How to Give your Cat some House Training 101

Don’t  freak out. It’s not going to be that difficult. You’re wondering how on earth you are going to instruct a cat to use its litter box, aren’t you? Well, for starters, you’ve got the box filled with litter (ah, yes! I see you’ve chosen the clumping variety. May I complement you with that choice.) and you’ve armed yourself with a “pooper scooper”.  And you’re standing over the litter box waiting to see how your new cat will react. Again, don't freak out, cat house training will prove not to be that hard after all!

As you probably know cats are really clean animals. They very much prefer to “do their business” in sand or dirt . . . just about any soft substance they can cover up their wastes with. So don’t worry. You’re working with an animal that has an inbred desire to use some kind of device.

That’s half the fight won. But unfortunately there’s a more to housetraining a cat than simply putting a litter box in a randomly chosen space. Strange as it may seem to us humans, but this animal likes to have some privacy when it’s … well ya know. I would even say that if they would have a bathroom, they would make sure the door is securely locked before they begin.
 
Now that you know this, your job is to find a place in the house that the cat can easily access, and that is relatively away from a lot of passing “traffic”. A corner of a quiet room or some alcove in the house are ideal examples. Your cat will love you for it.
Now you need to show your cat where the box is. Put her in it the first time. For some reason, she will know what it is there for. This does not end your job here. You now have to make sure that the box is kept clean. And this is where the clumping litter comes in so handy. ( It is sometimes called scoopable litter). You and your cat both will love this stuff. Makes the life of a cat owner so much easier:
All you need to do is scoop up the cats feces and urine once a day. Due to the clumping nature of the litter this is a piece of cake. On a weekly basis you also need to clean out the litter box completely with water and some soap

Make sure that your litter box is adapted to the size of your cat. Si if it is still a kitten for instance, make sure that it can get in and out of the box. On the other hand if you got a large tomcat, give it a box with plenty of room.

How many litter boxes do we need? Most experts suggest that you have one more box than you have cats. If you have two cats, you will need three litter boxes.

If you’ve done all of this but you find out your cat doesn’t like to use his box, then you need to consult your veterinarian. Cats are daintily clean animals. They don’t need too much house training. If your cat is abruptly refusing to use her box, she may have some medical problems that you can’t see.

A common reason for cats not using the litter box is stress. Yes, cats do get stressed out. Have you brought a new cat or kitten into the house? That could cause your cat some stress. If you go on vacation and leave her alone – even if you’ve had someone looking after her – she could be stressed. Even a new piece of furniture (believe it or not) can cause her stress.

Cats, it must be noted, are creatures of habit. They worship the daily routine. They rise at about the same time each day . . . sleep about the same time every day . . . and get revved up to do their best playing the same time. Any commotion that breaks this schedule could very well cause them stress and cause litter box accidents.

Physical penalties for not using the litter box don’t work too well. Actually, any type of punishment will probably boomerang on you. She’ll soon connect the litter box with punishment.

Instead, commend her when she uses the box . . . and try to make sense of why she is not using it.

If your cat isn’t fully trained or has been having troubles using the litter box, never leave the house without first making sure your pet is restricted to a certain area. Ensure that she has enough food and water and a warm place to sleep at one end of the room . . . and a clean litter box at the other end.

Perhaps you cat isn’t using the box because it isn’t dirt free enough. Be sure that you’re removing the litter frequently. If you find that right after you clean it, she uses it then you may have just found the problem.

Just remember that your cat wants to wrap her waste in some fashion as much as you would like her to use the litter box. Initially, it may take her a time to memorize where the box is. But once she knows where to go, she’ll for the most part carry on to use it. If she doesn’t, she’s trying to let you know something’s off beam. Don’t worry, with a little time, you’ll figure out precisely what it is. Before you know it, you'll even consider toilet training cat.