Sometimes a cat who has been happy with the existing set up changes his mind. For example a cat that has been happy to share a litter tray with his companion cat now refuses to share. Or a cat that was happy to pee and poo in the same tray changes his mind. Do not assume that because yesterday’s set up was OK, it still is! You have to work your way through ALL of these possibilities since you can’t ask the cat what is wrong with the existing set up. So try the most likely and if this doesn’t work, try the unlikely. What is unlikely to you may make perfect sense to your cat. Neilson, J. C. (2008). ‘Is bigger better?’ litterbox size preference test.’ Proceedings, ACVLB/AVSAC 2008, Scientific Paper and Poster Session, 46-49. Adding the divider also increases the sturdiness and weight limit. Without the divider, the weight limit is 50kg so you can’t sit on it. When you add it’s double the weight limit to 100kg. The medium size has a 50kg weight limit.

If you’re keen to grow your own plants, fruit, and vegetables from scratch, plant trays are the way to go. We have many different types of plant trays to choose from depending on what type and how many seedlings and cuttings you wish to grow. It comes in two pieces and is dead easy to put together. The top half clips to the bottom and and then you just need to add the plant. DO YOU HAVE A LITTER TRAY? If you don’t, you must install one NOW. All cats, even those who usually go outdoors, need a litter tray. It’s no good expecting a cat to lead its life according to your standards. A cat that is urinating/defecating in the house may be afraid of doing it outside. So install at least one tray now. Neilson, J. C. (2004), ‘Feline House Soiling: Elimination and Marking Behaviours’, Clinical Techniques in Small Animal Practice, 33, 287-301. Building it is easy enough. That said, we did find the instructions a little more difficult to understand than our first offering.

QUESTIONS TO ASK IF YOUR CAT STOPS USING THE LITTER TRAY

Whereas the other products on this list are desiged to house a litter tray, this IS the litter tray. So you pour the litter directly into it. If you want something other that a piece of furniture, take a look at the Good Pet Flower Pot Invisible Litter Tray. If you don’t have the space or budget for our first two choices, have a look at Yaheetech’s Cat Litter Enclosure. It has two front doors and the lifting lid is also a nice feature too. It makes scooping, hoovering and cleaning easier as you can go in through the top instead of having to kneel down. The hinges are quite stiff but that means the lid will stay open while you’re cleaning. It also stops the lid from slamming shut. If you don’t want to use the lid, it looks lovely with a plant on it.

IS IT THE RIGHT LITTER? Offer several types of litter and see which is used. Then slowly change once the tray is being used (see above). In general cats prefer thin-grained litter to large grained (Neilson 2004). I use fine grained litter which is expensive. But it clumps well and works out not too costly because you can lift out the soiled area. Researchers from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine studied this. They published their findings in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. The bottom line was that; ACT NOW. Cats learn to feel a certain substance under their feet. For most cats this will be the litter, itself. But if (for some other reason) the cat has not been using the litter, it will start getting used to the feel of, say, carpet. And once carpet becomes the substance which triggers urination or defecation, you are in trouble.The trays are made from sturdy and durable materials that are designed to protect the seeds until they are well established. You can then pot them on or plant them using other products in our gardening and lawn care range. Once filled, you can place your plant tray on a sunny windowsill or greenhouse where you can easily see the progress of your seedlings and cuttings and water them whenever necessary. Gunn-Moore, D. A. (2003), ‘Feline lower urinary tract disease,’ Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 5, 133-138.

Guy, N. C., Hopson, M. & Vanderstichel, R., (2014), ‘Litterbox size preference in domestic cats (Felis catus),’ Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 9, 78-82. It did take a little while for our test cat, Marley to figure it out. We had to keep the front doors open for a while so she could see where we’d moved her litter box to. We didn’t think a flower pot would be big enough but this thing is massive. It’s 48cm in diametre and 51cm high. Our test cat, Charlie had no problem hopping in and out of it.This puts us in a unique position to rest and review all kinds of products. With their help we’ve tested and reviewed; Bowen, J., (2010), ‘Neurological disease and behaviour’, Proceedings of the Southern European Veterinary Conference. Available at: www.ivis.org/proceedings/sevc/2010/lectures/eng/Bowen2.pdf Accessed 12 July 2011.