Cat Behavior - Is Your Cat Avoiding the Litter Box?

There are many causes that make cats avoid the use of their litter box. It may be due to a medical or health problem like urinary tract infection, kidney stones or it may be associated with the litter box itself. The box may be dirty or it's place in a location that your cat dislike. But one reason that is not commonly cited is that your cat avoidance of the kitty box could stem from the some negative association it has when using the box.

Your cat may have experience some kind of frightening or upsetting event while using her kitty box previously and she has somehow associated this unpleasant event with the kitty box, causing it to avoid the box thereafter. These could be that she was being cornered or trapped in the box by your pet dog or she may have been startled by some loud noise. And this experience may have made your cat very reluctant to use or even go near the kitty box at all.

You need to overcome their fear associated with the litter box in order to solve the problem.

Here are some tips to help your cat in overcoming its fear and replacing it with pleasant association instead.

1. Look for an alternative spot to place the box. This time, try to locate a spot that is quiet and away from possible intrusion by children or other animals like your dog. The spot where the box is placed should give a sense of security to your cat.

2. Show your cat the way to the new litter box and stay with it for some time. Talk to it gently near the box to ease its anxiety and build it's confidence in using the new box again.

3. You may try playing with it near the box or leave some of its favorite toys near the kitty box. This helps build a positive or pleasant association of your cat with the box.

4. Use a cat litter that your cat loves. Some litter especially the hard pellets tend to hurt when your cat steps on them and this could lead them to avoid the litter box again. So choose one that your cat prefers. You may have to try out by placing a few boxes and use different cat litter in each box and see which one you cat choose to use.

Your patience is of utmost importance in helping your cat overcome its aversion towards the litter box. Sometimes, retraining your cat to overcome its fear or aversion of her kitty box may be necessary.

This article is written by animal lover and animal behaviorist Ann Wong. Ann has written numerous articles on cat care, cat health and cats' nutrition. If you find the above article useful, then make sure you check out her site on Best Cat Litter reviews where he reviewed some popular brands of cat litters like Crystal Cat Litter, Tidy cat litter, feline pine cat litter and many more. If you have yet to find one suitable one for your kitty, then this site would definitely be of help to you.