Why Your Cat Won’t Use the Litter Box: 6 Rules to Fix It

 6 Litter Box Rules You’re Breaking Without Knowing It (Transcript)

Amy Castro (00:00.438)
In today's episode, we're talking about every cat parent's favorite subject, the litter box. We're gonna drill down on six litter box rules every cat parent thinks that they're following, but here's the catch. Even if you're trying to stick to them, chances could be that you're breaking them without realizing it, especially if your cat is going outside the litter box and you can't figure out why, you're definitely gonna wanna pay close attention to this episode, so stay tuned.

Amy Castro (00:32.654)
You've reached the Pet Parent Hotline, your lifeline to practical solutions for your toughest pet parenting challenges. I'm your host Amy Castro, and I'm here to help you cut through the noise and turn expert advice into step-by-step strategies so you can stop chasing your tail and start enjoying life with pets again.

Amy Castro (00:58.414)
don't know about you, but I hate everything that has to do with the litter box. I hate scooping it. I hate the multiple different types of litter boxes I've tried, the 5,000 different types of litter I have investigated, automated ones, stainless steel ones, plastic ones, covered ones. The litter box is somewhat the bane of my existence. But unfortunately, as cat parents and keeping cats indoors, or at least depending on where you live, maybe most of the time indoors,

We've got to deal with the litter box. And so we've all read and heard the rules, the guidelines, whatever you want to call them for maintaining your litter box. And the problem is, that whether we know it or not, we might be bending or breaking those rules a little bit. I will be the first one to admit I know the rules inside and out. I also know the consequences when you don't follow the rules. But am I always good about following them? Not necessarily. And I usually figure that out.

when somebody's decided to pee on my bath mat in my bathroom, or maybe on the mail on the kitchen counter. That's always one of my personal favorites. Or perhaps on top of my brand new clean laundry basket full of clothes. That's usually a pretty good sign that somebody is having some type of an issue. And it could be medical or it could be with the litter box. And that actually leads me to the very first rule of litter box life. And that is don't ignore health issues.

People always tell us, if your cat's not using the litter box for whatever reason, maybe it never used the litter box, maybe it just stopped using the litter box. But if your cat's not using the litter box, the first thing you need to do is assume it's something medical, get that checked out first. So it could be anything from a urinary tract infection to some type of kidney disease, diabetes, arthritis, because they couldn't get into the litter box. In my case, my most recent litter box issues,

are with my cat, Monkey. Her real name is Victoria, but we call her Monkey because she likes to climb everything. And you may have seen her on social media. She's the cat that doesn't have any eyes. And despite that, she manages to get around just fine and climb things and throw things on the floor. She's kind of a menace. And she also is highly prone to bladder stones. As a matter of fact, before she was a year and a half old, she had to have bladder stone surgery.

Amy Castro (03:20.757)
And so we are very careful when we focus on her diet and things like that. But my sign that she's having an issue is generally gonna be when something comes up around not using the litter box. And so the thing I always do rather than presuming it is behavioral is I get her into the vet. And I will also say for those of you who say, because I see this, I do a lot of stalking, not stalking.

That's a terrible thing to say. I spent a lot of time on Reddit looking for ideas for the show and also responding to pet parent questions. And a lot of people make a lot of assumptions like, I took my cat to the vet two months ago and the cat was treated for a urinary tract infection. So it's not that. You know, it could be that. It was two months ago. It could be that now that urinary tract infection is gone, but your cat has a bladder stone or a kidney stone.

or something like that, or a blockage of some type. always check out the medical when the litter box issue begins, because that way you can use that as a starting point. Okay, I know it's not medical, so let's move forward and check the rest of the rules that we're supposed to be following and see how accurately we are following them. So again, rule number one, don't ignore the health issues. Make sure you get the medical checked out first.

Rule number two when it comes to litter boxes, and this is the one that we always hear is keep the box clean. Well, I don't know about you, but I've been in a lot of different people's houses, and there are a lot of people whose houses are a lot cleaner than mine. And I would say that most people think that their house is pretty clean, but would you do surgery in it? Is it surgically clean? So it's kind of the same with litter boxes. People think their litter box is clean, but is it really? So let me give you some examples.

Number one would be related to scooping a litter box. I've known people that scoop their litter box every other day and they consider that clean. I do not. I have a rule that if I see something in the litter box, I'm gonna scoop it out because for many cats, scooping a litter box even once a day could make them feel like they're going into a porta potty. Just think about it. Think about you're at a festival or something and you've got to go into a porta potty. You don't want to be in there when everybody else has been in there. It's disgusting. And so...

