Cats & Litter Trays

Kittens and cats are instinctively clean and want to go to the toilet in a private area that is clean and tidy. All cats and kittens at Wellington SPCA shelter routinely use their litter tray. If they don’t use the litter tray, something is usually wrong.

The litter box

A plastic litter tray is the best type to use. Line the tray with a sheet of newspaper to make cleaning easier. Place only two-three cups of kitty litter into the tray. Change and clean it completely whenever it is dirty, usually two-three times a day for a young kitten or one-two times a day for an adult cat. Cats and kittens do not like to use a dirty litter tray.

If you have more than one cat using the litter tray, provide one litter tray per cat. Place them in different locations, not side by side in the same room.

Where should I place the tray?

Start by confining the animal to a small area of the house (e.g. bathroom, laundry or spare room). Place the litter tray in the same area, but keep it away from the food bowls and the cat’s bed. Keep the animal confined to the small area until it uses the litter tray every time it goes to the toilet.

Encourage kittens to use the tray by placing them in the tray when they wake up and soon after meals (approximately 30 minutes after eating). These are usually the times when they want to go to the toilet.

Kittens and cats adopted from Wellington SPCA have already been using their litter trays.




Why isn’t my cat using the tray?

There are usually good reasons for your cat or kitten not to want to use the litter tray.

Consider the following reasons:

• the cat has a health problem, such as diarrhoea, or a urinary tract problem, then it may need veterinary attention;

• the litter tray is not clean, always keep it clean;

• the tray is kept in a noisy or busy area of the house,cats like privacy;

• the tray is too close to the cat’s food bowls or bed, eating, sleeping and toiletting need to be in three separate areas;

• the tray has been moved and is not easily accessible or visible, make sure the kitten can reach the tray quickly, or provide more than one litter tray around the house;

• the cat is stressed* due to the presence of other cats, so keep the cats in separate parts of the house;

• the litter tray is too big or deep for a small cat to get into, cut down one side to make access easier;

• the cat doesn’t like the litter, try a different type, for example sawdust.

• stress can occur in cats anytime in their lifetime and may be
related to the prescence of other cats or other animals in the house
or local neighbourhood, a change in routine, new people in the
house, even new furniture.

Accidents do happen

Most cats and kittens will have the odd accident, so be prepared to clean up. Clean the area well with disinfectant. Avoid using ammonia based disinfectants as they smell similar to cat urine. They may encourage the cat to continue to urinate in that area. Deodorisers can help to mask the smell of cat urine include “Odorex” and “Sox”.

Some cats are timid and take some time to get used to going outside to the toilet. You may need to provide your cat with a litter tray inside for some months, if it is too scared to go out by itself. Some timid cats may take some time to get used to going outside to the toilet and may like the security of an indoor litter tray, so don’t be in a hurry to remove the litter tray.

Please be patient as accidents sometimes happen.

Never punish your cat for going to the toilet in the wrong place. Always encourage your cat to use its litter tray. You can give it a tasty treat like a small piece of cheese or pellet of dry cat food, or a friendly pat on the head.
Rubbing the cat’s nose in the mess does not work and is cruel.

Contact the shelter for advice if there are any toileting problems. It is easier to fix the problem earlier rather than later.