Need some cat advice.
Comments
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Carnivore wrote: [quote=WhyFi]Ditto what Laura said about frequency of cleaning out the box. I prefer World's Best Cat Litter. It's corn, doesn't smell like bad potpourri, clumps well and deodorizes pretty nicely.
I use that stuff too. It works well. The chemical clumping kind is supposed to be not so good because the dust can get in their eyes and harden up, and they also breathe it in. At least that's what the Slope Street Cats people say...
The chemical kind is also bad if they eat it, which sometimes happens with young cats... -
I'm liking the look of that top-hopper. And I LOL'd @ the Amazon reviewer who leads off with, "My cat is a PIG!"
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I currently have the round litter box but I have been contemplating acquiring one like Carnivore's for awhile. I think they have them at ACME in PH (on Vanderbilt - near Soda). but I need to measure the damn thing and there aren't measurements on the website. the litterbox lives in a closet right now.
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alafairnadia wrote: I currently have the round litter box but I have been contemplating acquiring one like Carnivore's for awhile. I think they have them at ACME in PH (on Vanderbilt - near Soda). but I need to measure the damn thing and there aren't measurements on the website. the litterbox lives in a closet right now.
There are measurements on the Amazon listing:
Litter box measures 20" x 15" x 15" with a 9" diameter entry.
not recommended for the oldies or the fatties. I might have to measure my mom's Papi Chulo to see if his badunkadunk can fit inside -
Flexichick wrote: [quote=alafairnadia]I currently have the round litter box but I have been contemplating acquiring one like Carnivore's for awhile. I think they have them at ACME in PH (on Vanderbilt - near Soda). but I need to measure the damn thing and there aren't measurements on the website. the litterbox lives in a closet right now.
There are measurements on the Amazon listing:
Litter box measures 20" x 15" x 15" with a 9" diameter entry.
I clearly failed reading comprehension. all I saw was the part where it said "5 lbs". thanks! -
I have three cats (in a 500 sq. foot apt), and use World's Best Cat Litter and clean the box twice a day. I burn some incense if somebody's done something particularly stinky.
I tried one of those self-cleaning boxes once but it scared one of my cats and made her extremely anxious about going, so I ended up having to get rid of it.
I'm not wild about the idea of training a cat to use the toilet, it strikes me as making a cat do something unnatural just to makes things more convenient for the owner. Cats naturally want to scratch and cover up things, and this deprives them of this, plus they have to balance on the toilet seat ... -
Drano wrote: [quote=stacey]I did meet someone recently who has potty trained their cat.
I was going to ask about that, but I wasn't sure if it could be done. It seems to be one of those things you hear about, but never actually see.
I can't bear to read the rest of this thread, so excuse me if this is repeated information, but if you would like to *see* the kitty potty thing done, there was a video on www.apartmenttherapy.com a few months ago. Much hilarity ensued. I'm sure it's an easy Search on their site.
Come to think of it, they had extended discussion of cat box solutions for the design-minded - search Pet Month on that site. -
Boygabriel wrote: My girlfriend and I have two cats in our one-bedroom apartment. Generally the poop smell isn't a problem. Right after they do their business it smells for a minute or two. And sometimes Quentin doesn't like to cover his poop, so as I do it for him I explain to him that it's very inconsiderate, especially to Pepper who covers her poop nicely! But 9 out of 10 times it's not a problem.
OMG my two boys do the same thing - my Rocky just plops and goes whereas Sonic is OCD about covering it and wiping his paws on the little mat. -
Flexichick wrote: Do they jump in and out of that thing?
That is hilarious. I'm literally LOL.
I made the mistake of not sealing the top tightly on my giant Fresh Step pail and one of them jumped right in and took a big poop -
stacey wrote: OMG my two boys do the same thing - my Rocky just plops and goes whereas Sonic is OCD about covering it and wiping his paws on the little mat.
Our boy cat is really bad about covering up - our girl, on the other hand, used to go in and cover up for him! Sadly, his bad habits are starting to rub off and she's not as steadfast as she once was... -
8thandPrez wrote: [quote=Flexichick]Do they jump in and out of that thing?
That is hilarious. I'm literally LOL.
