Litter Management Practices and House-Soiling in Italian Cats

SIMPLE SUMMARY: House-soiling is one of the commonest behavioral problems in cats and one of the main reasons why cats are abandoned at shelters. This study aimed to document the litter management practices and the recalled prevalence of elimination problems in a representative sample of the Italian pet cat population. An online survey collected data for a total of 3106 cats. Cats were mostly European adult-aged and living in apartments with other pets. They were mainly provided with covered litter boxes filled with clumping substrates, and the cleaning of the litter box and its full replacement took place daily and weekly, respectively. Professionals and amateurs owned cats with characteristics oriented toward breeding and companionship, respectively. Professionals provided fewer square meters per cat to their cats but were more diligent in litter box cleaning compared to amateurs. House-soiling was reported by 16.7% of the respondents. It was mainly related to urine elimination on objects and was lower than in other investigated populations. The demographic information collected has increased our knowledge and may be useful to enhance cat management in Italy. ABSTRACT: There are about 10.1 million domestic cats in Italy, but information on cats’ litter management and house-soiling prevalence is scant. This study described cats’ and cat owners’ profiles, litter management practices, and whether cats show house-soiling, also comparing between professionals (i.e., breeders) and amateurs (i.e., pet owners). A cross-sectional online survey sought respondents’ housing, family, and cat details, as well as other pet details, litter details, and whether the cats showed house-soiling. Data for a total of 3106 cats were obtained. Italian cats lived mainly in apartments, along with other cats or dogs. Italians owned mostly adult European breed cats, to whom they provided covered litter boxes filled with clumping substrates, scooped daily, and completely replaced weekly. Litter cleaning was more frequent when cats were owned for financial purposes (i.e., breeders) rather than for companionship, but more space was provided for pets than for breeding cats. The recalled prevalence of elimination problems (16.7%) was lower compared to other studies, with cats mainly eliminating urine (54.6%) on objects in squatting posture (35.2%). Overall, this research increased our understanding of cat litter management in Italy. These findings could fill a gap in the knowledge regarding litter management and house-soiling incidences in Italy. Further studies to investigate possible risk factors for house-soiling are needed.