Cailin is right...the only time you can immediately tell a person has cats when you walk into their home is if they neglect the litter box...

Fresh Step clumping with charcoal....my new favorite...it really works much better than any other I've used.

In my experience, the only times a cat will deliberately not use the box is if they are trying to tell you they are sick...or, like my Bentley...trying to tell you to clean it out...Bentley did not like to poop in the box after someone else had pooped...and he would let me know by pooping on the mat right outside the litter box entry...I finally got an automated litter box and solved the problem. Now everyone gets to go in "clean" litter...a new cat may also "protest" a different litter box or different litter...the breeder will explain how to transition the cats to minimize this...

Male cats will also start "spraying" at about 7 months when they become sexually mature...they are marking their territory...this is why you must neuter them BEFORE this starts happening...the smell of marking urine is pretty impossible to get out...which is pretty much the point as far as the cat is concerned...

Cats are very intelligent...so keep in mind they don't do things to displease you just to displease you...they are more than likely trying to tell you something or in the case of marking, doing what instinct tells them to do...

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