term problem, though, don’t lose heart. I’ll guide you through the process step-by-step and help you try to unravel the mystery.

The majority of calls my office receives are litter box related. Some concern problems that are easily fixable by making some adjustments to the litter box setup itself. Some are complex and require reading between the lines of the cat’s behavioral history and creating a comprehensive behavior modification plan for the entire family. Then there are the cases in which a problem has been ongoing for years and either the owner or the owner’s spouse is at the breaking point. Those cases require not only an emergency house call but also a realistic total family behavior modification plan. Communication becomes key because all family members need to express their frustrations. How can that innocent-looking litter box tucked away in the corner cause so many problems?

Before we delve into the heart of this chapter, there are two extremely important points that need to be made. First, no matter how convinced you are that your cat’s problem is behavioral, you must have him examined by the veterinarian to rule out any possible underlying medical cause. If your cat is urinating outside the box, this examination must also include a urinalysis, along with any other diagnostic tests your veterinarian recommends. You’d be surprised to learn how many so-called behavior problems are actually due to a medical condition. A cat who is experiencing urinary discomfort due to stones or a bladder infection often urinates in small amounts due to the pain. He may associate the litter box itself with his pain, so he tries going in other places, thus you may find small amounts of urine in various locations around the house. In other cases, a cat who experiences pain upon urination may retain his urine as long as he can until finally he can’t even make it to the box and must void wherever he is.

There are many medical conditions that can contribute to litter box problems, such as chronic renal failure, diabetes, and hyperthyroidism, to name just a few. Medically related litter box issues are not restricted to urinary problems, either. Your cat may be defecating outside the litter box due to constipation, diarrhea, parasites, inflammatory bowel disease, megacolon, and a list of other possibilities. Don’t treat an out-of-box experience as a behavioral problem without first having your cat receive a veterinary checkup. If your veterinarian determines that your cat does have a medical condition, you may still need to do some behavior modification as well. If your cat has developed a negative association with the litter box due to pain, it may be necessary to make some setup adjustments. If your cat has diabetes or chronic renal failure, it may be necessary to create some additional litter box locations for his convenience.

The second important point I need to stress concerns time and expectations. You probably want this problem resolved yesterday, but behavior modification takes time because you’re changing the way your cat is thinking. If you’re living with a cat who has been eliminating outside the box off and on for four years, it isn’t going to be resolved by the end of the day. You have to be willing to put in the work and be patient as your cat takes baby steps in the right direction. What’s important to keep in mind is that you both will be moving in the right direction. The biggest mistakes I see when I do house calls are that (1) cat owners aren’t compliant—they start out strong and then don’t stick with the plan—and (2) cat owners rush through the steps, expecting too much too soon.

Hang in there when it comes to dealing with a litter box problem. If you have a cat who tosses litter over the side, you can solve that quickly, but for those cats who are struggling with litter box problems resulting from layers of underlying issues, you’ll need to take things one step at a time. I’ll do my best to help you help your cat find his way back to the box.

REEVALUATE THE CURRENT SETUP

What we assume cats want

When it comes to the litter box, we often think too much like a human, and that gets our cats in trouble. When you think of a bathroom, you think of the need for privacy and cleanliness, right? Those two factors are pretty important to us, especially those who travel a great deal and have endured more than their share of dirty restrooms.

When it comes to cats, some people go way overboard on the privacy factor, so much so that it takes quite an effort even to track down the box. You may tell yourself that you’re creating all this privacy for your modest cat, but let’s face it, you’ve seen cats eliminate in the neighbor’s front yard with a line of traffic driving by. True, a degree of privacy is important for cats, but some people use that belief as a reason to create an out-of-sight-out-of-mind setup. More often than not, cat owners hide the litter box in an out-of-the-way location because they don’t want to see, smell, or be reminded of the fact that it’s in the house in the first place.

There are other reasons why you might want to have the litter box in a remote location. You may have young children or a dog, and your strategy was to locate the box in a place where they couldn’t get to it. Perhaps you located the box out of the way due to a family member’s allergy. Maybe you just put the box in the only room without carpet to make cleanup easier.

For the most part, though, I find cat owners just take the privacy issue too far and it ends up backfiring. Your first step in figuring out the cause of a litter box problem is to remember where the heck the box is in the first place. Is it too private? Too remote? If so, we’ll work on location strategies later in this chapter.

CATWISE CLUE

Give your cat a comfortable level of privacy by placing the litter box in a quiet, low-traffic area, but not so remote that both the cat and you forget where it’s located.

What your cat really wants you to know

Now that I have you feeling anxious about whether you’ve hidden the litter box too much, I’ll add to that anxiety by bringing up the issue of cleanliness. Whereas I find cat owners are often over-the-top on privacy, they tend to drop the ball when it comes to keeping the box clean. You may think you’re keeping the litter box adequately clean, but as you read through this chapter, I promise you’ll get some eye-opening reality checks. Here’s one for starters. If you can smell the litter box, then it’s not clean enough. I’m not talking about the odor from very recently deposited feces. I’m referring to the general odor that comes from the box as a matter of course. If someone can walk into your home and locate the litter box blindfolded, then we need to talk. A litter box shouldn’t smell like an unflushed toilet.

Why problems occur

Once an underlying medical condition has been ruled out, you’ll need to examine two general areas for litter box problems. One is the litter box itself. The other is environmental factors. By the litter box itself, I’m referring to the cleanliness (or lack of ), litter type, location, number of boxes, and so forth. By environmental factors, I mean the household dynamics. That covers anything that could create stress, from tension between companion cats to a new family member or a move.

When you try to uncover the cause of the behavior problem, remember that it’s not the cat’s fault. Let me repeat that: it’s not the cat’s fault. If you convinced yourself that your cat knows he’s doing wrong or is deliberately misbehaving in order to be spiteful or defiant, banish that thought from your head for good. Your cat doesn’t plan a behavior to be spiteful toward you. His so-called misbehavior is actually a normal response to a problem. Since your cat is a naturally fastidious animal with a strong sense of survival, he wants to use the litter box, but something or someone is making that difficult. If you’ve been living with a litter box problem for a while, it’s not unusual for you and your cat to have developed a tense coexistence, especially if you’ve been viewing his behavior as deliberate. That means that not only will you have to find the true underlying cause for the behavior and work to correct it, but you’ll also have some repair work to do to reestablish that strong bond.

Spraying and indiscriminate urination

Spraying and indiscriminate urination are not the same. If you’ve been unsuccessful in solving your cat’s problem, it may be because you didn’t know there was a difference between the two.

Spraying is usually performed against vertical objects. Indiscriminate urination is usually done on a horizontal surface. Just because you now know they aren’t the same doesn’t mean you can quickly and easily determine which one your cat has been displaying. In some cases, you may have come across a puddle on the carpet, unaware that the urine was actually sprayed on the wall and then dribbled down to the carpet. In addition, not all cats spray against something. A cat may spray on the cat owner’s bed, or spray an object such as an article of clothing lying on the floor. A clue you can use is that sprayed urine usually looks like a line or stream whereas indiscriminate urination tends to look more like a puddle.

It’s important to know the difference because they tend to have different causes.

Causes That May Lead to Spraying

entering unfamiliar territory
sexual announcement
information gathering regarding another cat
a threat or a response to a threat
marking
competition with another cat
victory display

Causes That May Lead to Indiscriminate Urination

a medically related problem
inadequate cleaning of the litter box
aversion to the location of the litter box
aversion to the type of litter used
scented litter additives
use of plastic liners that catch on the cat’s claws during cover-up
dislike of the box type
litter box too small—overcrowding of cats
change in household
change in routine or cat owner’s schedule
abrupt changes in the litter box setup
abrupt changes in food
punishment

BACK TO THE BOX

Products you’ll need

Before we get into the detective work and the behavior modification, you’ll need to be armed with the appropriate type of cleaning products for abolishing urine stain and odor. You can do all kinds of terrific behavior modification, but if you don’t get rid of the urine odor, it may trigger the unwanted behavior again. A cat’s nose is much more sensitive than a human’s, so it takes specialized products made especially for pet urine to clean and neutralize urine odor.

