Cat Litter Box Issues- “inappropriate elimination,”

Urinating and defecating outside of the litter box, also known as “inappropriate elimination,” is one of the most common reasons for a cat to be relinquished to a shelter or, in some cases, abused. Sadly, in many cases it is the fault of the human in charge of the litter box duties. When someone is asked how often they flush their toilet, the answer is usually, "every time it is used, of course!" We would be disgusted at the thought of anything less and we all know how repulsive 'porta-potties' are and we are not even asked to walk around in that repulsive 'porta-potty' like humans often ask of their cats!

So why do we expect our cats to use dirty litter boxes instead of just going some place else? Humans seem to forget that a cat’s sense of smell is infinitely more sensitive than our own. Add to this the instinctive nature of the cat to be clean and a dirty litter box spells disaster. Think about how a wild cat would handle his bathroom duties. He would not be confined to a 1’ x 2’ 'bathroom.’ He would not choose to walk around in his own waste. He would simply choose another plot of land and that “plot of land” could be behind your sofa or in another area of your home.

Top reasons for a cat to stop using the litter box:

Dirty litter box(es)

Poor choice of litter type (using pellets/crystals/non-clumping litter)

Poor location of litter box(es)

Blocked from the box by a dominant feline housemate

Box size is too small

Too few boxes

Medical problem(s) This should always be a serious consideration. Many medical issues such as diabetes, cystitis and bladder stones can be avoided by feeding canned food not dry food. The increased water content and the decreased carbohydrate content of canned food are healthier for your cat than dry