Retrain a Cat to Use the Litter Box

Has your cat stopped using the litter box? Understanding the reason for avoiding the litter box is critical to correcting your cat's behavior. The underlying cause is often a source of stress, such as a change in the household. Medical problems are another common culprit if your cat suddenly stops using the litter box, especially in senior cats.

Steps

Retraining after a Move, Litter Change, or Negative Event

1. Move the litter box to the right location. Cats may stop using the litter box after a scary experience in the area, such as a loud noise or harassment by another pet. They may also dislike the spot you chose after moving the litter box, or moving to a new home. Keep the litter box in a quiet, low-traffic spot where the cat can see people coming. Choose a room with at least two exits so the cat doesn't feel cornered.
   • Keep litter boxes away from food and water bowls. Cats do not like to combine these two areas.
   • Signs that your cat may have had an unpleasant experience in the litter box including running quickly in and out of the litter box, or using an area near the litter box. Try moving the box to a new room if you notice this.
   • Keep at least one litter box on every floor of a multistory home.
2. Play with toys near the litter box. Play with your cat in the same general area as the litter box. Leave toys (but not food) in the room so the cat spends time there and develops positive associations.
   • You can bring the cat to the litter box to investigate on its own, but do not drop it inside or reward it with treats for using it. These tactics can backfire by making the cat uncomfortable or afraid. Unlike dogs, cats should choose the litter box on their own, especially if they used one in the past.
3. Keep the litter box clean. If your cat perches on the edge of the box or eliminates right next to it, the box might be too dirty for it. Remove clumps and top up with fresh litter at least once a day, preferably twice. Rinse the litter box once a week with baking soda or unscented soap.
   • If you use non-clumping litter, change the whole box every couple days to prevent odor build up, which can drive away the cat.
   • Do not clean the litter box with scented products. Do not use a disinfectant unless it is specifically made for litter boxes, as many of them contain chemicals toxic to cats.
4. Switch to new litter gradually. If you bought a different kind of litter, introduce it slowly. Mix a little of it in with the old type, and gradually increase the proportion each time you change the litter box. Cats usually find it easier to adjust to unscented litter with a similar texture to their old litter.
   • If the old type of litter is no longer available, buy two or three new types. Put them in separate litter boxes side by side and let the cat choose its favorite.
   • Try adjusting the depth of the litter, especially if it has a different texture than the cat is used to. Many cats prefer a shallow layer of litter, less than two inches (5 cm.) deep. Long-haired cats often like an extra-shallow layer so they can dig to the floor of the box.
5. Troubleshoot new litter boxes. If your cat hasn't responded well to a recent litter box replacement, try these adjustments to make it more appealing:
   • Some cats prefer covered boxes, and other prefer open trays. Try adding or removing the hood.
   • Remove plastic liners from the litter box. These can snag a cat's claws.
   • Most cats adjust well to self-cleaning litter boxes but not all. There is a risk of an anxious cat being frightened by the motor, and refusing to use the box as a result. If in doubt it’s best to stick with a regular litter box.
   • If the box is smaller than the old one, you probably need to replace it with something larger. A large box with low sides works best; some people use a plastic sweater box.
6. Clean up urine and feces with an enzymatic cleaner. When the cat fails to use its litter box, clean the area with an enzymatic cleaner designed for cat urine (or a 10% solution of enzymatic washing powder in water). Rinse with cold water. This removes the smell of urine that can attract a cat to return to the same location.
   • For best results, lightly spray the area with rubbing alcohol after the water has dried. Scrub gently and let it air dry.
7. Make soiled areas less appealing. If your cat has developed a habit of going in certain locations, block its access to those areas, or find temporary ways to discourage it until it has relearned good habits:
   • If the cat uses a dark hiding spot, install a bright light, preferably motion-activated.
   • Make rugs or other areas unpleasant to stand on with tin foil or double-sided tape.
   • If the cat urinated on curtains, pin them up out of reach until the cat is back to using its litter.
   • Cover targeted furniture with plastic sheets or shower curtains.
   • Fill bathtubs and sinks with a shallow layer of water when not in use.
8. Place litter boxes in the problem areas. One solution is to give in to your cat's preferences and add new boxes in the areas it's using as a bathroom. Clearly this isn't ideal if your cat is using the center of the living room rug, but it's worth considering if the cat is soiling an out-of-the-way corner of your house.
   • Another option is to move the cat's food bowl to this location. Most cats will not eliminate and eat in the same place.
9. Use your cat's preference to your advantage. If none of these adjustments work, you may have to resort to a slower transition. For example, if your cat prefers to urinate on carpet, place a piece of similar carpet in the litter box. If the cat is willing to use that option, add a small amount of litter on top of the carpet the next day. Continue adding more litter and replacing the carpet when it gets too dirty, until the cat is transitioned to litter completely.
   • You may have to confine the cat to a non-carpeted area of the house for a while to get this option to work, or to roll up your carpets temporarily. Confinement can backfire if the cat is stressed or bored.
   • Similarly, if your cat is indoor/outdoor, or if your cat used to eliminate mostly outside, add garden soil or sand (without any fertilizer) to the box. Again, transition slowly from sand/soil to litter by adding small amounts of the new substrate to the preferred substrate a little at a time.