Don’t use ordinary household cleaners on urine stains. While they may eliminate the stain, they don’t effectively eliminate the odor. You need a product that specifically states it neutralizes urine odor. There are several enzymatic products that are designed to clean and neutralize pet-related stains and odors. Some are better than others. You may have to do some trial and error to find the product that works best for you. Different products have different instructions, so make sure you read labels carefully to ensure an effective outcome. For cat urine, a product I especially like is Urine-Off. I have found it to be effective on virtually any surface. It’s available through veterinarians and on the manufacturer’s Web site (see the appendix for the manufacturer’s information). Other good products include Nature’s Miracle and Folex, but these are just a few of the many available. Just make sure that whatever you use claims to neutralize urine odor through enzymatic action. Older stains and areas of repeated soiling will need a deeper cleaning, and in some cases you may need to rip out soiled carpet and start fresh.

You’ll also need a black light to help locate all the urine stains. This is a special light that causes the urine to fluoresce, or glow. You can find these lights at pet supply stores, in mail-order catalogs, and online. They come in several sizes and are extremely helpful in pinpointing exactly where you need to clean. Urine-Off sells a black light by itself and also in a set with the stain/odor remover. Nature’s Miracle and Stink-Finder are two other good ones.

When you shop for the black light and cleaner, get a roll of painter’s tape as well. This will be used to outline where you have to clean. Darken the room, shine the black light, and outline the fluorescing urine stain with the tape. When you turn the room light on again and the urine stain is no longer visible, you’ll know exactly how much of the area needs to be treated. The reason I use painter’s tape instead of other tape is because it won’t leave a residue and removes easily.

Prepare yourself for a shock when you first start using the black light, especially if your cat has been a sprayer for quite a while. Go through the whole house and don’t overlook furniture, walls, cabinets, or clothing in closets.

Another product that I’ve found very useful is Feliway spray and Feliway Comfort Zone diffuser. You can read more specifically about Feliway in chapter 2. It was originally created to aid in behavior modification for spraying problems. After the urine-mark is cleaned with plain water, Feliway covers the urine smell with cat-friendly facial pheromones. You can use the spray version on vertical objects that have been urine-sprayed. If you’re going to use it on these areas, don’t clean the area with anything other than plain water. Other products, including enzymatic cleaners, will deactivate the pheromones. Use your enzymatic cleaner on carpets, floors, and other horizontal surfaces, and use Feliway on vertical objects. Feliway has specific instructions, so follow them carefully in terms of how much to use and how often.

The Feliway Comfort Zone diffuser can be used in place of or in addition to the spray. I tell clients to use the diffuser if the urine-spraying is happening in many areas of a room.

Spraying

If your cat is intact, his hormones are driving him to spray. Neutering an intact cat will, in almost all cases, correct the problem. If your intact cat has been spraying for a long time, you may still have to incorporate behavior modification because this has become a longstanding habit. Once an intact cat is neutered, it takes about a month for the hormone levels to decline. Some undesirable behavior may still occur in the meantime.

Depending on how long this has been going on, you may be feeling optimistic or extremely skeptical. The key here will be to create a more secure environment from your cat’s point of view. If your previous approach involved cleaning up the urine and adding a litter box to the spot, then you missed a major need that the cat has. For him to spray, it means something or someone is triggering a reaction, and you have to create an atmosphere in which that is no longer happening. That takes good sleuthing.

Spraying is so misunderstood by people. All too often, the cat owner assumes the cat is merely marking territory. It also surprises people to learn that spraying is not just limited to males. Females will also display this not-so-pleasant behavior. Spraying, as you saw from the above list, can have many causes. A high-ranking cat in a multicat home may spray various areas around the house to remind everyone of how far-reaching his domain goes. A cat may spray when a new cat is brought into the home as a way of seeing what kind of response he gets to that covertly placed threat. A new cat may spray when entering a new territory as a way to show he isn’t someone to mess with, or he’ll spray as a way of seeing how much of an opponent he’ll have to deal with. He may be trying to see if he gets a counterspray in response. The urine-mark tells the sniffing cat much about the spraying cat. He can tell how recent or old the mark is, the general status of the cat, and the sex of the cat. This is a way for cats to safely learn about each other without risking a physical confrontation. So even though having a cat spray is certainly not an enjoyable experience from the cat owner’s point of view, it’s important for you to put in perspective how and why it’s important for cat-to-cat communication. A better understanding of what your cat may be reacting to will shed light on how to solve the problem.

Start by looking at where your cat has sprayed. The location itself will provide very valuable clues. If the spraying is done under or against a window, there’s a good chance your cat is feeling threatened by the appearance of a cat in the yard or on the street. If the sprayed area is confined to just one window or a series of windows that overlook the same area, that means there’s an excellent chance that uninvited feline guests have been showing up. If you put an outside bird feeder by the window for your cat’s viewing pleasure, it may, unfortunately, also be attracting the neighbor’s outdoor cat.

Spraying can be a result of something new in the environment or even the environment itself being unfamiliar. Your cat may have a history of reacting strongly to unfamiliarity by spraying when new items are brought into the home, such as a new piece of furniture.

If your cat is spraying due to a move to a new home, he’s probably completely overwhelmed by the loss of his comfortable, familiar surroundings. Keep in mind that spraying is a normal behavior for a cat who feels threatened or is trying to find out more information. Even though it’s very upsetting to have your cat spraying in your brand-new home, he’s not doing it to be bad—he’s trying to figure things out.

Spraying is more often a problem when more than one cat share a single environment. It can be something that happens from the moment they’re first aware of each other’s presence or it can be something that suddenly happens after years of living together. It’s especially frustrating when cats who have always gotten along suddenly begin spraying.

It can be tricky just to figure out which cat is the sprayer. If you’ve tried to catch a cat in the act but have been unsuccessful and feel clueless as to who might be behind the behavior, there’s a method you can use. Ask your veterinarian to make up some fluorescein capsules. This harmless ophthalmic dye will cause the urine to fluoresce brightly under black light in some cats. Fluorescein is normally used to check for abrasions on the surface of the eye or blocked tear ducts, but it sometimes works in this secondary function and is harmless for your cat to swallow. There can also be a large difference in how much a specific cat’s urine may fluoresce. The pH of the urine as well as the concentration can affect the degree of fluorescence. This method isn’t foolproof. Your veterinarian can create the right-sized capsule with the appropriate amount for your cat. You give the fluorescein to the cat you most suspect is the sprayer. After a few days, if there’s no evidence of the fluorescein-treated urine, you can then give it to the next likely cat. Any urine will normally fluoresce, but the fluorescein-treated urine often is a very bright yellow-green. It’s important to be able to tell the difference between the treated urine and normal, untreated urine. Check multiple areas because you’ll come across at least one old urine spot for comparison. Become familiar with the difference, but if you’re still unsure, ask your veterinarian for guidance.

A more reliable method of determining which cat is spraying is to set up a video camera, or “nanny cam.” This will not only identify the cat, it will help you see the precise circumstances under which the event occurred. Nanny cams are widely available and relatively inexpensive.

