The Litter Box Lowdown: Basic Etiquette

Litter box issues are the most common behavioral issues and the leading cause of surrender. They are so varied that they can sometimes be the most complex. Usually, there’s an easy cause and solution, but sometimes it can take months, even years to figure it all out (If the guardian keeps on that long and honestly, I can’t blame anyone for giving up. I was in these shoes for two years and nearly did!) Today, we’re going to cover the most basic things you can do to avoid litter box problems arising in your home. Where do we start? Litter box etiquette!

Litter box etiquette is the most important factor here, as in most cases this is the cause of the avoidance when I consult clients. Some of these rules really should be a no brainer, but there are a few that might have someone scratching their head when I first bring them up. Despite this being the most common cause and simplest one to fix, it is oddly the one I face the most pushback against from guardians - This is truly where I'm asked for help, but no one wants the actual solutions, they just want the "magic pill." So listen up - here are the rules. If you can't follow them, you may never be able to fix your avoidance issue, it's as simple as that. This is the absolute basic in care, and you have to compromise. If you're leaving them with a dirty, smelly, unsafe, or otherwise unsatisfactory bathroom - how can you be outraged if they find an alternative? If you don’t currently have a cat, this is something to consider. Where are you willing to have litter boxes? How many are you willing to have? What sizes can you provide? Would you re-arrange your own furniture to accommodate a better litter box arrangement? If the cat began urinating on your couch because it wasn’t happy with what you’d provided, could you flex on any of these pre-determined rules? Sometimes, the change can be temporary – sometimes not. If you can’t or won’t, read on – and decide if a cat is really right for you. Because these are needs, not wants. A cat is not capable of spite. It isn’t peeing because it’s upset with you, jealous of your new girlfriend, or doesn’t like its new food. Litter box issues are indicative of a problem; one that can and should be fixed.

The basics of litter box etiquette:

Provide 1 more box than you have cats. If you have the space and are willing, double up!
In a single cat home, this may seem crazy, but it’s a super common issue. Cats can develop a preference to want to urinate in one territory and defecate in another. They don’t enjoy doing all of their business in one place. In multi-cat homes, having at least as many as you have cats is important so they all have their own territories to go, but it’s almost guaranteed they won’t stick to their own boxes...they’re going to mix it up. Having one extra box limits the chances of resource guarding, especially if you have shy kiddo who might be an easy victim for a hunt when she’s especially vulnerable, and increases sanitation overall. If you have a finicky kiddo it will lessen the chances that they’ll choose the floor by the time you get home from work and can clean those boxes! Every additional box you add adds a little security to this dynamic. In multi-cat homes, the urine and feces options still stand. It seems wild, but “My brother peed in my poop box! What do I do now! All the boxes have been peed in! I guess I have to poop behind the dryer.” Really is cat logic - and it sounds like you'll need another box! Sometimes fixing it isn’t always straightforward - maybe you have more cats than you can reasonably have boxes, or enough that even that amount won't remain reasonably clean within 8 horus time. I feel that - with eight cats, one of my cats had this issue and, even scooping three times daily, I couldn't avoid accidents on the floor. For me, the best fix was a self-cleaning box. I don't love recommending these - they're small, noisy, and generally not the most cat-friendly, but they have their place, and my boy loves his. Perhaps a microchip door and a litter box only the finicky kiddo can access would be another remedy.

Keep them CLEAN! Super clean!
Do you love using porta-potties and public bathrooms? How do you feel when you visit someone's home and find they haven't cleaned their toilet in what seems like a year? Let's be honest, we don’t like filthy bathroom arrangements. Nothing wrong with that! But, we need to understand that we’re not anywhere near as sensitive, on a biological level, as felines are. We’re just germaphobes with weak stomachs compared to them. Cats have over 200 million odor receptive cells in their noses, while we have a measly 5 million. Their sense of smell is 9 to 16 times stronger than ours are. They’re not going in a fancy bowl of water connected to plumbing that can just take it all away in an instant (Note: Don’t toilet train your cat.) They’re going in a box where it all just sits. If that box stinks to you, think of what it smells like to them. Now, think about hooded boxes. Remember when I mentioned porta-potties? That’s a porta-potty on steroids. You’ve locked them in ammonia hell, their brain is burning in there! If your bathroom stinks with a hooded box in it, imagine being small enough to fit inside of that little box, with a 16x stronger sense of smell. Clean the box more. Get rid of the scent-trapping (And confidence lowering, cat-trapping) hood. Get the box out of the humid bathroom. Twice a day is the sweet spot, if you can manage more, great! It’s not that hard. A full clean out of the boxes should be done monthly. Empty the litter, spray down the boxes with an enzymatic cleanser and refresh.

