Solving Your Cat’s Litter Box Problems
by Joelle Steele
Nothing is worse than a smelly cat litter box except a cat who won’t use the box even when it’s clean or a cat who can’t use the litter box properly because they are old or sick.
As I write this, I am 69 years old. I grew up with cats starting when I was only 3, and I’ve had 15 cats so far in my adult life, all indoor-only kitties. Most have lived well into their teens, and they have all been completely different in personality and preferences when it comes to using the litter box. But there are some things that every cat seems to want when it comes to reliably using the litter box on a daily basis.
Clean My Box!
I learned about the importance of regular sifting of the littler box when I was bedridden many years ago. I couldn’t clean the box as often as necessary and I had three cats. Only one of them was ready, willing, and able to use the litter box no matter what condition it was in, where it was located, how many cats shared it, what kind of litter was used, etc. That was Twinkle. I have never had another cat like Twinkle. All my other cats have always required that the box be clean, or they would just do their business on the floor next to it. Lesson learned. Thoroughly sift the box at least every other day.
What’s That Funny Smell?
Before they started making fragrance-free and unscented kitty litter, most cat litter had this sickly smell of cheap perfume which my cats brought into the house on their feet. To me, that smell was worse than the stinky cat litter smell. But what was worse was that only two of my cats would use the fragrant litter. As a result, for many years I had to special order unscented litter from a pet store. I also tried other kinds of cat litter that didn’t clump or that were made out of non-clay materials. Most of my cats wouldn’t use them, no matter how long I waited for them to get used to the new stuff. So, another lesson for me. Buy unscented, fragrance-free litter.
It’s Too Far Away!
Cats can fail to use the litter box if it is simply too far away from where they are at the time they need it. This happens most frequently with kittens and senior cats. Kittens are little, their box habits can be iffy when they fall asleep and wake up with the need to pee right this minute, or when they’re busy playing and suddenly have to go. That’s my baby cat, Oliver. He’s a year old, but he still lapses from time to time. The same is true with senior kitties, some of whom may additionally have arthritis, as does another of my current three cats, Tansy. She’s 16 years old and she can’t squat in the box and pees over the edge of it and onto the floor. Both of these cats have been to the vet and they do not have bladder or kidney. Solution: cat boxes in the garage and the bathroom farthest from the garage.
I Don’t Like It!
I have tried a variety of cat boxes over the years. When I was a kid, we used old cardboard boxes with shredded newspaper in them. Yikes! What a mess that was. Then for years there was kitty litter but not the clumping kind. Jumping ahead to the modern world, the one thing that only one of my cats would use was a box with a hood. I bought the hooded box thinking it would solve the problem of litter all over the bathroom floor of my apartment. I had five cats at the time, and only one of them, Izzy, would use it. Next, I “invested” in a self-sifting litter box. Not sure why my cats didn’t like it, because it was a manual function, not some automatic thing that made a sound or that could in any way frighten them. I left it out for two months. My cat T’ai would use it occasionally, but mostly they each just left a pile or puddle next to it on the garage floor. I went back to their old box, and they went back to using it right away.
I Need A Bigger Box!
When T’ai was 15, he became ill with cancer, he needed a bigger box because he kept peeing over the edge of the box. I bought the biggest litter box I could find and that solved the problem, mainly because he was not a very big cat to begin with. After T’ai’s passing, I adopted 12 year-old Callie. She had never lived with another cat before and she wasn’t going to share that litter box. Period. She instead peed throughout the house. So, I got two more litter boxes and spread them a couple feet apart in the garage. Problem solved. But Callie passed away, and a couple new kitties joined the family. One of them, Oliver, was inconsistent in using the litter box. He is only a year old right now, so I cut him some slack. Adding another box in the bathroom farthest from the garage helped. But then, Tansy, 16 years old with arthritis, and not battling a bladder infection, started to stand when she peed, sending the urine over the edge of the biggest and tallest box I had.
Building A Better Litter Box
I always felt that most cat boxes were overly small when compared to the cats that would be using them. Even the two smallest cats I’ve ever had always looked to me as if they could use a significantly bigger litter box. And Tansy is a big cat, probably with some Norwegian Forest cat or Maine Coon cat genes in her. I decided to go shopping for an even bigger litter box. I went to local pet supply stores and browsed online. I saw boxes that were bigger in area but the same height, and a handful of boxes that had higher sides, but not nearly high enough. And, to make it worse, they were more than $35 each. And I needed three! I was frustrated. Then a few days later, I noticed my six big plastic storage bins on the garage shelf. They were sturdy, translucent, very tall, and inexpensive. I went to the store and bought three at $8 each. My domestic partner used one of his saws and cut down openings on one end of each. Problem solved.
Summary
If your cats aren’t using the litter box, take them to the vet right away to be sure they don’t have a bladder or kidney problem. If they get a clean checkup, start looking at the location of the box, the litter you use, and the size, shape, and configuration of the box. Cats can get very stressed about their litter box, and sometimes the solution is as simple as moving the boxes farther apart, relocating it within the same space, putting an additional box elsewhere in the house, changing to another kind of litter, or cleaning it more frequently or more thoroughly. Experiment a little until you find something that works for your kitties. You will be a lot happier, and so will they!
This article last updated: 06/13/2020.
The articles on this website are informational only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional veterinary advice or treatment. Cats are not “one size fits all.” They are different in terms of breed, age, health, lifestyle, and tolerance for different foods and other substances.
