An animal rescue in Washington once again took in a cat they had previously homed after the owner surrendered it due to litter issues, but what the truth revealed shattered people’s hearts.
Three years ago, Arius was adopted from Adams County Pet Rescue, but his owner recently brought him back to the facility, claiming he was defecating outside of his litter box. Upon bringing him into their care, the animal shelter discovered he was also extremely stressed, biting an employee during the intake process.
A Facebook post on September 16 stated that the rescue called the cat’s former owner for more information on the cat’s behavior, which is when they discovered two groomers had banned him from their facilities. Then the truth about his bathroom habits came to light.
The rescue found that the owner only cleaned the cat’s litter box once a week, sometimes every two weeks. The owner thought cleaning it was “too much work,” eventually switching to cleaning his box once a month.
Newsweek reached out to Adams County Pet Rescue via Facebook for comment.
The frequency of scooping litter will depend on the number of cats, the type of litter and a feline’s bathroom habits. However, a general rule of thumb is scooping it once a day, according to an article from the litter company World’s Best Cat Litter.
Not scooping enough could lead to lingering smells. Cats may also try to hold it in, which can sometimes cause health issues. Or, they become annoyed and start going outside of the box to get attention. If a cat is unhappy about their litter box, owners will likely hear more meows.
After learning about the infrequent cleaning of Arius’ litter box, the animal rescue understood him more. Additionally, weighing 15 pounds, the kennels and litter pans were too small for him, causing him to become even more stressed.
Adams County Pet Rescue shared in Tuesday’s Facebook post: “We hope he’ll calm down soon so we can let him roam the cat room and maybe even get to introduce him to another cat.”
Heartbroken, people rushed to the comment section of the Facebook post to defend poor Arius.
“His face tells a story of his sadness,” wrote one user.
“Poor baby,” another commenter said. “Cats are very picky about their litter boxes and very sensitive to the overall mood in their household. He is beautiful.”
“I hope the right person comes along for Arius,” a third commenter wrote.
Arius is still available for adoption, but the shelter wants him to go home with a “cat savvy,” patient person.
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