You may find yourself in a situation in which more than one cat is doing the spraying. That’s when feline communication takes human frustration to a whole new level. A mistake some people make is to quickly assume they know which cat is doing the spraying and why. Don’t be in a rush to cut short your detective work in a multicat household unless you’ve witnessed the cat in the act or have used the fluorescein. And even that doesn’t mean the other cat isn’t spraying as well. It isn’t correct to assume that only a high-ranking cat will spray to mark territory. Both confident and nonconfident cats can spray. As you saw in the list on causes for spraying, it can be anything from a victory display by a high-ranking cat to an attempt at covert aggression by a low-ranking, nonconfident cat.

When you get into detective mode, you’ll find yourself picking up on things you previously didn’t pay attention to. Here’s an example: a spraying episode may happen after a stare-down or posturing by two cats. The less confident cat may then spray after the two have separated. The less confident cat may even spray horizontally instead of vertically because a vertical spray mark appears to be more of a challenge. The less confident cat may know he doesn’t have what it takes to back up his threat, so he sprays horizontally. The behavior modification needed will work on elevating his confidence and creating enough security in his environment. The confidence boosting doesn’t mean trying to raise his status over the other, more confident cat. You don’t want to interfere in any ranking the cats have developed naturally. You just want all cats to feel comfortable where they are so that no one feels threatened.

Another relatively common example of spraying is when a new person moves into the house, such as a new spouse. Suddenly the cat is faced with a truckload of items in his territory that contain this person’s scent, as well as the person, who may have taken the cat’s favorite spot—sleeping next to his cat owner. This is not a good way to start out a marriage. The spraying may also occur with the arrival of a new baby. The behavior may begin long before the baby even makes an appearance. Spraying could happen during the preparation of the nursery. It’s not based on jealousy, as some people mistakenly assume, but rather on confusion over the changes in his territory. The cat doesn’t understand the abrupt changes taking place in his environment.

Again, look at where the cat is spraying because clues will be found in the choice of location. For example, a cat may be spraying in a hallway that leads to the litter box or a coveted area of the home, such as the cat owner’s bedroom. That may be one cat’s communication to another that this part of the home is off-limits.

A cat who is both indoor and outdoor may spray upon returning inside. The outdoor environment isn’t one he can control as easily as his indoor home, and he’s faced with many unfamiliar and ever-changing animal scents. He may encounter a rougher, tougher cat in the outdoors and is afraid of a confrontation. Upon returning indoors he may spray as his form of covert aggression or as a way of marking the perimeter of his well-established territory. A more confident cat may spray upon returning inside as the exclamation point to his confrontation victory or to further mark the line at which the unfamiliar cat had better not cross.

When you’re faced with a cat who sprays, as hard as it might seem, look beyond the act itself. Pay attention to the environment, other pets or people in the home, what took place before the incident, and, most important, look at it from your cat’s point of view.

CATWISE CAUTION

Never rub your cat’s nose in his urine or feces. This method, which, sadly, is used by too many people, is completely counterproductive. Your attempt at showing your cat that his location choice was inappropriate actually sends the message that elimination in itself is bad. He’ll be so confused by your actions that he may actually be too frightened to return to the litter box for fear of being reprimanded again. Rubbing a cat’s nose in his waste is inhumane and cruel.
Delayed reprimands also are completely counterproductive. If you come home and find a wet spot on the floor, don’t bring your cat over to it for punishment. He’ll have no idea what you’re trying to communicate other than the fact that he’ll now be afraid of you. Some people justify that ineffective form of reprimand by saying the cat “looks” guilty when brought to the spot. That is a misinterpretation, though, because what the cat is actually feeling is confusion and fear.

Retraining a sprayer

First, clean and neutralize the area(s). If you decide to use Feliway, remember not to use the enzymatic cleaner where you plan on using the pheromone spray product. Otherwise, use the Feliway Comfort Zone diffuser.

Determine who is doing the spraying and the possible cause of it. If you still feel clueless as to why this is happening, or if it has been going on for so long you think it has become a cemented habit, consult your veterinarian. He/she may be able to help you figure out the original cause. If not, you have the option of consulting a certified behavior expert. See the appendix for more information on getting professional help.

If the problem is due to the appearance of an outdoor cat, you’ll find the retraining technique in chapter 8.

If your cat is spraying when new items are brought into the home, such as furniture, follow these steps. If his history indicates that he tends to react by spraying new objects, use that knowledge to prevent it from happening again. Your cat is a territorial creature of habit, so create a comforting familiarity to a new item. If you bring in a new sofa, for example, cover it for a few days with bed sheets that contain your scent. Spray the corners of the sofa with Feliway. An alternative to Feliway is to put a clean sock over your hand and then gently stroke your cat around the face to gather some of his facial pheromones. Then rub the scent-filled sock on the corners of the new sofa. Rub this at the same height as your cat’s nose so he’ll conveniently come across the pheromones when he comes to investigate the new object. If you have more than one cat, you’ll have to use the sock technique with each one. Place the scent from each cat at a slightly different location on the corners of the sofa—don’t go over the same spot. If you “assist” the sofa in taking on the scent of the home, it may help to prevent it from triggering the spraying behavior from your cat.

If the new object is a carpet, gently rub it down with towels or sheets that contain your scent. Also use towels that contain your cat’s scent. In hard-core spraying cases, leave a few scented towels down on the carpet for several days, even up to a week if necessary.

If the cat is spraying your new spouse’s clothing or belongings, you can intermingle his/her clothing with yours in the closet temporarily. Instead of having separate sides, mix the clothes together so that the new person’s clothing takes on a more familiar scent. Shoes and other items normally left at the bottom of the closet should be temporarily put on shelves for now. During the retraining process, be extra mindful to keep closet doors closed and clothes off the floor. Here’s a perfect excuse to tell your partner that he/she has to tidy up more. The relationship between your cat and your new spouse or partner needs improvement in other areas as well if there’s a spraying problem. You’ll find the retraining behavior modification technique for that in chapter 9.

Spraying due to the arrival of a baby requires lots of TLC for both the baby and the cat. A little retraining now will go a long way toward creating a loving relationship between the two that can last a lifetime. Refer to chapter 9 for the technique.

If your cat is spraying due to a move to a new home, there’s an excellent chance he’s totally overwhelmed by the loss of his surroundings. Take a few steps back and reintroduce him to the environment in a less overwhelming manner. Use the information in chapter 2 to create a more secure and inviting environment. Use the interactive play techniques in chapter 3 to distract him and to help ease anxiety. Close off some areas of the home if your cat seems overwhelmed by the enormity of his new environment. Ease him through the transition gradually. If the situation is really bad, take a few steps back and start from scratch. Set up one sanctuary room for him so he can get his bearings and take time to get comfortable with a more realistic amount of space. Then, as he seems more confident, you can gradually reintroduce him to a little more of the home. When he’s in the sanctuary room, go in there often to comfort and play with him. A sanctuary room is not a prison. It should be a space in which your cat can feel safe, secure, and comfortable. Your presence is a valuable part of that security, so take time out to play and interact with your cat.

No matter what the cause of the spraying is, a very important component in retraining is to change the cat’s association with the targeted area. You can do this in several ways. One of the easiest is through playtime. Conduct your interactive play sessions in areas where your cat has sprayed. If it’s an area he has sprayed due to feeling threatened, it may help change his mind-set by having positive experiences there. If you’re dealing with a less confident cat, the use of interactive play sessions in those areas may help boost his confidence. He’ll start to build up a more recent history of fun, hunting, and success in a now nonthreatening environment. In a multicat home, place other cats in another part of the house during these play sessions so nothing triggers the spraying kitty’s negative reactions. If there are multiple targeted areas, do a play session in each area if practical. You don’t have to be in each area every day if there are numerous spots; just set up a schedule of rotation so that every location gets hit—with play, not spray—on a regular basis.

