LITTERBOX PROBLEMS
Ah,
the smell of summer is in the air. Backyard
barbecues, lilacs, fresh mown grass and cat urine. PHEW!! Yes, cat
owners often have to take the bad along with the good. If you're tired of finding wet spots with your bare feet and
stains all over the house, take heart and read on. Here are solutions that can help guide your errant pussycat
in the direction of his litterbox.
Housesoiling
is the most common behavior problem for which cat owners seek my help.
The typical cat's convenient habit of disposing of urine and stool in the
litterbox helps make it a popular indoor pet.
On the other hand, the indiscriminate elimination habits of some cats
have contributed to their demise. It's
very frustrating to live with an otherwise loving, wonderful pet, but have to
cope with the disagreeable problem of housesoiling.
The
number of reasons why a cat might begin eliminating outside its litterbox
seems to be limited only by the pet's imagination.
Uncovering the motivation often takes some real sleuthing.
The first fact you want to
pin down is whether the cat is spraying vertical surfaces with urine or
eliminating inappropriately on horizontal surfaces.
Spraying occurs when a cat backs up to an upright surface and directs a
stream of urine toward it. This is
a marking behavior.
Marking
is likely to occur when the pet feels as if its territory is being invaded, or
if there is something in the pet's life that makes it anxious.
Neighbor cats visiting in the yard or too many cats in the home can
trigger this kind of problem. Spraying
increases from 25% in single-cat households to 100% in households with more than
10 cats. Unneutered males or females in heat are the individuals most likely to
spray, although some neutered cats will
take up this nasty little habit. Studies
have shown that as many as 10% of castrated male cats and 5% of spayed female
cats take up spraying on a frequent basis as adults.
The objects that are commonly sprayed include doors, walls by doors or
windows, new objects in the house, and furniture. One owner sought my help because the cat was spraying the new
roommate, much to her dismay.
The
tendency to spray is influenced by factors pertaining to the individual
(hormones, personality), environmental stimuli that are upsetting to the cat
(new roommate, new cat in the neighborhood, remodeling, moving) and its
relationship with the owners (change in the work schedule, absences from home,
spending less time with the pet, inappropriate punishment).
Sometimes, just the suggestion that another pet has invaded its territory
can cause the pet to spray. For
example, if a visitor has cats at home, a cat may spray the visitor's coat when
it smells the odor of the non-resident cats.
One patient of mine started spraying around the fireplace when firelogs
that were sprayed by roaming cats were brought inside the house.
Inappropriate
elimination involves the act of squatting to defecate or urinate on horizontal
surfaces outside the litterbox that are unacceptable to the owner.
Housesoiling that occurs as a squatting behavior happens with an almost
equal frequency in females and males. Horizontal
surfaces may be soiled in a variety of areas, or the pet may develop a specific
location preference.
If
the cat suddenly starts urinating and defecating outside the box, it's
highly likely that something about the litterbox is unacceptable to the pet.
The physical accumulation of waste, organic odor, disinfectant odor, pain
associated with elimination, unacceptable litter or a negative experience
associated with the litterbox may cause the pet to avoid it.
Litter brands containing perfumed scents are possible culprits.
The box may be in an area the cat doesn't like.
There may be too much traffic through the area, or the area may be
associated with something aversive that happened to the cat (a place where it
was medicated, disciplined or frightened).
If the pet has been severely punished for any reason, it may start
eliminating in secluded areas in order to avoid family members.
Some cats will eliminate outside the litterbox simply because they've
found another area or surface that is preferable.
If the cat consistently defecates in the box, but urinates elsewhere, or
vice versa, the problem probably isn't caused by an undesirable litter,
litterbox or box location. Likely
causes are medical problems, new surface preferences or new location
preferences. Other causes of inappropriate elimination include a need for
privacy and medical problems (bladder infection, constipation, diarrhea,
diabetes, kidney disease, arthritis, senility). Be suspicious of constipation or colitis if an older pet
suddenly stops defecating in the litterbox, but continues to use it for
urination.
Medical
problems are common causes of housesoiling.
Watch for an increase in frequency or volume of urination; straining or
discomfort when eliminating; the presence of blood in the urine; and very hard
stools. A visit to your
veterinarian is very important. A
urinalysis, fecal exam or blood tests may be recommended.
All attempts at behavior modification will fail if an underlying medical
problem is not corrected.