Addressing Other Causes

1. Spay or neuter your cat. This is not a requirement for litter training, but it does make urination outside the litter box much less likely. Unneutered males are especially likely to spray urine when they're stressed, not getting along with another male, or demonstrating their availability to a female cat.
   • The sooner this happens, the more likely the behavior will stop. If it goes on too long, the habit can persist even after surgery.
2. Reduce-Stress-in-Cats. Just like humans, cats may experience stress from changes in their environment or schedule. Your cat may stop using the litterbox after a person or other animal leaves the household, or when a new one moves in. Some cats even respond badly to redecoration. Here are a few ways to help:
   • Provide private places where the cat can be on its own, including hiding spots and high perches.
   • If your cat is allowed outside, let it come and go whenever it likes.
   • Let your cat initiate contact, and be calm and consistent in your response. Some cats are stressed because they aren't getting enough playtime, while others dislike being pet or picked up whenever the owner feels like it.
   • If the cat's behavior continues, consult a veterinarian or animal behaviorist.
3. Respond to vertical spraying. If your cat backs up against a vertical surface, wiggles its tail, and releases a spray of urine, your cat is spraying. If you don't see it in action, look for roundish areas of strong-smelling urine a little higher up than the height of your cat's rear end, with streak marks running down to the baseboard or floor. Any cat can perform this territorial behavior, but it is most common in unneutered, male cats. Here's how to respond if your cat is spraying:
   • Spraying is often a response to stress or the presence of other cats. Follow the advice above to address this.
   • Spraying can be a response to a new neighborhood cat, especially if the spray is focused on a door, window, or air vent. Try to Keep-Cats-Out-of-a-Garden, or close the blinds so your cat can't see it.
   • About 30% of cats that vets examine for spraying have a medical condition. It's a good idea to have your cat examined, especially if you cannot find a solution.
4. Replace small boxes as a kitten grows. If you adopted your cat as a kitten, it may need a larger litter box once it grows up. The cat should be able to turn around comfortably, and still be able to find a clean spot if you miss a cleanup.
   • Cats dislike change, and may take a while to adapt to the new box. if problems continue.
5. Groom-a-Long-Haired-Cat. Some long-haired cats dirty the fur around their rear when they eliminate. This can cause painful or unpleasant experiences that the cat learns to associate with the litter box. If you notice this happening, carefully clip away matted fur from the area.
6. Minimize damage when the owner is away. Some cats react poorly when their owner is away. They may try to urinate somewhere with a strong scent of the owner, usually the bed. Instruct the pet sitter to keep the bedroom door shut, and provide extra litter boxes so the cat can always reach one without walking by the pet sitter.
   • If possible, hire a pet sitter the cat already knows, or at least introduce them before you leave.
7. Improve behavior in multi-pet households. Urine marking is a common reaction to conflict with another cat or dog, which can happen even if the animals got along in the past. For best results, make sure each animal can access resources without approaching the other:
   • Keep one litter box for each animal, plus one extra. Put each one in a separate location with at least two exit routes if possible.
   • Give each animal its own bed and food bowl. Keep these resources away from litter boxes and from each other.
   • Provide plenty of perches and hiding spaces for each cat.
8. Separate animals if bad behavior continues. If your cat still won't use the litter box, or still acts aggressive to the other animal, try a stricter method of separation. This is often necessary when Introduce-a-New-Cat-to-Other-Cats:
   • Separate the cats into rooms with a closed door in between, so they can smell but not see each other. Expose them to each other's scents by feeding them on the two sides of the same door, or by switching their rooms daily.
   • After a few days, crack open the door. If they do not react badly, let them approach each other.
   • If they act aggressive, use leashes to keep them in the same room safely for short sessions. Let them play or eat during these sessions, and gradually bring them closer to each other each time.
   • Once the cats are calm, try rubbing a little tuna juice on their heads. This encourages relaxation through grooming, potentially even with each other.

