Litter box best practices – Arm & Hammer™

The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society has partnered with Arm & Hammer™ Cat Litter to help pet parents and adopters with litter box best practices. 

Our mission is to change the lives of animals in need and keep pets with the people who love them. One of the most common reasons that cats are brought to our animal centres for rehoming is due to litter box issues, and the Ontario SPCA and Arm & Hammer Cat Litter want to combat those issues by providing tips and tricks to help keep your cat happy and healthy. 

Litter Box Best Practices: 

To help ensure you have happy, healthy, box-abiding cats, you must create an environment that falls in line with their natural instincts: 

• Uncovered versus covered litter boxes: Most pet parents believe cats prefer privacy and therefore have covered litter boxes. However, it is better to keep your litter box uncovered so you may give your cat several ways to escape if they feel threatened, making them less likely to urinate where they feel safer, like your couch or other unwanted area. 
• Odour-trapping litter: Cats are very sensitive to smell and texture. Arm & Hammer Cloud Control™ Cat Litter has all the important elements to make cats happy about using their litter box. It’s hypoallergenic and excludes 26 known allergies. It also traps odours with a 7-day odour-free guarantee, is dust-free and the soft texture is easy on their paws. No stinky odours make for happy paws and happier pet parents! 
• Number of litter boxes: Pet parents should have one box per cat plus one more.  For instance, two cats need three litter boxes. Tight on space? Having multiple litter box locations is better than having many boxes in one space.  
• Amount of light: Contrary to belief, cats do need some light to see. Try placing a night light near their litter box and turning it on in the evenings so they feel safe and can navigate to their box easily. 
• Food and water location: Cats prefer their food and water away from where they urinate and defecate. Ensure they are in separate spaces to avoid accidents. 
• Frequency of changing litter: Cats will often stop covering urine or stool when finished if the cat litter hasn’t been cleaned properly. It’s recommended that the litter be scooped 1 to 2 times daily, and the litter be completely changed and the box cleaned thoroughly every 30 days, which may be daunting for most cat parents. One option is Arm & Hammer Cloud Control™ Cat Litter. Its patented EZ Clean Technology* means used litter slides right out! With its moisture-activated micro-granules that form a tight seal around cat waste and create rock-hard clumps for easy scooping, there’s no need to worry about any more scrubbing or scraping the bottom of the box.  

Arm & Hammer Cat Litter knows how important cat litter is to the integration process and maintaining good litter box hygiene and wants to make sure that anyone who adopts a cat from an Ontario SPCA animal centre in April will receive a box of of Arm & Hammer Slide™ or Arm & Hammer Clump and Seal™ or Arm & Hammer Cloud Control™ Cat Litter, PLUS a coupon, while supplies last. To view animals available for adoption with the Ontario SPCA, visit ontariospca.ca/adopt