PET TALES
Better box habits
A cat who's missing the litter box may be sending a message - so listen up!
BY DR. MARTY BECKER and _GINA SPADAFORI Correspondent
When the weather turns colder and houses close up for warmth, every little thing starts to annoy us. Like the smell of the litter box, or (worse) the smell of a cat who's not using the litter box at all.

One of the secrets to having a cat use the litter box is to make sure the setup suits the cat. An unhappy cat will not use his box.

But don't blame the cat.

If your cat is hit or miss where the litter box is concerned, chances are the choices you've made factor into the problem. After all, your cat really isn't asking for anything more than you would when it comes to a bathroom. All that's required for most cats is that the bathroom be clean, quiet and offer no surprises.

That sounds simple, but the failure to use a litter box is the top behavior complaint of cat lovers, sending countless cats to shelters every year. Before you even consider such a drastic step, you need to try to work things out with your cat if you have a litter box problem.

The first step in solving such a problem is to make sure it's not a medical condition - and that means a trip to your veterinarian for a complete workup. Urinary tract infections and diseases such as diabetes make consistent litter box use impossible for even the most well-intentioned cat. You cannot hope to get your cat using the box again until any health issues have been resolved.

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If your cat checks out fine, you need to start working to make sure that everything about the box is to your cat's liking. The second rule of solving a litter box problem: If the cat isn't happy, no one will be happy. Here's what to look for.