TIPS ON LITTER BOX TRAINING

Although most cats instinctively know how to use a litter box, some cats will have to be trained to do so. Often, when a cat does not know how to use it's litter box, it is because they were kept in a cage for most of their life or they might have suffered from urinary tract infections or other illnesses that cause pain during urination.

In order to train a cat to use it's litter box, keep the cat closed in a small room that is easy to clean, (i.e. an empty spare room), with the litter box, food, and fresh water. Keep the litter box clean and after each change of litter put back a small amount of litter that has some traces of the cat's urine.

Train the cat to come when called and reward it with a tasty treat. This way, while you are home to supervise, you can slowly begin to let the cat out of it's room. If the cat goes too far away from it's room, call him back, and reward the return with a few treats and soft words.

Begin by limiting the cat to 5 minutes out of the room at a time. Gradually, the cat may be allowed to stray farther from their room. Be sure to maintain easy access to the litter box at all times.

If you catch the cat soiling outside of the litter box, give a stern “NO” and place them back in their room right away. Immediately and thoroughly clean up the mess so that your cat does not return there next time out.

While most cats take to their litter box right away, it is possible that some cats may require a longer time to adjust to “civilized comforts” instead of going “behind a bush in the woods”.