Compared to training dogs to excrete, training cats not to urinate or defecate anywhere is much more convenient. As long as you provide a clean litter box for your cat, clean it regularly, and train it, you can have a cat that won't urinate or defecate in inappropriate places. Of course, there are special cases where cats suddenly stop using the litter box. Why is that? Let's answer them one by one below.

　　1. Training cats to use the litter box

　　Prepare a litter box for your pet cat; you can make one yourself or buy a specialized pet litter box from the market, then fix it in a corner of the home. You can gently catch the cat and put it into the prepared special toilet, pat its head and butt, and say this is the toilet; from now on, use it to relieve itself. Of course, the cat won't understand at first and won't obey by using the litter box immediately. During early training, the owner should closely watch the cat’s urinating and defecating behavior. When you find the cat is about to relieve itself, take the cat to the fixed litter box. When the cat is using the litter box, the owner should not disturb it but quietly watch and wait from a distance. Training a pet cat to urinate and defecate in a fixed litter box cannot be completed in one or two times. During training, the owner must have perseverance and patiently treat each training session. After some time, the cat will develop the habit of using the designated litter box.

　　2. Training cats not to urinate or defecate everywhere

　　Although cats love cleanliness and are easy to train to use a litter box, the litter box must be cleaned often, and the substrate needs to be replaced regularly. Moreover, the smell of cat feces is particularly unpleasant. Therefore, among urban residents, training cats to urinate and defecate on the flush toilet can achieve multiple benefits. Before training, place a plastic board or wooden board under the toilet seat, and spread an appropriate amount of soil, ash, sawdust, or other substrate on the board. When you notice the cat needs to relieve itself, bring it to the toilet. Soon it will relieve itself there. Once the cat forms the habit and can urinate and defecate on the board by itself, gradually reduce the amount of substrate. The cat will slowly develop the habit of standing on the toilet seat to urinate and defecate. At this time, you can remove the plastic board or wooden board.

　　During training, people should preferably not use the flush toilet; the substrate should be replaced frequently, generally once a day; if the cat is unwilling to go to the toilet after falling into it, the training must be restarted.

　　3. Reasons causing cats to urinate or defecate everywhere

　　1. Caused by illness: Some illnesses cause urination and defecation frequency to increase, possibly leading to this behavioral issue. These diseases include colitis, enteritis, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, kidney or liver diseases, and feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD). Some illnesses may cause pain during urination or defecation, or difficulty accessing the litter box, such as arthritis, FLUTD, anal gland cysts, blindness, etc. Treating these illnesses can improve this behavior issue. In addition, using a shallower litter box, placing the litter box where the cat frequents most, and increasing the number of litter boxes may help.

　　2. Caused by stress: At any age, stress can cause cats to exhibit this behavior issue. Sources of stress include moving house, sudden changes in routine life, household member changes, etc. Reducing these sources of stress or minimizing the impact of such changes on the cat is beneficial for both the cat and yourself. For example, when you must move, on moving day it is best to keep the cat in a quieter area at home. After moving to the new home, keep the cat in a quiet room first, like a bedroom, and place its food, water, litter box, and favorite bed or mat. Spend more time in the room with the cat, feeding it and cleaning the litter box, then gradually let it explore other parts of the new home.

　　3. Dislike of the litter: Cats of any age may refuse to use the litter box because they dislike the litter, for example, some litters contain scents or disinfectants with a medicinal smell that the cat dislikes. Try several kinds of litter to see if this is the cause.

　　4. Location of the litter box: Some cats may dislike the placement of the litter box—for example, too close to their food or water, in heavy foot traffic areas making them feel no privacy, or places where they might be attacked by other cats. Try placing an additional litter box to see if the situation improves. Remember the number of litter boxes should be one more than the number of cats in the household.

　　5. Hygiene conditions: Some cats are particular; they don’t like to defecate in litter boxes where they have urinated, and some cats refuse to use litter boxes used by other cats. Just like how we don’t like to use dirty toilets, if the litter box is often uncleaned, the cat may find another place to relieve itself.

　　For kittens just brought home, good habits should be developed from the beginning, and cats prefer to urinate and defecate in the litter box. If an adult cat suddenly dislikes the litter box, the owner must pay attention. Maybe the cat is signaling something. The owner should not blindly blame the cat, as this will only cause resentment in the cat.