Cat Training

Training cats to use the litter box is not rocket science. You can easily find free instructions on the internet. Nevertheless, the training process is not free from trouble. Inexperienced cat owners can sometimes face unexpected problems. Here is a list of five common problems which you may well face.

1. Kitty absolutely refuses to use the litter box (or doesn’t use the box regularly)

Assuming you have followed instructions for litter training your cat, here are seven major reasons why your cat does not want to use his litter box:

• The litter box is the wrong size/shape – too small, too deep, kitty doesn’t like enclosed boxes, kitty doesn’t like open litter boxes.
• Wrong type of litter. Like the size and shape of the box, sometimes you just need to experiment a little. Try different brands of clay litter, different brands of clumping, crystal or organic litter. Some companies (like Dr Elsey’s) sell a product which attracts some cats to their litter box.
• Most cats don’t like to do their business near where they eat. Make sure you aren’t feeding kitty near his litter box.
• Do you clean the box regularly? Normally, you should scoop the litter daily, and completely replace it weekly.
• Not enough boxes – many trainers recommend that you place one more box than the number of cats you own, i.e. if you have 2 cats, you need 3 boxes.
• Wrong placement – if kitty likes to do his business in that corner behind your sofa, then that is where you should place his litter box (at least during his initial training). The point is to make it natural and convenient for him. You can slowly move his box when he gets used to it.
• No privacy – Remember that he also needs privacy and security. Like you, he isn’t going to go potty in public where everyone is walking around all day long.

The above list is not exhaustive but should make a good starting point.

2. Cat urine smell

You have successfully litter trained your little tiger, but your house still smells of cat urine.

• The first step is to get rid of the old stains from his accidents. While these old stains may be dried, they can still cause quite a stench. Use a black light (UV lamp) to detect the old dried stains. After that, clean up with an enzymatic cleaner like Nature’s Miracle. Note that regular soap and water can’t completely clean up cat urine stains.
• Step two is to switch to crystal litter (also known as silica gel litter). Silica gel is exceptionally good at soaking up cat pee, and will not release the smell. The main problem is that kitty may not like it. Another problem is that you need to monitor the litter box closely – once the crystal litter becomes saturated, cat pee will start pooling in the box. This stuff is also more expensive than regular clay, but lasts longer.
• If you have the budget, another option is to use an automatic (or self cleaning) litter box. There are many different types. You’ll need one which scoops up the litter into an air-tight container. Unfortunately, not only are these boxes expensive, they also tend to be noisy. In addition, while some cats really like them, others really hate them. It is really a hit or miss affair. Only buy these contraptions from shops with a return policy. You don’t want to spend $100 only to find that kitty absolutely hates it.

3. He/She frequently misses his/her aim.

The most common reason is that the box is too small or too shallow. Remember that you are not limited to the sizes your local pet shop offers. If need be, go look in your local hardware store or local baking/cooking goods store. Make your own litter box, or get it made for you, if necessary.

4. Your hubby/wife/kids (basically the official owner of the cat) becomes too lazy to clean the litter box

• These days, you can find new brands of litter which claim to need less maintenance. Some of them even work as advertised! You’ll just have to try them out yourself until you find one which works for you.
• Another option is to switch to an automatic litter box.
• The most extreme option is to train kitty to use the toilet. You can find toilet training instructions on the web, and there are also commercial cat toilet training kits. Google and Amazon are your best friends here.

5. Kitty suddenly stops using his litter box.

Take him to the vet for a check-up. This is a common symptom of some illness like a urinary tract infection. If the vet rules out a medical reason, then you’ll need to look into stress or some other environmental condition. There are many possibilities, and your vet can help you to investigate. The main reason is some change in the home environment – like a new pet, a new family member, a missing family member, your neighbor has a new dog, new construction started across the street, etc.

If you can’t get rid of the stressor, your vet can usually prescribe a form of cat Prozac until he gets used to the change. Another way is to spend more time with kitty – playing, grooming – any kind of activity which re-affirms he is number one in your affection.

The above are just five problems you may face when training cats to use the litter box. You can easily find the basic instructions for litter training your cats, and these instructions work for many people. But sometimes you can run into problems. The fastest way to solve your problem is to look at an exhaustive reference on cat behavior. Another option is to check with your vet (if he is a cat specialist), or to post your problem on Yahoo Answers (this can take some time).

