Many cat owners experience trouble with kitty not using the cat
litter box they've chosen for her. With a little bit of
understanding about their cat, the proper cat litter box type
can be found quickly for good cat litter box habits.
For starters, evaluate the way your cat eliminates her waste.
Does she stand up, or squat down low? Does she do something in
between? Does she only stick her hind parts in the box, and keep
her front paws outside?
By carefully observing exactly how your kitty does her business,
you can make a good guess at the right type of cat litter box
for her needs. And if your cat thinks the box suits her, she's
going to use it every time.
For cats who stand straight up, there are a few options. One is
the covered, or hooded cat litter box. In theory these are
perfect, because the enclosure captures urine that would
normally fly off into space. The one drawback is that your cat
may feel too confined with an enclosed cat litter box. This
could be if she's just plain scared of that hole, or she may be
too large to comfortably move around inside the space.
The alternative is to purchase a large plastic storage container
tub - the kind with a removable lid. Take a saw or other cutting
tool, and hack a "U" shaped opening into one end of the tub. The
bottom of the "U" should be at least 3 - 4" up to hold in your
cat litter.
This is easy for kitty to enter and exit, and the really large
ones are quite roomy for the biggest cat to move around in. You
can either snap the lid in place, or simply put it aside, and
leave it as a high-sided open cat litter box.
Some cats really enjoy the automatic, motorized cat litter
boxes. They think it's the greatest thing to watch that motor
move the rakes across the cat litter field. But other cats are
terrified of the noise and movement. Since these are rather
pricey, consider your cat's mental health and curiosity factor
if you're thinking about purchasing one of these cat litter
boxes for her.
And finally, there's the good old-fashioned open cat litter box
of varying sizes and colors. If your cat squats properly to
void, and doesn't miss, this is your best option as the
preferred cat litter box.
And here's a tip if you're raising a litter of kittens: buy
disposable aluminum baking pans for the little ones. They're
shallow enough for the kittens to easily get in and out of. This
encourages good cat litter box habits forever. These can be
discarded as the youngsters grow big enough to use a "big kitty"
litter box!
|
