It is my guess, if you are reading this article, that you have a new addition to your family. Bringing a cat into the home is a very exciting time, as well as a learning experience. A cat, as with any animal, is going to need to be cared for as well as loved.

 

One of the first hurdles you will come across is litter box training your cat. For the most part this is fairly simple. I am sure you have heard about the people who report that all they had to do is show the cat the litter box once and they went. Well, it does happen, however, not all the time.

 

Getting Started with Your Cat

 

When you bring your new cat home, you will need to understand that the cat is adjusting to their new surroundings. This is especially important to small kittens. They are not only tiny in size, where everything looks enormous; they have been through a lot of change in a short amount of time. Make sure you do everything you can to make this transition as easy as you can for them.

 

Before you place your cat in the litter box in hopes of litter box training your cat, you will need to make sure the litter box is located in a quiet area that is easy to get to. This is a very important aspect because your cat could get scared to use the litter box if there are noises surrounding it. They also may find it too hard if they have trouble finding it or trouble getting into it.

 

 

Keep in mind, if you have a dog, you will want to make sure the litter box is in a place that the dog will not disturb a cat. Moreover, the most common place for people to put a litter box is in a laundry room. This is a very noisy room with the washer and dryer and not a good idea. Although it may be the most convenient place in your house to have it, you might notice your cat going somewhere else.

 

What Size Litter Box Do I Need?

 

It is very common for a cat owner to get a litter box that is too small for the cat. You should evaluate the situation to provide the best size for your cat. If you have a kitten, or a cat that has problems in movement, you will want to get a litter box that has lower sides. This helps when climbing in and out of the litter box.

 

There are many types of litter boxes available for you to purchase. The come with a lid, without a lid, lower sides, higher sides and self cleaning. Each litter box has its perks and drawbacks. For example, if your cat is afraid of loud noises or very skittish, you will want to think twice about purchasing the self cleaning litter box. This is because it can oftentimes be noisy and might scare your cat. For most cats, however, it works perfectly fine.

 

A hooded litter box should be used for those cats that like to rake their litter all over the place or get very close to the edge. The hood helps keep the cat’s wastes into the box and not on the outside.

 

Why Your Cat Might Go Outside of the Litter Box

 

If you are finding that your cat is relieving themselves somewhere else that is not the litter box, you need to evaluate the surroundings. Cats will relieve themselves in different places for many reasons. The most common of these reasons is because the litter box is dirty. This is very trivial, as each cat has its own idea of dirty. Make sure you gauge this item first before jumping to any other conclusions.

 

It could also be that your cat feels stressed. This could be because you have many people going in and out of your house, there are new people living at the house or children home on vacation from school, or it could be that there are too many cats. Any of these could be the situation, or, it could be a combination of these situations.

 

What You Can Do:

 

Let’s first start off with what you should not do. The one thing that most people do is punish their cat for soiling on the carpet or furniture. This is an automatic response that we need to control. The cat will think either one of two things if you punish them. They will either first be scared of you, or, they will associate being punished with the litter box. You do not want either of these or a combination of both. The way to get through to a cat is certainly not by punishing or scolding them.

 

You have to take a different approach when litter box training your cat. You need to praise them when they go in the litter box and prevent them from making a mistake. By doing this, you are setting your cat up to win. Cats do not speak in words; they understand by repetition and create habits. If you want your cat to create a good habit of using the litter box, you will make sure you use positive reinforcement.

 

 

Even the slightest traumatic experience can deter a cat from using the litter box. Anything associated with relieving themselves in a negative manner can completely make a cat lose interest in using the box, or even afraid of it.

 

A Final Note on Litter Box Training Your Cat

 

If all else fails, check the litter. Your cat might not like the litter that is in there. As stated before, it is usually that the litter does not get changed as regular as the cat likes, however, some cats cannot stand the feeling of certain litter on their paws. Once you find a litter your cat likes, stick with the same one and do not deviate. This can prompt for an interruption in litter box usage.