Love your litter tray
Will your cat go anywhere but in the tray?
At Ever Clean, we’re passionate about making the best cat litter. Over the years, we’ve also learnt a thing or two about the cats who use it…
What, where and how many?
A third of cats will experience a problem going to the toilet in their lifetime. We know it’s really important to make the home environment feel safe, consistent and reassuring for them. Not sure how to give your cat the perfect home environment – one where they’ll feel safe and comfortable to go to the toilet? Here’s how to look after a cat.
First off, decide what litter you would like to use, then keep things consistent – try not to change to a different type or fragrance until they’re confident with using the litter tray.
Make sure you put enough litter in the tray. A cat’s natural instinct is to bury their waste, and cats prefer digging into deep clay, which also helps form our tight clumps.
It’s also important to have enough litter trays, especially in multi-cat households, where you should ensure you have at least one tray per cat. Place their litter trays in different spaces around your home where your cat will feel private and protected away from food and where they play.
Cats in training
Litter tray training can be a little difficult, but with patience most cats will soon get the hang of it.
For kittens, their mums are the best teachers. Kittens should stay with their mother for eight weeks, which is long enough to learn a few life lessons – including how to use the litter tray.
When you get them home, you’ll want to place your kitten on the litter tray just after they’ve eaten or woken up. Those are the times they’ll most likely need to go. When they do, give them lots of praise (the more the better!) and over time they’ll associate it with your positive reinforcement.
No messing around
It’s natural that cats will have accidents from time to time – but the same advice applies whether they’re still a rambunctious kitten or an older cat just having a moment.
If it’s just an accident, we recommend to ignore the bad and praise the good. Clean up any mess with a piece of kitchen towel and pop that in their litter tray to show your cat where it’s supposed to go. For cats, punishment does more harm than good – instead, just praise them next time they do the right thing.
If your cat has decided that they would prefer to use your sofa cushions rather than their litter tray, a little prevention might be the best cure. You could shut them out of the room or, use a deterrent like kitchen foil to cover the area (they won’t like the feeling of it on their paws). With time and patience, they’ll eventually realise the litter tray is the best place to go after all!
It Is important to note that some common health problems can be the reason behind a cat not using their tray. Get them to the vet if you’re in any doubt at all.
