"Cat Health: Litter Training ABC's"
One of the most daunting tasks that you have as a cat owner is litter-training them. You would not want them to soil your bed sheet or wet your favorite furniture.
In litter-training your pet cat, make sure that you start while they are young kittens and they will surely carry this habit as they grow.
Here are the basics on how you can successfully litter-train your cat:
1. Familiarize your cat with the "safe" areas within your house.
You may use crate-training while the cat is young. This is so that they will not roam around the house freely when they are not properly trained yet.
By giving them free rein on every area or room in your house, you will let your pet think that they can litter everywhere.
For starters, familiarize you cat with the areas around the house where they can roam around. Then start introducing the area where the litter box is located.
As a pet owner, you would basically have an idea of when your cat will eliminate.
The most likely times are after feeding, when they wake up and after going outside and walking.
2. Feed them on a regular basis.
Feeding your cat on a regular basis would help maintain a schedule of some sort within their system. After feeding, try to entice them to go to the area where the litter box is located.
Play with them for some time and once they are about to eliminate, the litter box is easily within reach.
Doing this on a regular basis would more or less train your cat of the proper place to soil or urinate.
When your cat takes a catnap, place her near a litter box after waking. Make sure that you muster encouraging words and stroke the coat to soothe her.
This is also your way of showing your cat that you are pleased about what she is doing.
3. Clean the litter box.
Cats are very tidy creatures. If they see or feel that the litter box is dirty, they will not want to go there.
These are some ways to keep the litter box clean and train your cat to use it:
-Your cat would not use a litter box that smells bad. After your cat has used the litter box, make sure that it is cleaned for the next time that your pet needs to use it.
-Discard the old litter immediately after use. Rinse the litter box with water.
You can add some lemon juice or vinegar to remove the smell of urine. This would make the litter box clean and pleasant smelling to your cat.
-Place the litter box in an area that is easily accessible to your cat. If you assign one room for them, you may place the litter box at the opposite end of their sleeping area.
Always supply your cat with clean water to drink, this may also be placed near the litter box so that they can urinate there after drinking.
-If you have more than one cat, place several litter boxes in strategic areas.
4. If your cat suddenly stops using the litter box, it may be caused by stress.
Cats will react to stress by urinating or soiling your favorite piece of furniture.
There are also physical reasons why your cat will soil your carpet or wet your bed sheet. Your cat may have urinary tract problems that you would not know about.
It is best to consult your veterinarian if your cat suddenly urinates a lot or soils your furniture.
A sudden change in your cats behavior means that you should consult with a professional.
5. Do not associate the litter box with punishment.
You may also use psychology for litter training your cat.
If they litter on your carpet, do not lead them to the litter box after the fact.
If you do this, the litter box would serve as their punishment and it will be very hard for you to get them to use it again.
Do not scold your pet because they cannot help it if they have not been suitably house-broken yet.
Praise your cat and shower them with a lot of affection for each time that they use the litter box.
With enough time and patience, you can learn to litter-train your pet cat and succeed while doing so.
