Cats are fastidious creatures who use their waste to send territorial messages to rival cats. They can develop aversions to an area that’s not kept clean and has too many odors. They deserve a clean bathroom just like we do.

Let’s face it, we don’t want to clean up cat poop more than is absolutely necessary! So how clean is “clean enough”?

Factors that Affect Litter Box Cleaning

It depends on the individual cat to a degree. Some cats don’t seem to care about a clean box while others won’t use a box that’s even a little soiled. But since there’s no such thing as a cat that prefers a dirty box, keeping it very clean is a good idea.

Some cats don’t like the noise and automation of self-cleaning boxes, but these gadgets can make this job much more regimented. Litter Robot is one of the many self-cleaning litter boxes that make a cat parent’s job easier. In rare cases, cats can be trained to use a toilet, which may make cleaning even more efficient. Yet, the preferences of you and your cat matter most when choosing where they’ll do their business.

Related: 8 Best Self-Cleaning Litter Boxes

The type of litter can also influence how often you should clean the litter box. Cats may be pickier about some litter types over others. Clumping litter is easy to clean, but not all remnants are removed with the clumps. So, you’ll need to strip the box down and replace the litter frequently. In some cases, crystal litter is a cleaner alternative.

How Often to Clean the Litter Box

A general rule is Scoop daily, Strip weekly, especially for clumping litter. Scoop the poop when you see it and replace the litter about once a week or as often as the packaging suggests. Crystal litter can be changed less often than clay litter, sometimes as little as once a month. Some litter types might not require scooping, but they’ll definitely need a daily dump out and weekly scrub.

The type and age of the litter box itself can affect the cleaning routine. Older, softer plastics can take on odors and require more frequent dumping and washing. Dedicate a scrub brush just for litter box cleaning and use a mild detergent without a strong fragrance. Afterward, rinse it thoroughly. Replace the box completely if it’s scratched because even small scratches can trap odors that are offensive to cautious cats.

If you can create a habit out of litter care, your cat will thank you by choosing to keep it all in the box! However, if your cat is doing their business outside the litter box, consult your vet first to make sure an underlying health concern isn’t to blame.

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A cat with inappropriate elimination issues can be frustrating. Sometimes there’s a medical reason for urinating outside the box, so visit your vet first to rule out health concerns.

If your cat is in good shape, the following tips can prevent your furry friend from having accidents. In a normal, healthy cat, these tips can help reinforce good behaviors and keep everyone happy.

1. Set up more than enough litter boxes

Behaviorists and veterinarians say that you should provide one litter box per cat in the home, plus an extra. This gives your cat plenty of options, and it can help avoid territorial disputes between several cats in one household. Even if you only have one cat, having several litter boxes reduces the risk of them having an accident because they’ll never be too far from a bathroom spot.

Related: The 11 Best Cat Litter Boxes

2. Make sure you use a litter type that your cat likes

A great way to discover your cat’s favorite litter type is to set up a litter trial. To do this, confine them to an area where litter box use is the only option, like a bathroom or a small tiled area. Give your cats different choices of litter types and see which they choose. Many people like the fragranced clumping litters, but that doesn’t mean all cats favor them.

For the litter trial, choose a variety of litters – clumping, crystal, sandy, clay, pine, etc. and make them available for a long enough time to tell which one your cat likes best. Try to use similar-looking boxes for all litters so the litter box type doesn’t affect your cat’s decision.

3. Use a litter box type that’s preferred and accessible

I had a patient that developed an inappropriate urination issue when his human switched him to a self-cleaning litter box. She thought the expensive gadget would make his life better by keeping his box ultra-fresh, but he seemed to be afraid of the noise it made. Self-cleaning litter boxes, like Litter Robot, work well for many cat parents, but every cat has different preferences.

Oftentimes, our cats won’t conform to what we want. So, it’s better to find a compromise that you can both live with. Once you have established a litter type that your cat likes, you can make sure you choose the best box type too. Give your cat options, like how you did with litter. Choose easy-to-clean litter boxes, some covered and some not. Use some with low sides and high sides, and use some large ones and some small ones. For best results, use the same type of litter in all the boxes.

4. Regularly clean the litter box

Cats are fastidious creatures. They can develop aversions to an area that isn’t kept clean and odor free. Clean your cat’s litter boxes by scooping at least once daily. Once per week, you should completely empty the litter box and use mild soap to clean it. Thoroughly rinse and dry the box before adding new litter. If the boxes still smell after cleaning, you may need to replace them.

