Best and Worst Spots to place Cat Litter Box in your home.

A cat isn’t taken out for a walk for relieving itself. It uses  cat litter boxes placed indoors for defecating & urinating. However some cats may start avoiding their litter boxes simply because they do not like where their toilets are located. The placement of a litter box does play an important role in encouraging a feline to use it and avoid eliminating inappropriately. There are some litter box locations that can make your kitty a bit anxious wanting it to give it a miss!
A clean and well placed toilet is a prerequisite to purrfect litter box habits. Highlighted below are some worst and best spots in your home for your kitty’s toilet:

Spots to be avoided for placing Cat Toilets:

1. Cats don’t prefer too much privacy while eliminating: Pet parents might view the process of excretion as one being private, since they try to link it with their own experience. But felines will view a private toilet as something that will place them in a vulnerable position. A litter box placed in a private corner, in a closet, behind a couch or bathroom door is perceived as a trap by the cat.
   

   Cat feels that a solitary place exposes it to a surprise attack by another animal even though you may just have one pet with you. This is an instinctual feeling and the cat prefers to use a toilet which is in such a location that does not obstruct its view. It wants to feel safe while doing its business and not private. Image – www.hillspet.com

2. Inconvenient or hidden location: Cat parents may get tempted to place litter boxes in such locations that is out of the view of visitors. You don’t want any foul smells and sights circulating in your home. But beautifying your home does not mean you forget about your kitty’s convenience. Choosing remote spots for litter boxes is a NO. Kittens, ailing and senior cats may not be able to make it to their toilets in time. Housing boxes in a basement will make it difficult for the kitty to reach in time from the top floor of the building. Garages and attics are some other distant spots to be avoided.
   

   You should ideally have at least two litter boxes for a single cat household. Those owning a young or an old cat may place a box on each floor of the house so that it can conveniently be reached by the mouser in a rush. Image-www.modernistcat.com

3. Do not place litter boxes close to one another: Placing litter boxes close to one another would not help the cause of housing multiple litter boxes for your cat/s. Litter boxes placed next to one another are seen as one huge box by your cat.
   

   All you need to know about Cat Litter boxes

4. Do not place the cat-toilet next to the pet’s feeding spot: Cats do not like eating and drinking in a space filled with the stink of their urine and poop. Cats have an evolved sense of smell and are quite sensitive to the odor emanating from their litter which to the human nose may not be that strong a smell. 

5. Avoid noisy spaces and placing next to home appliances: Lobby area and corridors are frequented by people and other pets living in a house. Even visitors have access to these areas. Noisy appliances like a washing machine may scare the cat; therefore laundry room is also not a good choice for litter box placement.
   

   Positioning the toilet next to a heating system will only intensify the odor coming from the cat’s litter. Your kitty will not prefer eliminating in such a zone with strong foul smell and the same isn’t good for the humans of the house. Therefore never place litter box next to a heater. Image-www.karter.net

Some Best Spots:

1. Rooms with unobstructed views: A space that is quiet and has an unobstructed view of its surroundings will be highly preferred by your feline. Perhaps a corner of your living room or bedroom will be ideal.
   

   An expansive view will prevent the cat from feeling exposed to danger of being ambushed by another animal. Image -www.catster.com

2. Multiple litter boxes are a good idea: But you need to place them in different rooms. If you have a multi-level home place one on each floor to prevent the cat from eliminating in an unsuitable spot. In case you have more than one cat then there should be one toilet each per cat and one extra litter box that should be a common one.
   

   When you offer choices to the kitty it is likely to choose one box that makes it feel safe and comfortable eliminating in. Choose a safe corner for the box without letting it become the center of attention in a room. Image – www.sheknows.com

3. A quiet corner: A room that is low on traffic and noise will be appropriate for litter box placement. Choose a clean corner away from your pet’s food and water bowls. We have stated above that cats don’t prefer private corners but they don’t appreciate doing their business in spaces with high activity either. 

There are certain health issues that may cause a cat to defecate or urinate outside of its toilet. If your cat begins to ditch its litter box, the first step should be to head to a vet to rule out any medical condition. In case the cat is absolutely healthy you can consider changing the locations of the litter boxes in your home. (GIPHY CREDIT – giphy.com)