This post about litter box issues is sponsored by Precious Cat on behalf of the BlogPaws Blogger Network . I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Precious Cat’s Cat Attract formula, but This Mama Loves only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Precious Cat is not responsible for the content of this article.” 
When cats don’t like to use their litter box….and other tales from the crypt. Er, um. I mean Martin family. I grew up never having had a cat. Never not ever. Since meeting the fabulous Mister of mine, who had a kitty named Raistlin (above) when we met, I’ve pretty much never not had a cat. Raistlin was 14 1/2 when she passed on. She was awesome about using her litter box…until the last few months of her life. Or maybe if the kids locked her in a room (not her fault). Then Sunshine kitty came along and LOVED her litter box, went to it from moment one and that was that. Except the times we found some little presents in the corner of OUR bedroom (and ours only).
Now we have 2 kitties, Lloyd and Rosabeth. (Lloyd, also known as Moose Kitty, is the bigger one). They are PRETTY good about using the litter box. (I feel like I have to take a moment right now to tell you my 4 year old calls it a glitter box and I feel like it’s such a better term for it…and also, sometimes we think about slapping some mod-podge and glitter on the tops of our boxes just because it look fabulous… then we come to our senses). But there are times, and they seem to take turns having this ‘mood’ that they seem to forget where the litter box is or are mad at us and decide to use other facilities for their business. It’s annoying, it’s gross, and it stinks (in more ways than one). Litter box issues can pop up at any time, and I would prefer to take steps to prevent that. 
So when I heard about Quality Products for Cats®, I was intrigued by the Cat Attract Litter Formula that they make. A cat litter meant to attract cats to want to use it? Interesting. Intriguing. Happy endings for many cats? Maybe. Non-use of the litter box is the number one behavioral reason cats are abused, abandoned and placed in shelters. (This is news to me. I had no idea of this statistic but it’s sad, and I’m happy there are professionals who want to do something to decrease this number). Dr. Elsey’s goal is to provide products that help cats live happier, healthier lives and provide litter box solutions for the life of your cat. This new scoopable litter provides a solution for cat owners whose cats do not use their litter box. Blended with a natural herb attractant, Cat Attract’s herbal scent, ideal texture and particle size combine to solve litter box problems.
So what is it about the Cat Attract and Kitten Attract Litter Formulas that makes them work for cats and kittens?
(The following is an excerpt from an interview that BlogPaws did with Dr. Elsey, creator of the Cat Attract products).
The kitten attract formula has a finer particle size which is better suited to the small size of a kitten’s paw. There’s no reason a cat owner couldn’t continue using the kitten formula on an older cat but it tends to track a lot more than the Cat Attract does. Cats like a litter that is as close to sand as possible, from a texture standpoint; studies back up that point. Using sand isn’t an option because, even though cats like it, it doesn’t absorb. In the beginning stages of litter training a kitten starting with a finer litter size encourages use of the litter; the Kitten Attract litter is formulated with an herbal essence that is pleasing to a kitten. The switch to Cat Attract litter can be made once the kitten is around one year old. The Cat Attract formula has a different herbal essence that is found to be more pleasing to the older felines.
Dr. Elsey also mentioned things that I wasn’t aware of- often times, when cats have blood in their urine, it’s due to stress and not infection. Things that can cause your kitty stress? Dogs, other cats in the home, small space, and people. In our house, ,we have 5 people, 2 cats and a dog. We do give the cats free roam of our house, so they have a good amount of space to roam, although it’s not a huge space, I think they have places to run and play. One of their favorite “jungle gyms” is my son’s batman bed… So what are some immediate tips to help with this even before we try this new litter? 1. Make sure each cat has their own litter box (I’m so happy we have 2 already, win for the Martin family!) 2. Scoop the litter DAILY 3. Keep the litter box someplace that’s not super noisy. Next to a washing machine can startle them if it’s running. 4.
Tara says
Having 3 cats…this is a litter I need to give a try.
M.Clark says
No I don’t have a cat, but I used to volunteer at the Humane Society where I worked with both cats and dogs. This looks like a great product and I hope it helps to solve your litter box issues.
Billie Hillier says
Ugh I have one of “those” cats – he goes outside the box and it drives us nuts
Christina says
We have 2 cats right now (one passed away a year ago) and thankfully we’ve never had any litter box issues for the most part. Our kitty who passed was in renal failure (he also had cancer – fibrosarcoma from his vaccinations and stomach cancer that may or may not have been related to the fibrosarcoma) and from time to time he’d go outside of the litter box (love the glitter box!) but that was always a sign of a problem for him (crystals in his urine, time to up his sub-q fluids a bit, etc). One of the two we have now must think she’s a dog (she also growls when someone is at the door lol) because she goes to the back door and if we let her out she goes right behind some bushes we have in the backyard, goes potty and comes right back in lol.
Ashley M says
Great problem/solution to know about as we’re thinking of getting a kitten and I know nothing about cats. We have always had dogs.
Janeane Davis says
Our cats have always trained themselves to go directly to the litter box. The dogs never did that. It has always been a matter of curiosity to me.
Danielle says
I sure wish I had known of this when we still had two cats! They were pretty great at the using the litter box properly, with the exception of one that still had a bit of wilderness in her. I did not know about those abuse statistics. That is so sad, frustrating, and pathetic. What do people think they’re getting into when they get a pet?
Heather @ It's a Lovely Life! says
Love the pictures… thankfully my cats use the litter box. Good info here.
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
That’s interesting about litter box non-use being what causes some pet owners to be over the cat thing. Kinda sad when it can be avoided!
Katy Rawson says
Wow, what a cool concept. Years ago I had a few cats, they have since passed on, but I never have forgotten the litter box issues. My daughter wants a cat and it’ll probably happen soon. I’ll have to remember this!
jeri accardo says
I HAVE ALWAYS HAD CATS, I CAN’T IMAGINE IF ONE OF THEM WOULD WANT TO USE THE LITTER BOX. YIKES!
Angela says
That picture of your cats sleeping side by side is simply adorable. We are a dog family, although I have considered adding a cat to the mix.
courtney b says
i dont have cats for this purpose!!!!! they should all be using the litter box!
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Debra Gordon says
Yes I have had issues with cats and litter boxes mainly when they was kittens or if my kids lock then in a room on accident. Have had cats that went on my kids dirty clothes if they did not pick them up. I would love to try this.
Amanda Love says
I have a cat that actually does like to use the litter box. Maybe this might be great for her as well. Thanks for sharing.
Cindy Merrill says
Yes, my cat Fred has been having issues.
Sofia says
No!! Glitter boxes need glitter!! You guys should totally do it!! Maybe even right their names on their littler box…hehehe!! Our kitty, who ran away 🙁 , used his littler box from day one. He was actually super protective of it (it was impossible to clean it with him in the same room, he’d take everything off the scoop and hide back in). But have heard horror stories, from my husband’s old cat, who would NEVER use his littler box. Yikes.
Brett says
LOL glitter makes everything better!!
Scott @ SahmReviews.com says
We like cats but refuse to own one because of the mess. Looks like this would help with the training!
Deborah says
I’ve always had cats. At the most, I had four cats. I had one cat who liked to trap one of the other cats in the litter box (when I’ve used the box with a lid). It terrified the cat so much that she refused to use the litter box. I ended up getting a litter box without a lid and the cat could escape easily. That solved the problem. One cat got old and had problems making it to the litter box. That was only for a short while before she passed away.
Cassie @ Southeast by Midwest says
My sister just got a new cat and is having the hardest time litter box training him. I’ll let her know about this stuff, she’s at the point where she’ll try just about anything now lol