Dealing with a litter box problem can be extremely frustrating, but your best approach is to find the true underlying cause. Unfortunately, many people get stumped over this and mistakenly assume the cat is being spiteful or willfully disobeying. Nothing could be further from the truth. When a cat stops using the litter box, it causes him extreme stress because it goes against his natural survival instinct of digging, eliminating, and covering waste.

Take this behavior problem effectively with these three steps:

1.     Schedule a veterinary check-up. Cats are prone to urinary tract problems and often associate the litter box with the pain they’re feeling. Other medical issues can also cause elimination outside of the box, so your first step should be to have your cat examined, including a urinalysis.

2.     Re-evaluate the litter box. Be honest with yourself when you look at your cat’s litter box. Have your really been keeping it clean? Is the box the right size/type? Are you using enough litter? Have you switched brands of litter? Is the box in an undesirable location from the cat’s point of view? Do you have too few litter boxes for your number of cats? Correcting any of these issues may get to the root of the problem.

3.     Examine the household dynamics. Tension between cats or other stress-related household issues can create litter box aversion. A move to a new home, renovation, death, divorce, new baby, etc., could be the potential culprit. In those cases, the litter box problem is a symptom of a bigger issue. Solving the litter box aversion requires focusing on resolving the underlying stress trigger.

© 2009 Cat Behavior Associates, LLC