By admin 
Did you know that cats are very picky when it comes to where they do their business? Both in terms of the substrate used, as they like to bury their waste, and the location of the litter box, which should be quiet and away from traffic. However, despite this, they learn to do their business in the right place more easily than dogs.
A cat’s toilet is one of the great symbols of its self-cleaning essence and, therefore, it must meet your cat’s needs to improve its quality of life. This is because an unsuitable cat toilet can lead it to decide to relieve itself in different places. Furthermore, if the animal does not adapt to the substrate used, or to the box, or even to the space where both are, it may start to “hold in” and pee and poop less.
HYGIENE IS HEALTH
And don’t think that difficulty in relieving yourself will only affect the cleanliness of the house: the situation can even lead to health problems for the animal. A cat’s urethra is shorter and narrower than that of dogs, especially males, which already brings a natural predisposition to urethral obstruction, such as small stones or clots.
Retaining waste can predispose the cat to serious illnesses such as idiopathic cystitis and the formation of fecal impaction (dried feces). Therefore, it is very important to have adequate bathrooms in the house, as this influences the number of times the animal will use the litter box.
THE RIGHT PLACE
The bathroom, or rather, the bathrooms, should be far from where the pet likes to sleep. The place should not be too noisy (like near the washing machine) nor should it be dangerous or have anything that could scare the pet, like falling objects (a broom, for example). In other words, it should be a calm place without much movement.
Another essential tip is to keep it away from where the cat eats and, especially, from its water bowls. It’s also a good idea to keep the floor clean because of the sand that can escape from the box. Avoiding placing the box on carpet or rugs is essential, because if the cat ends up urinating or defecating outside the box for some reason, it will be very difficult to remove the smell. In addition, the chance of the cat stepping in the feces and spreading waste around the house is also very high.
If you also have dogs in the house, placing the boxes in a higher place, such as on a piece of furniture, prevents them from trying to dig through the litter to eat the cat’s poop (something very common and absolutely normal, since felines’ diets have more protein than dogs’, making their feces more attractive).
TYPES OF SAND
There are several types of litter available on the market, and the choice depends on the cat’s preference and the owner’s availability and budget. The most common and cheapest types are made from clay and are made from granules. Another common type is wood-based substrates. There are also biodegradable types made from flour mixtures.
And which one is the most suitable? The one that your budget allows and your cat likes the most! So, the best thing to do is to test several options, leaving one type available in each box, for example, and checking which one your pet uses the most.
But one thing to note: avoid scented substrates, as cats generally don’t like different smells and can be allergic.
NUMBER OF LITTLE BOXES
The ideal number of litter boxes in the house is always one more than the total number of cats. In other words, if you have one cat, you should have two boxes. If you have two cats, three boxes.
It is also recommended that the boxes be placed in different environments, so that you can see which one your pet uses more or less and, sometimes, even realize that the place where you placed it is not comfortable for the cat, so you have the chance to change it. Furthermore, if one of the cats is dominant, it can dominate all the boxes and, if they are in the same place, it will end up preventing the others from using them.
PERFECT CONTAINER
There are a wide range of cat litter boxes on the market and they come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Just like the type of litter and the location, the type of litter box also depends on the animal.
The advantage of a closed container is greater privacy for your pet and the convenience of not getting sand around the box when he digs to hide his feces. An open container is generally better so that your cat can learn to use it without any difficulty.
Therefore, it is recommended to go according to your cat’s personality, do tests and use the golden rule: the box should be comfortably larger than the pet.
CLEANING THE CAT’S BOX
There are two types of cleaning that should be done in the cat’s litter box: collecting the waste and changing the litter completely. In an ideal world, the boxes should be cleaned at least twice a day – in the morning and at night. But once a day is enough for hygiene.
The replacement depends on the type of substrate used. For example: common granules should be replaced completely once a week, as recommended. Cassava sands last longer.
In all cases, it is necessary to wash the box after removing the litter. It is a good idea to wash it to remove any traces of feces and then apply some disinfectant specifically for animals, which can be found in pet shops.