I made the mistake of not sealing the top tightly on my giant Fresh Step pail and one of them jumped right in and took a big poop
My cats are nutjobs (like their Human, I know
)
My boy cat is very OCD about cleaning himself. We play "rubber bands" where I shoot them and he tries to catch them, but if they hit him, he has to clean himself, because they get him "dirty".
My girl cat literally jumps in the box and rolls around whenever I change her litter. It's gross!
Then, when it's perfectly clean she squeezes out whatever she can - piss or shit. She even scrunches her nose when doing it.
Nutters, both of them! I wouldn't have it any other way, though. -
My two cents, having been NYC cat owner (two kitties) for 6yrs.
I absolutely swear by flushable litter. We use C9 litter, which clumps and is 100% flushable. We've tried every type of litter, with poor results:
Crystals: they're usually round and end up rolling everywhere. The cats also loved to play with them all over the apt. The non-round crystals were completely rejected by the cats.
Newspaper-based litter: worked ok, but turned into a weird substance when soaked with urine. Not recommended.
Feline-pine: worked ok, but turned into yellow powder when wet, which was then tracked everywhere in the house. Thoroughly disgusting.
Fresh Step: smell overwhelmed the urine/poop, but the sand-sized grains tracked everywhere (including into our bed). Gross.
I'm far too lazy to change the litter every week... I scoop and flush every day (or so) and use the Arm and Hammer litter box deodorizing powder, which really seems to work. I only change the box when the regular scooping no longer eliminates the odor.
I think the key is to keep only a small amount (~2-3 inches) of litter in the box... any more than that and litter goes everywhere and the litter sticks to the pan.
We're lucky in that out bathroom has a shower and a separate tub, which we never use. The tub is therefore given over to two litter boxes (we tried using only one box, but the cats just loved rolling in the litter on the bottom of the tub...). The tub -- and shower curtain -- contain the litter pretty well. -
stacey wrote: OMG my two boys do the same thing - my Rocky just plops and goes whereas Sonic is OCD about covering it and wiping his paws on the little mat.
We tried one of those mats in our last apartment. The cats immediately associated it with the litter box and pissed all over it. -
8thandPrez wrote:
I haven't had that problem with Feline Pine, though my cats tend to kick the pellets out of the box. I suspect they would make a huge mess with clumping litter.
Feline-pine: worked ok, but turned into yellow powder when wet, which was then tracked everywhere in the house. Thoroughly disgusting.
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So, are male cats generally more neurotic about their litter boxes? My last cat was a male, and he was a total pain in the ass about his litter. He wouldn't use it unless it was basically pristine -- he would pee on my bathmat instead. Now I have a young male cat who won't use the litter until he has inspected it, sniffed it, walked around the box and sniffed it from the other side, scratched at the floor around the box . . . . He loves clean litter -- he waits by the box while I change the litter and then he hops right in, happily digs around, and happily does his business.
I also have two female cats who aren't fussy at all -- they just hop in the box and do their thing, no problem. They are weird in other ways.
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Rose wrote: [So, are male cats generally more neurotic about their litter boxes? My last cat was a male, and he was a total pain in the ass about his litter.
My vet said the opposite--females are more likely to lose litter training due to a dirty box or not liking the texture of the litter or whatever. He suggested when this happens to put down two or three litters so they literally trip over them and remember to use them. And also to keep trying new brands when this happens! Ay yi yi! I now have male cats because I was sick of picking up cat piss with my last cat that lived 18 years. -
Rose wrote: So, are male cats generally more neurotic about their litter boxes? My last cat was a male, and he was a total pain in the ass about his litter. He wouldn't use it unless it was basically pristine -- he would pee on my bathmat instead. Now I have a young male cat who won't use the litter until he has inspected it, sniffed it, walked around the box and sniffed it from the other side, scratched at the floor around the box . . . . He loves clean litter -- he waits by the box while I change the litter and then he hops right in, happily digs around, and happily does his business.
Our male cat is pretty normal. The annoying thing is that his fur is too long around his nether-regions, which can lead to annoying "dangles". We have to trim the fur to prevent this from happening, which is a real treat. -
8thandPrez wrote:
LMAO!! A friend of ours calls those "dingleberries" and our blind kitty has had his fair share of them (he can't always tell if he's fully in the box).
