Why Is My Cat Eating The Litter? Is This
Harmful?
Cat box fillers are composed of mainly "clay" and
usually contain an effective deodorizer/fragrance. Clay fillers
are non-toxic and won't harm your cat's digestive system.
Very strict guidelines are followed. All ingredients are tested
extensively by the manufacturing company and by independent
laboratories. Any cat litter ingested will pass through the
digestive system and would be excreted in the feces.
It is common for cats to ingest a variety of substances,
including grass, clay, etc. when they are not feeling well.
It may be a symptom of an unrelated illness. Make sure your
cat is receiving a good quality complete & balanced cat
food and plenty of fresh clean water.
The scent of the litter maybe attracting the cat to eat
the litter, therefore you might try using an unscented litter.
Why Does My Kitten Dig For Long Periods
In The Litter Box?
Does your kitten use the litter box when he needs to eliminate?
If so, don’t worry about the extra digging. This just
could be experimenting and learning. If however, he is eliminating
elsewhere, you might try offering a different litter material
and see if he likes that better. Kittens learn to use the
litter by observation of their mother and will mimic the material
that she uses. Perhaps you are not providing a litter material
that he is familiar with.
How Can I Make The Litter Box Smell Better?
The best way to have a good smelling litter box is to keep
it scrupulously clean. This means scooping out urine and stool
daily and totally changing the box every 4-7 days depending
on litter type, how often the box is used and how many cats
use it. Remember that your cat wants a clean smelling litter
box also so cleaning it is a good way to help insure your
cat uses the litter box.
How Do I Teach My Kitten To Use The Litter
Box?
Cats and kittens are meticulous, and you may find that your
kitten’s mother has already trained him to use a box.
If not, it’s usually relatively easy.
Make sure your kitten has immediate access to his litter
box and that he can climb in and out with no extra effort.
Watch him closely and place him in the litter box when he
wakes up, after meals or any time he begins nosing in corners
or squatting.
If he has an accident, wipe it up with a paper towel and
place the towel in the litter box. Gently scratch the kitten’s
front paws in the filler, so he learns this is the place to
deposit and bury waste.
When he is successful, praise him lavishly.
Why Has My Cat Stopped Using The Litter
Box?
Cats are extremely fastidious when it comes to the litter
box. Many cats will only use the litter box if it is kept
immaculately clean and if they feel that they have their privacy.
If using a clumping litter, be sure to clean the box on a
daily basis, removing the wet and soiled litter everyday.
If using a conventional litter, be sure to change all of the
litter once a week. Many cats do not like to share the box
with another cat. We recommend having one litter box per cat
plus one extra, placed in a quiet and easily accessible location.
Cats also hate to be disturbed while using their litter box,
and frequent interruptions, like from another pet or a child,
can contribute to your cat’s improper elimination.
Have you recently changed the material in your cat’s
litter box? Your cat may not like the texture or aroma of
the new litter. You should consider switching back to the
litter your cat was comfortable with.
Cats as a species are not as willing to accept changes in
their environment as dogs are. Cats like routines and are
upset easily by changes in their environment. Any big change,
like moving or acquiring a new pet, can lead your cat to express
his displeasure by eliminating outside of the litter box.
Whenever there is a sudden change in behavior, consider that
it might be due to a medical problem. Take your cat to the
veterinarian for a good examination. Be sure to tell your
veterinarian about the house-soiling problem. If your cat
has a clean bill of health, you can try to determine the reason
and understand how it may have begun. To help evaluate the
situation, you should consider the following:
- The progression and duration of the behavior.
Is your pet experiencing some type of anxiety and/or fear?
In a home with multiple cats, there may be subtle underlying
tensions that may make one or more cats anxious. This could
lead your cat to eliminate outside the litter box. Make
sure the box is in a secure and private area. A litter box
should be provided for each cat.
- The location for the elimination and type
of surface preferences or aversions (the type of material
or substrate the cat eliminates on - carpet, wood floor,
clothing, etc.). Be sure that the litter box is clean, as
some cats will not eliminate in a dirty box. Also make sure
the box is in an accessible private location.
- Limit your cat’s opportunities to make
messes in the house. Watch her and put her in the box at
the usual time she eliminates (after waking and eating,
for example).
- Clean and make the inappropriate soiled areas
aversive, otherwise your cat will return to the same location.
Spraying the previously soiled area with Bitter Apple or
another unappealing scent will dissuade your cat from soiling
there again.
Is There A Special Method For Moving The
Litter Box To New Location?
As a rule of thumb, provide one litter box for every cat--plus
one extra. So if you have only a single litter box now and
want to move it, the best way to manage this is to get a second
one, and place in the new preferred location. Show the kitten
the new box by setting her inside, and allowing her to either
use it, or leave and come back on her own.