Amy Castro (05:36.446)
your cat feels the same way. To them, a litter box with something in it is an unflushed toilet that they have to now walk in amongst, even if it's their own business. So, scoop frequently. It might be that for your cat once a day is enough because they don't go a lot. But if you have multiple cats, I can guarantee you that scooping once a day, even if you have three litter boxes for your two cats, is probably not enough. Try to do it three times a day.

Another thing to consider when it comes to is your litter box clean? It's kind of shocking to me how some people will say, well, my litter box is clean because they've scooped it. But what about all the poop spots that are on the sides of the litter box, on the top edge of the litter box, the little pee drips that are on the litter box? That's just as bad as trying to sit down on a toilet seat that's got something on it, especially if it's not yours, something that's on it. So.

You really need to think about not only just scooping the box, but is the box itself clean? Are you taking that box? And don't be cheap, because I've done it too. You say to yourself, I'm gonna wait until all the litter has gone out of this box or it gets really, really low. When you do that, that means that whatever that last little inch of litter that you've put in there is also really, really disgusting. And so better to throw away 50 cents or a dollar of litter.

than to have your nice bedspread ruin because your cat decided to pee on it. So clean that litter box frequently, at least once a week. The other thing is that litter boxes get old and get nasty. If you're using a plastic litter box, you know how cool it is when you get a brand new plastic litter box? And it's really sad that you get excited about this, but you get a brand new plastic litter box and you go to scoop it for the first time and everything just slides off the bottom. So easy, there's no scraping.

There's no dig in so hard that the litter box scoop breaks. It's nice and fresh. Well, over time, that clay litters, if you're using clay litter or crystals, scrapes the bottom of that plastic and bacteria gets in there and smell gets in there. And your cat is much more sensitive to that than you are. So if you're seeing a litter box where you quote unquote cleaned it and the bottom is scratched up or it has that white buildup, it is no longer clean and it is time to throw it away.

Amy Castro (07:55.463)
If you don't like throwing away litter boxes, get a stainless steel litter box, but even those will get buildup on them over time. So a little Amy Castro hint here is better to buy a less expensive litter box and throw it away more frequently or invest in a stainless steel that's gonna last a lot longer being clean. The other thing that you need to consider too is how clean is that litter scoop? That also needs to be super scrubbed, super cleaned and thrown away when it gets disgusting.

So cleanliness means not just scooping, but the box itself, how clean it is, the scoop itself, how clean it is, how clean is the floor around the litter box, because all of those things can be reasons why your cat says, no ma'am, no thank you, I am not going in there. Rule number three of litter boxes, and we've all heard this one, is put it in a quiet location. And what people think when they think that is they think, okay, out of sight, out of mind.

And I am just as guilty of that as anybody else. For the longest time, I kept my litter box in the laundry room. And that's all fine and good if you've got cats that aren't skittish. But if you have a skittish cat and they're in there halfway through a pee and suddenly the dryer buzzer goes off, they're gonna go through the ceiling. And then they're gonna say, uh-uh, no ma'am, no thank you. We say that a lot around here. They're not gonna wanna go back in there. You just scared the crap out of them. Actually, you didn't.

because she only scared half the pee out of him, and then they ran away. So think about a place when we talk about a quiet or out-of-the-way location. Think about a place that is not noisy, not next to the furnace that fires up like a monster in the wintertime, not next to the washer and dryer that make a lot of noise and buzzing and banging and jumping around. Find a place that truly is quiet and low traffic. A lot of times people will put...

litter boxes in their bathroom. And yes, it might be quieter there than the laundry room, but for your individual cat, if you're having issues, I mean, if they're using the litter box in your bathroom, great, fine, perfect. But if you're having an issue with that, you might consider the fact that your cat may not like to be interrupted by you going in to take a shower halfway through their poop. So as much as you can do to find a place that is low traffic, low noise, that's where you wanna put that litter box.

Amy Castro (10:19.305)
Another thing to consider too, as far as quiet location, is think about if you have multiple cats, escape routes. Because that can become a huge barrier to a particular cat not using the litter box. If they are caught in the litter box by another cat and then attacked or blocked or whatever the case may be, they can't get down the hallway to the litter box because the cat that doesn't like them is laying in the hallway growling.

