Does previous use affect litter box appeal in multi-cat households?

Ellis, Jacklyn J.; McGowan, Ragen T. S.; Martin, François

doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2017.02.008

Cited by 28 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…One study reported the relationship between urine and faecal odour and litter box preferences 34 . However, another study demonstrated that cats were not averse to sharing a litter box 35 . The maintenance of litter boxes is the most important factor, especially in multicat households.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Prevalence and risk factors of feline lower urinary tract disease in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Piyarungsri

Tangtrongsup

Thitaram

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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feline lower urinary tract disease (fLUtD) is a common problem in cats. the objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence, clinical signs, and causes of fLUtD and the risk factors for fLUtD. The medical records of 3486 cats visiting Chiang Mai University Small Animal Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) between November 2016 and October 2017 were reviewed. An age-matched casecontrol study was performed to determine the risk factors for FLUTD by comparing 78 cats with FLUTD and 78 clinically normal age-matched cats. For each animal, potential risk data were obtained from medical records and cat owner interviews; these were analysed for associations with fLUtD. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the odds ratios and to adjust for expected confounding factors. the prevalence of fLUtD in cats visiting the chiang Mai University Veterinary Teaching Hospital was 2.2%. The most common clinical signs identified were urethral obstruction (55.1%) and haematuria (23.1%). The most common diagnoses were feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) (57.7%) and urolithiasis (struvite) (18%). The multivariable logistic regression analysis results indicated that fLUtD was most likely to be diagnosed in castrated male cats. fic and urolithiasis were the most common diagnoses in cats with fLUtD, and male sex and castration increased the risk of fLUtD.Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), a common disease in cats, is a syndrome that affects the reproductive tract, urinary bladder or urethra. The clinical signs of FLUTD are dysuria, haematuria, stranguria, pollakiuria and periuria. The prevalence of FLUTD among cats that had visited animal hospitals and clinics was 1.5% in the United States 1 and 2.2% in Bangkok, Thailand 2 . FLUTD can be obstructive or non-obstructive. Obstructions may occur as inflammatory debris from feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC), urethral plugs or uroliths. Non-obstructive causes include FIC, uroliths, urothelial carcinoma, anatomic defects (such as urethral stricture) and urinary tract infection (UTI) 3 .The risk factors for FLUTD differ across countries due to geography, season, diets 4 and cats' lifestyle. In New Zealand, low activity and indoor lifestyles were identified as risk factors for FLUTD 5 . In Norway, FLUTD was commonly found in male cats with an indoor lifestyle 6 . In Belgium, indoor confinement was the common risk factor for FLUTD 7 . In Bangkok, Thailand, a diet of commercial dry food and overweight were found to increase the risk for FLUTD 2 . In Austria, overweight cats had an increased risk for FLUTD, but the type of diet was not associated with FLUTD 8 .The Small Animal Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Chiang Mai, Thailand, receives a substantial number of feline patients each year. No one has yet evaluated the risk factors associated with FLUTD in this region. Therefore, the objectives of the present study were to determine the prevalence, clinical signs, and causes of FLUTD and risk factors for FLUTD in cats in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Prevalence and risk factors of feline lower urinary tract disease in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Piyarungsri

Tangtrongsup

Thitaram

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…It is suggested that such risks can be mitigated by the use of a microchip controlled cat flap ( 46, 47 ), but there are currently no scientific data to support this. Allowing some access to the outside might increase opportunities to eliminate in general (via access to outside latrines) and thus reduce the risk that litter boxes in the home become unacceptable to the cat, perhaps because of the presence of faeces in it ( 20 ), as they are being used less frequently.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Without good scientific data, ideological associations may inadvertently be believed to be genuine risk factors. For example, Ellis et al ( 20 ) investigated the influence of previous litter box use on its reuse and found through careful experimental manipulation that it was not the odor of another cat's urine or faeces in the litter that was avoided by cats (obvious association for a macrosmatic species like the cat), but the physical/visual presence of a wet patch or object looking like a faecal deposit which mattered. This work highlights the importance of original research which challenges conventional wisdom on this topic and the danger of uncritically accepting the opinion of others without good data.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Common Risk Factors for Urinary House Soiling (Periuria) in Cats and Its Differentiation: The Sensitivity and Specificity of Common Diagnostic Signs