Place a scratching post or corrugated scratching pad in the area where he’s spraying. In combination with the other behavior modification, this may address his need to mark. As you work to lower his stress level, he may be satisfied with marking via scratching instead of spraying. You can also encourage him to mark by rubbing. If there’s a corner nearby, attach a plastic cat self-grooming aid. They act as little plastic combs so the cat can rub, have a little massage, and get rid of some loose hair all in one shot. These cat-corner products are widely available at pet supply stores.

Another common retraining technique involves food. Cats typically don’t eat where they eliminate. They also don’t eat in areas that appear dangerous or threatening. If you free-feed, divide up your cat’s regular daily portion and place a small bowl of dry food in front of each of the targeted areas. If you feed on a schedule, keep feeding your cat where you normally do, but feed a smaller amount. Reserve some food for clicker-training purposes to use in the targeted areas. If you free-feed, you can also do clicker training, but the cat has to be hungry enough to respond to the training, so timing will be important. Follow the directions in chapter 3 to learn clicker-training basics and to get an understanding of why operant conditioning works. Then start doing your clicker-training sessions in the targeted areas. Once you and your cat get the hang of clicker training and you know he’s responsive to it, use it to remind him of the behavior you do want and to keep his mind focused and positive. Once he has learned to respond to a cue from you such as calling his name or issuing the cue of “Come” along with his name, be ready to exercise that when he walks near a previously targeted area and looks as if he may want to spray again. Give the cue calmly and issue it before he backs up to the target. You want to shift his focus before he gets it into his mind that he needs to spray. Issue the cue and, if he responds, immediately click and then reward. This won’t work unless you’ve done the groundwork and your cat has consistently responded to the cues given during training sessions. You can also use the clicker if he goes near a previously targeted area, sniffs, and walks away on his own. When he walks away without spraying, click and reward. Don’t click while he’s sniffing the spot. Click only when he clearly leaves the spot.

CATWISE CAUTION

Never call your cat to come to you for punishment or a reprimand. If you suspect he’s about to spray, don’t yell out his name; instead, use a positive method of distraction such as gently tossing a small toy across his visual field. If you’re too late to distract him and he has already engaged in the behavior, don’t reprimand him—just clean up the spot. He’s already stressed enough, so he doesn’t need you adding more anxiety to the current situation.

If you aren’t using the clicker training, use distraction to refocus your cat if you notice he is approaching a previously sprayed area. If you even suspect he might be considering spraying, calmly distract him by using something positive. Toss a toy so he can hear and see it, but don’t toss it at him. Keep a stash of irresistibly interesting-sounding toys that will cause his focus to shift from negative to positive. Whenever you can trigger the prey-drive or, at the very least, create any amount of curiosity, you’ll get his mind away from what he was originally planning to do. Use the distraction method before the actual spraying begins. If you wait until he starts to spray, you’ll be rewarding the very behavior you don’t want. Timing is everything.

If there are numerous sprayed areas, keep your supply of distracting toys stashed all around. Always put them back in their handy hiding places so they’ll be ready next time. These toys shouldn’t be the same ones you leave out for your cat’s solo playtime. These toys get limited use because they have to remain irresistible to the cat.

In a multicat home, the behavior modification process for spraying also involves retraining how the cats coexist. Refer to chapter 8 for the correct intervention techniques to get your cats to better tolerate one another. You’ll also have to rethink litter box placement. Make sure there are litter boxes scattered throughout the home to accommodate all individually claimed areas. If a cat no longer has to pass into another cat’s area to use the only available litter box, then the sprayer may not feel the need to spray.

CATWISE CAUTION

When a cat sprays, he backs up to the object and sends out a urine stream at a height of approximately eight inches from the ground. Protect all outlets by covering them with the type of outlet covers used for baby-proofing. Any power strips and surge protectors should be concealed inside baby-proofing covers as well or hidden behind furniture. If you have surge protectors or outlets that have large transformers plugged into them, you can find baby-proofing outlet covers specifically made to fit over those large items.

If your indoor/outdoor cat is spraying, I urge you to consider transitioning him to be exclusively indoors. This will reduce the potentially threatening aspects of his environment. He needs the familiarity and security of knowing he’s safe and his territory is his. Indoor transitions aren’t as scary as you may think. Refer to chapter 2 for ways to help your cat enjoy the indoors more than the outdoors.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you work at behavior modification, some target areas are just too hard to resist. If you have a truly hard-core sprayer, you’ll have to use some deterrents along with behavior modification. If the sprayed target isn’t something you can physically remove, then you have a few options to modify it. A plastic carpet runner works well to cover horizontally sprayed areas and even baseboards. Place the carpet runner with the nubby side up to make it less comfortable on the cat’s paws. Use a wide carpet runner so you can bend it to go up over the baseboard of the wall as well as cover the floor or carpet. Painter’s tape can help to hold the carpet runner in place over the baseboard. You can also use a product called Catpaper. It comes in rolls or packs, so you can customize the size you need. Catpaper is an absorbent paper with a nontoxic polyethylene backing. What I like about this product is that urine will be absorbed and won’t soak into carpet or furniture. If you use plain plastic, the urine will just puddle. You can also use Catpaper under the litter box if your cat sometimes overshoots. The product is available at some retail stores and also on the manufacturer’s Web site (refer to the appendix).

Indiscriminate urination

Retraining a cat who urinates outside the litter box involves the same type of detective skills used for retraining a sprayer. You have to get to the true underlying cause.

As mentioned in the beginning of this chapter, have your veterinarian check your cat, including urinalysis and possibly other diagnostic tests as well. You must make sure the behavior problem isn’t the result of a medical condition. The reason I stress this so much is that I have had calls and e-mails from so many people who were absolutely convinced their cats’ litter box problems were completely behavioral. It was only when I insisted that the cats be seen by veterinarians before I would agree to a house call that many cat owners learned the problems were, in fact, medical. Some cats had bladder infections, some had stones, several were hyperthyroid, and a number of the older cats were in chronic renal failure. I had two people call me recently who had grumbled and complained about my insistence on their cats’ getting veterinary exams. One cat owner accused me of getting a kickback from the veterinarian. Both people then called back to apologize and inform me that their cats did have medical conditions. One cat was diagnosed as diabetic; the other was diagnosed with a kidney infection.

Never assume a problem is behavioral until your cat gets a clean bill of health from the veterinarian. To do otherwise can cause your cat tremendous discomfort and may even put his life at risk.

Usually, the first visible sign a cat displays to indicate a possible urinary tract problem is that he’ll eliminate away from the box. This can occur for several reasons. He may experience immediate discomfort as soon as there’s the slightest amount of urine in his bladder, forcing him to void wherever he happens to be at the moment. In such a case, you may notice small drops of urine around. A cat may also try to retain his urine as long as possible due to the pain of urination. Finally, when his bladder can’t hold any more, he urinates before he can make it to the box. In this case, you may find large puddles of urine around the house.

Some cats associate the litter box itself with their pain. They think that if they eliminate somewhere else it won’t hurt. Some avoid the box only for urination, but some cats will develop a total negative association and start refusing to use the box for defecation as well.

Some Signs of Potential Urinary Tract Problems

more frequent trips in and out of the box
staying in the litter box for longer than usual
voiding small amounts of urine
blood in the urine
crying or vocalizing during urination
straining to urinate
urinating outside the litter box
frequent licking of genitals
appearing to be in pain when touched or picked up
change in disposition
decrease in appetite
change in water consumption
change in appearance

When you’re faced with a litter box problem, you have to, like it or not, go to the source, the litter box. If you’ve been dealing with a long-term problem, you may have thought you had created a perfectly adequate litter box setup, but have you really looked at the box lately? I know it’s a place you probably don’t want to spend much time, but your cat’s relationship with his litter box is a very important part of his life, so it needs to be an important part of yours.