Provide large littering area.
This one is, admittedly, tricky. I am a firm believer that there are little to no appropriate litter boxes on the market. Companies don’t have cats in mind, they’re thinking about you, the consumer. Litter boxes are about space conservation, appearance, decor, and nifty features – not about cats and their comfort and it’s a serious issue. In all reality, the truly appropriate option would be setting up kiddie pools with sand in your rooms but of course, that’s not something anyone wants to do! There is only one style of box widely available that I recommend to my clients. Check it out here. Otherwise, I tell them to go for Rubbermaid containers. Totes are great for high-peers and litter throwers. They can be made into covered boxes if the guardian insists, top entry, or left open (I recommend cutting an entry no matter what, just make sure you file down or tape over any sharp edges.) and under-bed containers are perfectly sized and low-sided. They allow just about any cat to posture comfortably, are great for senior cats, declawed cats, and everything in-between. Rubbermaids are also cheaper than just about any actual litter box you’ll typically buy. A win-win! I understand that some people do not have homes that can accommodate such large boxes, and that sometimes you have to do the best you can with what you have...but I also think that sometimes we are a bit blinded by our own “stuff” and aren’t willing to make concessions. I ask that perhaps you look at if you may be able to move some things around to make a better box work...but if these extra large options aren't possible, please just go with the largest one you can. Ideally you want it to be 1 1/2x longer than the cat, but, as long as they can comfortably dig, they may be comfortable enough. Cats are highly prone to osteoarthritis. Studies are showing that they actually develop it pretty young – and in declawed cats, it can begin to develop at as young as two in some instances. Allowing them the space to comfortably use the bathroom, of all things, is the least we can do. Don’t make them scrunch up and contort!

The finer the litter, the better. (Avoid the gimmicks.)
The subtext here is directly in reference to the breeze system. If you ask me, that thing needs to go. Burn it, kill it with fire. The amount of litter box avoidance I see with that litter box, just don’t do it. Just don’t. That box is for you, not your cats. Anyway, it uses pellet litter! Let's talk pellet litter. I get why we made it. Kind of. It's great for keeping litter out of open wounds, foot injuries. It's great for little kittens with a proclivity to eat litter. But even in all of these instances there are other options, so I'm not so convinced. The pine pellets are especially awful. They dissolve and just turn to this awful, stinky sludge. I don't get the appeal. The overwhelming smell sets off my mast cell issues and asthma - I don't know how the cats handle it. It’s awful on their paws. You want to walk on that stuff? Give it a shot! Like walking on Legos! Their little feet are far more intricate, prone to arthritis, and sensitive than ours. Sand is what they’d like, but even I won’t bend that far. Pellets are meant to be tossed with each use. Talk about expensive and wasteful. Most people who use it aren’t using it that way - oh look, the breeze system! It's peed in consistently with the illusion that because the pee goes through the holes in the bottom it's all OK! I’m sure their little noses love that. I can’t. Unless you have a specific reasoning for needing an alternative, clumping clay, corn, walnut, grass, paper, or silica are the options, I approve. I don't love all of them - but they're all better than pellets. Dr. Elsey’s Senior Cat is by far one of the best litters out there it has saved so many declawed and arthritic cats from surrender due to LBA! It does the trick like no other (except maybe a pee pad, but I haven’t met many guardians open to just letting their cat use pee pads long-term.)

You gotta keep ’em separated!
This is probably the least known litter box fact, and probably the second most common reason for issues when clients call me! Cats see littering areas as territories, not by boxes or "items." This means, if you cram 10 boxes in a line in your basement for your one cat and she’s still only pooping in the boxes, it’s not because she hates you, it’s because to her, you’ve only provided one littering territory. That’s just one big, dirty poop box. She has nowhere to pee, even if she’s only dirtied one. Not all cats will have such a narrow perception, but many do. I’ve seen it many times, and the simple fix was convincing the guardian to move just one box to another room…which isn’t always an easy feat. We love to cram all of our litter boxes together, have one room for them, usually damning our poor cats to the damp basement dungeon to do their business, but that’s just not the way cats work. They like to spread out. I have experimented with this since clients often claim they don’t have the room to accommodate more boxes or are completely unwilling to add them at all, and it seems that six feet of separation can often be enough to break up that “territory.” That’s not a guarantee, but if you’ve got your boxes shoved together and the pee is happening outside the box, try moving one six feet away, maybe it’ll help. Preferably, all litter boxes will be in separate rooms, and you’ll have one on each floor of your home. That’s a secure territory!