In some cats, the act of eliminating on horizontal surfaces can be a marking behavior caused by the same stimuli that cause spraying. The most common cause is an increased number of cats in the household or neighborhood. Emotional problems, such as a rocky relationship with a family member, owner absences or fear can trigger housesoiling. If the cat is urinating on top of specific items, like a family member's clothing, bed or favorite chair, you will want to be sure to explore an anxiety-motivated problem. These problems are often tough to diagnose, especially if the problem is only manifested intermittently. Keeping a diary may help.
Uncovering
the early causes of a long standing housesoiling problem can be
a challenge. A good memory
and input from all family members are essential in pinpointing the motivation
for the unacceptable behavior. Be
sure that you know for certain which cat is missing the box.
In a multi-cat household, separation may be necessary to find the
culprit. You can't just blame the
indiscretions on whomever looks guilty. To
pinpoint the cause, you'll want to think back to when and where the problem
began, and if there were any changes in the pet's environment that were
associated with the appearance of the problem.
Diagram
the house with litterbox placement and soiled areas noted.
If territorial marking is the motivation, you may discover clusters of
soiled areas around windows or doors in the house near where outdoor cats visit. The objective is to uncover the factors
that motivate the undesirable elimination behaviors. You need to keep in mind that the factors that contributed to
the initiation of the housesoiling may be different from the factors that are
maintaining the behavior. For
example, a sudden change to a brand of litter that was unacceptable to the pet
may have caused it to avoid the box and eliminate on the living room carpet.
After a while, the cat may decide that a rug in the living room is good
or better than litter in the bathroom. It
will continue to eliminate in the living room even though the owner switches
back to an acceptable brand of litter. In
this case, the initiating factor was a litter brand change, the maintaining
factors are new elimination preferences. It
is important to know the maintaining factors in order to curtail the on going
problem. Uncovering the initiating
factors will help you learn what to do or avoid in order to prevent the problem
from recurring.
The
chances of success depend on a number of factors: the duration of the problem;
the number of areas soiled; the number of different surfaces soiled; the ability
to control the stimuli that trigger marking behavior; the temperament of the
pet; whether the pet was ever trained to use a litterbox; and the patience,
ability and willingness of the family to commit to working with the pet.
As you might imagine, if you have a problem in which Mr. Leaky Pipes has
been urinating all over the house, on carpet, linoleum and furniture for the
past five years, you’ve got a major problem.
If he also doesn't get along with certain family members who are
apathetic about the problem, then you're up the creek with plenty of piddle, but
no paddle in sight.
The
two main approaches to eliminating urine marking include altering the stimulus
and altering the cat's normal response to the stimulus. If outdoor cats are the stimulus for spraying, the owner
should consider discouraging their visits with a water hose or humane booby
traps. Anything in the yard that
might attract roaming cats should be removed (bird feeders, garbage, food,
etc.). Besides removing the
stimuli, the owner can remove access to the stimuli.
The spraying cat should be kept out of windows or out of rooms that
permit it to view outdoor cats. Drapes
can be closed. Window sills can be
modified. Chairs near windows on
which the cat perches can be moved. What
the cat doesn't know won't hurt him. Urine
odor should be cleaned from around doors and windows. If other cats in the household are contributing to the
problem, they should be separated. In
some cases, the number of cats in the home may need to be reduced.
Some individuals will spray less indoors if they have more access to the
outdoors. Other do better if kept
inside more.
Neutering
is very successful in curbing spraying behavior because it reduces the pet's
response to anxiety-provoking stimuli in the environment.
In most cases, neutering should be done as soon as possible.
Ninety percent of males and ninety-five percent of females will not spray
following castration or spaying. Medication
may often be required to control spraying behavior.
Antianxiety medication may be prescribed by your veterinarian if you have
a particularly difficult time getting the spigot turned off.
Medication does not work for every cat.
You should expect a decrease in the marking behavior within one to two
weeks if the pet is going to respond. Once
you see some progress, your veterinarian will probably want you to slowly
decrease the dosage. Now that
newer, safer medications are available, hormones are infrequently used for
spraying problems. Always be sure
to discuss potential side effects with your veterinarian.
Treatment
of inappropriate elimination problems involves three major considerations:
removing the cause, reestablishing the habit of litterbox use and
preventing the cat from returning to previously soiled areas.