How clean do you keep the box? Second question, how clean do you really keep the box? A very common reason for litter box rejection is that it’s just too dirty to use. Your fastidious feline doesn’t want to have to step over mounds of dried feces and clumps of old urine in order to find one tiny granule of clean litter.

Overcrowding is another common cause of litter box rejection. Too many cats having to share too few boxes leads to dirty box conditions as well as potential territorial disputes.

Substrate aversion can lead to litter box rejection. Cats are tactile, and the texture of the litter on their paw pads can drive a cat away from the box if he finds the feel uncomfortable or unfamiliar. This is often seen when a cat owner makes an abrupt change in litter brands and/or types. The substrate aversion can also be due to heavily perfumed litter, dustiness of litter, or litter additives.

The box itself can be the culprit in creating aversion problems. Consider size and type when evaluating the possible cause of your cat’s litter box problem. The box you bought when your cat was a kitten may no longer be comfortable now that he’s an adult, especially if he’s a large or overweight cat. How tall the sides are is a concern for an older cat who may have trouble with arthritis. Type comes into play because it’s not just about a plastic box filled with litter. There are many types of boxes on the market, and the one you thought would be the answer to your dreams may actually have ended up as a nightmare for your cat.

A covered box may seem, in theory, to provide privacy for the cat and convenience for you in terms of litter-scatter reduction and odor control. Actually, it’s often the culprit behind behavior problems because it holds the odor in the box and the litter takes longer to dry. Imagine how distasteful it must be to enter a dirty, dark, damp litter box. The covered box can also be too confining for a big cat. You may have even noticed your cat sticking his head and shoulders out of the box opening while attempting to eliminate. A covered box also makes it more inconvenient for the cat owner to do routine scooping. A cat owner may even forget that the box is in need of scooping since the contents are out of sight, making the box even less desirable to the cat.

The biggest drawback of the covered litter box is that it greatly reduces the cat’s ability to escape. This is most important in multicat homes, but even in a single-cat household your kitty may need more options for a quick escape. The idea of escape from a litter box may sound odd from a human perspective, but this is where your problem-solving success depends on looking at the environment from the cat’s point of view. When your cat is in the process of eliminating, he’s in a very vulnerable position. If ambushed or even just surprised while in the box, a covered box allows for only one way out, right into the face of the opponent. The cover also reduces the cat’s visual field while in the box. Some people have even contributed further to the lack of escape potential by going overboard on privacy. I have seen many covered boxes turned so the entrance faces the wall. Yikes! Not only is the cat trapped in the box, he has zero warning time before a potential ambush. This can even create anxiety or hostility in the approaching cat if he was innocently going toward the litter box and ends up surprised to find it already occupied. The approaching cat may feel backed against the wall—literally.

Other types of boxes than can be unpleasant for the cat are the self-cleaning models and electronic types. The motor on the electronic model may be frightening to a cat approaching the box or one just in the general vicinity. Even though the motor is timed by sensors to clean ten minutes after the cat leaves the box, it can’t detect an approaching cat or one close enough to the box to be affected by the sudden sound. Another downside is that the actual surface area for the litter in the electronic box is not that big. The housing for the motor and the soiled-litter containment compartment make the box look much larger than it actually is. If you have an electronic model and your cat is experiencing a litter box problem, you have to consider that this type of box may not have been a good option for your kitty.

Manual self-cleaning models may be objectionable due to the type of substrate some require or the feel of the plastic grates on the bottom of the box.

Plastic liners, another convenience that is human-oriented, may also be litter box deterrents. A cat digging in the litter may get his claws stuck on the liner. If the liner has holes in it from the cat’s claws, urine can seep underneath instead of being absorbed by the litter. Also, an ill-fitting liner can create folds where urine can pool.

Litter additives intended to mask or absorb litter box odors can be objectionable to cats due to their strong scent or the increased dust they add to the box.

Location aversion is another relatively common cause for litter box rejection. The right litter box in the wrong place will still create anxiety and could result in your cat choosing another elimination location. A litter box too close to the feeding station can drive a cat away due to his survival instincts. Cats eliminate away from the nest and cover their waste to prevent predators from finding them. A litter box close to the feeding station creates all kinds of anxiety and confusion. The cat has no choice but to eat at the feeding station, so he’s forced to choose an alternate elimination area.

Litter boxes in closets, under desks, or wedged into small spaces can trigger anxiety over a lack of not having escape potential, just as with covered boxes. Basements may be too damp, resulting in odor problems. Basement locations also bring into focus the potential problem of stairs. Some cats don’t want to go up and down stairs or have trouble doing so. In a multicat home, stairs can be a site of face-offs and challenges. A lower-ranking cat may not feel confident enough to pass another cat on the stairway.

How cats divide up their turf in the home can influence whether a litter box location is good or bad. If a box is situated in an area that one cat has clearly claimed, another cat may be too intimidated to enter that space.

In an effort to put the litter box as far away from the family living quarters as possible, some people put it in the garage, or maybe the screened-in porch. The garage holds too many dangers for a cat, even if you aren’t using it to house your car. Tools, paint, antifreeze, and other poisonous chemicals are usually stored in there and pose a danger to a curious kitty. If you do go in and out with your car, then it’s over-the-top dangerous because of the risk of hitting your kitty or having a garage door mishap. A screened-in porch puts the cat in a vulnerable position from his perspective because he’s exposed to the unfamiliar scents, sounds, and sights of other animals. Weather and temperature changes can also be deterrents.

Sudden changes in a cat’s life can cause enough stress to translate into litter box problems. Stress is a cat’s big enemy. A stressful situation that may seem minor to a human might be major to a cat. Major life changes, such as a move to a new home, a new marriage, a new baby, death of a family member, divorce, or home renovation are only some of the larger events that can send a cat reeling. Even if the major event occurred a while ago, if your cat has a litter box problem, he could still be struggling with whatever happened. He may have been borderline okay with the new marriage and the sudden permanent addition to his human family, but the move to a new house soon after may have put him over the edge. You may not have been aware that anything was wrong because your cat seemed as affectionate and playful as ever, but the stress showed up somewhere in this cat’s life. Some cats may deal with an overload of stress by overgrooming, hiding, or exhibiting personality or appetite changes. Other cats react by developing an issue with the litter box. You’ve read in this chapter about how important the relationship to the litter box is. You’ve also learned throughout this book how reactive cats can be to change. So it isn’t surprising that stress can easily translate into a feline elimination problem.

Abrupt changes in a cat’s life don’t have to be huge to cause a level of stress that can lead to a litter box problem. A cat can become confused and stressed by an owner’s change in schedule, holiday commotion, an owner’s absence due to a vacation, seemingly minor changes in home decor (carpet, furniture), loud visitors, or changes in food or in litter, among other things. You know your cat and you know if he has had a history of being reactive to events that seem minor to you. That history is your clue that one or more so-called minor events created enough stress to make him feel the litter box was no longer an acceptable place for elimination. You have to do a thoughtful evaluation of how and why particular events may be affecting your cat. I’ll give you a typical example. Your cat may have had an initially bad reaction when you first brought your new baby home. In time, though, he got used to the infant, so you thought everything would be okay. Things may have gone well for many months, but then your child started becoming more mobile. The sight of a crawling baby coming toward your cat may have created renewed stress. A litter box issue may not have occurred at that point, but the stress was building. The litter box issue may have started when the baby became a toddler and found his way to the cat’s box. This goes back to that concept of escape potential. Once the baby was on the move, the issue of escape became front and center in the cat’s mind.

