• Only positive reinforcement will help a cat learn to use the litter box.girl and cat image by Elena Bakhareva from Fotolia.com
  
  Cats are one of America's most popular pets despite their notorious independence. If your cat doesn't want to listen to you, you're in for an uphill battle. This is what makes litter training your cat so difficult--your cat is more likely to use the bathroom wherever it wants as opposed to taking your direction. This doesn't mean litter training is impossible. A positive outlook and creating the right environment for success are the two keys to successful litter box training.
  
  

Placement

• The placement of your litter box is absolutely key to successful litter box training, since cats are selective when it comes to areas where they will eliminate. First and foremost, cats hate to eliminate where they eat. You don't need to keep your cat's litter box and food bowl on opposite ends of the house, but they should probably be in separate rooms. Another important location element to keep in mind is that cats like to eliminate in quiet areas. Keep your litter box in a room that is more secluded and has lighter foot traffic to keep your cat happy.
  
  

Keeping the Litter Box Clean

• Cat owners already know that cats are notoriously clean animals, since they are constantly self-grooming. This clean attitude carries over to where they eliminate. Cats will not use any area that they deem dirty. This means that you will have to clean your cat's litter box at least once a day to ensure that your cat keeps coming back. In fact, it is highly suggested that you clean the litter box every time your cat uses the litter box.
  
  

Positive Reinforcement is Key

• It's easy for our anger and frustration to get the best of us when our pets refuse to listen to our directions. This is especially true of cats, since they are famously independent and do not take to direction well. Using anger or frustration against your cat, however, will actually make your situation much worse. If your cat picks up on your negative emotions, it will become scared of you and the litter box. To avoid this situation, go into your litter box training understanding that there will be setbacks. This is just the reality of owning a cat. Second, when your cat successfully uses the litter box, heap on as much praise as you possibly can. While negative reinforcement will never work, positive reinforcement will do wonders. It will teach your cat that using the litter box has added benefits.
  
  

Separate Litter Boxes for Multiple Cats

• Generally, cats do not like sharing their litter boxes. There are exceptions to this rule. If you have multiple cats and they can share a litter box successfully, then you have nothing to worry about. On the other hand, it is more likely that you will have multiple cats refusing to use one litter box. If you find that all your training methods are falling short with your cats, try buying at least one more litter box or having one litter box for each cat. This tip usually solves any training problems associated with multiple cats.