Your Cat May Need Diapers – Here’s Why

Your cat may need diapers – Here’s why

If you have an elderly cat, or one who is battling an illness, you may have noticed they are having more accidents around the home. Sometimes, when a cat is unable to use the litterbox, it’s only a temporary situation, such as after a minor surgery. In these times, it’s common to confine your cat to a small area, like the bathroom.

But when cats have serious impairments, confining them to the bathroom permanently is simply not an option. In these cases, diapers can give your cat the freedom to roam around the house without risk of damaging your floor, rugs, or furniture with urine or feces.

Common Health Issues

Let’s take a look at some of the most common health issues that can cause a cat to have difficulty using the litter box. These conditions usually involve aging and/or impaired mobility, which can make it difficult getting up and down stairs and in and out of a litter box. These include:

Should your cat suddenly start going to the bathroom outside of their litter box, there may be an underlying illness that is causing it. It is important that you take your cat to the vet to get them checked out as soon as possible.

Behavioral Issues

If the vet concludes your cat is in perfect physical health, there may be a behavioral issue going on. Like dogs, cats, especially male cats, often mark territory through spraying. It is believed this marking behavior developed to minimize contact with other cats, thus upping their chance of survival.

It’s important to understand that spraying is NOT the same thing as inappropriate elimination. Here are a couple of ways you can tell your cat is marking territory, not urinating outside of their box:

You will also notice a much stronger smell when a cat is spraying as opposed to urinating. This is because there are special chemicals in the urine when they are intentionally marking that wards off other cats. If you’ve ever smelled the smell, it is very pungent and unforgettable. While neutering will generally get rid of the smell, and may even stop a cat from marking completely, some neutered males will continue to mark if provoked by something in their environment.

To minimize this marking behavior, you may have to try some modification techniques. First, keep your doors and windows closed if you’ve noticed stray cats or new neighborhood cats hanging around your home or yard. You may also want to use odor neutralizers to mask their scent.

If the new cat is INSIDE your home, as in you brought a new kitten or rescue kitty home, then you may simply need to wait until your older cat becomes acquainted with the new cat. They may need to be kept in separate rooms for awhile until they get used to each other.

If you have multiple cats in the home, understand that you also need to have multiple litter boxes to keep them happy. You might need more than you think. Experts agree you should have one litter box for each cat, plus one. So, if you have three cats, you should have four litter boxes. If you have four cats, you should have five litter boxes. You may also want to offer different litters as some cats are very finicky. For instance, some cats prefer traditional clay litter while other prefer those made from pine, wheat, or walnut shells.

Cat Diapers – The Secret to Sanity and a Cleaner Home

Whether your cat is suffering from an illness or is simply marking because of a behavior issue, you may want to consider using cat diapers. These will help keep your house and furniture clean, while helping you keep your sanity.

Fitting your cat for a diaper and getting the thing to stay on can sometimes be a case of trial and error. It will take patience and commitment on your part. But using a diaper can be the most humane and loving thing you can do for your fur baby. It’s a way to deal with any physical or behavioral issues that can restore your cat’s freedom and dignity, so you can continue to enjoy the greatest companionship.