The relationship between companion cats in the home has a huge influence on whether the litter box gets used without incident or not. There may be more going on between your cats than you realize. What looks like play may actually be intimidation. You read about litter box location and the danger of creating a litter box setup that sits right smack in the middle of one cat’s claimed area. One cat casually lounging in the hallway in front of the room leading to the litter box may, in reality, be guarding. What looks to be a relaxed posture to us may send a completely different message to the other cat in the household. Think about how you refer to your cats’ behavior toward each other. Do you always refer to one being the bully or the one who rules the roost? Do you often refer to one as merely tolerating the other? Does one consistently chase the other? These could be clues to the source of the litter box aversion problem.

Retraining an indiscriminater

If lack of cleanliness in the litter box is the issue (be honest with yourself ), it’s time to don your rubber gloves and get to work. Even if you’re pretty sure the box is clean, it’ll improve your chances of successfully solving this problem if the box is extremely inviting.

You may be scooping the box every day, but guess what? That’s not enough. If you use scoopable litter, you should be scooping the box a minimum of twice daily. Get on a schedule of scooping morning and night. Even better, do an extra check midday as well, especially if you know your cat has just visited the box. Because litter scooping is not one of the more pleasant aspects of life with a cat, some people put it off or forget about it until the cats remind them by eliminating on the carpet in the dining room.

If you made the commitment of acquiring a cat, that commitment includes providing for that cat’s needs, pleasant or otherwise. Your cat needs a clean and inviting litter box. I can’t tell you how many cat owners would have saved themselves the cost of my services if they had only been more diligent about cleaning the litter box. If you scoop at least twice a day, the job won’t be so unpleasant because you won’t be facing mounds of waste. Twice-daily scooping is also a valuable diagnostic tool for you. Evidence of diarrhea, constipation, changes in urination amounts, and possible blood in urine may be found more quickly. You’ll also become more familiar with your cat’s normal litter box patterns and habits, so you’ll be more quickly alerted if something doesn’t seem right. If you scoop the litter box only every other day, your cat might have been straining to urinate without success, a potentially fatal problem, and you may have wasted precious time.

CATWISE CAUTION

Don’t place air fresheners or other scented products near the litter box area.

If you use traditional clay litter or a type that doesn’t clump, you still need to check the box and remove soiled litter at least twice a day. Use a large plastic spoon or an unslotted shovel to remove wet litter or solid waste. The more often you keep the litter dry, the less odor you and your cat will have to deal with. It’s also unpleasant for the cat to have to walk over wet litter substrate. It can create enough stress to drive the cat to seek another location for elimination. If you’re using traditional nonclumping clay litter, put a little baking soda in the bottom of the box before putting the litter in to help absorb odor. Don’t overdo the baking soda, though; just a sprinkling in the bottom of the box is all it takes.

When you scoop regularly, you also have to maintain a consistent litter level. Every few days check the level and top the box off with some fresh litter, if necessary. I’ve seen many litter boxes in my time and I’d have to say many people simply don’t put enough litter in the box. Spread a good three-inch layer of litter in there so your cat will have enough to dig and cover a few times during the day. If you can see the bottom of the box, that means urine will just sit there and that puddle will dry to a sticky, smelly mess. Don’t go overboard, though, and put so much litter in the box that your cat thinks he’s eliminating on sand dunes. Establish a comfortable level based on how often your cat goes and how enthusiastic he is about digging and covering.

A cat’s rejection of the box due to lack of cleanliness isn’t limited to the litter. Even though you may faithfully scoop twice a way, the box itself needs to be scrubbed regularly. If you use scoopable litter, a twice monthly washing is probably sufficient. If you don’t use scoopable, you should wash the box weekly.

Scrub the box with a diluted bleach solution. Don’t use ordinary household cleansers. Diluted bleach will work best for killing germs and bacteria. Household cleansers have too much of a lingering scent. When you scrub the box, use the time to check it over for scratches that might harbor bacteria and odor. If the box is badly scratched, it’s time for a replacement. After scrubbing the box, rinse it thoroughly to remove all traces of bleach.

If you think the cause of the litter box rejection could be substrate aversion, think back to when the problem began. Did you switch brands or types of litter? In addition to avoidance of the box altogether, there are some other signs that a cat may not like the substrate in the box. These include perching over the edge of the box while eliminating; keeping the front paws on the lip of the box; refusal to dig and/or cover litter; eliminating near the box but not actually in it. If you can pinpoint the start of the behavior problem to the day the box was filled with a new type or brand of litter or you suspect substrate aversion, there’s a relatively easy way to check your cat’s preferences. Get another litter box and fill it with another brand or type of litter. Set it out near the original box. If your cat chooses the new litter, you’ll have your answer. Some cats may try the new litter initially, but then not use it again, so don’t be too quick to determine his preference based on a one-time usage. Never switch brands by merely putting the new brand into the original box. Even if you think your cat will like it, you don’t want to make such a drastic change. Set out the second box so the choice can be left to the cat.

If you aren’t using scoopable litter, I’d suggest you try it first when setting out your alternate litter box. The scoopable has a soft, sandy texture, which most cats find very comfortable. It resembles the sandy soil they would naturally choose in an outdoor setting, but with better odor control than ordinary outdoor soil or sand. The urine will form a clump that can be scooped up with a litter shovel for disposal. Most scoopable litters can’t be flushed down the toilet, so make sure you read the directions on the package to avoid damaging your plumbing.

If scoopable is what you currently use, try another brand, preferably unscented. You can even put out a third litter box with another type of litter. There are many types of substrates. If you have gone through a few brands of scoopable, try the crystals or the other alternative types. There’s a litter available called Cat Attract that contains certain herbs to attract the cat to use the box. It’s a little more expensive than regular litter, but many of my clients have had terrific success with it. The litter is available at most pet supply stores as well as online. If it’s a substrate issue, your cat will let you know when you’ve found the right litter.

Once you find the substrate your cat prefers, you can discontinue use of the litter from the original box. Do this only if your cat is now using the new litter exclusively. If he’s mostly using the new litter, but occasionally goes in the original box, then do a gradual transition. Start adding a little of the new litter to the old, increasing the ratio of new to old daily so that the changeover is completed in about five days.

For a cat who dislikes any substrate, even Cat Attract, and has eliminated only on flooring, put out a low-sided litter box, lined with a sheet of Catpaper, in the location where he’s currently urinating. If you can’t find a litter box with low enough sides, buy a low plastic storage container, a baking sheet, or a plastic tray. If your cat begins to urinate in it, gradually introduce the smallest amount of litter. Use soft, scoopable litter or Cat Attract. If he accepts that small amount, you can slowly add a little more every so often, and then eventually stop using the Catpaper. When you have worked up to a fair amount of litter, introduce a regular litter box if the low-sided one causes too much litter scatter.

If your cat urinates on throw rugs only and dislikes all brands and types of litter, and even the Catpaper-lined box doesn’t work, get a few cheap throw rugs, cut them up, and place a piece in an empty litter box. Put the box in the targeted location. Remove the piece of rug as it gets soiled and replace it with a fresh one while your cat gets used to being in the litter box. Gradually start to add small amounts of litter onto the rug in the box. It’ll look messy, but you’re doing a slow transition for your cat. Eventually, the litter will cover the rug and you can throw the scrap rug pieces away for good.