If your cat’s litter box isn’t clean enough, they may not want to do their business there, which is why they might be using the floor instead.

5. Keep the litter area away from the food area

Since cats are often sensitive to signals in their environment that we cannot always perceive, it’s best to separate the dining area from the “potty” area. Excrement is more than just poop to your cat and they know that they don’t want to eat in a marking area and vice versa.

These five simple strategies can help keep your cat from “thinking outside the box,” making your home environment more pleasant for both of you. When in doubt, ask your vet about more ways to stop your cat from peeing outside their bathroom space.

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Hyperthyroidism (excessive production of thyroid hormone) in cats is growing more common. It is estimated that 10% of all senior cats will be affected by this disorder. It is most commonly seen in middle-aged to older cats and signs include weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea and an unkempt hair coat. The disease has really been a more recent occurrence with the first case described in the late 70s. Only your veterinarian can tell you if your cat suffers from hyperthyroidism and he/she will need to do some diagnostic testing.  If your cat is not already affected, however, you should know that there are things you can do to help offset his risk.

Studies show that the cause is likely multi-factorial, but there are strategies that cat owners can apply to help reduce the risk while science sorts it all out. Plastic is thought to release compounds that change thyroid tissue. These compounds are also present in certain foods and additives.

We all have plastic in our homes and we may not be able to eliminate it completely, but here are some easy ways that you can help protect your cat:

1. Eliminate plastic feeding dishes. It is fairly easy to substitute a ceramic or stainless steel food dish

2. Avoid storing food in plastic containers. Leftover food should not be stored in plastic vessels or left in a can that could be lined with epoxy type liner.

3. Never heat food in plastic. Heat can cause release of more of the suspect compounds into the cat’s food, so it is best to warm food on a paper towel or in a glass dish.

4. Use filtered or demineralized water. Certain tap water contains suspect compounds also. You can remove this worry by filtering drinking water with a high-quality filter or using demineralized water for your cat.

5. Use biodegradable, natural cat litter. The deodorizing chemicals and clumping agents may also be a source of problem chemicals. Natural litters like pine shavings might be a safer choice.

The causes for hyperthyroidism in cats are very complex and even if cat lovers are able to implement all the above strategies, there is still no guarantee that an individual cat would never develop this common disease. However, these tips are fairly easy to employ and could make a difference for your cat. They can’t hurt and are worth a try.

If your cat has unexplained weight loss or any new symptoms that could be related to hyperthyroidism, contact your veterinarian.

1. Hyperthyroidism in Cats: What’s causing this epidemic of thyroid disease and can we prevent it? Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery November 2012 14: 804–818, doi:1177/1098612X12464462

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Cat eyes are so beautiful that jewels have been named after them. Cat’s eye (chrysoberyl) is a gemstone of the alexandrite family that is known for lovely optic phenomena that resembles the slit pupil of a cat’s eye.  Real cat eyes are stunning as well, and it is important that we know about them to keep them healthy.

Front and Center

Our cats’ eyes take up a lot of “real estate” on their faces. They have binocular vision, meaning both of their eyes can focus together and provide them with better depth perception.  As a hunter, cats need to be able to focus on prey. This is important because large, forward-facing eyes on our curious cats (that have their faces in lots of places) are vulnerable. Cats are at risk for corneal scratches and irritation from the size and placement of their eyes, coupled with some of their other tendencies, like defending their territory from rival cats. Front-facing eye placement makes it easier for cat lovers to observe for changes too, so it is not all bad!

Running From Danger

We are talking about running from the eyes or ocular discharge. Normal eyes do not drain. A watery discharge, especially if it has any color to it (yellow, green or even bloody), is a sign that you should call your vet right away. Some cats have ongoing tear issues that cause chronic drainage, but if you notice that your cat’s eyes are draining, you should show your vet to be sure that there isn’t something that can be done. Acute (sudden) eye discharge is probably going to require treatment and can be a sign of a systemic upper respiratory infection that will need treatment. All cat owners need to know that ocular discharge is not technically normal.

Don’t Turn A Blind Eye

Blindness is sometimes seen in cats and occasionally the owners are not even aware. Cats are so good with their other senses and so familiar with their homes and territories, they can accommodate well for vision deficits. Cats are predisposed to infectious causes of ocular disorders like Feline Leukemia, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus and others. If you notice even subtle changes in your cat, be sure to ask your veterinarian. There may be treatments that could change the outcome for your cat. Don’t wait. It is better to be safe than sorry.

