Why did the cat stop going to the tray and how to fix the situation?

Keeping a cat is a simple matter, which is why many people get not only one, but two, or even three pets. But here's the misfortune: the animal, which before that regularly went to its tray, dramatically changed the line of behavior and chose a completely different place for its toilet. Such a problem scares many breeders, but do not panic in advance: there is a way out of any situation.

If we are talking about a kitten, then the owners have no reason to worry. After all, the kitten just bought and brought home is completely disoriented, he is helpless and scared, does not know where his toilet and bowl with food and water are. After a while, the baby will get comfortable and remember all the necessary places in the house. As a rule, if you take an animal in the nursery, then there are no problems with the tray at all: mom cat and breeders pre-teach the baby to use the toilet.

A completely different task is faced by the owner of an already adult cat, which for several years went only to its tray and suddenly completely “forgot” why she needed it. There are quite a few reasons for this behavior, let's analyze them in more detail.

Most often the question concerns kittens. The animal, which, according to the breeder, perfectly met the need for a tray, for some reason stopped doing this in your house. The reason may be covered in the tray. For example, he is too tall, and a small kitten simply can not get there. Having made some efforts and not having achieved success, the baby just goes to the toilet nearby.In addition, the tray may have a certain smell, especially if it is cheap plastic.

The solution in this case will be buying a lower tray that does not emit odors that can scare away the baby.

An adult cat can also abandon the toilet. This often happens when buying a new tray. Many animals do not like it if it is different in shape or design from the previous one.

Filler is another reason for the unwillingness of kittens and adult cats to visit a place reserved for personal needs. For example, a cat used to go to a wood filler, and in a pet store you saw a novelty with a pleasant aroma, and even with a special offer, and, of course, could not resist buying, believing that the pet would appreciate the effort. Not at all, cats are quite conservative, they do not like changes and try to avoid them. The animal may not like the texture of the new granules, or maybe they emit dust, a strange smell, their paws stick to them.

Do not buy new fillers without having at least a little of the old in stock so that in case of failure you can quickly fill the composition usual for the cat. When purchasing a kitten, it is advisable to ask the breeder which filler the baby went to before and buy the same. With a baby taken from the street, you will need to conduct several experiments to understand which composition will be pleasant to him.

Cats are secretive animals, and they will not like it if they observe the process of coping. Therefore, it is strongly recommended not to put the tray in the room, in the corridor, closer to the kitchen - that is, in all those places where family members constantly move. From this, the cat will experience stress and may not go to the toilet at all. Of course, all cats cannot be implied here, for some it doesn’t matter at all where their tray is located, but most animals still prefer secluded places.

And also the tray can be put in the far corner of the corridor, somewhere under a high cabinet or hanging shelves. If you have a closet in the hallway, then the cat toilet can be equipped at the very bottom, after making a small hole in the bottom of the cabinet so that the animal can crawl through.

One of the most common psychological problems is relocation. Once in the new house, an adult animal, of course, will understand that this is its tray, and will remember the location of the toilet. But due to stress, the cat is able to harm, attracting the attention of the owners.

For stress, the cat can be equipped with a high bed or provide a secluded place in the closet where she can hide. After a couple of days, the pet will come to his senses, and everything will be fine.

Another psychological problem may be the birth of a child. Cats for the most part do not like children, because the kids are noisy, and their voices are too high for the cat's ear. In this case, do not let the cat go to the baby for some time, let it get used to new sounds, do not force it to communicate with the child. Do not leave the cat during this period, it needs your attention no less than a newborn baby.

If an older child came to your home, for example, relatives came to stay with you, explain that the cat cannot be pulled by the tail, ears, squeeze.

A cat can get angry if another pet is brought home, not necessarily a cat too. The animal will become jealous and unpredictable.

Repair can frighten the animal, which is necessarily accompanied by noise, knocking, and the voices of strangers. Especially if repairs are done in the room where the toilet is located. For this period, the cat must be isolated by placing in a separate room. There you need to put her bowls and a tray, arrange a place where the pet will rest.

A cat can start going to the toilet anywhere, if it gets sick. One of the common ailments is urolithiasis, which is mostly characteristic of castrated cats. It is difficult for the animal to recover, the outflow of fluid is delayed due to stones or sand. The second misfortune is urinary incontinence. You will easily find wet spots where the cat is used to sleeping or lying down. There is a disease as a complication after castration and in chronic kidney diseases. Also, cystitis can torment a cat - in this case you will find urine with impurities of blood.

