Sunday, December 09, 2007
Illness or change in environment may cause cat to stop using litter box
Paws & Claws
Jill Bowen has practiced veterinary medicine in England and Texas. She lives in Blacksburg now, and answers local pet owners' questions every week in The Roanoke Times and roanoke.com.
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My 10-year-old cat is an inside/outside cat. She uses a litter box in the basement. About a month ago she started pooping just outside the litter box and urinating just inside the door of the litter box. I keep the box clean daily or at least every other day. I haven’t changed the location of the box or the litter. I bought a new hooded type litter box like the old one, but that didn’t work. I even took the hood off of it to see if that would make a difference, but it didn’t. My vet said something has changed for her to start doing this, but I don’t know what. She does it at late night or early morning when we are asleep. I’ve tried letting her outside before we go to bed to use the bathroom but that hasn’t helped. I’ve heard people say to take her where she poops and show it to her and say “bad cat” or scold her for doing it, but I’m afraid that would make things worse. I don’t want to put her outside at night, especially with it getting cold, but I’m at a loss what to do.
There are several reasons why cats start eliminating outside their litter box. Illness or change in your cat’s environment is the most common cause. Whatever the initial cause, habit and the lingering smell of the soiled area are sufficient to cause the cat to keep on soiling in the same place. Punishment may well make matters worse. She will not associate the punishment with the accident that may have occurred hours before you found it. By scolding her, you will merely increase her stress.
Cats are creatures of habit, and if there has been a change in her environment they can become quite disoriented. I wondered if your cat that is becoming elderly has some physical problems that prevent her from using her box correctly. Arthritis of her spine or back legs could make it painful and difficult to climb into her litter box, as well as to assume the correct posture for elimination. A shallow litter box might help.
Cats are extremely fastidious and usually revert to their normal habits once the reason for the change in habit is removed.
Firstly, thoroughly clean the area in the basement with an enzymatic cleaner that will eliminate any odor. Residual odors encourage cats to use the same area again. Try confining your cat to a small room with her food, water, toys and bed at one end and the litter box at the other. Cats like to eliminate on absorbent surfaces, so make sure that the litter box is the only absorbent surface in the room. The floor should be a non-absorbent surface such as tile, linoleum or wood and cleaned with the enzymatic cleaner if soiled. Allow your cat out of the room under supervision, but confine her in the room at night and when she is left alone.
Some cats that eliminate outside prefer the feel of sand or soil and it is possible that by adding a little soil or sand to the litter that the problem will be solved. Clumping litters are usually more popular than regular litters, as well as being easier to keep clean on a daily basis. Do not use perfumed litter; a cat’s sense of smell is highly developed and odors we find pleasant they find overwhelming. Cats, while liking clean litter, also like to smell themselves. Some cats as they age become cognitively dysfunctional and, like Alzheimer’s patients, become confused. There are drugs available from your veterinarian that may help if this is the problem.
There are several reasons why cats start eliminating outside their litter box. Illness or change in your cat’s environment is the most common cause. Whatever the initial cause, habit and the lingering smell of the soiled area are sufficient to cause the cat to keep on soiling in the same place. Punishment may well make matters worse. She will not associate the punishment with the accident that may have occurred hours before you found it. By scolding her, you will merely increase her stress.
Cats are creatures of habit, and if there has been a change in her environment they can become quite disoriented. I wondered if your cat that is becoming elderly has some physical problems that prevent her from using her box correctly. Arthritis of her spine or back legs could make it painful and difficult to climb into her litter box, as well as to assume the correct posture for elimination. A shallow litter box might help.
Cats are extremely fastidious and usually revert to their normal habits once the reason for the change in habit is removed.
Firstly, thoroughly clean the area in the basement with an enzymatic cleaner that will eliminate any odor. Residual odors encourage cats to use the same area again. Try confining your cat to a small room with her food, water, toys and bed at one end and the litter box at the other. Cats like to eliminate on absorbent surfaces, so make sure that the litter box is the only absorbent surface in the room. The floor should be a non-absorbent surface such as tile, linoleum or wood and cleaned with the enzymatic cleaner if soiled. Allow your cat out of the room under supervision, but confine her in the room at night and when she is left alone.
Some cats that eliminate outside prefer the feel of sand or soil and it is possible that by adding a little soil or sand to the litter that the problem will be solved. Clumping litters are usually more popular than regular litters, as well as being easier to keep clean on a daily basis. Do not use perfumed litter; a cat’s sense of smell is highly developed and odors we find pleasant they find overwhelming. Cats, while liking clean litter, also like to smell themselves. Some cats as they age become cognitively dysfunctional and, like Alzheimer’s patients, become confused. There are drugs available from your veterinarian that may help if this is the problem.
