{"id":523,"date":"2019-02-06T19:38:43","date_gmt":"2019-02-06T19:38:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ailurophile.co.uk\/?p=523"},"modified":"2019-02-06T19:38:45","modified_gmt":"2019-02-06T19:38:45","slug":"answering-the-call-of-nature-why-even-cats-with-access-to-the-great-outdoors-need-a-litter-tray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ailurophile.co.uk\/?p=523","title":{"rendered":"Answering the call of nature \u2013 why even cats with access to the great outdoors need a litter tray"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The outside world is constantly changing for a cat that has\nindoor\/outdoor access. In some ways this is good, because the changes mean\nvaried mental stimulation. But in other ways it can negatively impact on them\npsychologically. A lot of cats that have access to both tend to toilet when\noutside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keeping in mind cats go to the toilet for two reasons, to\nrelieve themselves, obviously. But it\u2019s also a commonly used tool to leave\ninformation for other cats to recognise defined territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When a cat is involved in a territory dispute with a\nnewcomer it can take its toll greatly. A cat with no access to a designated\narea indoors \u2013 their core territory where they feel the safest &#8211; is likely to\ntake the initiative if there\u2019s no clearly defined places for that purpose. This\nin turn leads to what people deem inappropriate toileting, but is simply the\ncat adapting to a situation that makes him or her uncomfortable in the place\nthey would normally toilet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another issue that can arise due to feeling discomfort if\nthe only place a cat toilets is outdoors, are health issues such as urinary\ntract infections. A cat that has no indoor toilet but feels uncomfortable toileting\noutside can hold the need to relieve themselves longer than is healthy, and\nsuffer a lot of discomfort potentially leading to an infection that is likely\nto need treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Logically speaking, when a cat is going to the toilet, they\u2019re\nperforming &nbsp;one of the necessary\nactivities that makes them the most vulnerable. There needs to be a place they\ncan do that at all times that minimises the feeling of vulnerability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a variety of litter trays trying to address the\nfact that they are basically one of the unappealing aspects of sharing your\nhome with a feline. Investing in one of the more aesthetically pleasing yet\nfunctional options is likely to benefit both you and your cat in the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"630\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ailurophile.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/litter-box-hide.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-524\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ailurophile.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/litter-box-hide.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.ailurophile.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/litter-box-hide-300x190.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\" \/><figcaption>Making spending a penny a little more stylish&#8230;..<br> Image: Coolpetproducts.com                 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The outside world is constantly changing for a cat that has indoor\/outdoor access. In some ways this is good, because the changes mean varied mental stimulation. But in other ways it can negatively impact on them psychologically. A lot of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ailurophile.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ailurophile.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ailurophile.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ailurophile.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ailurophile.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=523"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ailurophile.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":525,"href":"https:\/\/www.ailurophile.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523\/revisions\/525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ailurophile.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ailurophile.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ailurophile.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}