Solving Common Litter Box Problems
There are a lot of problems that cat owners have when it comes to litter boxes. This article offers several solutions to some of the most common litter box problems.
Just not using the litter box
Perhaps the most popular litter box problem is that of the cat not using the litter box. This can be one of the most frustrating things to have to deal with for a cat owner. Sometimes a cat that has been using the litter box for its entire life suddenly discontinues eliminating him/herself in the designated area. Other times a cat just will not use the litter box from the very beginning. Either way it is a big problem. Within this problem there are a lot of other issues to deal with to solve this litter box problem.
Solutions
To solve this problem the cat owner needs to do a little investigating. The cat owner may be able to solve this litter box problem by asking themselves a few questions. One question a cat owner should ask themselves is did they just get a new litter box? If the cat owner just got a new litter box for their cat, this could be the problem. Some cats do not like hooded litter boxes, others prefer them. Many cats do not like the feeling of being "trapped" with only one escape route and would like the traditional rectangular shaped litter tray.
Another important question to ask is did they buy a new brand of kitty litter? Cats also have preferences to the type of kitty litter they use. They smell different and cats know that and may not like the type of litter they have to use. Cat owners can solve this problem by trying different types of kitty litter.
A cat owner with litter box problems should ask themselves where is the box located? Is it in a high traffic area? Cats like quiet when they are relieving themselves. This means that the litter box needs to be in a quiet place where the cat will not be bothered when it is using the litter box.
Pregnant women
If a person has a cat and they are pregnant, this could pose a problem. Pregnant women are not supposed to be near, let alone touch kitty litter while they are pregnant. The reason that pregnant women are not supposed to be around or deal with kitty litter during their pregnancy is because they could get an infection caused by a very small parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. Kitty litter is not the only place that Toxoplasma gondii can be found, but it one of the most popular. The Toxoplasma gondii parasite can be very hazardous to the fetus. If the pregnant woman gets toxoplasmosis the baby could get the infection as well. Toxoplasmosis can cause miscarriage, learning disabilities, mental retardation, blindness, stillbirth, or pre-term birth.
Solutions
There are several solutions to the problem that arises with litter boxes when a woman is pregnant and has a cat. If there are other people in the house, they should be the ones taking care of cleaning the cat's litter box. A pregnant woman should not clean the litter box, touch the litter or the litter box for any reason, and pregnant woman should also not touch the cat's fecal matter.
If, for some reason-such as she is the only one in the house etc-a pregnant woman has to clean the litter box she should wear disposable gloves and wash her hands very well after cleaning the litter box.
To keep the litter box as clean as possible, to protect the pregnant woman, the litter box should be cleaned every day. If the kitty litter is changed each day and the tray is soaked in boiling water for five minutes it can help protect the pregnant woman.
Another way to protect the pregnant woman from toxoplasmosis is by keeping the house cat indoors. A cat may not have the parasite Toxoplasma gondii if it has never gone outside. Since a pregnant woman who has a cat does not know whether or not their cat has the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, keeping the cat indoors and not dealing at all with the litter is the safest thing to do to solve this litter box problem.
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