Is Your Cat Telling You to Switch Litter Brands?

PetSmart - Chris Brownlow / Pets.com

Most cat owners are well aware that their furry little divas can be finicky. The wrong type of cat food can result in a turned up nose and a very temporary hunger strike. Buy the wrong type of litter and your cat could boycott it by finding an entirely new place to eliminate like perhaps the oriental carpet in the living room.

If your cat is going some place other than her litter box, first consult your veterinarian to determine a urinary tract infection or other medical condition isn’t the cause for her litter box leeriness. If she gets a clean bill of health and you’re cleaning the box on a regular basis, the brand of litter you’re using could be the culprit. How can you determine which kind of litter your cat likes or doesn’t? Try a “kitty litter smorgasbord” says Janice Willard, DVM in an article published on the American Veterinary Society's web site.

Willard suggests taking four identical litter pans, filling each with a different brand of litter and placing them in their usual litter box area. At the end of the week, inspect each box to see which got the most use. The one with the most use is the one your cat prefers, according to Willard. If you have more than one cat, keep in mind that different cats may have different preferences, she says.

If it isn’t realistic for you to use four pans of litter at the same time, try two instead and switch out as necessary to test different brands. And remember, some cats are very resistant to change so you might want to keep a bag of her old litter brand handy in case she doesn’t prefer any of the new brands you choose.

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