Helping cats develop good bowel habits

Many new cat owners are easily stumped by the problem of their cats going to the bathroom. Smaller cats don't poop regularly but when they do, they defecate at random places, which makes the house dirty, smelly, and it is annoying for owners. This article will tell you how to help cats develop good defecation habits.

1.Choose the right toilet utensils for your cat.

Cat is a kind of animal with strong vigilance. If you can't provide it with a satisfactory toilet, it is likely to cause defecation problems. Therefore, before you get a cat, buying a proper litter box is indispensable. You should first buy toilet supplies suitable for your cat to create a comfortable and reassuring environment for it to defecate. But first, we have to prepare the cat's litter.

Cat litter is a layer of sand that is laid on the surface of the litter box to bury the cat's excrement. It has good liquid absorption and can clump cat excrement well, making it very convenient for owners to clean up. Choosing high-quality, antibacterial, and deodorizing cat litter will not only make cats prefer that texture but also keep the fresh air at home free of odor and bacteria.

There are many types of cat litter, but we would like to outline four mostly used: clay, wood, paper, and silica-based gel crystals. The specific advantages and disadvantages were mentioned in the previous article. These four types of litter have different advantages and disadvantages, and prices. Different cats have different personal preferences for litter, so when buying you can first choose one to try, and if the cat does not like it should be replaced promptly.

After choosing the cat litter, we have to choose the toilet container. There are four main types of toilet containers. The first is the box type, which is mostly smaller and lighter than others. But if you have any other deep pot container in your home except the one made specifically for cats; it can be used as an alternative. Put cat litter in it for cats to use.

The second type is a cat litter box with a lid, which is closed around the cat litter box so that the litter will not be easily dispersed and the cat can defecate more safely inside.

The third type is the cat litter box with a double-layer structure. The third is a two-layer cat toilet, which contains pet pads and cat sands and has a high urine absorption rate, and is less stressful than the first two types of cleaning.

The fourth type is a cat toilet with automatic poop scooping. It frees your hands from scooping manually and has a better deodorizing function that let the room be not filled with odors.

It is a good choice for owners who are sensitive to smells and who are often away from home. However, it must be said that many cats are unique in their choice of cat litter box. Some cats like the simple box type, some cats may prefer a more complex and more secure double-layer litter box, so the way to choose the cat litter box is also like our choice of cat litter. You need to find one cat that will like to use. Before you buy a cat toilet, you have to think about the location of the toilet as well as the size of the space it takes up, and you have to consider your cat's preferences. Once you have determined the location of the litter box, we suggest that you should not change it too often, because cats are animals that do not like changes too much. So, if you suddenly change the location of the litter box, then the cat may not adapt to it and that situation will cause defecation problems. If you have to move the litter box, we suggest that you better move it little by little in the direction you want when the cat is not paying attention. In addition, many cat defecation problems may be caused by improper placement of the cat toilet. If you place the cat toilet in an inappropriate place, for example, in a dense and relatively cross-place, it will make the cat reluctant to go to the toilet here. Therefore, choosing a location where the cat likes to go to the toilet can be seen from its defecation behavior. If it can defecate in one place steadily, it means that it recognizes the location and conditions.

2.How to train your cat to go to the toilet.

Step 1: Watch for signs that will tell the cat wants to go to the bathroom. There are small signals before a cat goes to the bathroom. If you see your cat wandering around an area or constantly sniffing around and meowing, this is your cat's signal to you that it wants to use the litter box.

Step 2: Take your cat to the toilet and put it on the litter. Be careful not to stare at it at this point, because if you keep looking at it, it will feel unsafe and this situation may affect its toilet privacy. So, watch the cat as far as possible and give the cat a safe, stress-free toilet environment.

Step 3: Sometimes you need to give your cat encouragement, give it some reward or compliment it. If your cat does a great job of defecating in the toilet you have newly arranged, then you should give it some encouragement, such as petting the cat and saying "great job" to motivate it to continue doing as it is the next time. Of course, if your cat fails to follow the process and accidentally defecates outside the toilet, don't punish it, because the more you punish, the more likely cat will be afraid and fail to form good toilet habits.

Step 4: Clean up the cat toilet on time. Once the cat has gone to the toilet, clean up the cat's excrement immediately because the cat will not use the scented area as a toilet again while it is dirty. You can use a special small spatula to remove the cat's excrements from the litter box and then add some new litter to mix. Don't worry if you clean the litter and the cat doesn't use the toilet right after. The cat's sense of smell is very strong, so the cat will use the toilet again after a while since you have cleaned it.

Some cat owners might be concerned about the unpleasant smell in the house after the cat has defecated. In this case, we suggest that you can spray special deodorant spray around the litter box or place objects with odor-absorbing functions such as bamboo charcoal around the cat litter box. It will help eliminate the smell. But need to put attention to not spraying the deodorant directly into the litter box which can cause the cat to stop using his toilet at that place at all. It is also important to ventilate at the right time to keep the smell from spreading to other places.