Sometimes a cat will eliminate in the soil of indoor potted plants, especially the large floor planters. This can be out of desperation because the litter box is too dirty, or it could be a location issue because the current litter box isn’t in a place where the cat feels comfortable. It can also be a substrate issue because the cat prefers the soft texture of the soil. If your cat has been urinating in the soil, you’ll have to thoroughly replace the old soil with clean soil. Then lay strips of Sticky Paws for Plants across the planter in a tic-tac-toe pattern. This product is available at pet supply stores and online. The Sticky Paws will prevent the cat from being able to walk around on the soil. Another option, if you have very large floor planters and you DO NOT have any children in the home, is to lay large river rocks across the top of the soil. The rocks have to be large enough so that the cat or any dog in the home could not get them in their mouths. The rocks also have to be heavy enough that the cat can’t move them with her paw. Don’t use this method if you have children, though, because of the risk of swallowing small rocks or dropping large ones on fragile toes.

To prevent substrate aversion in the future, don’t make abrupt changes in litter brands or types. Even a subtle change in scent or texture can be enough to upset some cats. Once you find a litter your cat likes, stick with it. If you absolutely have to change brands, do a gradual transition. Add a little of the new litter into the old, slowly increasing the amount. The transition should take place over the course of five days. If your cat is extremely sensitive to any minor change in his life, extend the transition period to seven days.

An outdoor cat who has eliminated only in sand or soil probably won’t care for highly scented litters. Use an unscented scoopable formula if you’re doing a transition to indoor living or if you just want to provide an indoor litter box option for him. If you have an in-and-out cat and you don’t even have a litter box for him, there’s a good chance that’s the cause of any inappropriate elimination issues. It may be more convenient to have him eliminate outdoors, but he needs an indoor option. Inclement weather may make it less than desirable to go outdoors to take care of business. Altercations with other animals may inhibit him as well, as he might dart back indoors while he still has a full bladder. He also needs an indoor box because there are times when he won’t feel well enough to go outdoors. As he ages, being outdoors will be less safe for him, so it’s good to acclimate him to the litter box now.

The box itself may need some modification. If it has a cover, bite the bullet and remove the lid. Let that box see the light! If you’re worried about litter scatter, use a higher-sided box. In our house we use Sterilite plastic storage containers. They come in all sizes and you can find one with higher sides than the traditional litter box. If you have an electronic box or a manual self-cleaning model and you think your cat may be unhappy with it, offer a regular open litter box and see which one your cat prefers.

Check the size of the box to make sure your cat is comfortable in it. A box that’s suitable for a little Cornish Rex may be too tight a squeeze for a large Maine Coon. Again, if a traditional litter box is too small, look for a plastic storage container. Just don’t get one so large that it becomes impossible for you to lift for cleaning.

Location strategies

To address litter box location issues, look at where your cat is currently going for clues about what might be bothering him. This is often how escape potential can be evaluated. I’ve been on many house calls because the cats in question were urinating in the dining room. In many cases, the dining room was relatively unused by the family other than for holidays or family get-togethers. The cat owners were so stumped as to why their cat would choose the dining room, of all places. To me, it was very easy to see the appeal of the dining room. When it comes to not feeling trapped while in the vulnerable position of elimination, a dining room is usually ideal. Much of it has to do with the availability of escape. The dining room is typically an open room with easy visibility for the cat. The cat can see around the legs of the dining table and chairs with ease, whereas other rooms in the house contain view-blocking furniture such as sofas and upholstered chairs. The cat can feel somewhat protected and hidden behind or beneath the dining table yet have a good visual field. This gives the cat more warning time. If he can see his opponent from way down the hall, the less tense he’ll be because he knows he has enough time to escape. Many dining rooms also have more than one entrance. This can be crucial to a cat’s sense of safety in a multicat home in which there’s tension, or in a home with a cat-intimidating dog or child. The cat can more easily watch for his opponent and, should that opponent appear in one doorway, escape out the other doorway.

Of course, inappropriate elimination doesn’t happen only in dining rooms. It can happen anywhere in your home. Consider the example of the dining room, though, and maybe you’ll see a similarity to the area your own cat has chosen. Is he seeking more escape potential? In a particular room, he may be eliminating on the side opposite the entrance. That position may give him more warning time to watch for an opponent. Perhaps he’s eliminating in a family room that has more than one entrance. He might have chosen a spot in the middle of the upstairs hallway so he can dart in either direction or duck into one of the bedrooms for escape. Even if your cat doesn’t live with other pets, he may still feel the need for escape potential. This issue can be addressed simply by making some modifications to the current litter box setup.

First, remove lids from covered boxes. If you don’t currently have a covered box, you may still be reducing escape potential if the box is in a closet, under a desk, or tucked tightly into a corner. In the bathroom, a popular human-chosen litter box location is usually wedged between the toilet and the wall. Bathrooms are the most popular location for litter boxes, but take a second look to be sure your cat isn’t telling you he’d prefer another spot. In some cases, it may just require that you slide the box out from the corner to give the cat more visual warning time. If the box is in a room on the same wall as the entrance, move it to the opposite side so he can see across the room and into the hallway leading to the entrance. Do the move gradually, though, a few inches a day, especially if the room is large. Similarly, boxes that are under desks or in closets should be pulled out a couple of feet. For some cats, just sliding the box twelve inches away from the wall might increase his security level enough.

Escape potential is also a concern for many cats who must pass through a pet door to gain access to the litter box. The cat must commit himself to sticking his head through the flap, and that may mean he’s suddenly met with a paw swipe from another cat lying in wait.

Pet doors are popular with many people who put litter boxes in basements or garages. I have even been on house calls where clients installed pet doors in laundry rooms or (gasp) closets. Bad idea. If you’ve installed the pet door as a way to keep the litter box out of sight, you may have done a big disservice to your cat. If the laundry room is the only acceptable place for the litter box, keep the door open. If that’s absolutely not possible, at the very least permanently attach the pet-door flap in the open position so that the cat can clearly see the room he must walk into. If you have a timid or easily startled cat, keep in mind that the laundry room may not be an ideal location in the first place. The sudden noise of the spin cycle may be too much. If the litter box is currently in a closet with a pet door, it’s time for it to see the light. Think escape and visual warning time.

In order to find out if the pet door and/or the box location is unsatisfactory to your kitty, place another litter box in a more open, escape-friendly location. Keep the original litter box where it is so you won’t be confusing the cat with a disappearing box. If the cat starts using the new box, you’ll have your answer.

Even if you’ve decided that the litter box location is totally wrong, if your idea for a better location is in another room, it’s better to get a second box and put it in the new spot rather than abruptly reposition the original one. An alternative way to do this, if you absolutely don’t want to get an extra box, is to move the current one a couple of inches a day until you reach the ultimate destination. This allows the cat to ease through the transition, and he won’t be frantically searching for the box when his bladder is full. In the case of the original box located too close to the feeding station, put the second box in its new location and slide the original box several feet away from the food at the same time. The sooner you move the box away from the food, the better. You just have to make sure the cat knows where the new box is located.

Turf claims and overcrowding

One of the fastest ways to create a litter box problem is to ask multiple cats to share one box. The double whammy you create here is that the box gets overcrowded and dirty, and one higher-ranking cat may claim the area containing the box as his turf. Many of my new clients are quick to tell me that the current litter box problems can’t possibly be due to overcrowding because they have more litter boxes than cats. Unfortunately, they soon learn that lining up the boxes in one room can negate the advantages of multiple boxes. In a multicat home, you need the same number of boxes as cats and you need to locate them in various spots throughout the house. Consider which areas are most used by each cat to be sure the lower-ranking cats have safe options that don’t require them to cross over into hostile territory. I even advise my clients that when there’s a litter box problem, have more litter boxes than cats. It may seem to be more work at first, but when you really think about it, cleaning an extra box is easier than cleaning urine from your carpet.

