Roxanne's List of "It Looked Like a Potty to Me!"
“But Mom, it Looked Like a Potty to Me!”
The following areas are often attractive to a cat - and may easily be used instead of a litter box:
1. Bath Mat (use the towel variety and hang from towel rod when not in use)
2. Clean laundry (don't leave it out)
3. Laundry baskets (turn them upside down)
4. Closets (keep them closed)
5. Linen cabinets (put latches on them)
6. Pantry (latch it)
7. Cabinet under bathroom sink (latch it)
8. Suitcase (zip shut and put away; stand upright if it must stay out)
9. Gym bag (zip shut and put in car or closet)
10. Clothes on floor (use hamper with lid on it)
11. Plastic on floor – bubble wrap, grocery sacks, etc. (pick up after yourself)
12. Paper on floor - homework, newspaper, etc. (pick up after yourself)
13. Anything left on floor that doesn't belong there (pick up after yourself)
14. Corners of carpeted rooms (cover with scat mats, litter boxes or furniture)
15. Throw blankets not folded after use (fold them)
16. Throw pillows not set upright after use (set them upright)
17. Unmade beds (make the bed as soon as you get up)
18. Pillows left above bedspread (pillows go under the bedspread - and spray with Feliway; when in heat though pillows go IN THE CLOSET during the day)
19. Under the bed (put a skirt of pine planks around the base of the bed like in hotels)
20. Anything left out of place (pick up after yourself)
21. Pet beds (use the kind that go in the washing machine and wash often)
If your Bengal goes potty in any of these places, the cat does not have “poor litter box habits”, you simply aren't following Roxanne's rules. According to Roxanne, all of these things look identical to litter boxes when seen through Bengal eyes; so now that you have read the list, “you should have known better.”
Peeing in the sink and bath tub are also not “poor litter box habits”. These are valid places to pee as Bengals are smart and know that water will run there (in nature they will pee in streams and creeks). Simply follow up with Clorox and rinse with water. You will actually come to appreciate that you are scooping less!
If you are following Roxanne's rules and your Bengal is still peeing outside of the litter box, sink or tub, he is likely telling you that his territory is being encroached. You will need to help him enforce his borders by separating or removing other pets (in general one cat or dog as a playmate for your Bengal is ideal), and by keeping the neighbors' cats away.
Here are some ideas for keeping stray cats away:
1. Cat repellent: The 7 Best Cat Repellents of 2020
2. Cat Fence-In: www.catfencein.com
3. Purrfect Fence: www.purrfectfence.com
3. Thorny plants under windows such as Pyrecantha or Holly
4. Plants with distasteful smells, such as Rue, Lavender, Sage and Pennyroyal,
Of course you should also take your Bengal to the vet to rule out health issues as well.
If you are feeding dry cat food - your cat may have discomfort when urinating. The cat then associates this pain with the litter box, since that's where it happens. Therefore, they begin to try urinating somewhere else, to hopefully alleviate the pain.
Avoid common Litter Box issues due to discomfort urinating by NOT feeding dry food!
NOTE: If you are considering breeding Bengals, you should know that most queens spray when in heat, especially if there is more than one girl in the house. It seems to be a common misconception that only male cats spray. Don't think that you can avoid the spraying issue by having only females and using outside stud service.