Cat litter box training

Have you noticed lately that your cat is peeing outside his litter box? and you are wondering about the reasons that led to such behavior? at the same time, you are looking for effective solutions to make things go to normal again. in this article, I'm going to share with you, 7 most significant steps you need to know when dealing with cats peeing outside the litter box problem. however, before we tackle those steps, we need to know the possible reasons that caused such a problem to occur. knowing the possible source of the problem will help us decide the best way to cure it and prevent it from happening again.

   There are six main possible reasons that make your cat pee outside his litter box. the first one is he might have a medical problem. if your cat is having a certain medical problem, peeing outside his box might be a behavioral symptom he is displaying. the second reason is that your cat did not receive proper training to use it from the beginning. the third reason is a problem with the tray he is using, you may check it yourself to see if something wrong with it. the fourth reason you should consider is the possibility of unpleasant event occurrence while your pet was at the litter box. the fifth reason is if your cat is having a temporary emotional or physical stress, for example: if you moved to a new place, it might make your cat urinating outside his box, the urine smell in that area is a reminder for him to come over again to that area. the last possible reason is old age. your cat may not be able to get to his litter box easily because he is older. those are the most important reasons, which make your cat urinating outside his litter box.

     Now, you need to keep these reasons in mind, when checking the seven steps you must know when looking for an effective solution to this problem. the very first step you need to check is if your cat is having any kind of toilet behavioral change. if it is the case, it may be due to the existence of a certain illness, like urinating tract infections, block in the anal glands, worms and parasites, diabetes, and even tumors. if your cat is having one of these diseases, he might not display any other signs but the urinating problem. however, in some cases, you can notice other symptoms such as blood in the urine, diarrhea, or lethargy. at this stage, it is better to consult the vet. the second step you need to check is the litter box itself. keeping your cat's litter box clean is very important, so make sure to clean out the waste once or twice a day. also, change the litter box every three to four days for the non-clumping litter box and from two to three weeks change for clumping box. it is better to use hot water with a mild detergent to clean the box, but avoid using strong odors like citrus and ammonia. if you have more than one cat, provide each cat with its box. if you are thinking about changing the box, think about it again because it might cause you a problem as most cats do not like such changes, especially if the new box has a strong scent, but if you really want to change it, introduce the new unscented box with the old one, gradually mix between the two, it may take two weeks. also, one more thing to remember is to keep the box in a good location were no loud voices, private to some extent, and away from other cat's view.

   The third thing you have to consider is adding another box and put it in a different private location. sometimes the problem is not about the box, but about the negative experience, your cat might have there. for instance, if one of your kids tried to mess with the cat or play with him while he was using the box, or if the cat is experiencing painful urination whether it is because of urine infection, or after having kittens, or even the pain is due to a procedure is done on the bladder or urethra by the vet.the cat is likely to relate the pain with the litter box. the fourth point you need to do is cleaning the area, where your cat has urinated on. this is a very important step because if the urine remained on the bed, on the sofa, or the carpet, it will be a reminder for the pet to come there again. cats have a very strong smelling sense, make sure to clean it thoroughly.

    The fifth point you must pay attention to is stopping -if possible- your cat from accessing that area to urinate on. many cats owners forget to do this, even though they noticed that the cat is using the same area repeatedly. stopping access to that place will solve the problem. however, it is possible that the cat will use another place, all you can do at this point is to put a litter box there and show it to the cat several times till he gets used to it. it may take a week or a two so be patient. the six-point is an alternative solution for the fifth point. if you could not stop your cat from accessing that area, make that area unattractive for your cat to urinate on. simply, put strong scents there like citrus or eucalyptus or place a bowl of cat' dried food, top up the bowl and leave there for the whole day. it may take some time to stop your pet from urinating there but it is an effective solution.

 The seventh and the last step is using what we call " the startle technique". if you are home and you caught your cat about to urinate in that area, clap your hands or say "NO!" loudly. wait for a few minutes before bringing the litter tray, if your cat used the tray to urinate praise and reward him with a food treat. it will make the cat relate the unhappy startle with peeing in that area. make sure to use this technique carefully, so that you avoid causing any kind of stress to the cat. also, make sure that your pet is looking relaxed after the food treat.

  Those were the main steps to solve urinating outside the litter box problem. following those steps will guarantee a gradual improvement of your cat, always remember that identifying the reasons behind such behavior and finding practical solutions may take time. throughout this article, we tried to provide you with some of the most common reasons that stand behind the occurrence of this problem and we tied as well providing you with effective solutions to solve your pet's problem.