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Cat Latrines (view source)

Revision as of 08:54, 2 July 2014

218 bytes removed , 08:54, 2 July 2014

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==Introduction==

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~~Cats~~ do not share latrine ~~facilities so~~, ~~in multi-cat households, the optimum number of latrines should be '''one per cat plus one extra'''~~. ~~This number of~~ cat ~~litter trays is obviously a horrific prospect for the owner of a lot of cats. The answer is to provide cats with outdoor~~ latrines ~~in the owner’s garden. With the current fashion for hard landscaping~~, ~~cats may have few opportunities~~ to ~~use good outdoor latrines and may have to travel across several gardens to find somewhere suitable. In winter, these toilets may become sodden~~ or ~~frozen, making them unusable~~. ~~For this reason~~, ~~many [[Feline Housesoiling|housesoiling problems]] are worse during the winter~~.

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Feral cats do not share latrine locations, and they use separate latrine sites for urine and faeces. A single cat will have numerous latrines located throughout its peripheral territory, so that it can conveniently access somewhere to eliminate during a hunting trip or whilst territorialising. Latrine sites are located away from hunting, feeding and resting areas.

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~~Cats have very specific requirements for~~ the ~~places they prefer to go to the toilet. These include~~:

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In a domestic setting, the natural preferences of cats are often compromised:

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* ~~'''Privacy''': Cats prefer not to share toilets with other cats~~ and ~~do not like to be disturbed whilst going to the toilet.~~

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* A single litter tray for urine and faeces

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* ~~'''Substrate''': Cats prefer certain kinds of material to go to the toilet on~~.

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* No outdoor latrine sites (e.g. paved garden)

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* ~~'''Dedicated~~ latrines~~''': Cats prefer not~~ to ~~use~~ the ~~same toilet for urination and defecation~~.

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* Several cats using shared latrines

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* Latrine locations that are too close to other resources, such as food and water, or where there is no privacy for the cat.

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~~Owners can make use~~ of this ~~information when they want to provide cats~~ with ~~a suitable toilet as well as when wanting to discourage them from using the wrong places~~.

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The ideal number of latrines in a multi-cat household would be '''one per cat plus one extra'''. It may not be possible for cat owners to accommodate this, even if inappropriate elimination indicates that there is a problem with latrine provision.

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~~Before the use deterrents,~~ cats ~~must be provided with a~~ suitable ~~set~~ of ~~toilet facilities~~, ~~otherwise the inappropriate house-soiling can be moved to another equally undesirable place~~.

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Even cats that do have outdoor access and suitable latrine sites in their own garden may show seasonal problems of [[Feline Housesoiling|housesoiling problems]]; outdoor latrines may become waterlogged or the ground frozen during winter, making them unusable.

==Outdoor Latrines==

Jon Bowen

694

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