There are many curious behaviours in cats noted by their owners, and litter tray habits are one of them. If your cat uses one at all, you may occasionally or regularly notice that it uses it right after you have cleaned it. This can be a source of frustration for some owners; but when considering the reasons behind it, this habit makes much more sense.
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The Clean Tray
Cats are generally clean animals. If a litter tray is already soiled, they may not want to walk or stand on dirty litter. They may also be unable to cover their evacuations if there is insufficient litter resulting from previous use. Aside from visible signs of soiling, the smell of soiling can also influence your cat’s behaviour. If you have a covered litter tray, sometimes the smell of urine can build up within it, making it off-putting. In a multi-cat household, soiled litter trays may smell of another individual preventing other cats from using it.
In these scenarios, the provision of a freshly cleaned litter tray removes these barriers. And it gives a comfortable and clean environment to go to the toilet. After all, we feel the same about public toilets. Given the choice, we would always choose the freshly cleaned stall over the unflushed toilet with the dirty toilet seat. If your cat delayed going to the toilet until a clean tray became available, or the presence of a clean tray stimulated a need to go to the toilet, it is not surprising that they jumped straight in it after we freshened it up.
The Too Clean Tray
Cats use smell to both investigate their environment and define the safety of their environment. We have all seen cats rubbing their cheeks on objects and us to leave their scent behind. Toileting is also a way of scent marking. And cats, just like many animals, use their urine and faeces to claim ownership of territories and spaces.
Not only does a clean litter tray seem more appealing to cats, but they smell better to us. Many of the products we use on litter trays will strip the cat’s own smell away. And it may leave a chemical smell behind. A cleaned tray that has had this scent marking removed is therefore a trigger for some cats to re-scent their spot. In a multi-cat household, individuals may also ‘claim’ a litter tray as theirs. Therefore, a clean litter tray that has lost an individual’s scent is in need of having this scent reestablished; encouraging the desire for a cat to get straight in and use it.
Litter Tray Etiquette
As both these reasons for using a freshly clean litter tray are natural reactions for the cat, they are not problem behaviours that need to be corrected. However, there are some litter tray care etiquettes that may alter the frequency of these behaviours.
Regardless of how many cats live in your home, there is a recommended number of litter trays to have on hand.
Having one litter tray per cat plus one spare in different locations, increases not just choice, but also the likelihood of a clean tray always being available. This means your cat may not feel the need to hold on. And they will have a more natural and regular toileting frequency. As with humans, health issues can arise if your cat doesn’t urinate regularly or completely. So it is important that a dirty litter tray is not a barrier from this happening.
In a multi-cat household, that spare litter tray offers the possibility of a toilet spot that doesn’t smell of another individual; as well as reducing the issue of specific cats ‘claiming’ a litter tray as theirs. If different cats occupy different ‘zones’ within the house, then consider each zone for having one tray plus one spare if space allows.
Cleaning frequency depends on the type of litter used.
Many commercial litters clump on contact with liquids and some reduce odours. Where a clumping litter is used, solids and clumps should be removed at least once per day and the tray topped up with fresh litter. Once a week, the tray should be fully washed with soap and hot water. If you opt for a non-clumping litter, then a full clean should be performed every other day on top of removing solids daily.
Be aware that ammonia-based cleaning products can mimic the smell of cat urine and some disinfectants are toxic to cats. Odour-absorbing products may reduce the smell to our noses; but cats have a higher sense of smell than us and may still consider a litter tray dirty despite their use. Self-cleaning litter trays only remove the visible signs of soiling. But as they store evacuations in a compartment contained within the unit, they will continue to smell unless this compartment is emptied and washed.
Conclusion
Although perhaps annoying or amusing for us as cat owners, your cat’s desire to go straight into a clean litter tray is understandable given their clean nature and use of scents to interpret their environment. Providing choices as well as a routine cleaning schedule will ensure your feline companion goes to the toilet regularly and exactly when it needs to, without holding on or risking health issues.
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