Picking up a new cat litter tray for your cat seemed like a good idea, the old one was getting a bit smelly and didn't come
completely clean any more. There were loads in the pet shop to choose from so you picked one that went with the room. Now
there are unpleasant piles around the house and the litter tray sits pristine and untouched. What went wrong?
Picking a tray
While picking a cat litter tray isn't hard with the vast quantity available online or in the pet shops, picking the right
litter tray can be trickier. Some cats don't care and will deposit their mess into any old box but the majority of cats are a
lot fussier. So a bit of forethought about types of litter trays can save a lot of mess and trouble at a later stage.
There are two main types of litter trays on the market currently - closed and open. Instinctively, humans think the closed in
one is ideal because it prevents cat litter and other undesirables from being spread around the house. But not all cats will
adapt to this type of tray. This is because the ancestors of the domestic cat was hunter and hunted in the wild - they hunted
the small animals and larger animals hunted them. This manifests itself in some cats in a fear of entering enclosed spaces
that may contain a hidden predator.
For this type of cat, an open tray is better because they simply will not enter an enclosed one. Sometimes your cat can give
you signs they are this type of cat - fear of boxes or a dislike of dark spaces. But mostly, you won't know until you put the
tray down and they refuse to use it so look for litter trays that offer a money back guarantee if your cat won't accept the
tray.
Features
Open trays can be messier but some can prevent mess better than others. Higher sided trays obviously stop more litter
escaping and look for extra features such as grids to help loosen it from their paws or a lip around that can stop some
litter.
The top end, deluxe cat litter trays are the self-cleaning ones that come in both open and closed styles. While they do
self-clean, they will still need the tray that the waste is collected into cleaning every few days so they are not an entire
escape from cat litter cleaning duties.
It can also be a benefit to buy two cat litter trays so that one can be in use and the other can undergo a serious cleaning.
Cats' sense of smell is far advanced to our own and what we think of as smelling clean isn't the same for them. By having two
trays a deep clean can be conducted to achieve the cat standard of cleanliness.
How to introduce the tray
Regardless of which tray you decide to try your cat with, the basics of introducing the new tray remains the same. Put the
old and new tray side by side in the place that the litter tray normally stands. Put litter into them both and wait for signs
that the cat is using the new tray before removing the old one. Once this happens, the old one can be removed and disposed
of.
If, however, the cat doesn't take to the new tray and refuses to use it, then tactics are needed. Start by keeping the new
tray pristine and clean but allowing waste to remain in the old one. This may be a bit smelly for a few days but if you want
the change to happen, it will be worth it. It won't take long for the new tray to appeal more than the old one and once the
cat is using it, remove the old one. Hopefully, all should then be well.
Conclusion
Swapping to a new litter tray is usually a painless process. Cats like clean things so a new tray that smells fresh and clean
should appeal to them. Always remember though that if your cat stops using an existing or a new litter tray abruptly, this
could be a sign of an underlying health problem and you should speak to your vet to see if they need a check-up.
For more ideas about types of litter trays as well as other help articles on being a cat owner:
http://www.thebestcatlitterbox.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angela_Tempest
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8773505
No comments:
Post a Comment