In addition, the cat can crap if he has diarrhea. Food is already to blame here, perhaps you fed the animal something too fat, smoked, fried, or gave him milk. As soon as it seems to you that something is wrong with the cat, it strangely goes to the tray or even began to ignore it, and the animal's well-being worsens, do not hesitate.

If your cat is not castrated, this can lead to a serious problem. The animal will mark the territory, and since its territory is the entire apartment, get ready for unpleasant odors and detected tags. It’s impossible to force a cat to mark, only the castration procedure will help here. It is advisable to conduct it at the age of 6 months to a year, while the cat has not yet realized that you need to mark your possessions.

Unsterilized cats also have their own quirks. The animal, not finding the male, will harass the owners with a long meow, and realizing that this does not bring results, it is quite capable of choosing a sofa, bed, table with its toilet. Thus, the cat informs you of its problems. Screaming and chasing her around the house to drag her face into the waste is absolutely pointless. The animal harbors anger and will certainly come to the scene of the crime again.

Usually, an animal that cannot get into the room has no choice but to return to the previous toilet. The reason that the pet started going to the toilet in the wrong place, may be the most commonplace - you do not monitor the cleanliness of the tray well. An animal, having found a handful in the toilet, may simply not go there again.

The cat will have to be accustomed to the tray again if the animal has been sick for a long time or has had unpleasant sensations when coping with needs. Because of this, the tray may be associated with something painful and negative. The first thing to do in this case:

• buy a new tray;
• to get a fresh filler.

Then follows the direct process of accustoming the animal to the tray. Rudeness and cruelty cannot be shown, but you need to be persistent. Show the cat again how to dig a filler with a paw (at the same time, grab it by the paw). First, watch the cat: if you find that the animal is going to go to the toilet in the wrong place, carefully take it and take it to the tray. At the same time, strictly tell the cat “it is impossible”, and upon arrival to the place, pet the pet, talk to him gently, grab the filler with his foot.

Then leave the animal alone with itself so that it can relax. When the cat comes out, treat it to something tasty. It is also necessary to treat the animal afterwards (at least during the week), every time it goes to the toilet properly.Simple techniques will help correct the situation and permanently get rid of the problem. Consider a few additional tips:

• Do not be alarmed if a cat has normal stress - after a certain time, the pet will calm down and return to its usual way of life;
• if the cat is very small or already old, do not buy trays with high sides;
• if the cat stubbornly refuses to return to the pot, outsmart it: treat the place chosen by the pet with lemon or vinegar, scatter foil or balls there so that the cat cannot concentrate, close the door to this room;
• an animal who is accustomed to going to the bathroom will not like it very much if a little water is poured into it;
• do not shout at the cat and do not beat it - the “shot” from the spray gun will be much more effective;
• use various antigadins that are abundant on the shelves of pet stores.

Unfortunately, the smell of cat urine is particularly saturated, and it is often quite difficult to remove it. However, the problem can be solved.

• Dilute a small amount of vinegar in a glass of water and wash the label well. And also the smell of vinegar will scare the cat away from this place.
• Wipe the surface with hydrogen peroxide, then wash with plain water and a little soap.
• Lemon juice has a good deterrent effect. You can take half a lemon and rub it well with a pre-washed label. And you can dissolve the juice in a glass of water and apply to the cat's favorite place.
• Tea infusion, a weak solution of potassium permanganate, a rinse for gums, and alcohol-containing antiseptics will help get rid of smell and stains. It is a good idea to dilute 20 drops of iodine in a liter of water, and then with this solution wash the place of the cat's “crime”.

In addition to folk remedies, you can always use shopping carts, which will also be effective.

• 8 in 1 Stain & Odor Remover. This tool copes well with any contaminants, including residues of feces and urine. Before using it, the affected surface must be wiped well, and then apply the compound liberally. After 5 minutes, the remover is wiped with a dry cloth, and all that remains to be done is just to wait until the surface dries.
• Simple Solution Urine Destroyer. According to its characteristics and method of application, the product does not differ from the previous one, only you need to wait not 5 minutes, but 10. The product can not be used on woolen and leather surfaces.
• Capsull Neutralizor Cat & Kitten. The composition copes well not only with stain removal, but also with scaring away the animal from the place. The liquid will need to be sprayed onto a previously wiped surface and wait a few minutes, then clean with a napkin. Old and hard to remove stains after spraying are covered with a film for a couple of hours and only then wiped.

All these tools are the same in use, the difference lies only in the composition. This is not a complete list, each pet store offers its own products, and various new products are constantly appearing in this area, which can improve the quality of life of both the pet and its owner.

See how to train a kitten in a tray in the next video.