Have you ever stopped to marvel at the cat litter box? This simple device allows cats a level of self-sufficiency that few other domesticated animals share. To begin, we need to appreciate the fact that cats instinctively know how to use the litter box. The biological drive to cover their waste likely stems from the ancestral need to avoid detection by predators. The smarter cats gravitated toward soft dirt or sand, since this granular consistency made it easier to bury their waste.
Yet, when we consider that cats were domesticated some ten thousand years ago, the litter box is just a recent leap in the evolution of feline bathroom habits. It wasn’t until the invention of the self-cleaning litter box, though, that the domestication of cats was truly complete.
This study found that the feral cats responsible for the poop in the trial area quickly started to use communal litter boxes-no training or previous experience required! To understand where this apparent instinct to use litter boxes comes from we must delve into the ancestry of our beloved feline companions.
There is evidence of cats living alongside people dating back more than 10,000 years ago. The changeover from outdoor bathrooms to indoor litter boxes was far more abrupt. This sudden shift resulted in headaches, hiccups, and continuous trial and error, with litter box maintenance seen as a major chore even today.
Tracing Ancestry to the African Wildcat
The Felidae family also includes large cats like lions, tigers, cheetahs, and several species of wild cats. DNA samples from pet cats across the globe are nearly identical to the DNA of the African wildcat (Felis sylvestris lybica), which still lives in Asia and North Africa today.
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An African Wildcat
Large wild cats often bury their poop within their territory so as not to attract attention to themselves, but leave it exposed to mark the edges of the territory as a signal to other cats (urine and feces contain pheromones, which are chemicals cats use as signals and communication). All cats are naturally attracted to soft dirt to pass their waste in, as it makes it easier to bury. In our houses, the litter box usually provides the only suitable area for them to carry out their instinctive desire to dig and cover their bodily wastes.
Life in the wild continued for cats for nearly ten millennia. They were rarely brought indoors, instead serving as mousers on farms and ships, and eventually in factories. Although cats began to be accepted as house pets around the time of World War I, they generally lived outdoors, roaming neighborhoods freely.
The Evolution of Cat Litter
By the early 1940s, cat owners could go to a pet store and buy the E-Z Klean Kitty Toilet. This “kitty toilet” was a paper-lined enameled metal pan that came with an optional privacy screen. It was filled with dirt, sand, ashes, or newspaper so feline family members could stay indoors.
In 1947, Michigan businessman Edward Lowe was trying to market granulated clay as a nesting material for chickens. One cold January day, Lowe’s neighbor Kay Draper stopped by to ask if he had any sand available to use as cat litter-she was tired of her cat tracking ashes all over the house. Two weeks later, Mrs. Draper showed up asking for more clay-and eventually, so did her friends. The clay minerals were capable of absorbing their weight in water, working far better than sand or ashes. Clay litter became a necessity for cat owners for the ensuing decades.
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But as all things destined for greatness must evolve, so did the cat litter box. The 1980s brought about clumping litter, which allowed for much easier cleaning and better odor control. Not only was this a boon for pet parents, but also for cats: Even today, cats tend to prefer clay-clumping litter over other types of litter.
Different types of cat litter
The first design for an automatic self-cleaning litter box was patented in 1991. Raking vs. Rake mechanisms dominated the early self-cleaning litter box market. In 1999, engineer Brad Baxter inherited two cats and discovered several things: First, scooping the litter box is a dirty task; second, using a litter box with an automatic raking system can be even dirtier.
After a year of testing of various prototypes, Brad designed the initial concept for Litter-Robot. Automatic litter boxes have only gotten better and more advanced. For example, Litter-Robot 4 not only removes the need to scoop, it also provides smart insights into your cat's weight and litter box usage. It’s safe to assume that the cat litter box hasn’t yet culminated. While the invention of the self-cleaning litter box made life easier for cats and cat parents alike, we have no doubt that there are further exciting developments on the way-including here at Whisker!
