Most cat owners find it hard to litter train their cats. This can lead to unique training methods to get the cat to cooperate.
The reason is often to manage where the cat goes and relieves itself during the day or night.
Due to this, you end up thinking about locking a cat in the room with a litter box. Is it safe to lock a cat in the room with a litter box?
It is commonly not recommended to lock a cat in a room with a litter box. Cats do not prefer to stay in the same space where they defecate. This is why they prefer to hide their poop and choose the right spot to defecate. The best alternative is to invest in more litter boxes to train the cat.
If you want the cat to be litter trained then locking it in the room with a litter box won’t work. A lot of cat owners realize this after trying to do so.
What most cats do is they pick a corner and poop there even if a litter box is nearby.
This article will look at the reasons to not start locking your cat in a room with a litter box.
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Reasons To Not Lock Cat In A Room With A Litter Box
1. Cats Prefer To Sleep Away The Litter Box
Is your cat not using the litter box and you’ve tried everything?
This is common and trying to get the cat to stay in the same room as the litter box won’t work either.
The reason it doesn’t work comes down to a cat’s preference concerning defecation. The cat will not want to sleep near the litter box because of the stench. This comes naturally to cats and it’s something they do in the wild too.
As a result, cats will want to distance themselves from the pooping area and that doesn’t have to include a litter box.
In some cases, the cat will pick a different corner of the room to poop even if there is a litter box inside!
2. Unclean
If your cat stopped using the litter box to pee, it might seem smart to lock it in the room with a litter box.
This won’t work because the cat isn’t going to stay clean nor will it be hygienic. You increase the risk of your cat getting harmed with extended exposure to a dirty litter box.
This is why it’s better to maintain good sanitary practices when it comes to training your cat how to use the litter box.
3. Can Increase The Risk Of Infection
If a cat won’t use the litter tray, you can’t force the issue by locking it in the same room as the litter box.
What happens is the cat is either going to stay inside the litter box or it’s going to start pooping elsewhere in the room.
This creates a situation where the risk of infection goes up.
A cat should not be exposed to fecal matter for long periods. This is dangerous and can lead to unwanted medical issues later on. It’s better to set up multiple litter boxes around the house to ensure the cat finds one it likes.
You have to realize cats sometimes don’t use litter boxes because they find the spot to be dangerous. Just add a few more and the cat will eventually choose one.
4. Most Cats Begin Pooping Elsewhere
You don’t want a situation where the cat is pooping everywhere other than inside the litter box.
The goal is to make sure the cat has access to different litter boxes around the house. This is a far better strategy than attempting to place a litter box inside a single room and then locking the cat with it.
The worst part is, if you lock a cat inside with the litter box, it will begin to disregard litter boxes as a whole.
It will desensitize itself to the scent and that is when it becomes harder to litter train a cat.
Final Thoughts
Should you start locking the cat in a room with a litter box?
You should never lock the cat in a room with a litter box. This will cause the cat to disregard the litter box and begin pooping in other parts of the room. It will also cause the cat to begin ignoring litter boxes even when it is not locked inside.
The best strategy is to invest in multiple litter boxes, keep them clean, and set them in different parts of the house.
Eventually, your cat will choose the one it likes best.
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