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No matter how much we love our cats, cleaning up their litter box can get tiresome. At times like these, you think how wonderful it is if you can toilet train cats. If only our little tigers could go to the toilet to poop and pee, it would save us so much trouble… and money too!

How To Toilet Train Your Cat

Actually, there is a way to toilet train your cat. Note that only adult cats should be trained to use the toilet. Kittens are at too much risk of falling in and drowning.

The first step of toilet training cats is to get them to use their litter box in the toilet. Once they are comfortable using their litter box right beside the toilet bowl, you can slowly raise it (the litter box) until it is level with the toilet.

At this point, you will need a bowl which will fit into the toilet. Obviously, you need to keep the lid up and the seat down. This bowl replaces the litter box. Once your cat can balance himself on the toilet seat, you can remove the bowl. From now on, your cat is toilet trained and you will not have to deal with cleaning his litter box ever again.

But If It’s So Great, Why Don’t More People Toilet Train Cats?

Having a toilet trained cat sounds great, doesn’t it? But then, why don’t we hear more about it? Why aren’t there cat trainers popping up left and right to offer this service?

There are several problems. First, you need to share the toilet with kitty. And the toilet door needs to be left open all the time. In a small apartment, these are big issues. Oh yes, you also need to always remember to leave the lid up and the seat down. You, and everyone else who uses the toilet. And don’t forget that you still need to flush the toilet yourself.

Apart from this, some cats just won’t go into the toilet. And some cats never get the hang of balancing themselves on the toilet seat. In addition, once kitty gets old and arthritic, the gymnastics of jumping up and balancing himself on the toilet seat becomes difficult. Once this happens, he’ll probably start doing his business in various corners of the house again. At this point of time, it might be difficult to re-train him to use a litter box again.

Some cat lovers also worry – what if kitty slips and falls in? Isn’t it dangerous? This is one of the main reasons I still prefer the litter box for my cats.

However, for many cat owners, the biggest problem is time. Toilet training a cat can take a lot of time and patience, even more than litter training a cat. Some lucky cat owners say their cats learn to use the toilet in just three months. Others reported that they needed a year or more to toilet train their cats.

As you can see, there are reasons why not many people toilet train cats. I prefer to stick to a manual litter box, but other cat owners have switched to automatic cat litter boxes.

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Although kitty is a very clean animal, he can still produce a very distinctive odor, especially in a small apartment. The cat odor emanating from your apartment can lead to complaints from your neighbors, not to mention your significant other if he or she is not a cat lover. In addition, if you move out, you may be required to get rid of the cat odor.

Much of the distinctive cat odor comes from cat urine, cat spray and cat poop. Cat spraying (watch their distinctive posture: they stand straight up and lift their bottoms high in the air to spray a mixture of urine and pheromones) is both the easiest and hardest cat problem to fix. Easiest because neutering kitty will largely prevent the problem. Hardest because trying to discover why your neutered cat decides to suddenly start spraying is an exercise in frustration that can have you pulling your hair out.

The stink from cat poop is pretty easy to deal with. The first thing to do is ask your vet to recommend the best cat food for kitty. Different breeds have different needs, and not all brands of cat food are available where you stay. Feed kitty right, and he will poop less, and what comes out will also be less smelly and easier to clean up.

Litter training your cat will help to cut down on the stink from both cat urine and cat poop. Use the best cat litter and it will absorb the smell when kitty does his business in the litter box. Based on reviews from Amazon customers, Odor Lockers Fresh Scent Clumping Cat Litter and Fresh Step Premium Scoopable Clumping Cat Litter are the best at controling cat urine odor. While some cats don’t like them, using a covered litter box can further reduce the odors from your cat.

Of course, you need to scoop both the poop and pee daily, as well as replace the litter weekly. For some cat owners, this work can quickly turn into a chore. If you feel this way, try an automatic cat litter box. Most cats do not like automatic litter boxes, but if kitty takes a shine to it, your life will become much simpler. These litter boxes will detect when he has done his business, and rake or scoop up the poop and pee into a separate compartment for easier disposal. Many of them claim to be able to last up to one month without the need to replace the litter. Downside is that the litter comes in its own cartridge and is more expensive.

