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The Fastidious Feline
How to Prevent and Treat Litter Box Problems
by Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D.
Sometimes a person gets lucky. Very, very lucky. They get a sweet, affiliative and cuddly cat who sleeps on their tummy, comes when called and never, ever goes to the bathroom outside of the litter box, Even if the box gets little dirty. Even if the box is beside the food bowl and the cashing machine.
And then, there's the rest of us. We get: those other cats. Cats who would like to use the litter box, but don't like the litter. Cats who wish that the box was in a different location. Cats who are nervous about their environment and try to claim it with urine marks by the front door. Cats who leap up onto the bed and urinate on your pillow while looking right at you.
This booklet is for "the rest of us"'—people who have normal cats who just might go to the bathroom somewhere besides the litter box. It's for owners whose cats haven't visited the litter box in oh-so-long. It's also for people who arc getting a kitten and want to insure that their new cat is fastidious about using their box. So, if you have a new kitten, read the following section carefully to insure that your little cat gets off on the right paw, if you have a cat with an established behavior problem, don't just skip to the Treatment section. Many litter box problems are due to disagreements between you and your cat about what the bathroom should look like, so read the entire booklet carefully before deciding on your course of action.
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Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D., is an adjunct assistant professor of zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. Her company, Dog's Best Friend Ltd., specializes in family dog training and treating aggression in dogs, and she is immensely popular as a speaker around the country. She is the co-host of Calling All Pets, an animal behavior advice show syndicated to one hundred public radio stations, and was the animal behaviorist on Animal Planet's Petline. She works daily with four dogs (three Border collies and a Great Pyrenees) on her sheep farm outside of Madison.
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