So Yer Cat Don’t Wanna Poop Inna Box…
So ya gotta cat, eh? And it’s real easy to deal with, ‘cuz it poops and pees in a box, right? And ya don’t gotta walk it or nuthin’?
But whatya gonna do when yer cat don’t wanna pee in the box? Or poop inna box?
Imma try and help ya out with somma that. (And I’m also gonna tell ya to get a blacklight, cuz it’ll help you figure out where yer cat’s peein’!)
There’s five things that can make yer cat not wanna go inna box.
1. Yer cat has somethin’ wrong with it
2. Type of box ya got
3. Type of litter ya got
4. Where yer box is inna house
5. How many boxes ya got
Firs thing. Yer cat might have somethin’ wrong with it. If yer cat’s gotta urinary tract infection (ooh, thas hard to say!) or somethin’ like that, it might not wanna go inna box. Or mebbe yer cat’s got arthritis, and gettin’ in and outta the box is hard. Or mebbe yer cat’s declawed — declawed cats don’t like ta use the box, ‘cuz it hurts their paws a lot (and hey, don’t declaw your cat!). It don’t hurt ta call yer vet and ask ’em fer help.
Me? I got all kindsa issues. I got arthritis, so everythin’ always hurts. That means I don’t wanna get into the box. And I got this claw thing, where my back claws don’t wanna go back into my feet. And I also got kidney issues, so I pee all the time. That means my people gotta put pee pads by the litter box. I use ’em, and I like ’em, cuz then I only gotta go into the box ta poop, which is mebbe once a day, versus goin’ in ta pee, which is like eleventy billion times a day. My joints ain’t gonna let me do that.
Next thing. Type o’ box ya got. If ya gotta cat who has arthritis, a box that they gotta step real high into is gonna make ’em not wanna use the box. Ya want somethin’ with low sides.
Another thing ta think about is the smell. You know we cats got good sniffers, right? I can smell a mouse on tha other side o’ the room (I ain’t gonna do anythin’ about it, though). That means if I gotta poop in a covered box, I am not gonna be a happy cat. Are you a happy hooman when you gotta walk into a public bathroom after someone else pooped in it? Yeah. Same with us. I know a covered box looks real pretty, but it’s gonna be pretty useless.
Some people like tha self-cleanin’ boxes. Those are ok — it just depends on yer cat. Some cats are ok with lotsa noise after they poop, and others ain’t. ‘Sup ta you if you wanna try one — ya might just end up with a real expensive paperweight that makes a lotta noise.
Third thing. Litter. There is a LOT o’ litter fer sale, and some of it’s real expensive. There’s the “reg’lar” litter, which is all clumpy after we pee. And then there’s non-clumpy litter, which is kinda nice, but real smelly if ya don’t clean it. Mom once tried crystal litter, which is made o’ silica, and boy, we didn’t like that. Plus, if we clean our paws and eat it, it can make us sick. There’s pellet litter, which is made o’ recycled paper, or pine. Some folks like it cuz it don’t have much dust. And there’s even litter made o’ grass! But it’s real expensive. I don’t gotta good answer for ya when it comes ta litter. My people use clumpin’, and they clean it ev’ry day, sometimes twice a day, so there’s no real smell, but there’s dust they gotta sweep. *shrug* I ain’t gotta clean it, so ain’t no big deal ta me.
Fourth thing. Ya gotta think about where yer box is. Lotsa people want tha box outta tha way. I mean, I get ya don’t wanna toilet in yer front hallway. But ya gotta compromise, cuz we don’t want our box outta tha way. If we spend most of our day onna first floor, and ya put our box inna basement, I don’t wanna walk all tha way down there. It’s dark, and it smells bad, and there’s a mouse somewhere that I don’t wanna deal with. Ya don’t like goin’ outside ta poop, right? It’s a long walk? Don’t make me walk a long way either!
I also don’t want my box near my food. I mean, c’mon — ya don’t eat where ya poop, do ya? It’d be convenient, but tha smell wouldn’t be too good. I also don’t wanna deal with other cats, cuz they don’t get inta my territory, and I don’t wanna get inta theirs…So think about where ya put tha box.
Last thing. Ya gotta have enough boxes for the number o’ cats ya got. Here’s the rule of paw — one box fer every cat, plus one. So if ya got one cat, ya got two boxes. Two cats means three boxes. Get me? And why do ya need so many boxes fer yer cats? Well, do YOU like poopin’ in someone else’s toilet? No? I don’t like poopin’ on someone else’s poop, either! It’s a territory thing, ya see? I may get along with tha other cats, but that don’t mean we wanna share a toilet all tha time.
So! I talked about how many boxes ya gotta have, health stuff, location, litter type, and box type. It’s a lot! But I’m hopin’ these things I told ya will help ya figure out what’s going on with yer cat, and why it won’t poop inna box.
