Avoiding the Litter Box: Causes and Solutions

The 3 Reasons For Your Cat's Litter Box Avoidance

It is a given that you do not want your pet cat to urinate all over the house. That is why it will be helpful if you will do appropriate actions to avoid it. As they say, in order to eliminate the problem, you must look for its cause. This article pinpoints 3 reasons to show you the litter box avoidance problems may be due to the cat, the box itself, or the way of you using it. Also provided are some of the helpful solutions to these troubles.

Reason #1: Your cat has health problems

Health problems such as Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) and Diabetes do not only exist in humans as these also exist in cats. When your cat has UTI, it is having a hard time to pee since it has a urethral blockage and is experiencing an excruciating occurrence of cystitis. In this case, the cat might wrongfully associate its urinating problems with its box that is why it is avoiding it. On the other hand, cats can also experience inflammatory bowel diseases that can cause excruciating pain in their anus whenever they try to excrete bodily wastes.

If you find that these situations fit your cat's evasion problems, then you must bring it to a veterinarian immediately. Several tests can be performed in order to uncover your cat's medical problems like urine and stool analysis. If the results reveal you are your cat is sick, then do not panic. Medications can still cure your cat's urinating dilemmas.

Reason#2: Your cat does not like the litter box's smell

Cats have very sensitive noses. They can tell the taste of the food by using their sense of smell. Same goes with their litter boxes. A cat might evade its box because it may either smell strongly unpleasant or smell excessively fragrant.

In order to satisfy your cats, you must ensure that the box has a neutral smell. Changing the litter everyday will surely eliminate the foul waste odors. If you wash the litter box with soap and bleach, you should remove the soap suds and the fragrant smell thoroughly with water. Make sure to wash them scrupulously; you may even have to wash it repeatedly to ensure that it does not have any smell that may be unpleasant to cats. Keep in mind that an odorless and dry litter box best defines a clean litter box.

Reason #3: Your cat finds the location of its litter box inappropriate

Sometimes, the problem is not with the cat itself, the litter box nor with the litter brand that is used. The trouble might be caused with the place the it is situated. Cats do not want their boxes on the same spot where they eat, drink and sleep. Like us humans, cats also want privacy when they are doing their thing. They might feel that they are bothered even though you are not actually disturbing them.

A litter box located in a busy part of the house can actually cause stress both for you and your cat. The bathroom, kitchen and laundry room might not be a good location for your litter box as these rooms are frequently visited. Look for an area in your house that is least visited so you and your housemates may not catch your pet doing its thing.

Reference

http://free-articles-about-cats.blogspot.com/2010/02/3-reasons-for-your-cats-litter-box.html

Happy New Year!

Finally we cats got the laptop! Our human's daughter, who hogs the computer, is away at a New Year's Eve party. Our human is away too! Now we can finally post to our blog. Our most recent news is that we moved to a new home. That has been very exciting! We pretty much have our new territory staked out. How did we do it? Don't ask - it's much too complicated for your poor human mind (of course, we are assuming that you are human).Iris is scoring free meals from an unsuspecting neighbor with her "poor stray kitty" act. PumpKing really likes the new window sills. They are much wider than the sills at the old house.Frankie stayed in the old neighborhood. He said, " I'm too old to move." So, he moved in with our old next door neighbor. I think he likes the fact that he is the only cat and doesn't have to share any attention with other felines. I'm Callie, by the way. My daughter is Pie, and my son is PumpKing. Iris was here before us and is kind of stand-offish with us. All well, her loss! Anyway all of us felines here at Feline Heights (still the old name) wish everyone a Happy New Year!

A Short Story About the Loss and Grieving of a Beloved Pet

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Cats

The Zen of Cat

A Story by Jim Willis

By Franny Syufy, About.com

The Man was very sad. He knew that the Cat's days were numbered. The doctor had said there wasn't anything more that could be done, that he should take the Cat home and make him as comfortable as possible.

The man stroked the Cat on his lap and sighed. The Cat opened his eyes, purred and looked up at the Man. A tear rolled down the Man's cheek and landed on the Cat's forehead. The Cat gave him a slightly annoyed look.

"Why do you cry, Man?" the Cat asked. "Because you can't bear the thought of losing me? Because you think you can never replace me?"

The Man nodded "yes."

"And where do you think I'll be when I leave you?" the Cat asked.

The Man shrugged helplessly.

"Close your eyes, Man," the Cat said. The Man gave him a questioning look, but did as he was told.

"What color are my eyes and fur?" the Cat asked.

"Your eyes are gold and your fur is a rich, warm brown," the Man replied.

"And where is my fur the darkest?" the Cat asked.

"It is darkest along your back, your tail, your legs, nose and ears," the Man said.

"And where is it that you most often see me?" asked the Cat.

"I see you...on the kitchen windowsill watching the birds...on my favorite chair...on my desk lying on the papers I need...on the pillow next to my head at night."

The cat nodded.

"Can you see me in all of those places now, even though your eyes are shut?" the Cat asked.

"Yes, of course. I've seen you there for years," the Man said.

"Then, whenever you wish to see me, all you must do is close your eyes," said the Cat.

"But you won't really be here," the Man said sadly.

"Oh, really?" said the Cat. "Pick up that piece of string from the floor - there, my 'toy.'"

The Man opened his eyes, then reached over and picked up the string. It was about two feet long and the Cat had been able to entertain himself for hours with it.