You may also find it helpful to put some kind of odor remover near the cat litter box. Use something based on carbon or activated charcoal. Some cat owners find that the stuff made to get rid of fridge odors also work well for cat odor.

Even when kitty is litter trained, accidents can still happen. In such cases, you need an enzymatic cleaner to really get rid of the cat urine odor. A regular cleaner just isn’t enough. While it will remove the stain, an odor that will attract your cat to pee in the same spot will still remain. An enzymatic cleaner which is often recommended is Nature’s Miracle, although any other enzyme cleaner formulated for cat urine will do as well.

These enzyme cleaners are not as cheap as regular cleaners, so you may not want to use it everywhere. If you turn on a blacklight (or ultra violet lamp) in the dark, it will illuminate all the spots stained by cat urine. This will help you do a more effective spot cleaning.

If you have carpets, remember to clean not only the carpet, but both the backing and the floor underneath the carpet. Don’t forget the air vents either. Even though kitty does not pee or spray there, the smell from the rest of the apartment can still soak in there.

Removing or preventing cat odor can be a chore, but is not rocket science. Follow the tips above to prevent trouble from the other members of your family or neighbors.

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Are you wondering when is the best time to start litter training your kitten, and how to go about doing it? Fortunately, cats and kittens are naturally fastidious creatures, and they have a natural tendency to use the litter box. Unfortunately, if they start doing it in the wrong spot, it can be difficult to get them to move their activities to the litter box.

Why? Because your kitten thinks that the place to pee is the place where she smells her urine. So, if the first place she went was someplace inconvenient like your pillow…

This is the reason you should always have a good way to completely get rid of cat urine smells. An enzymatic cleaner like Nature’s Miracle is very handy when you start litter training a kitten. Sprinkle cat litter over the soiled spot then wipe it up with damp tissue paper. After that, use the cleaner to thoroughly clean the area where your kitten did its business.

You do not want to immediately throw away the soiled litter. Place the cat poop/pee in your kitten’s litter box, then bring her to it. Do not rub her nose in the soiled litter. However, use her paws to gently dig at the litter to show her how to bury her poo. Just be patient and she will eventually get the idea.

The best cat litter to use at this stage is probably sand or a non-clumping clay cat litter. Some cat owners say they have good results with crystal litter, but some people are a bit nervous about using this type of litter for kittens.

When Do You Start Kitten Litter Training?

Generally, you can start to litter train your kitten once she is 4 to 6 weeks old. In most cases, her mother will teach her how to use the litter box. Your kitten might be a fast learner, and learn to use her litter box in just a week. Or she might take more than a month. This is one reason why you should not adopt a kitten less than 3 months old. Her litter training and socialization is not yet complete, and she will likely show other behavior problems in the future.

Of course, you do not always have a choice. For example, if you adopt an orphaned kitten, you may have to take the place of her mother. It helps a lot if you already have an adult cat who is already litter trained. Your kitten will tend to follow the older cat’s example.

If you bought your kitten from a breeder, you should ask for some of your kitten’s poop and soiled litter. Although it sounds gross, this can be really helpful in litter training a kitten. You also need to get the same kind of cat litter the breeder uses as well as the same kind of litter box. These are just some shortcuts to speed up the kitty litter training process.

Litter training your kitten need not be difficult. However, you do need to be loving and patient with your kitten. You also need to immediately and thoroughly clean up any accidents.

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An automatic cat litter offers great convenience to cat owners. It will automatically scoop up the used litter after your cat uses the litter box. A good point is the wide range of modern designs available. There are many different sizes of automatic cat litter boxes. Some are open, while others are enclosed.

1. Open tray, or enclosed box? This is an important point to consider when litter training your cat to use the new automatic cat litter box. If his old litter box was an enclosed type, the new box should also be enclosed. Otherwise you may need more time to retrain him. This brings up another point – many cat owners find that they need to litter train their cats again when they change the litter box.