Ruling Out a Medical Issue

1. Assess whether your cat is having a hard time urinating. If you see your cat straining while trying to urinate, or spending a long time trying with no result, take your cat to the vet immediately. Male cats in particular can develop urinary conditions where the urethra (the tube from the bladder to the penis) narrows or gets blocked. Typically small amounts of urine can pass until the cat is completely blocked and cannot urinate at all. This is a life threatening situation and needs immediate medical care. Blockages can also occur in the intestinal tract.
   • Some cats with a urinary infection or blockage spend a lot of time trying to urinate, licking their genitals, or crying at their owner.
2. Evaluate whether your cat is having fecal issues. Fecal constipation does occur in cats and can lead to chronic issues requiring special diets and laxatives. Diarrhea is not uncommon either, including chronic diarrhea related to inflammatory bowel disease. Any of these conditions are uncomfortable for the cat and may cause the cat to be afraid of the litter box or unable to get to the litter box in time to avoid an accident.
   • Many cats with inflammatory bowel disease only have occasional symptoms for no obvious reason. Appetite changes, lethargy, vomiting, or increased hairball production can be signs of intestinal discomfort.
3. Improve physical access to the box. If your cat is older or has an injury, it may not be able to get into the litter box as comfortably as it once could. Does your cat limp, need help jumping up to a chair or bed, have episodes of shaking legs, or seem painful around its spine or tail? If so, take the cat to the vet immediately! You may be able to make the cat more comfortable by getting a litter box with lower sides, or with a "doorway" cut into the side. You may need to consider a larger box so that the cat can turn around easily once inside.
   • An overweight cat may not fit comfortably in the box any longer. Get a larger box and place the cat on a diet. Consult with your veterinarian about safe weight loss strategies for your cat.
4. Talk to your veterinarian to rule out other medical problems. Urinating outside of the litter box often results from a feline medical issue, including urinary tract infections, diabetes mellitus, chronic renal disease, hyperthyroidism, bladder inflammation with or without urinary crystals, and intestinal issues (IBD). When in doubt, have a veterinarian conduct a medical checkup.
   • Observe your cat so you are prepared to answer your veterinarian's questions. Possible questions include: Does the cat urinate right by the litter box or further away? How large is the spot of urine? Does the cat ever try to urinate in the litter box? Does the cat vocalize when urinating? Is there an increase in water consumption? Can you tell if the urine is almost clear, normal color, or dark? How frequently is the cat urinating?
   • Even if there is no medical cause, your vet could prescribe anti-anxiety drugs to prevent spraying. This is not a guaranteed or risk-free solution, so talk to your vet about the pros and cons.

Tips

• You may have to seek out urine spots that are not obvious in order to find them all. This includes the underside of carpet, and the padding and the floor under that. A black light, used in the dark, will make spots that have had urine on them glow.
• If you have multiple cats and are not sure which one is urinating outside the box, talk to your vet about giving one of your cats fluorescein. This is a harmless dye that will temporarily cause that cat's urine to glow blue under a black light. Alternatively, keep your cats in separate rooms until you've figured it out.
• If your dog harasses the cat while it is on the litter box, or tries to rummage in the cat's litter, block access to the litter box with a baby gate. Raise the gate high enough that the cat can slip underneath, but the dog cannot.

Warnings

• Do not punish your cat for not using the litter box, including by rubbing its nose in the urine or feces. This will not improve the cat's behavior.
• Do not clean up urine with an ammonia-based cleaner. Urine contains ammonia, so the scent may attract the cat to the same spot next time.
• Urine spraying is much more likely if you keep many cats in a small space. According to some studies, it is almost unavoidable in households with ten or more cats.
• Cats that spray when stressed often return to the behavior when they encounter a new source of anxiety. If this happens, a prompt visit to the vet can make it easier to find a long term solution before the problem becomes a persistent habit.

Related Articles

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• Keep Litter from Clumping in Your Kitty's Paws
• Maintain Your Kitten's Litter Box
• Keep a Cat from Kicking the Litter out of the Litterbox
• Find Cat Urine With a UV Light
• Tame a Feral Cat
• Stop a Male Cat from Spraying

Sources and Citations

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• Clean a Litter Box
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• Earn the Trust of a Feral Kitten
• Clean Cat Urine
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• Clean a Litter Box
• Keep a Cat from Kicking the Litter out of the Litterbox
• Litter Train a Cat
• Make Cat Litter in Home
• Make a Kitten Poop
• Stop a Male Cat from Spraying