If your cat has developed a negative association with the box due to either a medical condition, previous ambushes from other pets, trauma while in the box, or past unclean box conditions, add another box with a different brand and/or type of litter substrate. Sometimes just putting out another box with a different brand of litter is all it takes. Just the fact that it’s not that box may relax your cat enough to venture in.

For a household with young children or dogs, a big part of why you had your original litter box setup may have been to prevent ambushes and to keep curious toddlers or dogs from investigating the contents of the box. Unfortunately, while you may have kept the kids and the dog out, you may have also made it less desirable for the cat. Instead of using covered boxes or hiding them in the most remote and forgotten locations, try an easier solution. Get a baby gate with the plastic crisscross mesh inserts. Size the gate to fit snugly in the doorway. Cut a cat-sized opening in the plastic mesh and then frame the opening with wood or plastic. This creates a permanent opening in the gate similar to a pet door (without the flap). The gate will keep larger creatures out but allow your cat to go in and out with ease and to plainly see anyone on the other side of the gate, so there won’t be any surprises, as there would be with a regular pet door. The gate allows the cat to have his own secure place for the litter box. If you have a medium-or large-sized dog, make the opening in the gate much smaller than the dog’s head so you won’t risk having him get his head stuck in the gate. If your dog is smaller than the cat and will fit through the opening, or if he’s very large and can jump the gate, you have a canine training issue in front of you. Rather than hide the litter box, train the dog. Dogs are very intelligent and they want to please you. Take the time to train the dog that what is beyond the gate is off-limits. Training will help create a better relationship between the cat and dog that’s more relaxed and positive. Clicker training would work very well in helping your dog understand the boundaries. There are several excellent books on clicker training for dogs. If you don’t feel comfortable doing the training yourself or would like personal guidance, consult a qualified dog trainer or certified dog behavior consultant.

Other deposits that occur outside the box

It isn’t always a urination or spraying problem that cat owners face when it comes to litter box issues. Sometimes the deposit consists of solid waste. As with the previous sections on urination and spraying, you must first rule out any underlying medical cause for the behavior. There are numerous medical conditions that can create a bowel movement–related litter box problem, ranging from parasites to serious illnesses. Just because the cat’s stool looks normal doesn’t mean there isn’t something going on internally.

If you have a long-haired cat, he may be having a problem with feces that stick to the fur on his anus or on his bloomers, only to drop off outside the box. If the fecal balls don’t fall off on their own outside the box, the cat may groom to remove them, and they may be found on the carpet or floor near you. Long-haired cats need daily grooming, and the hair on their hindquarters and back legs may need to be trimmed on a regular basis to reduce the risk of having fecal matter tangled or stuck there.

Throughout my years of doing house calls, I have come across many cases in which the problem was due to discomfort or pain during elimination. Constipation is not unusual in cats because of the accumulation of hair ingested during grooming. That discomfort can create a negative association with the box. Diarrhea can also develop into a litter box problem because of pain or the sense of urgency.

When you take your cat to the veterinarian, bring along a fresh stool sample, if available, for analysis. Defecation outside the litter box may be due to internal parasites. By evaluating the stool sample, your veterinarian will be able to determine whether your cat has worms. You may have thought only kittens get worms, but if your cat goes outdoors and hunts, he is still at risk of worms. If he has fleas, there’s also a good chance he has tapeworms. But even if you see worm segments on your cat or in your cat’s stool, don’t use an over-the-counter dewormer. Your veterinarian will prescribe a safe and effective deworming product.

Once the medical possibilities are ruled out, you can start looking at this behaviorally. As with the previous sections, cleanliness plays a big part in whether the box is acceptable. This becomes an even bigger issue for many cats when it comes to bowel movements because of the longer amount of time spent in the box. If you haven’t been keeping up with your cleaning duties, or if you’ve asked too many cats to share too few boxes, it’s time to step up your efforts.

Covered boxes can be very uncomfortable and unpleasant for cats attempting to defecate. Look at the posture for defecation versus urination and you’ll see your cat position himself more upright for BM elimination. This means that any feeling of confinement from the covered box is magnified. That confinement, coupled with the longer length of time the cat must occupy the box, puts him more at risk for a potential ambush or startle. That could be the reason he defecates in other areas. Create an open, safe, clean litter box environment and address location issues as discussed in previous sections.

There are some cats who, no matter how clean you keep the box, won’t defecate in the same box used for urination. Even in a single-cat household, this can be the issue. If you know you’ve been good about scooping and cleaning and have placed the box in the most ideal spot, but your cat is still defecating elsewhere, add a second box near but not too close to the original one. If you give the cat the option of dedicating one box to urination and another to bowel movements, it may just do the trick. How far apart the boxes need to be will depend on your cat’s preference. A few feet apart may do, or they might have to be on opposite sides of the room. In the case of our friend Mr. Grumpypaws, he preferred to have separate boxes for each personal bodily function and the boxes needed to be in separate rooms. If your cat has the same preference, he’ll let you know when you’ve created an acceptable distance. Just keep increasing the distance daily until you notice that he’s using both.

In multicat homes, there are situations in which a cat will mark with feces. This behavior, called middening, is usually seen in an outdoor setting. A cat will leave a pile of feces in the center of a pathway. Fecal marking provides the advantage of being seen at a distance. If one of your cats in your multicat home seems to be leaving feces on display in hallways or in front of the litter box, it may be a case of middening, especially if there’s tension among the companion cats. A fecal deposit in front of the litter box may simply be due to lack of box cleanliness or it could be due to a medical problem, so don’t assume middening without checking off the other issues first.

In the case of middening, you’ll have to work on the relationships between your cats. More litter boxes are needed, more environmental security needs to be created, and lots of behavior modification must be started as described in previous chapters in this book. Has there been a new cat added to the household? Is there a stray cat visible outside? Are two companion cats displaying a new hostility toward each other? Perhaps an upstart cat is vying for the top cat position. It’s time to be a detective again.

If you have no clue as to which cat is doing the marking with feces, there’s a technique some veterinarians suggest. You may be able to do an identification by putting a small amount of shavings from a nontoxic crayon into the food of the most likely suspect. DO NOT do this without checking with your veterinarian first. If he/she advises this method, you’ll be instructed on how much to use.

Toilet training cautions

You may have seen ads for toilet training your cat. They make it sound easy and very appealing. You may even know someone who successfully toilet-trained their cat. Don’t be fooled—it’s a behavior problem waiting to happen.

It’s instinctual in a cat to seek a sandy substrate, dig a hole, eliminate, and then cover waste. Perching on a toilet seat is not a normal behavior for a feline and it has many disadvantages.

First of all, it can be very stressful to put the cat through the training process. You also have to dedicate one toilet for the cat’s use. That means the door must stay open and the toilet lid must remain up—always.

If the cat is constipated or has diarrhea, it can be uncomfortable for him to stay perched on the toilet seat.

I have known of many cats who have slipped and fallen into the toilet. For a healthy adult cat it isn’t fatal (though it is very stressful), but for a young kitty or an old, weak one, it can be. If the fall takes place after the cat has eliminated, you will have a very dirty, stressed-out cat. Are you then going to try to bathe this cat?

If a toilet-related trauma does occur, you stand a very good chance of having the cat become extremely reluctant to want to try perching on that thing again.

If the toilet used by the cat is one that other family members or guests use, they have to comply with keeping the lid up and leaving the door open when they’re through. One slipup can mean trouble for your cat.

If your cat is ever hospitalized or boarded, he’ll be required to use a traditional litter box. This could be confusing for him when he returns back home.

If you’re considering toilet training your cat to bypass current issues with the litter box, it won’t work. You have to solve whatever it is that’s causing the problem. For the time you’ll spend trying to train your cat to use the toilet, you could retrain him back to the litter box with less effort and less stress.