2. Noise factor. Some automatic cat litter are more noisy than others. If your cat is sensitive to noise, you will have to look for a quiet model. On the other hand, some cats like it loud – they are attracted to use the litter box because it is noisy. Some cats are fascinated by the mechanism of the box. You may have to experiment with several different models before you find a box which your cat likes.

3. Litter box placement is another important factor. Automatic litter boxes need to be plugged into a source of electricity – for some people, this means they have to move kitty’s litter box out of the bathroom, which means more retraining. Some models are also quite noisy. You may want to place the new litter box somewhere it won’t wake you up if kitty goes potty in the middle of the night.

4. What type of cat litter? Many automatic litter boxes use clumping litter. Some new models use crystal cat litter. Before you buy the new litter box, make sure it can use the same brand of litter which your cat likes. So far, no one makes a self cleaning litter box using biodegradable litter, so too bad for cat owners who use World’s Best Cat Litter. Replacing the litter can be expensive. However, most manufacturers claim that a fresh tray of litter can last anywhere from two weeks to one month.

5. Attracting kitty to use the new litter box – If you can get catnip easily and cheaply, this can help to attract your cat to use the new automatic litter box. If this doesn’t work, Dr. Elsey’s makes an additive which claims to attract cats to use their litter boxes. You can add this additive to the litter you put in the automatic litter. Your local pet shop can also recommend other solutions.

Except for the 5 factors above, litter training your cat to use automatic cat litter is no different from litter training your cat to use a normal manual litter box.

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Do you have a new kitten? If you also own mama cat, and she is litter trained, then you are in luck. She will litter train her kittens. All you need to do is clean up the litter box afterwards. On the other hand, if she has not been litter trained, then your first step is to litter train mama cat. Otherwise, no amount of kitten litter training you do will help.

The first step of kitten litter training is to prepare to clean up any “accidents”, and there will be a lot of “accidents”. Once your kitten has peed or pooped in a particular spot, it will try to return there to do all of its future business. Partly, this is because it can smell its urine there. So, an important part of litter training your kitten is to get rid of all cat urine smells. To do this, you will need two items: a good blacklight (ultraviolet lamp) and an enzymatic cleaner for cat urine like Nature’s Miracle. When you turn on the blacklight in the dark, it will cause all the spots where your kitten did its business to glow. The next step is to use the enzymatic cleaner to remove cat urine stains.

Step two is to prepare the litter box and cat litter for your kitten. The litter box needs to be the right size, not too high and not too low. Your kitten should be able to comfortably climb or jump into it. You also need to get a suitable cat litter, either sand or clay cat litter. Do not use clumping cat litter or biodegradable litter. If your kitten swallows clumping cat litter, she could get very sick. Some biodegradable litter is made of material which could cause an allergic reaction in cats. This reaction could be very severe in a little kitten. You may also want to use something which can attract your kitten to use the litter box – something like Dr Elsey’s “Cat Attract” formula is known to help with litter training some cats. Who knows, it may help with your kitten litter training as well. Remember to place the litter box away from your kitten’s food bowl. Far, far away. Your kitten, like you, does not like to eat its food right next to the toilet.

For step three, you need to prepare preventative measures. In step one, you got rid of all cat urine smell so that your kitten is not attracted back to the same spots by smell. But it might still go back because the place is a familiar landmark. You want to keep your kitten away. One way is to place some foil there – many cats do not like the way it feels on their paws. Another way is to use some form of cat repellant spray. These sprays are usually based on some pheromones which cats avoid.

In step four, set up a fixed feeding and litter box cleaning schedule. Many cats like to pee and poop before eating or after eating, so having a fixed feeding time makes it easier for you to litter train your kitten. Cats are also naturally clean and fussy creatures. Like you, they do not like to do their business in a dirty toilet. If you clean the litter box on a regular, fixed schedule, your kitten is more likely to learn to use it.

Step five involves the actually litter training your kitten. You need to learn to recognize the signs of your kitten preparing to pee or poop. You will probably miss the first few times and have to clean up accidents. But once you learn the signs, you should immediately move your kitten to the litter box. This will associate the litter box as a place to do its business. If you are lucky, your kitten will learn quickly. If not, you just need to be patient. Remember to reward your kitten every time it uses the litter box. This positive reinforcement will speed up the kitten litter training process.

