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The 13 Rules of Treating Elimination Outside the Litterbox

(as written in Compendium Magazine January 2007)

  1. Keep the litterbox clean.
  2. Use a litterbox that is at least one and a half times the length of the cat from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail.
  3. Avoid covered litterboxes, if possible. If a cover must be used and there are multiple pets in the household, cut a second entrance in the cover.
  4. Avoid having the litterbox in noisy, drafty, high traffic, or otherwise undesirable areas.
  5. Provide at least dim light during the night.
  6. If the cat is very young, old, or disabled, cut a low entrance into the litterbox.
  7. If the cat does not dig in the litter and covers it excrement, simultaneously offer two or more kinds of litter in separate litterboxes and keep a log of the cat's preferences. A number of different litters may need to be tried before the owner can identify one that the cat prefers.
  8. If there is a suspected history of learned aversion, offer the cat a new litterbox in a new location.
  9. If there are multiple cats in the house, provide as many litterboxes as there are cats. plus one more.
  10. Place the litterboxes in multiple sites.
  11. If there is a social conflict between any of the cats, address the conflict.
  12. If the cat has long hair, trim the excess hair between the digits and around the perineum.
  13. If anxiety is suspected, treat the cat with anxiolytics.
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