Is your dog giving you deaf ears? When this happens, avoid repeating the command over and over and imposing yourself until you get a response; instead, take a step back and consider the following scenarios which are some of the most common issues encountered when training dogs.

It isn’t always an urination or spraying issue that cat owners face when it comes to the litter box. Sometimes, deposits consist of solid waste.

As with any other unwanted behavior, you must first rule out any underlying medical cause for the behavior. There are many medical conditions that can create a bowel movement-related litter box problem, ranging from parasites to serious diseases. Just because the cat’s stool looks normal doesn’t mean there isn’t something going on internally. If your cat is a long-haired one, she may be having a problem with feces that stick to the fur on her anus, only to drop off outside the box. If this “smelly matter” doesn’t fall off on its own outside the box, the cat may groom to remove them, and they may be left behind on the carpet or floor near you.

Litter box problems can easily show up in a geriatric cat. It may be that due to chronic renal failure or diabetes your cat simply can’t make it to the box in time. Arthritis may make it too difficult for your cat to climb over a high-sided box or perch in a covered box. She also may just not have the bladder control she used to have. With a decrease in activity and a less efficient digestive system, constipation can also be a problem in older cats. Your cat may develop a litter box avoidance problem because she associates the pain of constipation or a urinary condition with the box itself. She may also need to eliminate right where she is, even if it’s far from the box.

To clean your cat’s litter box, you will need a slotted scoop or shovel to sift through the litter for solid waste. It will also enable you to separate the soiled urine clumps from the dry, clean litter if you’re using clumping litter.

If you use non-clumping litter, you’ll also want to use a slotted shovel to remove solid waste. A long-handled unslotted spoon is good for removing mounds of wet litter. Saturated litter left sitting in the box is what will create an odor. Don’t stir the wet litter around or you’ll end up soiling the whole box. Hopefully, you’ll reconsider the use of non-scoopable litter and will gradually switch your cat over to the more convenient scoopable type. You’ll find the box will have much less odor and you’ll be able to do a more efficient job when it comes to cleanup.

Inappropriate elimination problems are often caused by – or were started by – a physical problem. The most common is this.

If you don’t have the health problem correctly diagnosed and treated, there’s almost no chance of fixing the unwanted behavior problem. Moreover, you’re not being fair to your cat.

In other words, if you have a sick cat, all the behavioral methods in the world will not do you much good. In order to address a behavior problem, your cat must be healthy.

So, let’s address the following question: What are the possibilities that a medical condition is causing your cat to avoid the litter box or spray?

Location. It applies to real estate and it most definitely applies to litter boxes. Unfortunately, many owners don’t realize the importance of placing it in a suitable location. The truth is, you can have the perfect box, filled with the highest quality litter in the world, but if it’s placed in an area that the cat finds unacceptable, it may be easily rejected.

There is actually one rule that cat owners should never break under any circumstances when it comes to its location: don’t put the litter box near the cat’s food and water.

A cat’s senses are how the animal relates to the world around it. In many ways, the senses of a cat are much more acute than ours and this can often be at the root of litter box problems. When your cat begins to urinate, or even defecate, on the floor or furniture, it’s time to get to the root of the problem as quickly as possible. Never punish the cat for his or her transgressions – your pet will be unable to associate the accident with the litter box, and dragging the cat to the litter box after a scolding or spanking will only cause further litter box problems.

There is no denying that all of us are living in fairly stressful times. The combination of work, family responsibilities, and bombardment of bad news from the television and internet can all help to make you jittery and edgy. Without realizing it, your behavior can easily reflect negatively on your cat, which can result in inappropriate elimination. When your kitty starts to urinate all over the house or apartment, it may be time to step back and take an honest look at how you’re behaving.

It’s beyond frustrating when you find a puddle of urine in the middle of your bed, or a secret pile of feces behind the washing machine. Punishing your cat, either verbally or physically, will do absolutely nothing to solve the problem of inappropriate elimination. If you have been scrupulous in keeping the cat box clean, providing multiple boxes for your multi-cat home, and have placed the box properly, another approach might just work to get your kitty using the litter box again rather than the rug or furniture.

Discovering that your cat has suddenly decided to use the rug or couch for his or her litter box is disconcerting, to say the least. Urine and feces not only smell bad, but they can stain fabrics. However, finding out what is causing this sudden change in your otherwise perfect pet is much more important than punishment, and can help you get the situation back to normal quickly.

Long-haired cats are absolutely beautiful, and their soft, satiny fur just invites you to stroke them. Unfortunately, sometimes that lovely, long hair can create litter box problems that you will have to address. A short-haired cat seldom has any problems with accumulated feces on his or her backside, but this is often not the case with a Persian, Angora, or other long-haired breed.

Nobody likes finding a puddle of cat urine soaking into the rug or in the middle of the bed. However, if your cat suddenly starts misbehaving as regards the litter box, the problem may well be a medical condition. Atypical behavior and inappropriate elimination is a red flag for a visit to your vet, especially if you have made no changes to the litter box.

One of the most important aspects of inappropriate elimination, whether it involves urine or feces, is to get to the root of the problem as quickly as possible. Never punish your cat when you find an ‘accident’, the cat will have no idea why you are hurting it and it will just make your cat more stressed and more likely to repeat the act. Consulting with your veterinarian is the first thing you should do – there could be much more to the problem than you might imagine.

Cats are certainly not social in the same way that dogs are, but their behavior patterns have certainly been changed over their long association with humans. Strictly solitary in a natural setting, cats now enjoy not only the company of people, but often that of other cats. It’s not unusual to see a pile of cats sleeping happily together. However, you should always keep in mind that cats do need a bit of space and privacy as well. Households with multiple cats often suffer from litter box problems where one or more of the felines soils inappropriately.