et al. 2018

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Urinary house soiling (periuria) in the home is a common but serious behaviour problem in cats. Although many specific risk factors and triggers have been postulated, their importance is largely unknown. This study assessed: (1) the significance of purported risk factors for periuria as well as specifically marking and latrine behaviour in the home; (2) the specificity and sensitivity of signs commonly used to differentiate latrine and marking behaviour. Owner responses to an internet survey (n = 245) were classified into three groups: control, marking and latrine behaviour, along with 41 potential risk factors and 15 predictors used to diagnose marking and latrine problems. Univariate statistical analyses and non-parametric tests of association were used to determine simple associations. In addition the sensitivity and specificity of four cardinal signs (posture to urinate, attempt to cover soiled area, surface chosen and volume of urine deposited) were calculated. Significant potential risk factors were: age (marking cats were older than the other two groups); multi-cat household (increased risk of marking and latrine behaviours); free outside access and cat flaps in the house (higher frequency of marking); outside access in general (lower prevalence of latrine behaviour); defecation outside the litter box (higher frequency of latrine behaviour); a heavy dependence by the cat on its owner (lower frequency of latrine behaviour) and a relaxed personality (lower risk of marking behaviour). Litterbox attributes and disease related factors were not significant. Individual cardinal signs were generally not good predictors of diagnosis. This study challenges the poor quality of evidence that has underpinned some of the hypotheses concerning the causes of periuria in cats. The results, in particular, highlight the general importance of the social environment, with the presence of other cats in the household, the cat-owner bond and personality related factors, alongside factors like the use of a cat flap which might also alter the social environment, all implicated as significant risk factors. While the physical environment may be important in specific cases, it seems this is less important as a general risk factor. The findings quantify the risk of misdiagnosis if a single sign is considered sufficient for diagnosis.

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“…The study design itself did assist in reducing the chances of resource guarding in the room by having multiple water bowls, toys, climbing structures, and enough litter boxes for each cat. While each cohort was acclimated to the room for at least two weeks to allow the cats to become accustomed to each other and establish a hierarchy, multi-cat interactions can be a complicated process of events and can add additional stress to the cats, resulting in changes in behaviour [27,28,29]. This also could have potentially led to variations in cat elimination behaviour due to aggressor cats guarding the litter box area [29].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While each cohort was acclimated to the room for at least two weeks to allow the cats to become accustomed to each other and establish a hierarchy, multi-cat interactions can be a complicated process of events and can add additional stress to the cats, resulting in changes in behaviour [27,28,29]. This also could have potentially led to variations in cat elimination behaviour due to aggressor cats guarding the litter box area [29]. We also observed that the cats had a positional preference for litter boxes, with the most favoured position being against a wall so that they can watch their surroundings at the same time as using the litter box [30].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Behavioural Effects of Innovative Litter Developed to Attract Cats

Frayne

Murray

Croney

et al. 2019

Animals

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Simple SummaryThe global feline population has been rising steadily, with approximately 96.5 million cats in the United States, 8.8 million in Canada, and 102 million in Europe. In addition to a growing population, the complex behaviour of cats results in many being surrendered to animal shelters, especially for urinating and/or defecating outside of the litter box area. The objective of this study was to determine whether cats would demonstrate a preference for a plant-based clumping litter with an added attractant (ATTRACT) over a control plant-based clumping litter (PLANT). A secondary objective was to evaluate whether male and female cats would express different litterbox behaviours as a function of the litter type. Based on video-recorded and live behavioural observations, cats used the ATTRACT litters more often to urinate than the PLANT litter, and males urinated longer and sniffed the litter more than females did (p < 0.05). These findings provide preliminary insights into how cat litter-box usage might be increased and gender dimorphisms in litterbox behaviours.AbstractUrination and/or defecation outside a designated location has been reported as the most common behavioural reason for surrendering a cat and comprises approximately 30% of cat intakes to shelters. The objective of this study was to determine whether cats would increase in-box elimination when provided a plant-based litter product with attractant (ATTRACT) compared to the same plant-based litter product without attractant (PLANT). Sixteen cats were split into two equal cohorts based on availability from the shelter and group-housed in an enriched room with eight identical litter boxes arranged in a circular pattern equidistant from each other. Following a two-week room acclimation and transition period from clay litter to PLANT litter, boxes were designated either PLANT or ATTRACT litter, balancing for cats’ prior box location preferences. For 14 days following litter allocation, cat behaviours such as sniffing, digging, covering, urinating, and defecating were video recorded for 12 h daily. The cats urinated more often in the ATTRACT litter, suggesting that they preferred the ATTRACT litter for urination more than the PLANT litter (p < 0.05). The most significant differences observed were between genders, with males spending significantly more time sniffing and performing urination behaviours (p < 0.05). These results suggest that litter with an attractant may be more effective in eliciting usage for urination, as compared to a litter without the additive.

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Does previous use affect litter box appeal in multi-cat households?

Cited by 28 publications

References 14 publications

Prevalence and risk factors of feline lower urinary tract disease in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Prevalence and risk factors of feline lower urinary tract disease in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Common Risk Factors for Urinary House Soiling (Periuria) in Cats and Its Differentiation: The Sensitivity and Specificity of Common Diagnostic Signs

The Behavioural Effects of Innovative Litter Developed to Attract Cats

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