To actually move the box from a less than ideal location,
do so gradually. Try moving the box a foot or two every day;
making sure the cat doesn’t lose allegiance when you
do. You certainly don’t want the kitten to start using
the floor where her box used to stand, and that’s a
possibility if it’s moved too great a distance at one
time. Youngsters tend to be more forgiving of changes in their
life than older cats.
What Is The Difference Between "Conventional"
Vs. "Scoop" Litters?
"Scooping" litter will clump to your cat's urine.
Therefore, you would need to scoop out the urine and fecal
matter at least daily. Because you are removing all of your
cat's waste from the litter box, you would only need to totally
change your cat's litter box every 28 to 30 days. The litter
box should be cleaned, when changing the litter, with warm
soap water. The depth of litter should be 3-4 inches remembering
always to backfill after scooping.
"Conventional litter" will not clump; it will
only absorb your cat's urine. Therefore, you would need to
scoop out your cat's fecal matter and stir the remaining litter
in the litter box at least once a day. Because you are not
eliminating all of your cat's waste, you would need to totally
change your cat's litter box every 5 to 7 days.
How Do I Make A Change To Another Type
Of Litter Product?
Please keep in mind, when changing your cat's present cat
box filler, we recommend that you add a small amount of the
new product with the old product. This change over should
take approximately two to three weeks. For instance, on the
first week, please fill the bottom 2/3 of the litter box with
the original product and the top 1/3 with the new product.
The next time that you totally change out the cat box filler,
fill 1/2 of the litter box with the old product and 1/2 of
the box with the new. By changing your cat's litter in this
manner, we would not expect any refusals to use the litter
box to occur.
Can I Reuse The Litter As Fertilizers In
My Garden?
We do not recommend reusing any used litter product. Dumping
cat waste or used litter in your garden will not only attract
flies and neighborhood cats, it will be unhealthy to you if
you eat fruits and vegetables fertilized by concentrated amounts
of it.
How Should The Used Litter Be Disposed Of?
When disposing of litter, wrap it in two bags and tie it securely.
Do not flush the litter down the toilet as it can be extremely
harmful to plumbing. As some clumping litter may be flushable,
but may not be friendly to septic tanks, it is a good idea
to bag instead of flushing your litter.
What Is Toxoplasmosis?
Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite that may
be carried in cat feces. Humans may become infected with this
parasite through incidental ingestion of cat feces, which
can happen by touching their hand to their mouth after cleaning
the litter box and before washing their hands. Exposure to
the parasite may also occur by ingesting raw or partially
cooked meat such as pork, lamb, or venison. According to the
Center for Disease Control (CDC), “as many as 60 million
people in the United States carry the toxoplasmosis parasite,
but few experience symptoms because the human immune system
usually keeps the parasite from causing illness.” However,
pregnant or nursing women, and those individuals with compromised
immune systems are at increased risk and should avoid cleaning
or changing the litter box whenever possible. If these individuals
must clean or change the litter box, we strongly advise that
they wear gloves and thoroughly wash their hands with soap
and water after completing the task. For more information
on toxoplasmosis, visit the CDC web site at http://www.cdc.gov.
Is Discarded Clay Mineral-Based Cat Litter
Clogging the Nation’s Landfills?
Rather than clogging our nation’s landfills, clay mineral-based
cat litters are actually helping to protect the surrounding
environment. By law, the construction of most landfills begins
with the installation of a liner made from compacted clay.
In most land fills the clay used for this purpose is sodium
bentonite, the same material used in clumping cat litter.
The compacted clay forms a very low permeability barrier that
prevents contaminated water inside the landfill (leachate)
from seeping out and contaminating nearby soil and groundwater.
The strong attraction of sodium bentonite for many types of
contaminants also helps to remove contaminants from the small
amount of water that does escape from the landfill. This keeps
potentially harmful materials contained within the landfill.
Discarded cat litter acts in much the same, helping to seal
the contents of the landfill and remove contaminants from
landfill leachate.
Although the sodium bentonite in clumping cat litter has
the capability to swell significantly when in contact with
water, its swelling is limited to the empty space available
for it to swell into. As a result, clumping cat litter can
only swell into existing air space within the landfill. This
helps to further seal the contents of the landfill by eliminating
the air space through which leachate can flow. Swelling of
wetted clumping cat litter within a landfill cannot increase
the volume of the landfill.
The most recent studies of waste materials entering landfills,
as published by the Environmental Literacy Council (2008),
indicate that approximately 26% is paper products; 18% is
food scraps; 16% is plastic; 9% is rubber, leather or other
textiles; 7% each is yard waste, metals, and wood; and 6%
glass. Cat litter falls in the “other” category,
which is approximately 4% of the total.* Although millions
of pounds of clay mineral-based cat litter is sent to landfills
each year, the data from these studies shows that it represents
a tiny fraction of the total solid waste materials in landfills.
*Environmental Literacy Council
1625 K Street, NW
Suite 1020
Washington, DC 20006
www.enviroliteracy.org
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