CFA Health Committee
Litterbox Problems in Multi-cat Homes
Litterbox Problems in Multi-cat
Homes
By Steve Aiken
When we have only one cat
and she misses the litterbox, it can be hard to fix. When we have more than
one cat in the house, it can be even harder. Here's a step-by-step guide to
help stop litterbox problems in a multi-cat home.
- Act Fast. A
litterbox problem that continues for a long time can become harder and harder
to solve. Litterbox mistakes can lead to territorial responses, and disturb
the routines and hierarchies of your entire household. Will Muffin still want
to take her daily afternoon snooze on the couch if Tiger urinated there? She
may find some other area, displacing more and more of your cats, and creating
fighting and other dominance displays. If you put off solving the problem,
hoping it will go away on its own, you may find it multiplying in your home.
- Find the Culprit.
Before you even try to determine the "why," figure out the "who." If
you catch it early enough, you can hopefully nail it down to one cat. Many
people like to isolate each cat to determine which cat is causing the problem,
but displacing one cat, even overnight, can sometimes lead to dominance displays
in the others, as they claim undefended territory. If you have new cats, or
kittens reaching adulthood, you may want to visit the vet for help. Your veterinarian
can prescribe fluorescein for your cats, helping you to determine which urine
stain(s) glow under an ultraviolet light.
- Rule out a Veterinary
Problem. Veterinary causes underlie many litterbox problems, particularly
in household with older cats or those with access to the outdoors. Urinary
tract infections are one of many common causes, where the cat develops an
aversion to the box as a painful place to be. Other health problems can also
cause litterbox mistakes. Worse, without visiting the veterinarian, your other
cats may be at risk, which could cause the problem to multiply. No behavior
techniques in the world will help a cat with a veterinary problem, so don't
skip the trip to the vet.
- Observe the Behavior.
If the vet rules out a health problem, I next recommend a brief observation
period. It's always very frustrating to the owner to let the cat continue
his litterbox mistakes, but it gives you the knowledge to attack the specific
problem. During the observation period, try to concentrate on the things in
the environment that may be important to your cat, like litterboxes, food
bowls, favorite places, the routines of the other cats and people in the home,
etc. Start a journal where you record as much information as you can about
every litterbox mistake, then look for links. Does the cat always use the
same room? Is it always on carpeting? Does it happen after meals, or at some
other time of day? Are the other cats nearby? Did you have guests over? When
you isolate the specific stimuli involved, it allows you greater control without
making major changes in the environment that may upset the rest of the cats.
- Break the Habit.
Elimination sites are matters of preference, and when the cat gets into
the routine of going to a certain location, you'll need to prevent the behavior
from recurring. Since the smell of declining urine is a signal for the cat
to "reapply," clean the accident site with a pet odor remover - perhaps multiple
times to get past the cat's sensitive nose. Block off the area while the product
does its work. Remote deterrents, that work whether you are around or not,
will keep the cat from returning to the area whenever you aren't standing
guard. Double-sided tape or an upside-down plastic carpet runner, pointy feet
up, can keep your cat from standing in the same area. Cats also hate to be
startled, so anything that can safely surprise the cat when he visits that
area can help make the area less "cat-friendly."
- Make the Current
Litterbox More Appealing. While you are preventing bad habits, make good
habits more appealing. The litterbox should be clean, have privacy, and in
multi-cat homes, escapability is also important. This simply means that the
cat can see off a distance, so he won't be ambushed in the box, or on his
way there. Most cats prefer clumping, non-perfumed litter, but work with your
individual cat to determine whether a box of a different size, shape, or litter
would help.
- Retrain? If
it doesn't seem to help to address the individual factors in your journal,
or your cat has never regularly used the litterbox, you may want to retrain
the cat by himself. Use this as a last resort, since removing the cat from
the hierarchy may upset the routines of all the cats in the home. Keep the
cat in a small, uncarpeted room, with a clean litterbox, food bowl, and toys
in opposite corners. Pick up all rugs from the floor, so the only soft place
to choose to eliminate will be the litterbox. Visit the cat often, and clean
the box regularly. I also recommend recording the times that the cat uses
the box. Many cats stick to a regular routine, so once you've determined when
the cat is likely to use the box, you can let the cat out during low-risk
times to maintain the hierarchy, and put him back in the room with the litterbox
during high risk periods. Repetition of successful use will increase the cat's
preference to the box.
- General Stress Reduction.
In some situations, it's difficult to determine specific environmental
triggers for a problem behavior. However, sometimes general stress reduction
techniques will prove helpful, particularly in multi-cat homes. For litterbox
problems that have arisen from territorial disputes, additional resources
may reduce competition for resources. Extra litterboxes and food bowls are
always helpful, but remember that YOU are also an important resource, so give
each cat as much attention as they could possibly want. Exercise can also
help redirect cats energies. It can also help desensitize cats to each other,
while they are praised for attacking a toy while the other cat watches. Routines
are also very important in multi-cat homes, particularly when older cats are
involved. Scheduled feeding, petting and exercise periods at the same time
and location every day can further reduce stress that may be contributing
to the litterbox problem.
Litterbox problems in multi-cat
homes can be difficult. However, caring responsible owners can have an advantage
solving the problem with they use quick, decisive actions and apply solid behavioral
techniques.
Information from the CFA
Official Web Site at http://www.cfainc.org