"What is it made of?" the Cat asked.

"It appears to be made of cotton," the Man said.

"Which comes from a plant?" the Cat asked.

"Yes," said the Man.

"From just one plant, or from many?"

"From many cotton plants," the Man answered.

"And in the same soil from which grow the cotton plants, it would be possible that other plants and flowers would grow? A rose could grow alongside of the cotton, yes?" asked the Cat.

"Yes, I'm sure it would be possible," the Man said.

"And all of the plants would feed from the same soil and drink the same rain, would they not?" the Cat asked.

"Yes, they would," said the Man.

"Then all of the plants, rose and cotton, would be very similar on the inside, even if they appeared outwardly very different," said the Cat.

The Man nodded his head in agreement, but didn't see what that had to do with the present situation.

"Now, that piece of string," said the Cat, "is that the only piece of string ever made of cotton?"

"No, of course it isn't," said the Man, "it was part of a ball of twine."

"And do you know where all of the other pieces of string are now, and all of the balls of twine?" asked the Cat.

Next > "...you would agree that all the string is related?"

Cats

Continued...

By Franny Syufy, About.com

"No, I don't...that would be impossible," said the Man.

"But even though you do not know where they are, you believe they exist. And even though some of the string is with you, and other pieces of string are elsewhere...even though some pieces of string are short and others are long, and even though your ball of twine is not the only one in the world...you would agree that all the string is related?" the Cat asked.

"I've never thought about it, but yes, I guess they would be related," the Man said.

"What would happen if a piece of cotton string fell onto the ground?" the Cat asked.

"Well...it would eventually be covered up and decompose into the soil," the Man said.

"I see," said the Cat. "Then perhaps more cotton would grow above it, or a rose."

"Yes, it would be possible," the Man agreed.

"Then the rose growing on your windowsill might be related to the string you are holding as well as to all the pieces of string you do not know about," said the Cat.

The Man knit his brow in thought.

"Now take each end of the string in one hand," the Cat ordered.

The Man did so.

"The end in your left hand is my birth and the end in your right hand is my death. Now bring the two ends together," the Cat said. The Man complied.

"You have made a continuous circle," said the cat. "Does any point along the string appear to be different, worse or better than any other part of the string?"

The Man inspected the string and then shook his head "no."

"Does the space inside the circle appear to be different from the space outside of the circle?" the Cat asked.

Again the Man shook his head "no," but he still wasn't sure he understood the Cat's meaning.

"Close your eyes again," the Cat said. "Now lick your hand."

The Man widened his eyes in surprise.

"Just do it," the Cat said. "Lick your hand, think of me in all my familiar places, think about all the pieces of string, think about the cotton and the rose, think about how the inside of the circle is not different from the outside of the circle."

The Man felt foolish, licking his hand, but he did as he was told. He discovered what a cat must know, that licking a paw is very calming and allows one to think more clearly. He continued licking and the corners of his mouth turned upward into the first smile he had shown in days. He waited for the Cat to tell him to stop, and when he didn't he opened his eyes. The Cat's eyes were closed. The Man stroked the warm, brown fur, but the Cat was gone.

The Man shut his eyes hard as the tears poured down his face. He saw the Cat on the windowsill, then in his bed, then lying across his important papers. He saw him on the pillow next to his head, saw his bright gold eyes and darkest brown on his nose and ears. He opened his eyes and through his tears looked over at the rose growing in a pot on the windowsill and then to the circle of string he still held clutched in his hand.

One day, not long after, there was a new Cat on his lap. She was a lovely calico and white...very different from his earlier beloved Cat and very much the same.

Author's note: I've had many special cats in my life, from my first, "Angel," to others who followed and passed on, "Ankara," "Khufu," "Chico," "Nina," "Kinky," "Fleck," "Sergei," "Katerina," and "Sir Edmund." Each one wonderfully different and very much the same in their capacity to love and be loved. Many times in my life, I have said that each of them could have no equal, until another cat came into my life to prove me wrong.

I dedicate this story to them and also to the memory of a prince among cats, a Burmese, "The Count," loved and missed by a special friend, Dick Weavil, the publisher of "AnimalTalk," an e-newsletter whose weekly rescue editions have resulted in countless animal lives being saved. To subscribe, e-mail nyppsi@aol.com; in the subject line type: MAILING LIST, and in the text of the message type: SUBSCRIBE.

[The illustration for the story contains the Zen symbols for (top to bottom), Spirit, Enlightenment and Love.]

Jim Willis is the author of the book, "Pieces of my Heart - Writings Inspired by Animals and Nature," now available through Amazon.com in the U.S. and the U.K. Jim's writings have been featured often both in About Cats and About Veterinary Medicine. If you were touched by "The Zen of Cat," you'll love the book!

Your Guide's review of "Pieces of my Heart."¹
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Google Friends Connect: Followers of Feline Heights

All of us at Feline Heights would like to say a special "thank you" to our Followers from

Google Friends Connect. The cats are purring with happiness.

So please show the following a little link love:

Riswan: http://risdivyam.blogspot.com/

LazyKing: Bored ... Get Unbored http://unboredme.blogspot.com/

Mimi Lenox: The Official Site of BlogBlast For Peace http://mimilenox.blogspot.com/

B'jue Corner: http://bjue.blogspot.com/

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