Mehreen Alberts
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Cats are highly susceptible to FLUTD, a range of conditions that affect the bladder, urinary tract and/or urethra 😉 Male cats, in particular, are commonly afflicted with urinary stones or crystals which block urine from being expelled from the body 👍 And when a cat can’t urinate, the toxins that build up can be deadly. A vet has just 24 to 48 hours to remove a blockage and save their life. If a vet is unable to identify FLUTD or other medical problems, a cat who refuses to urinate is likely doing so out of anxiety. To get to the root of the problem, seek out a behaviorist who can help identify and overcome a cat’s triggers. [1]
Most vets recommend a depth of 3-4cm of cat litter in a litter tray, but your cat may have a different preference, so it’s best to keep an eye out to make sure your cat is happy. Some cats prefer the litter to be as deep as possible, although in an uncovered tray this can lead to lots of litter ending up outside the tray due to digging and burying. If you find your cat is going to the toilet more than normal for medical reasons, you will need to adapt the amount of litter you use to accommodate this. (revised by Elizabeth Roberts from Tongling, China on November 17, 2020) [2]
The human preference that we hear about most is disliking scooping. Some people don’t mind it, and some people do. If you are using or considering using an electric litter box that will do the job of scooping for you, there is no problem with it if your cat doesn’t mind. In some cases, it can keep the litter box cleaner than you would be able to do yourself. However, as always, it’s important to keep in mind the connection to nature that the litter box provides your indoor cats. In nature there are no electric sensors that will rake the ground clean when a cat steps away;) If you are using an automatic litter box, it’s important to keep a close eye on your cats reactions to the box, and to quickly change to a manual litter box if your cat seems uncomfortable, skittish or stops using the box. (last edited 80 days ago by Librada Maguire from Hengyang, China) [3]
If your cat is recovering from surgery and they have sutures (“stitches”) or surgical staples in their skin, or if your cat has on a cast, splint, or bandage, or if they have an open wound or a surgical drain, it’s important to prevent litter from getting stuck and built up in these sites. Because of this, it’s often best to switch to a paper-based cat litter, like Yesterday’s News, until your cat is fully healed. These are less likely to cause problems for these cats. If your cat doesn’t take immediately to this new, temporary litter, you could try adding a little bit of the “Cat Attract” litter additive discussed and linked in the section below. (emended by Lonell Bowling on April 28, 2020) [4]
