EFTA00521681.pdf

Thanks from WooPet! Supplies. This is a free ebook for new dog parents, We also hide some gift in last page. 1/12 EFTA00521681  MUST KNOW WHEN CHOOSING CAT LITTER There are other types of litter made of corn, wheat, newspaper pellets, pebbles, you name it. Manufacturers spend lots of money trying to come up with the next greatest litter but the bottom line is that the cat has to want to use it. The most appealing type of litter to use is one that has a soft, sandy texture, and scoopable. You may want to purchase a litter that is eco-friendly or has an appealing scent but if kitty doesn't like it you've just wasted your money. Litter Texture Don't Keep Switching Many cats have texture Brands of Cat Litter preferences when it comes to litter substrate, food and even where they Cats are creatures of habit so don't sleep. make abrupt changes in the brand or Pay attention to any preferences type of litter you purchase. When kitty your cat may have when purchasing enters the litter box she will expect to litter. Find a type that your cat likes feel the same texture on her paws she and stick with that one. felt yesterday. No matter what type of litter If you must make a brand/type chosen, the golden rule is you must change, add a little of the new litter into keep the box clean. If the litter stinks the current brand so the switch occurs it's not your cat's fault. Don't cover up over the course of several days. the odor by using sprays or additives If you're adopting a cat, find out - just scoop twice a day and what litter was being used in her completely change out the litter as previous environment and start off with often as necessary. that to minimize any disruptions. Cats are clean animals and they If it's not a litter you like, you can deserve to have clean litter available slowly make a change after the cat to them. gets settled. 2/12 EFTA00521682  WHY CATS STOP USING THE LITTER BOX When your cat stops using the litter box it's frustrating and stressful for both cat and cat parent. It's also, sadly, one of the most common reasons that a cat may get a one-way ticket to the nearest shelter. There are many reasons why a cat may avoid the litter box and it's important to figure out the true cause in order to get everything back on track. 1. Declawing 3. A Covered Litter Box Cats who are declawed may continue You may think a covered box is a to feel pain long after the healing period. good idea because it gives the cat some Some cats' paws remain sensitive for the privacy and also confines the litter odor rest of their lives and the texture of the inside the box. The truth is, a covered litter may be too uncomfortable for them. box isn't cat-friendly. A covered box There are so many reasons not to often makes the cat feel confined. The declaw your cat and this is just one of covered box makes it more inconvenient them. for you to scoop on a regular basis (out of sight...out of mind). 2. A Dirty Litter Box Covered boxes also create more odor because air doesn't get in there to dry Would you want to use a toilet that is the soiled litter. My biggest complaint never flushed? Of course not. Cats are with a covered box is that it prevents the very clean animals and if the box is too cat from having escape potential. In a dirty they will seek other arrangements. multi-cat household this can be a crucial Scoop the litter box at least twice a day issue because a cat may avoid the box if and completely wash out the box he feels he'll get ambushed while in monthly. there. If you're not using scoopable litter Don't choose a litter box size based then wash out the box on a weekly basis. on where it conveniently will fit in a location. Choose a box based on the size of your cat. The box should be about 1.5 times the length of your cat. 3/12 EFTA00521683  WHY CATS STOP USING THE LITTER BOX 4. Wrong Location for the 5. Not Enough Litter in Box Litter Box Don't be stingy when it comes to filling the litter box. If you don't want to Location choice should be about create an odor problem, put an adequate convenience and security for the cat and amount of litter in the box and keep the not about what is convenient for the cat level consistent. In general, about 3 parent. Don't put the litter box near the inches of litter is a good amount. As you food, in a damp basement, in a closet or scoop, periodically top off the litter with near household appliances that may a bit more to keep a consistent amount. frighten the cat (such as the washing machine). In a multi-cat household, scatter boxes around the home and don't have them lined up in one room. You don't want a cat developing a litter box aversion problem because he's afraid to cross the path of another cat in order to get into the one room where all the boxes are located. Place a box in each cat's preferred area. 6. Strong Cleansers for Cleaning Strong-smelling household cleansers may leave enough of a strong scent on the plastic box that it drives the cat away. When you clean the box use bleach that is heavily diluted in hot water or you can even use dish soap that is very diluted. When you're done cleaning you don't want to have any traces of scent on the plastic. To give you an idea of how sensitive a cat's nose is, he has 67 million scent receptors compared to the 5 million that humans have. 4/12 EFTA00521684 7. Punishing I include this on the list because it's important to know that a cat may avoid the box because he has been punished for eliminating in other locations. When you punish a cat for peeing or pooping outside of the box, the messages he receives are 1) he should be afraid of you, and 2) peeing and pooping will get him in trouble. Even though you think you're teaching him that his location choice is what you objected to, the message he got was to avoid peeing and pooping when you're around. Punishment also means you are assuming the cat is misbehaving and in reality, he isn't. If a cat isn't using his litter box it's because he feels he can't. Your job is to figure out why. Punishment is inhumane and counter -productive. ., :i':... . ,4..... ., -''.?...f.