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Everyone knows what dogs do when they greet you. Sometimes they frantically sniff you, possibly in a very invasive and private way. But when cats greet you, they are not quite so boisterous or personal. Cats are very different from dogs at a fundamental level. Comparing our canine and feline friends is interesting.

Dogs have a very acute sense of smell and they depend on their noses for a lot of their survival. Dogs also identify one another through distinctive scents. Dogs have evolved into a scavenger species. They use their noses to find food. DNA studies have indicated that dogs possess over 800 genes related to olfaction (or smell). ¹
Cats are carnivores. They do not rummage around for their food, but instead must hunt for it. In order to do so, they rely on more than just their nose. They use their more long-distance sensors like their ears and their eyes and specially adapted organs, like the vomeronasal receptors.  Vomeronasal organs are specially adapted for the detection of other chemical signals besides odors, like pheromones. In the cat, there are 21 genes responsible for the abilities of the vomeronasal receptors compared to dogs’ 8 genes related to this ability.

There seems to have been a “genetic trade-off” among species. Animals appear to be either strongly evolved to utilize scent like dogs (multiple olfaction genes) or to rely on other chemical markers through the receptors like vomeronasal ones, but not both to a strong degree. There are other interesting genetic trade-offs among animals. It appears that primates traded their strong olfactory senses for the ability to see multiple colors ^2.

The traits that your cat displays are uniquely feline in many cases, even though some people swear that their cat acts like a dog. Some qualities are genetically programmed and some are learned behaviors. Your cat will probably never sniff you frantically or sloppily lick your face, but it does not mean that she is not glad to see you. She has perceived your presence in her own unique way. Different species have evolved to have very different and interesting traits and abilities, but all species are interesting and fun to learn about!

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1. Montague MJ, Li G, Gandolfi B, Khan R, Aken BL, Searle SM, Minx P, Hillier LW, Koboldt DC, Davis BW, Driscoll CA, Barr CS, Blackistone K, Quilez J, Lorente-Galdos B, Marques-Bonet T, Alkan C, Thomas GW, Hahn MW, Menotti-Raymond M, O’Brien SJ, Wilson RK, Lyons LA, Murphy WJ, Warren WC.Comparative analysis of the domestic cat genome reveals genetic signatures underlying feline biology and domestication. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Dec 2;111(48):17230-5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1410083111. PubMed PMID: 25385592; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4260561
2. Gilad Y, Przeworski M, Lancet D.Loss of olfactory receptor genes coincides with the acquisition of full trichromatic vision in primates. PLoS Biol. 2004 Jan;2(1):E5. Erratum in: PLoS Biol. 2007 Jun;5(6):e148. Wiebe, Victor [removed]; Paabo, Svante [removed]. PubMed PMID: 14737185; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC314465.

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Let Dr. Kathryn Primm, DVM, tell you why  your cat’s shedding seems less when the days grow short and cool. Some people notice that their cats seem to shed less hair as winter approaches.  There is a good reason for this change. Hair grows in cycles and these cycles have evolved as a way to ensure the best chance for the animal’s continued survival. During certain seasons, the hair sheds less in order to retain a constant amount of insulation.

Factors That Signal Shedding Slow Down

The cool thing about the winter change is that it is not dependent on ambient temperature, as it seems it would be. Studies (done on horses) show that hair follicles can be more affected by the length of the daylight or photo-period¹. As the days grow shorter, animals’ bodies instinctively know that winter is approaching, and they need a thicker coat that stays put to insulate them.

So if the actual temperature does not tell your cat that he needs to hold onto his winter coat, how does your cat know that the days are growing shorter?

Actually, he may not consciously realize that the days are growing shorter, but his brain knows.  There is a small gland in the brain that is tuned into daylight length. A non-visual portion of your cat’s lateral eye senses the light and sends the information to the brain.

This information is relayed to a small gland which turns the information into a chemical message through the production of melatonin. The gland is called the pineal gland and as the days grow shorter, the pineal gland produces melatonin for a longer duration. The melatonin causes changes in a cat’s physiology.

These changes affect more than his hair coat. In fact, science has demonstrated changes in hormone production, behavior, and immunity in response to photoperiod and proven by the fact that animals with their pineal glands removed, do not show the same changes².

Inside Cats, Too?

Companion pets are somewhat insulated from these changes by the presence of artificial light, but animals in the wild depend on their bodies, automatically adapting to the environmental change. Shorter days trigger your cat’s hair to slow shedding and improve the undercoat, which is best at insulating your cat’s body from the winter cold.