Kitten litter training is not particularly difficult, especially because kittens have not yet learned many bad habits. Remember to be patient, and consistent in dealing with your kitten. Never physically punish your kitten. This will only make it fear you and damage your relationship. Positive reinforcement works much better.

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What is the best cat litter on the market today? Keep in mind that choosing the right cat litter for your needs affects whether or not you successfully litter train your cat. We refer to the court of public opinion, using Amazon’s publicly available database. Most of their bestselling cat litter is for automatic cat litter boxes, but here are 5 best cat litter for normal litter boxes:

• World’s Best Cat Litter
• Precious Cat Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter
• Odor Lockers – Fresh Scent Clumping Cat Litter
• Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat ‘Cat Attract’ Cat Litter
• Fresh Step Premium Scoopable Clumping Cat Litter

We will review these 5 brands of litter based on the 7 following criteria:

• Convenience – Is it a clumping litter?
• Convenience – Is the cat litter flushable?
• How well does it get rid of cat urine smell?
• Is it expensive?
• Is it dusty?
• Does it track all over the house?
• Is it biodegradable?
• Miscellaneous

Is it a clumping litter?
All 5 brands are clumping cat litter. However, the clumps formed by World’s Best are a bit fragile and can break apart easily. Dr. Elsey’s clumps have been reported to be a bit sticky, and difficult to scoop.

Be careful not to use clumping cat litter with kittens. Kittens are like children, they like to put things in their mouths. If they eat the litter, they could get extremely sick when the litter clumps inside their stomach.

Is the cat litter flushable?
World’s Best claims to be flushable. However, unless you have set aside a budget for your plumber, it is advisable not to test out this claim yourself.

How well does it get rid of cat urine smell?
The best litter for cat urine odor removal are:

• Odor Lockers – Fresh Scent Clumping Cat Litter
• Fresh Step Premium Scoopable Clumping Cat Litter

Despite the claims of World’s Best, their litter does not effectively get rid of cat urine smells. At least, not for all cats.

Is it expensive?
As to be expected, World’s Best Cat Litter is the most expensive brand, at $38 for 34 lbs – it is biodegradable, and claims to be flushable. The other 4 brands range from $0.45 to $0.70 per pound, with Precious Cat Litter and Odor Lockers being the cheapest.

Be careful if you order Precious Cat Litter online – at one point of time, Amazon mismarked it to double its usual price although you could still get it for its normal price at your local pet shop.

Is it dusty?
Both Odor Lockers and Fresh Step cat litter are dusty. Some people also find Dr. Elsey’s to be a bit dusty.

Does it track all over the house?
Cats seem to track World’s Best, Odor Lockers, and Dr. Elsey’s around the house. One way to deal with this is to place a mat in your cat’s path.

Is it biodegradable?
Both World’s Best Cat Litter and Odor Lockers are biodegradable. World’s Best is made from corn, while Odor Lockers is made from wood fibre.

Miscellaneous

• World’s Best Cat Litter – some cats are allergic to its corn formula and many cats do not like the natural corn scent
• Precious Cat Litter – this brand seems to have quality control issues. Some bags are dusty or do not clump properly
• Odor Lockers – not as widely available as other brands. The manufacturer seems to be switching to online-only sales, so look for them from online cat supplies providers
• Dr. Elsey’s claims to attract cats to use the litter box, hence the greater cost. Unfortunately, it does not work for some cats, so you should test it with a smaller bag. They now make the “Cat Attract” additive separately, so you can use it with your regular cat litter instead.

As you can see from this cat litter review, each of the 5 best cat litter has its own strengths and weaknesses. Which one you buy depends on both your needs and what your cat likes best. Many people fail to potty train their cats because they buy the wrong litter.

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What is the proper method of cat litter disposal? If your cat is not litter trained, the answer is simple – clean up the poop with tissue paper and flush it, mop up the pee with more tissue paper and flush it. But what do you do after your cat does its business in the litter box? Can you still get rid of it the same way – is the cat litter flushable?

