You shouldn’t feed your cat vinegar directly, but if they’re pooping or peeing somewhere they shouldn’t, it can be a great option to get them back to the litter box. But how can you use vinegar, and how can you get them back in the litter box?
We’ve answered those questions for you here. That way, you can get your cat back on track and back to the litter box in no time!
Click below to jump ahead:
- Do Cats Like the Smell of Vinegar?
- Tips for Using Vinegar
- Reasons Why Your Cat Is Not Using the Litter Box
Do Cats Like the Smell of Vinegar?
No cats do not like the smell of vinegar, and most cats will actively avoid vinegar if they can. This is why you can often use vinegar as a deterrent to keep your cat from peeing or pooping in a location they shouldn’t. If your cat doesn’t feel comfortable in the location, they won’t go to it for any reason, even to relieve themselves!
However, keep in mind that if you don’t address the underlying issue, your cat still won’t go to the litter box; they’ll just find somewhere else to go instead.
Top 3 Tips for Using Vinegar
If you’re using vinegar to keep your cat from using the bathroom somewhere they shouldn’t, there are a few different tips you should follow to make it as successful as possible. We’ve highlighted three of the most important tips for you to follow:
1. Distill the Vinegar
While there technically isn’t anything wrong with using pure vinegar, it’s a bit stronger and is more likely to stain surfaces than if you distill it first. It’s a small step, but it helps ensure everything in your home stays in great shape.
2. Reapply
Vinegar works as an excellent deterrent for cats, but over time, the smell will start to dissipate. When that happens, your cat might revisit the area and use it again. Reapply every few days for a couple of weeks until your cat no longer thinks about using the area before you stop applying it.
3. Don’t Spray Your Cat!
It might seem obvious, but you should never spray your cat directly with vinegar. It’s unsafe for your cat to spray them directly, so don’t even spray it close to them so you don’t have to worry about accidentally hurting them.
The 6 Reasons Why Your Cat Might Not Be Using the Litter Box
While you can use vinegar to deter your cat from using the bathroom in a specific area they shouldn’t, if you don’t address the underlying reason your cat isn’t using the litter box, you’re not fixing anything, and they’ll likely just pick a new place to go where they shouldn’t.
1. Dirty Litter box
Cats don’t like using a dirty litter box, so if you’re not cleaning it enough, they’ll find somewhere cleaner to relieve themselves instead. Clean out the litter box daily to keep it clean enough for your cat to keep coming back to use it.
2. Not Enough Litter Boxes
You need a litter box on each floor of your home, and you need at least one litter box per cat, plus one. This means if you have three cats, you need at least four litter boxes, and if you only have one cat, you still need two.
3. New Litter Type
Did you recently change the type of litter inside the box? If so, your cat might not like the new litter. Change it back to what they were using before and your issues might go away. Whenever you change litter or food, you need to make the transition very slowly.
4. Can’t Find the Box
If you recently changed the location of the litter box, you might need to show your cat where you moved it to. You can’t blame your cat for not using the litter box if they don’t know where it’s at!
5. Stressful Location
If there’s a lot of activity around the litter box, your cat might not feel comfortable using it. You need to find a quiet location where your cat can peacefully relieve themselves; otherwise, they might find a peaceful location even if there isn’t a litter box there.
6. Medical Problems
If your cat going to the bathroom outside of the litter box is a new thing and you haven’t changed anything else, there might be an underlying medical problem you need to address. If you can’t figure out anything that’s changed, take your cat to a vet to rule out a medical problem you might not know they have.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know how to use vinegar to keep your cat from using the bathroom somewhere they shouldn’t, all that’s left is for you to start using it! Find the right vinegar, start in an inconspicuous area, and reapply as necessary to get your cat back into the litter box!
Featured Image Credit: focal point, Shutterstock
