Training a Cat to Use a Litter Box

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     Commonly, cats don't require much care - you don't have to walk your cat, there is no need to take her out every day. Your cat will be happy to play in the house, nap in her favorite sleeping place and playing with her toys. Dogs' training involves quite a long time and patience, while training a cat to use a litter box is much easier.

Why Do Cats Use Litter Boxes

Training a cat to use it is easy because the usage of a litter box resembles the way cats urinate in the wild. Wild cats are usually purchased by predators and they try to hide the smell of their urine in order to hide their location. They do that by covering the urine with sand and dirt.

Commonly, cats get trained to use a this wonderful product after the first time they step into the box because they find the box is a great toilet as it allows them to hide their urine and cover it with the content of it.

Once trained, the cat will continue using the litter box. Some extraordinary circumstances or medical problem may interfere with this habit.

Training Your Cat to Use a Litter Box - Helpful Tips

Generally, no special training is required but cats are different. One cat may start using the litter box immediately, while others may need some more time and attention. Below you can find some training tips that may be useful.

Choose a litter cat box with a correct size. Cat owners should know that the litter box should be larger so that the cat would fit in it and feel comfortable.

?The location of the litter cat box is of great importance, too. The box should not be located on a place with high traffic because the cat needs privacy. In addition, the litter box is not something you would like looking at all the time.

?During the training you should remove items that your cat may decide to use as a litter box. For example, household cats are very appealing for cats. You should remove all plants until your cat is trained to use the litter box.

?In case you catch the cat urinating outside the box, pick your pet and tossed him into the box.

?How Long Does it Take?

We have already mentioned that it is quite easy to train a cat using this product. However, if your training continues more than a month and there are no positive results, you may consult your vet in order to make sure there are no problems and reasons for the cat to refuse using the box. If there are no problems, you may consider consulting a professional animal trainer.

What Should I Do If My Cat Refuses to Use the Litter Box?

If your cat doesn't want to use the litter cat box and you don't want to consult a professional animal trainer, there are some options you can try by yourself. The first thing you may try is changing the litter because your cat may just prefer another type of litter. If this is the problem, changing the litter may help.

Another thing you can try is changing the location of this cat toilet. Your cat may not like the place where it is located and the problem may be solved if you just move the litter cat box.

Some people believe that you can successfully train your cat to use the this solution if you keep the pet confined. In this way you will be able to control the cat's visits to the bathroom. A week or two should be enough period of confinement.

Accidents during the training

There is a possibility of accidents while you train your cat to use a litter pet box. As all cat owners know, the smell of feline urine is really strong but you should never try to remove this scent with the usage of domestic cleaning products. The cat is able to smell the scent even of you can't and your pet will continue using the same spot because of the smell. You should use specially developed cleaners that will remove the smell completely.

Different Types of Litter Boxes

You may consider the type of the product when you train your cat to use it. You can choose between open or domed litter boxes, or you can get a litter cat box that automatically cleans the waste.

If you use an open litter box, you will have to see and smell the contents. Domed boxes come with filters that are very helpful for the elimination of unpleasant smells. Another advantage of domed litter boxes is that you won't see the waste.

Some cats have no special preferences about the type and location of their litter cat boxes, but others enjoy privacy and would be happy to use a domed ones.

If you prefer a litter cat box that automatically scoops waste, you should keep in mind that they are expensive. In addition, some cats can't stand the sound of the motor and the mechanisms. These litter boxes have a sensor that allow them to clean themselves after the cat have used the box.

Changing Litter

After your cat is trained to use the litter box, you may want to change the litter for some reasons. It is recommended to do this gradually so that to avoid the need to train the cat all over again.

You can start by adding small amounts of the new litter and mixing them with the old. Then gradually increase the amount of the new litter and reduce the old one until the box is filled with the new litter.

Many people believe it is very difficult to train a cat to use a litter box, however this is not so. In some case more patience and time may be required but generally this an easy and quick process that doesn't involve a lot of efforts.