That depends on whether it is pee or feces, and what type of cat litter you are using. If you use sand for your cat’s litter box, you should not flush it. Even though not much sand will stick to the cat poop, your toilet will choke up in the long run. The same goes for the other two main types of litter: clay cat litter and clumping cat litter. The plumber’s bill to unclog your pipes will bankrupt you.

If you use crystal litter, which is made of silica gel, your job of cat litter disposal is slightly easier. Crystal cat litter absorbs cat urine into itself without clumping, so it is flushable in small amounts. Not much sticks to the cat poop either, so you can also flush that down the toilet. However, it is still not adviseable to do this regularly in the long run.

As for biodegradable cat litter, that depends. Some of them are made of rather large pellets which might also choke up your plumbing. Others are made of wood, or sawdust and might go through without any problems. Still, if you have a septic tank, realize that these material do not necessarily degrade immediately. We could be talking about years – which could cause your septic tank to become rather full. Somehow, the thought of used litter and cat poop coming out of my backed up drains leaves me with a cold sweat.

Some manufacturers have started to make flushable cat litter, in the face of calls for more convenience. Naturally, these flushable cat litter costs more. To make cat litter flushable, they use various biodegradable materials which are supposed to safely go through your plumbing. These newer types of cat litter will not turn into a sludge which can choke up your sewage pipes – in theory. Some plumbers beg to differ. In the course of their business, they have gone to homes where the sewage pipes and plumbing were choked up by flushable cat litter. Or so the embarrassed and distressed house occupant said. Who is lying, here? I do not know, but it is probably not adviseable to flush large amounts of litter down the toilet.

It is still better to dispose of the bulk of your cat’s litter the old way – either bagged up together with the rest of your trash or carefully buried somewhere in the garden. In the garden, your cat’s urine and feces would make a good fertilizer for your grass and flowers. Cat urine and feces can contain dangerous bacteria, so you should not use it to fertilize vegetables and fruit trees.

I must admit that a true flushable cat litter would be awfully convenient when it is snowing or raining heavily. It would really simplify cat litter disposal.

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For some cat owners, scooping up and cleaning up their cat’s litter box is an awful chore. Especially for men, the thought of using automatic cat litter boxes is especially attractive. However, automatic cat litter boxes are a lot more expensive than the normal manual litter box, usually costing at least $50 each. There is also a maintenance cost – some people report spending an extra $10 to $20 every month buying replacement trays. These self cleaning litter boxes are not always suitable for cat litter training. Below are some questions often asked about these high-tech automatic kitty litter:

1. I have already litter trained my cat, but I am getting tired of cleaning up the litter everyday. Will self cleaning cat litter boxes help me?

• Possibly. Automatic litter boxes will scoop the cat poop into a separate compartment and rake the remaining litter to prevent cat pee from puddling up. You still need to get rid of the dirty litter every one or two weeks, and replace the used litter.
• Cats tend to be quite finicky creatures. There is a strong possibility that if you change their litter box, you may need to go through the whole cat litter training process again.
• Some of these self cleaning litter boxes also require specific types of litter to work properly, for example a particular brand of crystal cat litter or clumping cat litter. Will your cat use this type of litter?
• Also, be aware that some cats absolutely refuse to use these automatic litter boxes. In the worst case, you may have to retrain your cat twice – once to use the automatic device, and once more to revert to the old manual litter box.
• You may want to buy your litter box from a shop with a lenient return policy, especially if you buy one of the expensive models. If your cat does not like the new litter box, at least you can return it.

2. I heard that automatic kitty litters are noisy and can scare my cats away. Is this true?

• It is true that they tend to be noisy. Some people are sensitive to noise, especially at night. If your cat goes potty in the middle of the night, the machine will activate. Depending on your noise tolerance and where you placed the box, this may disturb you.
• Will kitty be scared off? Frankly, that depends on your cat. Some cats are just fascinated by these things, and will never want to use an ordinary litter box ever again.
• Other cats take some time to get used to their automatic cat litter boxes, and may need to go through litter training again before they will use these new self cleaning litter boxes.
• I have heard of accidents involving long haired cats, where they get caught in the device and become permanently scared of using any kind of enclosed litter box ever again.
• There are also reports of some brands of automatic cat litter, where the design attracts cats to pee or spray on their sensors. Obviously, this quickly damages the litter box.