Our indoor cats can be a little fooled by the artificial light inside our homes, but most cats do experience a change in their hair cycle with the seasons. Recognize this outward sign of adaptation as the amazing miracle that it is in which nature provides for your cat without him really realizing it.

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1.Hodge, S., and D.D. Householder. 1980. Extended vs traditional day length regimens for controlling hair growth in horses. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.

2.Walton, James C., Zachary M. Weil, and Randy J. Nelson. “Influence of Photoperiod on Hormones, Behavior, and Immune Function.” Frontiers in neuroendocrinology 32.3 (2011): 303–319. PMC. Web. 15 Feb. 2017.

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We all have physical characteristics that are defined by who and what we are. People have forward facing eyes and two legs. We do not typically have patterned skin, but our cats often do.

Just like people come in different skin and hair tones, so do cats, except they are even more interesting.  They have patterns, stripes or spots sometimes, but their actual pattern is fairly consistent, especially on the face. Even cats that are not tabby will often have a shadow of an “M” above their eyes.

People have long postulated the reasons for coat patterning among the different species, but no one really knows for sure.

Zebras are an excellent example of a noteworthy patterned coat and since the age of Darwin, the reason for zebra stripes has been debated. A new study suggests that for zebras, the pattern is a help with discouraging biting flies¹. Zebras are prey animals that graze on the savannah, but cats are tiny predators so cats might have different reasons that they have developed a patterned coat. Your cat’s feline ancestors have been around for nearly 10,000 years and have always expressed tabby as a coat pattern. Perhaps in the cat’s case, the overall pattern does provide stealth. But why the M on the forehead?

The striped pattern of the tabby cat is a dominant gene for cats, but there are a few different expressions of the pattern: mackerel and blotched tabby. Both of these can include the M above the eyes.

The pattern of your cat’s stripes is defined on his genes and begins to express long before the actual hair develops. Much like leopards, jaguars, and tigers have defined stripe or spot patterns, your cat appears the way he appears because it is written on his DNA and his M is a standard part of his tabby pattern. But depending on his other genes, it may be dark and obvious or subtle and blended into his face. Either way, it is a special feature of tabby cats and it is one of the things that makes them unique and beautiful.

1. Melin AD, Kline DW, Hiramatsu C, Caro T. Correction: Zebra Stripes through the Eyes of Their Predators, Zebras, and Humans. PLoS One. 2016 Mar 17;11(3):e0151660. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151660. PubMed PMID: 26987058; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4795705.

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Have you ever gone to sit down and when you pull out the chair, your cat lifts his head and looks up at you with sleepy eyes? Guess what! It looks like your favorite chair is his too. Why is that?

You picked your chair because it is comfy for you, but your cat is not your size at all. Maybe you like the chair because it is convenient to see the TV or close to a table that you can set your drink on. Your cat does not care as much about these conveniences, so these are probably less important reasons to him.

Your cat most likely prefers the chair that you routinely choose because it is filled with your scent. It might even have a depression in it where you and your family sit regularly that is just right for your cat to curl up into. Cats mark areas that are safe with their own scents when they rub their faces on things. This scent message is something your cat understands. Your favorite chair is covered in your own scent and your cat feels that you have personally marked it as “safe”. If you have recently been in your chair, it is still warm and cats love soft and warm places.

Why does your cat need to feel safe?

Cats know that they are relatively small and vulnerable in the scheme of things for the animal world. Though she is a hunter by nature, she knows that she could also be prey, so for her rest areas, she will choose spots that are defensible and safe. It is wise for animals to choose defensible spots when they rest and let down their guard. Chairs often have backs on them so that your cat knows that she only has to defend the front and sides and the chair “has her back”.

Feeling surrounded and safe allows your cat to relax. He does not have to worry about something sneaking up from behind. He can sleep in this familiar protected spot, secure that nothing will creep up from behind. Plus he knows from the scent that you and your family have deemed the area safe and it is an established part of your family territory.

We all know that once a cat is curled up in our chair, we must find a new spot to sit because no one wants to disturb a sleeping cat!

A photo posted by Alexis (@8lexi) on Jan 16, 2016 at 8:59pm PST

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All cats get sick sometime. Most cats will require some sort of anesthesia at some point. Whether it is to be spayed or neutered or it is to remove something stuck in the bowel, anesthesia is a part of the lives of most living things in this day and age. As a society, we are very lucky that anesthesia exists. Otherwise, many of us would not even be here to read this.