If the housesoiling occurs because the cat dislikes something about the
litterbox or its location, the box may need to be moved, an acceptable brand of
litter must be found, the box may need to be cleaned more often and rough
handling in the box must be stopped. Changing
the depth of the litter or removing a plastic litterbox liner may help in some
cases. Switching to a sand/potting
soil mix or one of the fine clumping litters may also be helpful. The results of a study of feline litter material preferences
suggest that an important factor in a cat's preference for litter material is
its texture, granularity, or coarseness. The
cats in the study showed a definite preference for a finely textured clay
litter. Any new litter or litterbox
substrate should be introduced in an additional box in case it happens to be one
the pet dislikes. As a rule of
thumb, you should provide at least one box per cat.
The boxes should be scooped once or twice daily and emptied at least once
each week. Scalding hot water
should be used instead of harsh smelling disinfectants.
If disinfectants are used, the box should be dried in the sun and out of
operation for at least twenty-four hours.
If
the cat prefers hard surfaces, try using an empty litterbox or food tray.
Gradually add litter to the container.
Some cats appear to need privacy. For
these cats, you can place an open-ended cardboard box over the litterbox or
purchase a covered box. Another
solution is to put a cat door in the door to a closet or storeroom.
This will also protect the pet from being bothered by pesky children or
an annoying pet dog.
To
reestablish a consistent habit of using the litterbox, the cat should be
confined to a small area with the box and only allowed out when it can be
supervised 100% of the time. When
confined to a relatively small area, most cats seem to prefer to eliminate in
the box rather than soiling the floor. It's
then a matter of confining the cat long enough for a consistent habit to become
established. This may take several
weeks or more.
Don't
forget about the pet during the confinement period. Have frequent play and social sessions. If the cat still refuses to use the litterbox when confined
to a small room, the confinement area should be changed to a large cage.
If you've tried a variety of materials in the litterbox and the pet won't
use the box, a perch or shelf should be added inside the cage.
The floor should be covered with litter, which will force the pet to use
it for elimination. Then, the
litter on the floor can gradually be removed and replaced with a litterbox.
Food rewards may help when given immediately after the cat finishes
eliminating in the box. Once the
cat has used the litterbox in a confined area for an appropriate amount of time,
you can begin to allow more freedom in the house.
Previously
soiled areas can be safeguarded by placing safe booby traps, food bowls, bedding
or toys in the areas. Plastic, foil
or double-stick carpet tape can be used to protect specific areas.
You may need to experiment. Each
cat is an individual regarding surface preference for elimination.
A surface that repels one cat, may attract another.
An inch of water in the bathtub or sink will curb elimination there.
Access to the soiled areas can be denied by moving furniture or closing
doors. In some areas, such as the corners of the basement, it may be
prudent to place a litterbox where the cat has been soiling.
Removing
the odor is important. Products
that are formulated specifically to work on feline stool and urine odors should
be used. These products need to
make contact with the organic material and, in most cases, an ample amount
should be poured on carpeting and porous surfaces, rather than lightly sprayed.
A 50:50 mixture of white vinegar and warm water will do a satisfactory
job if nothing else is available.
Some
cats are extremely sensitive to changes in their environment and urinate
inappropriately in response to minor changes.
You need to realize this and do your best to keep things constant.
This is not always possible. When
situations occur that are likely to upset the cat, it may need to be confined,
supervised or placed on medication.
Punishment
is the least effective tool to control this type of problem.
Punishment may make things worse if anxiety or fear is an important
component of the problem. Under no circumstances should you swat or physically punish
the pet. Rubbing the pet's nose in
the mistake is a definite "no no" as is roughly handling the pet and
placing it in the litter box. If
you catch the pet in the act of eliminating in an inappropriate area, squirt it
with a water gun, toss an object near it, or make a loud noise so it will learn
to associate something negative with the behavior. Any type of
punishment should only be given during the behavior or within one to two seconds
after the behavior ceases. If you
don't catch your pet in the act, don't even scold it.
Remember that it's very important that your cat not associate the
punishment with the person doing the punishing, or the bond between you and your
pet will quickly deteriorate.
If
these suggestions don't help, talk to your veterinarian about seeking the help
of a qualified pet behavior consultant in your area.
Summary
The
steps in correcting a feline housesoiling problem include:
1.
Identify the soiling cat
2.
Remove the causes for housesoiling
3.
Modify the pet's response to the stimuli (neutering or medication)
4.
Reestablish the habit of litterbox use with confinement, supervision and
rewards
5. Prevent resoiling by using booby traps, remote punishment or changing the function of the areas
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