How to Encourage Cats to Be More Hygienic

Cats are not known as dirty animals that require much personal care attention. On the contrary, they are renowned for their obsessive preening and cleaning. But while some cats are scrupulously clean, others need help to attain to proper hygiene practices. Read on to learn more about how to encourage your cat to be more hygienic.

1. Clean Litter Tray

Inside cats must have a clean litter tray in order to feel comfortable in using it and to promote better personal hygiene. Do not wait until the litter tray is heavily soiled and wreaking of cat urine before you clean it out and pour clean litter into the litter tray. If you do, your cats will act up and not want to use it. When they do, they are more likely to be careless, or worse, relieve themselves outside the litter tray. This can create a very unhygienic environment and a breeding ground for bacteria, not just for the cats, but also for the rest of the family.

2. Litter Scoop

Although litter scoops do not make the task of scooping cat litter any more pleasant, they can help to keep the litter tray clean for cats for when they want to use it next. Cats that must wait for days to have their litter scooped will suffer and they will find it much harder to keep themselves clean.

3. Keep Cats' Room Smelling Fragrant

Cats have a keen sense of smell and will be able to detect smells that the human nose cannot pick up so easily. This also makes their sense of smell quite sensitive. Create a more pleasant environment for your cats' room by spraying air freshener, lighting candles or by using a plug-in air freshener. Cats with a clean smelling environment will find using the litter tray easier, rather than having to endure days' old litter tray smells that assault their senses each time they need to use the litter tray. This is one of the reasons why some cats rebel against their litter trays and develop poor hygiene. Would you feel comfortable using a public toilet that had not been flushed by the previous occupant?