I thought cats were clean creatures!

Well yes they are - in 99% of cases, but of course there are always exceptions!

Kittens are taught by their mother in a much better way than puppies are taught about keeping their living area clean.

From a very early stage a kitten will taught that they must keep their nest clean, essentially to avoid infection and not to attract predators.  The mother does this by taking them out of the nest and stimulating them to go to the toilet away from their living area. This way they learn that this is the way to do it. Kittens also have a natural desire to dig at soft loose dirt and by watching their mother dig a hole and then to perform her toilet and cover it up, they learn fast and these skills are very easy to transfer to a litter tray when the time comes.

Your cat will not poo in the litter box

Initially it is worth visiting your local vet to ensure there are no medical problems that may be cause of the problem.

If this is not the case, there are certain triggers that can create this behaviour.

1. Too many cats living in a small area and causing one cat stress
2. Problems with litter tray
1. Litter tray too close to food or bed or in a busy area of the home
2. Litter tray shared with too many other cats
3. Unhappy with type of litter used
4. Litter tray not cleaned enough or cleaned with a heavily scented product
5. Type of litter tray - may not like the particular litter tray (covered/open etc)
3. A new member in the family - this can be another cat, a dog/puppy or even a baby.
4. Moving house
5. Is a neighbouring cat getting in through the cat flap?
6. Separation anxiety

You therefore need to study your cat and your household to try and establish what is causing this behaviour.

Handy Tips

When you clean the area, do not use products containing chlorine bleach, or use a non-bleach cleaner.

Once cleaned, use strong smelling deterrent scents such as eucalyptus and citrus.

If your cat poos in a certain area, once cleaned, put down a small bowl of cat biscuits in the area as cats do not like to go toilet near food.