Litter Box Use… and Disuse!

Cats are typically fastidious creatures that learn to use the litterbox quickly and well! But through the cat's lifetime there are many ways they can get out of the habit of using the litterbox correctly, causing many problems for themselves and their owners.

In most cases, kittens quickly learn to get in and out of the litterbox and use it correctly as a bathroom. The major obstacles for kittens are can it find the litterbox quickly and get in it easily. Once those problems are solved, many kittens use the litterbox as a playground as well as a bathroom. Never try to scare or discourage the kitten playing in the box, you may inadvertantly discourage the kitten from using the box as a bathroom! When the kitten is playing in the litter and making a mess, do your best to kitten proof the area surrounding the litterbox for quick clean up. Most kittens quickly grow out of playing in the litterbox and move on to better play areas.

Most adult cats reliably use the litterbox.. When an adult cat is having occasional misurinations outside the box, there are many possible reasons. It is best to pay attention to this at the onset rather than let the misuse become an ingrained habit!