Pet Supply Verified Weblog

We’ve heard the saying about elephants and their memory, but what about our beloved cats? Can they remember? Personally, I’m afraid that my cat was not in line when brains were handed out and received the last one, leftover and not quite functional. She does manage to get to the litter box, but feeding time requires delivering her direct to the bowl or she circles your feet crying and crying like you actually would walk around the house carrying the cat food instead of leaving it in her bowl!

Researchers at University of Alberta actually did a research study to investigate the length of a cat’s memory. They compared memory length after performing a certain task or after simply seeing something in their path. How in the world did they do this you might wonder. I wondered the same thing. Actually, they placed in object in the path of the cat. To test how long the cat could remember the position of the object, they first allowed the cat to step over the object with their front feet but then stopped them before their back feet went over. They distracted the cat with a treat and then allowed it to proceed onward after varying lengths of time. They found that the cat lifted its back feet as if to step over the object (even if the researcher had taken the object away) up to the 10 minute mark. One conclusion that was made is that cats are so confident of their movements within the environment because they have a good memory of where their bodies have been.

So, how did the cats do if they saw the object but were not allowed to step over it? The cats were walked up to an object and then stopped. Their vision was obscured so that they could no longer see the object. The cats never stepped over the object, even if they were only momentarily stopped. So, the memory is directly related to the action of stepping over. Think of yourself stumbling back from the bathroom in the middle of the night, blinded by the light that you have just turned off. You may remember something was in your path, but if you are like me, you really have no idea where it was. Applications for this research include the study of individuals with memory loss and how actions may help improve the recovery of memory. If you want more info, click here to listen to the podcast from University of Alberta’s Express News.

This question submitted by Anne from Missouri:

I have a large Maine Coon Cat. He is a bit overweight, but otherwise healthy. He has started going to the bathroom just outside the litter box. He urinates in the box, but the rest is outside. What should I do?

There are many reasons that a cat might stop using the litter box, but this very specific question may have an easy solution.  When cat owners tell me that their cat is a bit overweight, I usually would interpret their weight as significantly overweight. This cat is a Maine Coon, a large cat to begin with. If he is overweight, which hopefully Anne is working on, he may simply not fit in the box anymore. Since he is urinating in the box, he obviously is not avoiding the box itself so the problem may be that his bum is hanging over the edge when he goes.

An easy fix for this problem is to purchase a very large, low sided box. There are many options in the household storage section of your local retail outlet. A box designed to fit under the bed to hold sweaters or something like this should work just fine. This big cat should be able to stand sideways in the box with plenty of room in front and behind him so that he hits the box every time.

When a cat begins avoiding the litter box, there is often a simple explanation, but sometimes a medical problem or a more significant behavioral issue is at work. Veterinary care is very important when litter box habits change, especially if a simple change or two does not eliminate the problem.

Sometimes a cat will urinate outside the box, but will do everything else inside the box. When this happens, it is sometimes because urination is uncomfortable because of a urinary tract problem. This situation requires expert veterinary care as bladder or urinary tract problems can be a bit difficult to deal with.

When a cat avoids the box altogether, maybe the box is not clean enough. Some cats are quite particular about this and some cats won’t even visit the box a second time (this is not very common). Scooping the box once or twice daily and completely changing the box every week is a tactic that should be used if the box is being avoided. It is important to provide adequate numbers of boxes for the cats in the house. If you have 3 cats, you should have 4 boxes and if you have 10 cats, well then you should have 11 boxes!

When you suddenly have a cat that is avoiding the box, it is a good idea to add some extra boxes that have different types of litter in them. Cats certainly have preferences for litter and often do not like a change, but if they quit walking on the litter that they have been enjoying for years, change might be good. DO NOT buy the cheapest litter or the one that you have the coupon for, unless you ALWAYS buy the cheapest or ALWAYS have a coupon for the same kind. Most cats will get stressed by a change in their bathroom and may avoid it altogether.

If a change has occurred in the household, make modifications to help your cat feel more comfortable. Did you just get a dog or a new cat, did your baby just start walking? These factors may be interrupting your cat’s bathroom time. When there are several cats in the house, one cat may be the bully and may be preventing the less aggressive kitty from using the litter box. This problem should be fixed by having multiple boxes in different locations because the bully can’t be everywhere at once!

Making some simple changes (number of boxes, size of boxes) may be good steps towards preventing a problem. Remember, if you have a cat with litter box problems, your veterinarian is the best source of advice.