3. How long do self cleaning cat litter boxes last? Do they get spoiled quickly?

• This depends on your luck. There is no general consensus on any particular brand which is more reliable or less reliable than the rest. Some people have used theirs for nearly a decade, while others had to return or throw away theirs in just a few weeks.
• Someone did note that the rectangular-shaped automatic cat litter tend to have fewer problems compared to the round or other odd-shaped boxes.
• Unfortunately, price seems to have no relation to reliability.

4. What is the best cat litter to use with these automatic litter boxes?

• It is best to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. However, most require either crystal cat litter or clumping cat litter.
• NB: Some owners find that the manufacturer’s recommendations are wrong. If your litter box does not work well with the recommended litter, you may want to experiment with a different type before giving up.

5. The maintenance cost is expensive – how can I cut costs? Does it use a lot of electricity?

• Some older models may have needed more power, but the newer models are more efficient. You should not notice any significant increase in your annual electric bill.
• The major cost is in replacing the tray and the litter. Most automatic cat litter boxes require you to buy a new tray with some specific brand of kitty litter.
• Some owners have successfully saved a good deal of cash by re-using the tray. They also use a cheaper brand of cat litter, although sticking to the same type, e.g. if the recommended brand is a crystal litter, then they use a cheaper crystal litter brand.
• Someone reported that she used small trash bags to line the tray – this allowed her to re-use the tray even more often.

As you can see, automatic cat litter boxes are not for everyone. For now, there is no clear leader to recommend. If your cat has already been litter trained, you should not make any changes.

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Litter training your kittens is an important responsibility as a cat owner. If you also own the mother cat, and she is litter trained, then your job is much easier. She will teach her kittens how to use the litter box. All you need to do is provide more litter boxes for the growing kittens and scoop up the litter everyday.

Originally, people used sand when litter training a kitten. Sand is easily available, helps to absorb the cat urine and makes handling cat poop much easier. It is still used by some cat owners. Unfortunately, cats often track sand all over the house.

For this reason, clay cat litter is more popular. Clay cat litter is more absorbent than sand, and has a larger grain, so your cats are less likely to track it around the house. Compared to sand, it is also works better to get rid of cat urine smell. Some cat owners use clay-based oil absorbent, which is cheaper and works just as well. Clay-based oil absorbent is actually similar to clay cat litter – except that it is made for industrial use. Both of them make use of granulated Fuller’s earth for its strong absorbent properties.

The next major advancement in cat litter was the invention of clumping cat litter. As its name suggests, it clumps together when your cat pees on it. As it forms a solid mass separate from the other litter in the box, it is much easier for you to scoop up without having to change all the litter in the box. While clumping litter is great for your adult cats, some cat lovers have expressed concern in using it when litter training a kitten. There is some worry that the kitten will eat the litter and be harmed when it swells inside the stomach. There is no scientific evidence at the moment, but as cat lovers it is better to be safe than sorry.

Crystal cat litter is the latest scientific advancement in cat litter technology. It uses silica gel, which absorbs cat urine even better than clumping cat litter. It lasts so much longer than any other litter – you just need to stir it after you scoop the cat poop to prevent cat urine from pooling in the litter box. One problem with crystal cat litter is that there is no warning when it becomes saturated. The next time your kitten uses the litter box, it could leave a puddle behind. Crystal litter is also lighter than clay cat litter and clumping litter – your kitten might track the silica gel around your house. As cat lovers, there is another concern – we can also find silica gel in our pill bottles, where they are labeled “Do Not Eat”. Is it safe for litter training a kitten, especially since even adult cats are very sensitive to poisons.

For cat owners who want to be more environmentally friendly, you can also try biodegradable cat litter. This is usually made from material which naturally decomposes, including wood pellets, recycled newspapers and sawdust. Some brands of biodegradable cat litter can actually be safely flushed down the toilet, unlike normal cat litter. Unfortunately, like many other things which are environmentally friendly, biodegradable litter is also more expensive than the normal kind.

As you can see, you are spoiled for choice when litter training a kitten. You can use clay cat litter, clumping cat litter, crystal cat litter or even biodegradable cat litter. For kittens, clay is probably the best and safest choice.

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