Comparison of Frequency and Stay Time between Normal and Abnormal Elimination Behavior of Cats Using a Litter Box with Automatic Sensor

Abstract

Changes in elimination behavior, including urination and defecation, are common clinical signs of numerous disorders in cats. Therefore, this study attempted to automatically measure the elimination behavior of cats using the litter box and develop an early warning system for the guardian in case of abnormalities. To construct an early warning system for abnormal changes through cat elimination behavior, it consisted of a litter box, an automatic sensor for data collection and data wifi transmission, a server for data analysis, and a mobile phone app for result transmission and early warning. To establish the reference interval (RI), the elimination behavior was monitored for more than 2 weeks using a motion sensor within a litter box in 37 healthy cats and 19 diseased cats. The data were expressed as daily total visits, daily total stay duration, average stay duration per elimination, weekly total visits, and weekly total stay duration. Healthy cats showed median daily total visits of 3 times/day (RI 1.0-7.0) and daily total stay duration of 192 s/day (RI 8.0-452.0). For weekly data, the median total visits were 20 times/week ) and the median total stay duration was 1,147 s/week (RI 80.0-2,249.5). The average stay duration per elimination was 59 s/elimination (RI 4.67-132.0). Diseased cats showed more frequent elimination behavior than healthy cats (p < 0.001). Otherwise, for each elimination, diseased cats had shorter stay durations than healthy cats (p < 0.001). This study established the RIs of elimination behavior parameters (frequency and duration) in healthy cats. The present study might help guardians and veterinarians detect changes in elimination behaviors in diseased cats at an early stage.