British Shorthair Cat

　　Cats are clean animals. Every morning you can see cats washing their faces with their paws and licking their fur. Cats should urinate and defecate in the litter box, but some cats do not follow rules and relieve themselves anywhere, damaging the home environment. When you discover this behavior, do not rush to punish; finding the cause and actively correcting this behavior is the real solution.

　　1. The litter box is too dirty

　　Clean the excrement every day; it’s best to clean right after the cat finishes. Generally, replace the litter every two weeks, but this depends on the situation. Sometimes it needs to be changed every week, or even completely replaced every few days in some cases. You can also invest in some cat-safe deodorizers.

　　2. Dislike of the litter texture

　　There is no quick fix for this issue. You must keep trying different types of cat litter to see what your cat likes or dislikes. For adopted cats already used to their previous owner’s litter, switching suddenly to a different litter can make them uncomfortable. In such cases, gradually mix the new litter with the old one, slowly increasing the new litter and reducing the old until your cat fully adapts to the new litter.

　　3. The litter box itself

　　Generally, the litter box should not be too small; too shallow or too deep is not suitable either. Too small provides insufficient space; too shallow does not allow the cat to cover properly causing messiness; too deep may cause cats to think it’s unnecessary to clean frequently. The litter depth should not exceed 5 cm. Whether it has a cover or not depends on each cat’s preference. For adopted cats, follow solution #2 regarding litter. Initially use the owner’s original box (covered or uncovered), then gradually introduce the new box.

　　Some vendors add fragrance to litter to deodorize, but many cats reject scented litter because they dislike the scent, so personally, I don’t recommend any scented litter. Thoroughly clean the litter box to avoid residual cleaning smells.

　　4. One litter box used by multiple cats

　　Solution: One cat, one litter box, placed separately.