Common, but not busy areas.
Despite my earlier comparisons, our cats aren’t entirely like us. They don’t want complete privacy, but they don’t want to be going in the middle of all the action either. They would enjoy a bathroom in your home office so they can have the security of having you around, but if your toddler is going to be tearing through the room at mach speeds with his toy airplane – he’s out. Quiet spots that smell like family are the key. Most people don’t want a box in the living room, but one in the corner behind the couch is honestly their favorite spot.

Quiet areas.
The laundry room is not an appropriate place for a litter box. The laundry room is not an appropriate place for a litter box. Say it with me. Okay, you’ve got it. Any loud machinery, or regularly loud environments should be avoided. I had a client once who since COVID quarantines had converted her basement into a home gym, and suddenly at some point each morning her cat would pee at the basement steps. The cat’s litter box was downstairs, where the treadmill was. Mom used the treadmill each morning. The cat didn’t seem generally scared of the treadmill, but she didn’t want to pee around it, at least not so soon before or after it made all of that racket. Moving the box away was the key. It can be that simple.

Perfumes are for YOU.
Remember when we talked about a cat’s sense of smell compared to yours? That doesn’t just go for urine and feces, that goes for “pleasant” smells, too. As an autistic individual, one of my sensory sensitivities is scent, so I get this entirely. I can’t go to a mall and walk by a perfume counter, and might actually meet my fate walking by Bath & Body Works. I feel you, cats. There's no reason for the ridiculous amount of perfumes in cat litter. That perfume isn’t getting rid of any foul odor, it’s just masking it. It’s useless, just smell on top of smell. A cat’s more intricate sense of smell is catching all of it, and it’s completely overwhelming. Please don’t. Stick to unscented. Maybe add some baking soda. The best remedy is to scoop more - yes, really. Get an air purifier, charcoal filters, try a different diet (wet-only and raw are great for better smelling feces!)…anything to avoid perfumes. If you don’t, they might leave the room too, and decide your scent-neutral couch is a great place to pee.

DO NOT SCOLD ACCIDENTS.
Cats want to use their boxes, they want to do the right thing. They’re avoiding it because there is a problem. You’re yelling at them, hitting them, spraying them with water – whatever it is, for communicating. For doing something natural. For…going to the bathroom. They will not learn anything. They’ll simply become stressed and you will achieve nothing, aside from perhaps creating more behavioral problems and even a legitimate health problem. I get it. One of my boys pooped on the floor when the boxes weren't clean enough and needed a litter robot. For two years I dealt with one of my other boys peeing outside of the box, I tried treating it behaviorally to no avail. He developed crystals and blocked. We treated that, he developed a UTI, we treated that. His bladder atrophied and he constantly dripped pee, we treated that. His urethra swelled shut twice, we treated that. He kept urinating blood but everything was sterile, everyone shrugged “we don’t know what’s wrong with him, maybe it’s time…” Five thousand dollars, surgical procedures, cancelled surgical procedures, overnight stays in the hospital, failed antidepressants, behavioral techniques, a blood, feces, and urine covered home, and many tears later – we learned what it was and I was able to figure out how to manage it. He is alive – he is well, and my home is peed in…one to three times a year rather than several times a day. There is hope. There really is. For my boy, he has idiopathic cystitis. A behavioral condition with medical consequences; stress literally tears his body apart. He was being triggered by an outdoor cat spraying our front door, changes in household, and ceiling fans during the summer. (Yes, really.) He gets stressed, he pees, he bleeds - and it's an incredibly stressful time, but I how have the tools to help him, and cope. This is our life now, and I'm OK with that. He can't help it, and I don't love him less for it. It's anxiety...I have anxiety too! It just looks different for them.

You don’t $#*% where you eat. Literally.
You don’t want to eat dinner in your bathroom. You probably don’t want to invite your friends over for cocktail hour on the toilet either, so don’t put your cat’s food and water by the litter box. It might turn them away from the food and water, or it might work the other way around and make them not use the litter box. Usually it's the latter. It's stated that cats don't really even like their food and water together, fun fact. Separate all resources, if possible!

