Category Archives: Living with cats

Help ! My cat does not pee in his litter box !

Little Bibine, 3-4 months, has just been adopted by the son of Christine, a colleague of Claire. And Christine addressed our domesticated because her son has the following problem :

Bibine has two boxes for her alone ; she once uses a box, once the other one, then makes the rest in the bathtub and in other places of the apartment. She is healthy, has the opportunity to climb, to scratch, to look outside, and her humans play gladly with her.
bibine

Why does this ladycat not pee in his litter box ?

We asked Claire to pass on the following questions to Bibine’s human :

  • Is the litter box in a quiet, accessible, and clear place ? We appreciate certain peace to do our business (just like you !), and we have to have the possibility of running away in case of danger.
  • Is the litter box covered ? Some cats don’t appreciate at all a stuffy space.
  • Is it far enough from the food ?
  • Is there a thick enough layer of litter ? We must be able to scratch, dig, then cover : if there is not enough litter, it’s not possible, and moreover, we have paws height of it !
  • What kind of litter is used ? We like clumping litter : it avoids that urine spreads in all the box(when we scratch, and makes the litter box maintenance easier. It also absorbs the smells better. You will find a post about our favorite litter here.
  • Speaking about smells, is the litter perfumed ? Our sense of smell is 14 times more developed that that of humans, and these flavors assault us, just like the smell of our excrements if the maintenance of the litter box is neglected. We prefer a not perfumed litter in a regularly emptied box.

Bibine’s human had several points to be improved : we hope that it will be enough for letting the little Bibine come back to the litter box.
the path to the litter box

How to clean after a cat wee-wee ?

At once : mop with some paper towels.

Then : clean with a rag soaked with the following product : 1/3 white vinegar, 2/3 water, 1 soup spoon of bicarbonate of soda for 500 ml. When you add the bicarbonate, leave the bowl open until the chemical reaction stops. Rinse well with water, then wipe with a rag soaked with product again.

This mixture is natural, ecological, and biodegradable.

If the smell of urine persists, clean the place with an enzyme cleaner.

Do you have other suggestions ?

How to clean a cat wee-wee
We love to answer your questions about cats : do you wonder why your cat does this or that ?
Check out our Living with cats section, or send us an email at swissneko AT gmail DOT com 😊

What is a cat ?

Claire followed on Saturday a training given by Colette Pillonel, behaviouristic veterinarian, and organized by Philippe Bocion, also behavioristic veterinarian. Who is the cat ? Where does he come from ? How does he live ? What are his needs ? Why ?

It was fascinating ! Here are in brief some points of this presentation :

Family tree

The current carnivores (wolf, dog, fox, cat, tiger, lynx, bear, otter, weasel, badger, raccoon, genette, chive, hyena, …) have all one distant common ancestor : the Miacidae, a small primitive carnivore which lived 60 million years ago. Incredible, right ?
The first wildcats, the ancestors of the domestic cat, appear 2 million years ago.
The « domestic » cat appears 10000 years ago ; his ancestor is the wildcat of Africa. It looks like the cat got domesticated by himself, and that the human and him found a mutual profit in this cohabitation.

Domestication

This process involves a controlled detention, the breeding, the abolition or the control of some behavior considered as unwanted (flight or aggressiveness), the control of the sexual behavior, the training, the possibility of manipulating the animal, of communicating with him, and the control of his strength.
We do not meet all these criteria, and all the domestic cats are not at the same stage of this process : 15 % of them are even resistant to any manipulation : the wildcat is not far !
The purebred cats (except the recent experimental crossings with wild cats, forbidden in Switzerland) are often better domesticated than their alley cousins, because the breeders select the “best” individuals to reproduce.
the wildcat is not far

Anatomy

We are more successful than humans : we see in the daytime and at night, we perceive the ultrasounds, our sense of smell is 14x more developed, our sense of balance is ultra successful (except when we sleep), our tactile hairs are sensitive to the slightest breath of air, and we communicate in a very precise manner by chemical messages (pheromones).

Needs

Hunt, play, climb, eat, drink, eliminate, have a wash, sleep : that seems easy, right ? The Swiss Protection of Animals gives you details here.
A cat can be perfectly happy in apartment, as far as his environment fulfills ALL his needs. It is thus necessary to adapt the environment to the cat, and not the opposite…
it is thus necessary to adapt the environment to the cat, and not the opposite

Society

The cat is a solitary who can be sociable. There is not really hierarchy by cats, but rather some sense of opportunity : the one who arrives first, who is placed the highest, who is in the best place, or still who will know how to be the most curious in a given circumstance will have the advantage.

Territory and schedule

The cat is territorial, and follows a ritualized time organization. Each part of his territory has a very particular function ; it also depends on the moment of the day. Any modification of his spatial or temporal organization is usually very stressful for the cat.

Good to know

Unwanted behavior appears when the cat’s needs are not respected. If all the future cat owners inquired in detail about our needs, and about the various manners to meet them, there would be almost no more rescue cats…
home sweet home

4 good reasons for taking your cat to the veterinarian

Cats are pets as popular as dogs, nevertheless we benefit from much fewer veterinary care than them. Why ?

  • Because we have the reputation to be self-sufficient in many domains.
  • Because we are the world champions to hide our signs of disease and our wounds.
  • Because indoor cats risk nothing.
  • Because it is difficult to let us go into our PTU.

Those are myths ! Your cat deserves to remain healthy as much as you do : prevention is better than cure.
Take your cat to the vet

4 good reasons for bringing your cat to the veterinarian

(we cannot believe that we have just written this title…)

To carry out a general health control

The veterinarian is going to examine your cat from the nose to the tail. He will check :
– the weight: thinness, obesity, variation with regard to the previous visit, …
– the eyes : flow, state of the retina, reflex of the pupil, …
– the ears : wax excess, mites, …
– the teeth : tartar, gums inflammation, abscess, …
– the skin : alopecia, cyst, state of the fur, abscess, parasite’s presence, …
A health problem detected in an early stage is easier (and cheaper !) to heal.

To renew vaccines

Most of the vaccines must be renewed every year to keep their efficiency.

To verify the functioning of the microchip

It is very rare, but it may happen that the identification chip has a failure, or it may happen that it moves.

To cure your cat

It is rather obvious…

Vétérinaire examinant un chaton

By Martino cantagallo (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

How often should you take your cat to the vet ?

Without specific problem, one or two annual visits are recommended. We go there only once : you would not get too much of good things, isn’t it…

Do you go regularly to the veterinarian ?