Does your cat dig up the litter a lot and throw it out of the box? You're not the only one! Many owners complain of this same problem. Therefore, if you are looking for solutions to this behavior, you have come to the right place.
In this article on our site we will explain why your cat takes the litter out of his box, what tricks you can use to avoid it and some extra tips related to the sand or the box itself. Keep reading!
Why does my cat throw litter outside?
To begin with, it is important to understand why the cat is spreading the litter. Understanding feline behavior is essential if we want to improve our relationship with it and try to solve it.
Perhaps you have ever observed the cat's urination behavior, since the environment available to it is limited. When our cat uses the litter box, it generally follows the same pattern: first it starts by inspecting the litter, then it digs a bit to get the depression, urinates and defecates, and finally covers the debris. At that moment the cat gets excited and starts to spread the sand like crazy.
Actually, this behavior is perfectly normal. Wild cats do it too. They bury their feces for two main reasons:
- They are very clean animals.
- They want to avoid the attention of predators or other cats.
However, although it is an innate behavior, not all cats bury feces. If you notice that he stops doing it, neglects other habits and even begins to defecate outside the box, we recommend you consult your veterinarian to rule out pathological problems.
Although this behavior is not considered a "behavior problem" per se, it can annoy owners. Are there solutions? Keep reading.
How to prevent the cat from throwing sand?
The cleaning the sand is the key to solving this problem. As we have explained, cats are especially clean. There is nothing a cat hates more than dirt. You have probably watched your cat clean itself for hours. They expect the same from their litter box, it must always be clean.
In a wild habitat, feral cats choose places clean and sandyto relieve themselves, this way they can cover them up and bury them later. Still, some animals in particular, such as Bengal tigers, urinate on hills and spread the sand to advertise their presence and ward off rivals.
In the case of domestic cats, if they don't have another clean litter box, they have to go around and around a lot in the one they have to find a sufficiently clean space. Inevitably, you'll need to dig and turn until you have a clean area, which means scattered sand. Some cats will dig to the point of removing debris
Therefore, the ideal is to keep the box as clean as possible, put it into practice and increase the frequency of hygiene, you will see how much less sand is scattered.
Types of cat litter and their importance
The type of sand can influence the amount that is spread. There are many options, such as clumping or silica cat litter, for example. Some cats spread more with one litter than another. Therefore, it can be interesting to experiment with different types of litter, to choose the feline's favourite. Preferences are very particular and will depend on your personality.
The amount of sand can also be the source of this problem. An excessive amount of litter causes not enough height in the box and the litter comes out as soon as the cat starts digging. On the other hand, not enough requires a lot of digging to cover the debris, which ends up causing the same problem.
The ideal thing if we want to avoid finding cat litter on the floor is to look for a suitable height, between 5 and 10 centimeters. In this way, the cat will be comfortable and will be able to bury the feces without difficulty.
The box, also fundamental
Most of the time, the problem is in the litter box. It would be ideal if the litter box was 1, 5 times the size of the cat We all know that most of the boxes we find on the market are much smaller than this ideal. It is not surprising then, that a good amount of the sand ends up outside, on the ground.
Cats should be able to at least turn over on themselves easily inside the box. Remember that the cat, when digging, throws the litter back and that if the box is small there will not be enough space to prevent it from throwing it. The box height is also important. Even if the box is big enough, some sand will end up outside if the sides are too narrow or the height is too low.
If you think that the solution may be to change the box, remember that you must do it gradually. Felines need time to adapt to the new box. Start by placing the new one next to the old one and when you are used to it and use it, remove the old one.
Also, some cats don't seem to know how to use the litter box correctly. If this is your case, it is best to teach your cat to use the litter box.