Don’t…eat $#*%! Ew!
Dogs love litter boxes. They’re the forbidden snack machine, always stocked for their picking. Sometimes, they might choose to get their snacks straight from the…dispenser. Ew. How...bold and resourceful. Training your dog that the box is not an appropriate source of food is important, as this can scare the cat away from the litter box pretty quickly. If they just won’t leave it, it’s time to get creative. There are special door latches that will only open enough to let the cat in certain rooms, microchip doors, you can find a ways to elevate the litter boxes out of their reach, or place them inside of other things (some folks have custom made furniture with litter box cabinets.) Good thing cats can jump!

Don’t let them get “caught with their pants down.”
Hooded boxes and box placement can cause major issues here. When you have kids or other animals, you never want to leave your cat in a situation where they’re doing their business and can be approached, vulnerable, and not have a way to escape. Cornered and scared – the threat in front of them. It doesn’t matter if it’s their brother, best friend – if it startled them or is trying to pick a fight in that moment, their fight-or-flight response has been ignited and they need to go or someone is getting hurt – this can have long-term consequences. Leaving them cornered can be devastating and dangerous. An open box, even in a corner should always provide them at least one extra exit point. A top entry should always allow them to be aware of the threat before it presents itself, as their head will be outside of the box – but if not, they could be ambushed from above and trapped inside. A hooded box leaves them no exit, completely vulnerable, no matter where it is. They're the perfect ambush point and are horrible for a cat's confidence. Putting boxes along open walls leaves them two exit points if one is being approached – the ideal scenario. Be cognizant of what could happen!

Keep the fortress safe…
This one is hard. I fell victim to it and had no idea. Even when your fortress is under attack, with urine to the front door no less, it’s not as obvious as one might think. Be aware of strange cats outside, even if you’re not seeing any...if your cat is regularly urinating, defecating, or spraying by doors or windows it’s a sign you likely have an antagonist out there trying to claim their territory. Purchase a black light graded to detect cat urine and check out your outside walls in the evening. If it glows, you’re under attack, and your poor cat is just trying to defend its home. Clean up these areas with an enzymatic cleaner. It’s then time to look into TNR and deterrents. Get the cat altered if you can, this should stop the problem. If you can’t get them altered due to municipal issues, or aren’t willing (Please, reconsider…cat populations are epidemic. It’s everyone’s problem.) A deterrent may keep it off of your property. A combination of both will be extra security.

Support them as they age.
Moving on to larger boxes with lower sides, providing more boxes with less distance between them, starting a joint supplement like Dasquin or Cosequin, switching to a finer litter...all of these things will help your senior stay consistent with the box as they age.

Do not declaw.
Declawing is a massive factor for litter box avoidance. My paws hurt when I go here = I’m not going to go here anymore. Sometimes you can make adjustments to make them more comfortable, get a new box and retrain. Sometimes you can offer supportive supplements and medication...there is a new medication soon to be approved in the US for feline pain that is not an NSAID that will hopefully be great for these cats. Sometimes there is a deeper problem that requires surgical repair like claw regrowth. Sometimes there is no fixing it, you may have to switch to pee pads, find an organization like The Paw Project who may be willing to see if they can provide the cat some relief, or humane euthanasia may be the only thing to provide relief from suffering. These issues can be instantaneous, or they can come about years after – there is no telling. Some cats never develop declaw related LBA, but studies have shown that they are certainly feeling the effects regardless. It’s not worth the risk.

I think this has been a good list of basics, but there is so much more I'm sure I could cover. This really is the minimum in care, with a few extra “Look out for’s” thrown in. Some people can get by with a little bit of flex, but sometimes that’s only temporary – they call me when that cat is four and has decided “You know, this just isn’t good enough anymore.” – and now that guardian is really uncomfortable with any changes because “It’s been fine up until now! I don’t get it!” But now you have a problem. And you need to address it. We change our minds and preferences, too. A little compromise could fix all of it. Cats are family, not objects. We don’t speak the same language, but that’s not a reason to throw them out at the slightest disagreement; they deserve the same level of work in relationships as any other we hold.

There are times where the environment is just not right; complex litter box avoidance problems that are tied to the home, the guardians, other animals in the home environment, or around it. There are situations where I do recommend surrender outside of when a guardian is completely inflexible, but that’s not a part of these “basics” typically. I want to rewrite our perceptions of what a cat is. Yeah, they’re “easy” but not maintenance free. Not without expectations. Not without needs. They need us to love and care for them, and making sure they can use the bathroom comfortably is just the start.

The featured picture is my boy Stache, who was mentioned earlier. He has Idiopathic Cystitis and has gone through years of LBA. Let him be a symbol of hope. It gets better. They can survive and thrive. Your bond can be repaired. Everyone can be happy.

Until next time.

-Meg.