-,tire 'i:Y 4.: ^,r;V?: i, zC:(.I7i.)::I 1 ."4,...f3:P.Y7r7:"0-,.4i $ %en.: if+.4, ...s .., 3..Q.I.ci44. I r,L. : • 14— - •rt"'-: rf,,Tif41,the'f: i Sil .' Z4''• •:,4 ' ' ".` ilt,..4: -;.:.. C St7i.; :,, !. !3 . I ' 4.; q'f ,^P; :l .) ,.. ref 0". . 4...,,..,' !„:•"' .;.,'"‘., ' 51`,,t4,1,k4 Y 1;43.frt.-51*:' ., 4 / ...1.1:4 --; ,:.1- :-L4n ,'. ... t.2- ,fir.;: %,„4:44i , ./ ' •'1' " . ' • , .• ,• . '‘..."': ' ' V.* HOW TO GET RID OF SMELL IN CAT LITTER 1. Keep the Box Clean If you are going to lay the smack down on smelly cat litter, you need to go after it where it lies. The problem may not be in the cat litter itself, but rather in the box. Regular cleaning with a mild dish detergent (unscented is best) and water or a bleach and water solution (one part bleach to 20 parts water) will help to keep it spic and span. Cleaning the box every week or every other week will make sure that you are adding the cat litter into a clean container. 5/12 EFTA00521685 2. VINEGAR AND BAKING SODA CLEAN-UP Wash out your litter box with a mild detergent. Wipe it off with white vinegar and let it dry thoroughly. Put a layer of newspaper in the bottom of the box and shake some baking soda on top. Add your kitty litter on top, as usual. With this method, any smelly stuff will be absorbed by the newspaper instead of seeping through to the plastic of the litter box. You can also try placing a dish of vinegar next to the litter box to absorb kitty litter box odors. 3. Clumping Cat Litter Solution Clumping cat litter is less likely to smell than the type that you are supposed to empty out at regular intervals. When it gets wet, it forms a ball around the liquid that is easy to identify. Simply scoop out the "deposit" your kitty has made (liquid and solid) daily. You will still need to give the litter box a through cleaning as well, but this product should do a good job of keeping the smell quotient to a minimum. 4. Keep the Litter Box Under Cover You can give your cat some privacy when using the loo and contain the smell at the same time by purchasing a covered litter box. Your best bet is to introduce your pet to this type of box as a kitten. Large cats may find this style too confining, since they have to crawl through an opening every time they need to do their business. The disadvantage to this system is that it makes cleaning the container a bit more challenging. You will have to remove the lid every time you want to clean out the box, and it may be too high maintenance for some pet owners. 6/12 EFTA00521686  PREVENT CAT LITTER SMELL NATURALLY 1. Offer High Quality Food If you are holding your nose when your cat takes a dump, reconsider what you are offering as food. A store brand pet food may be cheaper, but that may have something to do with the amount of smell coming from the litter box. Switching to a better quality dry food can help to keep the stinkage down and keep your eyes from watering when you cat uses the box. You may need to test different foods before you find the right one for your cat, so don't be discouraged if it takes some time to find one that the cat likes and doesn't reek on the other side. 2. Limit the Moist Food in the Diet Moist food is a treat that many kitties really enjoy, but it can be like all-you- can-eat beer and burrito nite at your favorite Mexican restaurant. It tastes great going down, but you (and everyone in your house) will be paying for it later. The higher level of moisture in the food tends to create looser, smellier stools for your cat, so offering it as an occasional treat rather than part of a steady diet can help to keep the aromas coming from the litter box down. 3. Water and Plenty of It Encourage your cat to stay well hydrated and you will notice less stank coming from the litter box. If your kitty doesn't seem interested in visiting the water bowl very often, you can make this more palatable by adding a small amount of chicken broth or tuna water to it. Put out several bowls in areas where your cats hang out, so that they have a supply available to them at all times. If the following solutions are insufficient in eliminating odor, it may be a sign that you need to visit you pet care credit. 7/12 EFTA00521687  GET THE MOST OUT OF KITTY LITTER ? Utter is expensive. But it's also a necessity when caring for our indoor feline friends. Luckily there are a handful of things you can do (or don't do) to make your cat's litter last longer and to make her litter box a more comfortable place so she won't avoid it. 1. Don't Shake When Scooping When scooping the litter box, most of us are in the habit of giving the scoop a little shake to release the unclumped litter from the scoop. Our reasoning is that this step helps us save litter by not tossing out bits of litter that haven't been soiled. Unfortunately, shaking excess litter from the scoop actually does the opposite. You see, when you shake the scoop, bits are dislodged from the clumped litter and tumble back into the box along with the unsoiled litter. The clumped bits won't be able to clump again or absorb any more liquid or odors— their only purpose will be to make the litter box messy and smelly and will ultimately require a full litter change more often. Throwing away the excess unclumped litter on the scoop will actually help extend the life of the litter left in the box. 2. Have One Box Per Cat, Plus One More The general consensus amongst cat behaviourists and veterinarians is that a cat's