How to Stop Cats From Using a Sandbox as a Litter Box
If cats are using your child's outdoor sandbox as a litter box, there are several ways to stop this behavior. You can put up a barrier, use cat deterrents, or keep your cat inside if it is the culprit. Ignoring the problem is not advisable as it can be dangerous to children who play in the sandbox.
Why Do Cats Use a Sandbox as a Litter Box?
In the wild, cats naturally excrete in soft or sandy soil to bury their waste easily. They use their paws in a backward sweeping motion to cover their feces. In a backyard, the sandbox acts as a natural outlet for this instinct in cats who visit or stay in the area. It is not much different from a cat's indoor litter box.
Not preventing cats from defecating in the sandbox can be harmful. During playtime, children may be exposed to parasitic diseases such as roundworms and toxoplasmosis that can be carried in cat feces. Most cats with parasites don't show symptoms either. Even if your cat is healthy, stray or neighbors' cats might carry these diseases.
How to Stop Cats From Eliminating in a Sandbox
While the cause of this behavior is simple, the solution is not. Every cat is different, so you might need to try several deterrents or combinations before finding what works. This is especially true with stray or neighborhood cats, whose behavior is harder to control.
Clean It Up
It is unsanitary and unpleasant to have cat feces or urine in a sandbox where kids play, and the odor may attract more cats. Clean it promptly by removing contaminated sand, scrubbing the sandbox with a mixture of 3/4 cup household bleach per gallon of water, and allowing it to dry completely before refilling with fresh, clean sand.
Cover the Sandbox
The easiest solution to keeping cats out of your kid's sand is to make it a habit to cover the sandbox whenever children aren't playing in it.
The easiest solution to keep cats out of your child's sandbox is to cover it when not in use. A store-bought sandbox may come with a cover designed to keep rain and animals out. You can also make a homemade cover using wood, lattice, screening, or heavy outdoor fabrics.
Employ Sprinklers
Installing a motion-sensitive water sprinkler is another way to deter cats. These are often used in gardens and can be found in the gardening section of hardware or big-box stores.
If you place a sprinkler next to the sandbox, cats will likely avoid it. However, a disadvantage is that the spray's direction may wet the sandbox.
Use Natural Deterrents
Several natural deterrents can discourage cats from entering the sandbox. These substances can be used alone or in combination to create an anti-cat mixture that is not harmful to animals or people. However, they need frequent reapplication as their effectiveness fades due to rain, sun, and wind.
Cats dislike the smell of vinegar, so spray a vinegar-water solution around the sandbox perimeter.
They are not fans of citrus smells either. Save orange, lemon, or other citrus peels and scatter them around the sandbox.
Cats also dislike coffee grounds, which can be sprinkled around the sandbox.
Spray Store-Bought Repellents
Various commercial sprays designed as cat repellents are commonly used by gardeners. These contain preparations offensive to cats but not harmful to cats or children. Be sure to carefully read and follow the manufacturer's directions on the product label.
This type of spray may be effective when applied around the border of a sandbox. Rain and sunlight will diminish the spray over time, so frequent reapplication is necessary.
Transition Your Cat to Indoor Only
If your cat is causing the sandbox mess, consider transitioning it to be an indoor-only cat. Start by providing at least two litter boxes inside the house and train to use them. The rule of thumb is one box per cat, plus one extra initially. Once the cat is trained, you can reduce to one box.
Supervise Your Cat's Outdoor Time
If your yard is safe from predators and other cats can't enter, you can let your cat outside periodically. However, this requires constant supervision. You can teach your cat ways to play outside; similar to dogs, some cats enjoy playing fetch.
Whenever you notice your cat heading toward the sandbox, pick it up and move it elsewhere. Use a disciplinary tone and find a distraction more tempting than the sand. Eventually, your cat will learn to avoid the sandbox.
