Protocol For Cats with Elimination Disorder
The steps below are designed to help resolve litter box substrate aversion (where the litter box has become objectionable due to it not being cleaned frequently enough or the cat doesn’t like the litter being used) and location preferences that are commonly experienced by cats with house soiling problems. These steps are intended to help reinforce a cat’s appropriate litter box use. Please remember that the feline social system may also be having an effect on the behavior of a cat that is not using his or her litter box. Please note any social interactions that might be compounding the problem.
• All affected areas must be cleaned and treated with an odor eliminator such as EliminOdor, Equalizer, and Urine-off, which is available at Pet Care Veterinary Hospital.
• After cleaning, cover the previously soiled area with heavy gauge plastic, such as thick painter’s plastic, to both change the tactile sensation for the cat and to prevent further penetration in the event of elimination.
• Use of multiple litter boxes, generally one litter box per cat in the household, up to total of five. These litter boxes should be placed in a variety of locations and be of different styles (open, covered, deep, shallow, big). The size of the litterbox should be 1 ½ times the length of the cat. A 32 qt. plastic storage container also works well as a litterbox.
• Litter should be scooped daily, and most litters should be dumped totally every other day. Scoopable litters are an exception; they should be scooped daily and the litterbox should be totally cleaned every week. Many cats differ in their preference for litter depth. Boxes should be washed weekly and should be replaced yearly; some old boxes can be permeated with scent.
• A variety of litters should be offered to the cat in a variety of box types. If the cat is using soft substances on which to void inappropriately, consider softer litters: number 3 blasting sand, playground sand, shredded newspaper or toweling, sawdust, or wood chips (NOT cedar). Be creative and persistent. Consider trying one of the new trays where urine passes through rocks onto a pad below. Watch the cat and find out what works for her.
• Cats are not trained to litter boxes; this is a behavior that develops as kittens, in the absence of human intervention. Accordingly, we cannot train a cat with an elimination problem to use a litter box; however, she can be encouraged to do so by taking her to the litter box frequently, waiting with her, and praising her whenever she uses the box.
• If the cat is seen to squat outside the box, negative reinforcement, such as startling the cat with a loud noise, may work if the cat is scared in the first 30 – 60 seconds of the onset of the behavior (that includes circling, facial expressions, and digging), and that the scare is sufficient to make the cat aware of the behavior and leave but NOT so loud that the cat is scared to return to the litterbox. Foghorns, water pistols, whistles, and tins of pennies all work with some cats.
• Some cats may need to be confined to a restricted area at first. If you do this, make sure that the cat has the same choice of litter/boxes as above and that you pay lots of attention to the cat during its confinement. If this was a very social cat before hand, confinement has to be arranged to meet the cat’s social needs. If the behavior of the other cats in the household changes when one is isolated, this hints to a social problem that may need to be addressed as part of the theory for the elimination disorder. Access to the rest of the house can be expanded once these cats are using litter boxes appropriately in the confined area. It is important that the expanded access be closely supervised both because of the potential for relapses and because of possible social problems that may not have been previously recognized. Access to other areas of the house should be gradually expanded-don’t give the cat free access to the entire house all at once after 6 weeks of confinement. If the cat has truly learned and demonstrated a preference for a litter or box style, this will generalize to the rest of the house if the re-introductions are gradual. Please remember that the number of boxes still has to be maintained at the increased number and all cleanliness rules still apply.
• Feliway is a feline pheromone that helps cats to be calm in their own environment. It is a natural substance that cats produce and has been manufactured into a spray and a plug-in diffuser. It can often be helpful in cases of inappropriate litterbox habits.
Following these litter box tips will hopefully give you a handle on controlling this frustrating feline behavioral problem. Feel free to call 757.473.0111 with any questions.