home should have one litter box per cat, plus one extra. So a home with two cats should have three litter boxes and a home that has six cats should have seven litter boxes. There are several reasons to have multiple litter boxes. • Cats are very sensitive to smells- far more sensitive than you are. Multiple boxes will disperse the smells to several different locations rather 8/12 EFTA00521688  than clumping (excuse the pun) them all together. You should still be scooping all of the boxes daily though. • If you have a large home (or even if your home is small but has several floors), having litter boxes in several locations will make sure your cat will always be able to find one quickly and easily when she needs to go. This can help a lot with accidents, especially if a cat is elderly or has mobility challenges. • Cats are territorial. In multi-cat homes, territorial battles are almost always happening, even if they are too subtle for you to notice. When you put several litter boxes in different locations throughout you're home you're giving a shyer cat a chance to use it without being bullied by a more dominant cat who may be guarding or blocking one. 3. Control Odors With Baking Soda Instead of using a highly scented litter (which could overwhelm your cat's sensitive nose), choose an unscented version and sprinkle some baking soda into the box after each scooping. You can also keep an open box of baking soda in the litter box rooms to absorb odors. 4. Scoop Daily Scooping the litter box daily is only fair to your cat. One of the best ways to encourage your cat to do her business inside the litter box instead of, say, the floor, is to make sure the box is as clean, fresh, and accessible as possible. 9/12 EFTA00521689 5. Change Litter Regularly It's not enough just to scoop the litter box. Every now and then you will need to do a full litter change and give the box a good scrub with some hot, soapy water. Scoopable litter should get a full change once per month and non- clumping litter should get completely switched out once per week. 6. Fill Box with the Right Amount of Litter Cats need to be able to dig around in their box and cover their waste. If there's not enough litter, your cat may find a less desirable place to leave you a surprise. If there's too much litter, however, she may end up kicking a substantial amount out of the box, leaving a wasteful mess. According to most litter companies, the magic number to keep your cat happy is between 2-4 inches of litter in the box. 7. Use the Right Sized Litter Box In order to avoid any over-the-side messes, your cat's litter box should be big enough for her to comfortably turn around in without her booty hanging over the edge. When it comes to her litter box, you should be striving to make it an easy and pleasurable experience, not a contortionist act. GET CAT URINE SMELL OUT OF FURNITURE A major challenge with cats is their ability to get into several nooks and crannys around the house. Due to their natural acrobatic abilities, they are often found high and low, on a number of different furniture sets. Despite such obvious skills in mobility, our feline friends can surprisingly fail to make their way to the litter box and make a urine deposit upon our furniture. 10/12 EFTA00521690  When disaster strikes, there remain several solutions to cleaning up the mess and removing the kitty urine based odor. By following the suggestions below, you will be able to increase your odds of solving your cat urine furniture problem. 1. Remove Affected Cushions If you have caught your kitten within the act on one of the cushions from your couch or sofa, gentility remove the cushion to place it outside as soon as possible. Cat urine has a way of making it's way within the cracks of the couch and underlying furniture frames if it has enough time to soak in. By immediately removing the cushion, you will be preventing this from happening and diverting a larger problem. 2. Use a Black Light If the smell of cat urine is within a piece of your furniture, rr " it is likely that it has taken a direct hit. In such cases, you can use a blacklight to search out the spot. Close the blinds within the room, and run a black light over the affected piece .4, of furniture. Immediately, you should be able to see a subtile grow emanating from that areas where your cat has urinated on the furniture. 3. Press Dry Kitty Fluids On the areas that remain moistened from your cat's urine spray it is important to press dry the spot to withdraw as much liquid as possible. Using a clean and dry hand towel, press down on these locations until all of the urine fluids have been lifted from the affected locations of the furniture. 11/12 EFTA00521691 4. Dilute with Water Once much of the urine has been lifted from the location, you can proceed to pour small amounts of water onto the affected portions of the furniture to dilute the remaining residues within. After pouring water onto the upholstery and underlying furniture padding, you can proceed to blot dry the location to pull out additional urine resides from the cushioning. For best results, pour water and blot dry a second time to lift additional urine fluids out of the furniture. 5. Use an Enzyme Cleaner Once much of the urine and ammonia based residues have been lifted from the furniture, using enzyme cleaner will help to eat through the existing residues and deodorizing the urine odor. Pour enzyme cleaning solution over the affected areas and allow for the solution to set for 24-48 hours while it literally eats through the organic urine residues within the upholstery and underlying padding. Once 1-2 days have passed, you can return to blot dry the enzyme cleaning solution from the furniture before placing back within use. 12/12 EFTA00521692