The Right Environment for Litter Box Use
How to Choose the Right Litter Box for Your Cat?
Try to appeal to your cat’s natural instincts to help them recognize the litter box as the place to potty. Cats like their privacy. Cats also prefer not to toilet in the area where they eat and drink, so position the tray separate from their feeding station.
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Despite their natural instincts, cats and kittens may still need a little help finding and using the litter box when they first move into your home. Watch out for signs that your kitty may need the toilet (sniffing and scratching the ground, meowing, going behind the sofa), and gently place them into the litter box. Chose a litter that is most similar to sand or dirt (such as finely clumping clay) to satisfy your cat’s natural behavior, and fill the tray two to three inches deep. It may help to gently scratch at the litter to show them that they can dig, and usually they will quickly catch on. Give your cat a treat and lots of praise when they get things right, and never punish them for mistakes.
Older outdoor cats that have never used a litter box before sometimes have to start due to a change in circumstances, or needing to be confined due to an illness or injury. Consider putting planters out of reach, removing them completely, or covering the soil with stones.
Troubleshooting Litter Box Issues
There are many reasons that a cat may stop using the litter box; a change in the type of litter, location, or type of box can all put a cat off using it. If the cat is frightened when using the tray (e.g. by another cat in the household, loud noise, or discomfort of any type) they may decide to deposit their poop and pee elsewhere.
Urinary issues like cystitis, bladder stones, and urinary tract infections, as well as bowel issues like diarrhea and constipation, can all result in cats not using their litter trays as normal and can be very serious.
“Inappropriate elimination”…the politically correct way to say Fluffy thinks your entire home is a litter box. When bringing a newly adopted kitty home, some will hesitate to use a new litter box. The Internet is filled with articles on the subject. Fortunately, cats adopted from us should be in good health when they leave for their new homes. If your newly adopted bundle of fur comes home and doesn’t use the litter box, it is unlikely to be a medical issue. You can double check with your foster parent before investing big money in veterinarian expenses.
The more likely causes are either differences in litter box or the new environment. Have you ever used a toilet in rural Asia or Africa? Even if you don’t host a PBS travel show, I think you get the idea. Cats like familiarity. Start with the same litter material used in the foster home. Double check with the foster family on what they were using. Most cats accept plain unscented, clumping clay litter.
If you want to use something different, remember you aren’t the one using the litter box, but you are the one cleaning the carpet. Start by duplicating what the foster family used and then make the transition slowly. For example, if your foster family wasn’t using silica gel litter in a motion-detecting, auto-cleaning litter box, then don’t start with that. Even if you use the same litter and the same size pan, one factor I’ve seen overlooked is litter depth.
The instructions on the sack of litter often say to pour three inches into the pan. That’s fine if you’re selling litter, but some cats don’t like sinking into the litter or having particles stick to the fur around their feet. If you see kitty with her front paws on the edge of the pan, or trying to balance precariously on the edge of the pan that’s a fair indicator she doesn’t like the way the litter “feels.”
Several people had success by grading, or sloping, the litter lengthwise in the pan. One end of the pan is bare bottom and the litter gets deeper as it gets to the opposite end. The deep end should be about two or three inches deep. The sloped litter gives kitty a choice of where to stand.
If that doesn’t help, then it is time for all the Internet articles about how many litter boxes to have, making sure the box is in an accessible but secluded area, properly introducing kitty to the rest of the family, both human and four-legged, reducing stress, etc. Most of the “new home” litter box issues are solved by making sure kitty has familiar litter material, box size, and “feel”. Remember my overseas toilet analogy.
Do you have the right number of litter boxes? Have you tried changing the litter type to see if they prefer a different one? Are you scooping the tray out daily, and completely emptying and thoroughly cleaning it at least weekly? Have you moved the litter box location? Have you changed litter brands? Are there any signs of a medical problem? Is your cat stressed? Most pet parents will find that litter training their cat is an easy process.
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