So think about accessibility for the cat themselves and not just out of the way. So just like in real estate, location, location, location, it's the same in litter box placement. You've really got to think about where you put that litter box and make sure it is optimized to the best of your ability. Again, you might be limited based on where you live and you just have to do the best that you possibly can.

Rule number four that we have heard is to provide a good, comfortable, quality litter box. Well, what the heck does that mean? I mean, if you're not physically getting in it, how do you know that it's comfortable? a couple of points to ponder. Number one, you know, a lot of times people will go based on appearance. Like, look at that cute little pink litter box. If your cat is a 20 pound cat getting into a teeny tiny pink litter box and trying to get themselves twirled around and use it without their butt hanging over the side of it,

is gonna be a little bit difficult. So to me, a comfortable litter box is one that's gonna be big enough for a cat to comfortably turn around. And when they go to go, that their butt is actually in the box. And as much as this is not a fun process to do, watch your cat when they go to the bathroom. What do they do in there? Because I have cats that squat and their butt is pointed down towards the litter. And then I have my cat, Pinny Pinhead.

He doesn't squat, he sort of semi squats and his butt is facing the wall. So if I don't have a litter box with pretty high sides, whatever he's peeing, pooping or shooting out is gonna be shooting outside of the litter box, even though he's being a good boy. He's in the litter box, all four feet are in. He doesn't know where his butt's aiming and that it's hanging over the side. So think about the size of the litter box. A lot of times people think more about themselves and aesthetics. So they'll do things like.

Amy Castro (12:42.315)
covered litter boxes, and I'm not saying that they're wrong. As a matter of fact, right now I'm using a covered litter box. But you've got to think about it from the cat's perspective. Maybe they're scared of the cover. Maybe the cover doesn't have a charcoal filter, so therefore it doesn't help with odor. It actually traps odor inside that. As a matter of fact, a lot of cats don't like covered litter boxes because they trap odor. So think about size.

Think about the sides of the walls. Think about entrance and how easy it is for the cat to get in and out. And when you're talking about some of these automated litter boxes, now I personally have never had a problem with my cats being frightened of the automated litter box, but there's always that risk when you buy an automated litter box that the cat's gonna get scared of the noise or going off. And I will say the one problem that I did have with an automated litter box was cat and it was monkey.

the one with no eyes, going in there, partway coming out, partway getting out halfway through the turn, trying to go back in while the turn is still going, and just setting off all kinds of error messages, especially because she, for some reason, liked to wait until she heard it spinning, then she would go back in and then try to climb back in the litter box, which is not good for anybody involved. So think about your cat's behavior. If they're super skittish, you don't want to have anything about that litter box be scary.

Rule number five that people will always tell you is use good litter. Well, a lot of times when people think about good litter, they think about the expense or premium brands and that equals better. Not necessarily. Some cats are very particular about the type of litter that they like and others are less particular. So if you're having issues, especially with your cat using the litter box and you have eliminated rules number one through four as being an issue, think about the litter. Is that the same litter you've always used?

has something changed about your cat? Whereas this litter might be bothering them more, know, maybe your cat's getting older and they're more arthritic. And so getting on that big, pellet litter hurts their feet more than it did when they were younger. You really need to think about what your cat is most comfortable with. And sometimes that requires a little bit of trial and error, especially if you get a new cat. I personally use clay clumping litter because it makes it easier for me to clean the litter box. But when we have...

Amy Castro (15:02.788)
small kittens at the rescue, we definitely don't use clay clumping litter because they will put their faces right in it and try to eat it. And next thing you know, they've got a big clump of litter in their mouth and it's super dangerous. So for little bitty kittens, we use pine pellets. Actually, we use basically horse bedding pine pellets, a lot cheaper than other pine pellets that you get that are specific for cats. The problem with the pine pellets is they don't clump and

They're not great for odor control, especially if you have multiple cats. And so that can cause a problem. And some cats don't like the feel of the bigger clumps on their feet. So you really have to experiment a little bit with textures and how it feels on your cat's paws. And a lot of it is simply just observing their behavior when they go in the litter box. The one thing I will say about litter is that...

Strong scents generally can overwhelm very sensitive noses. So that is something to definitely be aware of as much as we humans would like for that smell to be completely eliminated. Having a highly perfumed litter can cause a lot of problems with cats using litter boxes. And really the biggest solution for litter box odor is scooping and cleaning litter box and taking out what you scooped out to the trash and getting it out of your house.

