Greenbriar Animal Hospital

How to optimize the chances that your cat(s) will use their litter boxes every time, all the time? Follow these tips! If your cat is already having problems, please call us right away. We can help!

Major tips for your cat(s) litter boxes:

Have one litter box per cat or one litter box per floor of your home (whichever is more). This is vital.

Your cat’s litter box and the surrounding area should be spotless and odor-free, and should be scooped/cleaned daily and the litter box washed weekly in hot soapy water.

Never change litter quickly or abruptly. Make sure to get exactly what you’ve been using.

Move a litter box slowly. Leave the old one in place and put a new box in the new spot. Put litter in both boxes for two weeks. Over the next month, put less and less litter in the old box, and maintain the new box. After a month you should have a dry, litter-less box in the old spot. Leave it there for few more weeks and then remove it. If you can, move some furniture around and block the spot where the old box was.

To make a change, mix the old and new litter. Gradually add more of the new litter over several months.

Litter boxes should be easily accessible, in well-lit areas (NOT in the basement storage room or in a closet). Call us for suggestions if your home does not have convenient and accessible locations for your litter boxes!

Miscellaneous helpful things to know about litter boxes:

Don’t use small covered boxes. If you need a covered box, make sure it is large and light inside. Avoid plastic litter box liners. You don’t have to stick with traditional litter boxes - try foil disposable roasting pans, or large plastic sweater storage boxes (especially if your cat tends to urinate over the edge of the box). Senior cats should have low-edged boxes; try a dog litter pan (see the dog section in pet stores)! Electric litter boxes of all kinds will scare most cats (kittens tend to think they are cool). Consider the new “Breeze” Litter system - great with older cats and cats with allergies and/or asthma. Scoop litter boxes daily; after scooping up solid clumps, mix the rest of the litter up well. Weekly, empty the box entirely, scrub with hot water and dishwashing detergent and rinse with boiling water. Replace litter boxes at least yearly; every 6 months is better. Clumping litter is the type preferred by most cats. Crystal pearls-type litter is also good (it’s not clumping, but the silica chunks absorb urine so there is very little urine odor). Don’t use scented/deodorized litter, or litter box powders/sprays. Look for a litter that is not too dusty. If you don’t have good places for litter boxes in your home, check out cat furniture – there are several types that are nice enough to put in your living area as an end table. Some are also made to help keep dogs out of the litter box! Try to think like a cat. Most cats dislike sudden loud noises, vacuum cleaners, boisterous company, and perhaps children and/or dogs. So, near a washing machine, close to the doorbell ringer, or where a “dog/toddler gauntlet” has to be run are all poor choices for litter box location.