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| | ===Medical Factors=== | | ===Medical Factors=== |
| | Causal and contributory medical factors should be investigated and treated. Conditions such as FIC should be ruled out. | | Causal and contributory medical factors should be investigated and treated. Conditions such as FIC should be ruled out. |
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| − | ===Litter Tray and Latrine Sites===
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| − | Although cats vary in their specific preferences, and their tolerance for particular defects in litter tray provision, a general guide for litter tray provision in problem cases would be as follows:
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| − | * High sided tray that is large enough for the cat to turn around in (many trays are not large enough).
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| − | * Unscented, fine grained, mineral based litter.
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| − | * Located where the cat can access it easily, but without be disturbed whilst eliminating.
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| − | * One litter tray pet cat, plus one extra (to allow cats to avoid sharing latrines)
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| − | Cats show no general preference for covered or open litter trays<ref>Grigg, E.K., Pick, L., Nibblett, B., (2013) Litter box preference in domestic cats: covered versus uncovered. "J Feline Med Surg." 15(4):280-4.</ref>, so a choice should be provided until the cat's preference is established.
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| − | A commonly overlooked aspect of dealing with inappropriate elimination problems is the potential to provide cats with designated outdoor latrine facilities. The commonest complaint about neighbourhood cats, by cat owners and non-owners alike, is that they defecate in people's gardens. However, most cat owners do not provide either a litter tray or a suitable garden location for a toilet. The owner's garden may be mostly patio or grass, neither of which is a suitable toilet location. All owned should be encouraged to install outdoor cat toilets, or to create an area that the cat cat use. A typical outdoor cat toilet can be prepared as follows:
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| − | * Choose an area in a border or flowerbed where the cat can have some privacy.
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| − | * Dig a hole that is about the size of a cat litter tray, but 30-60cm deep.
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| − | * Fill the hole with soft playground sand (not sharp sand that is commonly used for construction purposes).
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| | ===Environment Issues=== | | ===Environment Issues=== |