Anesthesia is defined medically as a temporary loss of feeling or awareness. In medicine, we use drugs to cause loss of consciousness for the purpose of performing procedures. Over time, the safety and effectiveness of anesthesia has gotten better and better. Before 1846, the prospect of surgery was a haunting one. The discovery that the gas ether (when dosed appropriately) could be safely used for safe and effective anesthesia was a game changer for the world of medicine. Anesthetic options have increased since that time and today, we have a variety of options that we can tailor to the individual’s needs and the procedure. Most (if not all) of the anesthetic drugs used in human medicine are available for use in veterinary medicine and protocols can be surprisingly similar with some species specific exceptions.

Bad news always travels fast and if and when there is an anesthetic mishap, it seems to make headlines. Everyone seems to know someone who tells a tale of losing a pet under anesthesia, but a recent study among human beings anesthetized over a period of 8 years in a Brazilian hospital revealed that although some patients died during surgery (16 deaths in 10,000), they were all related to patient factors, like preexisting disease¹. None of the deaths were related to actual anesthesia, so the likelihood that your normal healthy cat would not recover from anesthesia is very slim.  An older study suggests that anesthetic death among cats is rare, but not as rare as that reported for humans or dogs.²

The same study found that the risk of anesthetic death was further reduced by the careful monitoring of pulse and oxygen saturation of the blood with a pulse oximeter. With that being said, you should make sure that your veterinarian will be attending the anesthetic induction and that you feel comfortable with his/her competence to choose and safely administer the drugs.

Talk with your veterinarian. Let the veterinary team help you weigh the risks versus the benefits. Ask about their ability to monitor during anesthesia and if they feel that your cat is a high risk patient. If your cat needs to have a procedure under anesthesia to address pain (like dental disease) or potentially save or improve her life, you should not let fear stop you from providing the care that she needs.

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1. Pignaton, Wangles et al. “Perioperative and Anesthesia-Related Mortality: An 8-Year Observational Survey From a Tertiary Teaching Hospital.” Ed. Pasquale De Negri.Medicine 2 (2016): e2208. PMC. Web. 4 Feb. 2017.
2. Brodbelt D.Feline anesthetic deaths in veterinary practice. Top Companion Anim Med. 2010 Nov;25(4):189-94. doi: 10.1053/j.tcam.2010.09.007. Review. PubMed PMID: 21147471.

Featured Image Credit: Captain Pancakes via Flickr

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Cats have whiskers, even wild cats. They are a feature of a cat’s face. We can recognize even a rudimentary child’s drawing of a cat face if it has pointed ears and whiskers. We don’t think too much about them, but actually they are highly specialized adaptations that your cat needs. The whiskers are also called vibrissae. Many mammals have vibrissae and more studies have been done on the vibrissae of mice than cats, but we can extrapolate some of the ideas that may apply to cat whiskers too. Here are 3 things that you probably don’t know about your cat’s whiskers.

1. Whiskers are located in spots other than the face.

They are not only on her face. The whiskers beside the nose are obvious when you glance at your cat and these are probably the ones most important to your cat, but there are also vibrissae in other places on your cat’s body. Cats have vibrissae over their eyes, on either side of the nose and on the front legs. The whiskers themselves are specialized hairs.

2. Whiskers collect information.

They are a remarkable source of sensory information for the cat too. They can help her tell about the width of a passage that she is traveling and perceive information about her environment. The stimulation of the pads where the whiskers attach has been shown to cause activity in specific neurons in the brain. Human beings do not have truly analogous anatomy and we probably do not need them for our daily lives, but our cats do. Her whiskers can also help her navigate in tight spaces and areas of low light. The truly amazing feature of the cat’s whiskers is in the nerve ending attachment on her face. The hairs themselves act more as antennae, like the ones on some of our cars.

3. Whiskers not only perceive, but can deliver information, too.

The whiskers can tell the cat information about their environment, but they can also tell us information about our cats, by acting as a communication tool. The position of your cat’s whiskers gives us insight into his emotions and intentions. Cats with their whiskers relaxed to the sides are calm and unperturbed, whereas if the whiskers are pulled forward, your cat might be alert or hunting. Frightened cats sometimes flatten their whiskers to the sides of the face.

Whiskers are really neat and they serve surprising purposes to and about our cats. The whiskers are just specialized hairs, so they can fall out and re-grow with no problem. They are usually not a source of health issues for cats. It can be a problem for a cat to have the whiskers cut off or pulled out. In fact, studies in mice in which the whiskers were removed changed the way juvenile animals matured and even influenced the posture of adult animals. Your cat’s whiskers add attractiveness to his face and provide information to and about your cat.

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