That's what really keeps odor down. Another last point I'd like to make about litter is dust too, because that can cause an issue not only for the cat in breathing the dust physically, but they may not like it when they start kicking up, especially for cats that are very, very vigorous in trying to bury whatever it is that they've done in that box. And then getting a face full of dust that makes them sneeze and choke probably is not gonna make for an experience that they say, hmm, I wanna go do that again.

The other aspect too is you really don't want all that litter dust all over the room and you don't want to breathe it either. So definitely think about the quality of your litter. And finally, rule number six. And you know, I struggle with this because to be perfectly honest, I don't follow this rule. And I sort of hate to admit that to you, but I think the reason I get away with it is I work from home and I scoop my litter box a lot.

Amy Castro (17:18.116)
So I have three cats and I have one ginormous litter box. As a matter of fact, for the longest time, I didn't actually even use a litter box. I used a giant tote that I got from Walmart, like the size that you would pack all your Christmas ornaments in, you huge, long tote, and cut my own opening in that and use that as a litter box so that the cats would have plenty of space. And then I still scooped that three times a day. Now,

Have I gotten away with that? Yes, for the most part. There have been times though where we've had behavioral issues or maybe we've had a foster in the house and I've had to add additional litter boxes. But if you want to avoid problems altogether and you can put multiple litter boxes, generally follow that rule of one litter box per cat plus one extra.

And the reason that rule exists is not necessarily just because each cat's gonna use its own litter box, although they might. But it's kind of like for us as humans, right? Have you ever had to go, like you really gotta pee, and you run into the house and somebody's in the bathroom and you almost pee your pants? Well, that's kind of how your cat feels when they go moseying back to the one litter box and find that Barney's already in it and they gotta go. Well, guess where they're gonna go? On your bed. Isn't that nice? And so therefore,

Having another litter box for them to choose from is probably a good idea. Sometimes they will decide that's their territory and that's great. You know, even cats that really get along well, sometimes they just don't want to share. And especially if you are somebody who is not around all day to scoop your litter box every time somebody has gone into it, then having multiple litter boxes just makes the whole litter box scene a lot cleaner for the cats and less likely that they're going to use that as a reason.

to not go in the litter box.

Amy Castro (19:15.195)
So those are the basic litter box rules. We've all heard them. I'm not telling you anything that you didn't already know. But if you're like me and you have broken some of these rules, or maybe you're breaking multiple rules right now as we speak, you're gonna find yourself in the position of cleaning carpets, replacing rugs, stressing out about where your cat's gonna go next. So you really need to go back and revisit them and try to apply them to the best of your ability.

And I know coming from a rescue perspective, probably one of the number one reasons we get for people giving up cats is not using the litter box. And keep this in mind. Number one, you don't wanna have to give up your cat. Number two, what are the odds that a rescue is gonna wanna take your cat when you've already told them that they're not using the litter box? That's like a huge red flag. Who wants to adopt the cat that doesn't use the litter box? So.

rather than giving up, going back and looking at what your litter box situation is and saying to yourself, honestly, you am I following these rules or can I be doing better? And if you can do better, just do better, you know, apply the rules correctly. And think about it from your cat's perspective. Anytime you've ever gone into a dirty bathroom and you had to go down the row of stalls trying to find something that's clean, that's how your cat feels, except they don't have other choices. They've only got what you've given them.

So if you found this episode helpful and you want more tips on ensuring that your litter box is optimized for your cat and you want to avoid any potential problems with your cat not using the litter box, go to petparenthotline.com forward slash litter box and grab my 25 litter box tips to keep your cats happily using their litter box. So I'd love to know which of these six rules surprised you the most or maybe

If you're willing to admit like I did, which ones you might have struggled with and what you're gonna do to fix it, comment on this episode and let us know. Your experience is gonna help all the other pet parents out there who are going through this right now, possibly struggling with problems with the litter box, or maybe a new pet parent who's trying to avoid litter box issues altogether. So remember, it's not about how clean or convenient you think your litter box is, it's about whether it works for your cat.

Amy Castro (21:33.189)
So follow these rules and you should be a long way towards keeping your cat happy, healthy, and using a litter box every single time.

Thanks for listening to the Pet Parent Hotline. If you enjoyed the show, don't keep it to yourself. Text a friend right now with a link and tell them I've got a show that you need to hear. And ask them to let you know what they think. And remember, your pet's best life starts with you living yours. So be sure to take good care of yourself this week and your pets.