How to Get Your Cat to Use the Litter Box

One possible issue your cat may be having with his box is that it might not be large enough to meet his needs. Rather than limit yourself to "conventional" litter boxes sold in the pet department, try using a larger storage box as a litter pan. This will give your cat more room to hide their business and to move about freely, and may solve your problem out of hand.

Our older of two cats initially had no litter avoidance problems when we first brought him home. Over time, he began to eliminate outside of the box--always on the floor directly in front of the box. We tried every imaginable strategy to get him to use the box--adding boxes, larger boxes, various types of litter. We tried carpeting the room the litter box was kept in, and we built a larger litter box to house the smaller one and catch any litter that might be kicked out on accident, in case that was a source of confusion. Nothing worked.

Finally, after giving our kitty a clean bill of health, our vet gave us a sample of Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter additive. The additive is a green substance that looks similar to cat nip and is sprinkled in to regular, unscented clumping litter. The scent of the additive attracts cats to want to use their litter box. This additive worked like a charm!

Since we had success with the additive, we decided to try Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat litter. Combined with the additive (for good measure), we haven't had an "accident" in several months while using Precious Cat. Our cats now refuse to use anything else! The Precious Cat formula is designed to be very low dust, and to clump well so that it is easy to remove waste from the litter box. Additionally, the size and texture of the litter is supposed to be comfortable for paws. Precious Cat isn't sold everywhere, but you can find a store near you that carries it on the Precious Cat website in the links section of this page. It is also available on Amazon. There are often coupons available in packages and on the Precious Cat website.

I was skeptical at first since we had tried what seemed like every brand of litter available, but the combination of Precious Cat litter, Cat Attract additive, and the directions from the Precious Cat website were really all it took to get our cat to start using the litter again and restore our sanity.

Just as humans usually prefer to use the toilet in private, cats also often prefer that they have privacy when using the litter. This means that it is helpful for litter boxes to be located in places away from lots of noise and foot traffic.

Additionally, as cats can be territorial, it is best to have at least one litter box per cat in your home, plus an extra just in case. This way they have plenty of options to decide which one they are most comfortable using.

If your cat suddenly refuses to use the litter box, he or she may be trying to tell you that its time to clean or change the litter.

Ideally, litter boxes should be cleaned twice per day (at minimum, once per day). Litter boxes should be completely emptied, washed and refilled every week or two depending on the number of boxes and how heavily they are used.

When changing litter, washing the box and any tools, such as your scooper, with soap and hot water is important to get rid of germs and any unpleasant odors.

Over time, plastic litter boxes can get permanent scratches from your cat's claws. These scratches may fill with bacteria or litter and be difficult to clean. If your box looks worn and your normal cleaning regimen isn't sufficing, it might be time to replace the box itself.

It is also important to clean any accidents promptly and thoroughly. All traces of odor from an accident must be removed to prevent re-occurrence. There are a number of commercial cleaners made specifically for removing cat urine and other messes, or you could try using baking soda and vinegar with water.

If space is an issue in your home, one option is to attempt to toilet train your cat so he or she will use the human toilet. This can actually be done and one training kit in particular, the "Citi Kitty" kit, will help you gradually transition your cat from litter box to toilet.

I have tried the Citi Kitty system, and believe it can work given time and a cat of appropriate disposition. One of our cats took to it instantly, but unfortunately the training only compounded our other cat's problems, so we gave up on it in favor of other options.