Our male cat is pretty normal. The annoying thing is that his fur is too long around his nether-regions, which can lead to annoying "dangles". We have to trim the fur to prevent this from happening, which is a real treat.
Our other cat is so petrified of water, even in his water bowl, that the only way we can get him to drink is to add it to his food. Cat food soup - yum. It also means he uses the litter tray less than most cats....
(It's refreshing to hear ours aren't the only oddballs) -
Flexichick wrote: but if they hit him, he has to clean himself, because they get him "dirty".
lol -
8thandPrez wrote: [quote=stacey]OMG my two boys do the same thing - my Rocky just plops and goes whereas Sonic is OCD about covering it and wiping his paws on the little mat.
We tried one of those mats in our last apartment. The cats immediately associated it with the litter box and pissed all over it.
yeah Quentin often took a dump on ours so we had to get rid of it. he would stand in the litter box with his ass hanging out. what a jerk! -
I have two cats and use a covered box and Everclean Multi-crystal cat litter. I've literally tried every cat litter brand, including World's Best which I consider World's Worst. It stunk up to high heaven.
I'm bad about cleaning the box. My cats are saints and they dutifully use the box even when it's full. Poor guys. I'm going to clean it right when I get home.
Anyway, point is, i'm bad with cleaning the box. Always have been. My litterbox has NEVER smelled and like Flexichick, I'm paranoid about that and all my trusted friends have told me when it has stunk (which has only happened when using other brands) and it doesn't stink with Everclean.
Let me also say that the TYPE of food you feed them helps. High quality, human grade cat food without byproducts produces less smelly poop. Wellness brand, innova, Felidae, california natural, petguard. There are many. -
My cat acts like stepping foot in the litter box is the grossest thing on earth and it pains her to do so. Back when the box was uncovered she would put her paws on the edges and hover over the thing. Upon finishing, she'd jump to the side, daintily put one paw in and cover her business, then start wiping her paw on the floor in disgust. I don't think I've ever seen her with all four paws in the thing.
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Thanks for all the answers. I'm feeling a lot more on top of this.
Just to be clear, if I do get a cat, there ain't no way it's going outside in the city. Under certain circumstances it can work in a rural setting (not too close to or too far from town, large dog buddy/bodyguard and so on) but I don't know how people swing it here - I see way too many "Lost Cat" signs.
Chet never got the hang of being a full-time indoor cat, though. Attempted "prison breaks" were common and he was quick right up until the day he, um, gave up the ghost. Hey, here's a question - do cats that have been raised as indoor cats accept it, or do they always want to get outside? -
Can't resist joining in on the litter box story brigade...
I have two cats, one of whom is an older female (11 years old) and for a while I thought she had just completely lost her littter training. She kept peeing on the floor in front of the box. SO gross. But it turns out that if I scoop the box daily and vaccuum once or twice a day right in front of the box where they tend to kick litter out, she's fine. She evidently takes the slightest amount of litter outside the box as a sign that it's okay to pee there. For years I'd gotten away with only scooping every two or three days, but she has finally trained me.Drano wrote: Just to be clear, if I do get a cat, there ain't no way it's going outside in the city. Under certain circumstances it can work in a rural setting (not too close to or too far from town, large dog buddy/bodyguard and so on) but I don't know how people swing it here - I see way too many "Lost Cat" signs.
First of all, thank you. It always simultaneously breaks my heart and infuriates me when I see flyers (or posts here) from people who let their cats out here in the city and then the cats end up disappearing. This is just NO place for outdoor kitties.
Chet never got the hang of being a full-time indoor cat, though. Attempted "prison breaks" were common and he was quick right up until the day he, um, gave up the ghost. Hey, here's a question - do cats that have been raised as indoor cats accept it, or do they always want to get outside?
One of my cats has always been an indoor kitty, and she's not too bad about trying to escape, unless the front door gets held open for a long time. The older one has been an indoor kitty for most of her life, but she was allowed outside occasionally when I lived back in Kansas. We've been here six years and she still tries to make a break for it. I have to keep an eye on her whenever the front door gets opened. -
Boygabriel wrote:
My old cat would stand in the box but aim the pee out of the box so it hit the wall behind him. Turns out cat urine is an effective paint stripper. :roll:
yeah Quentin often took a dump on ours so we had to get rid of it. he would stand in the litter box with his ass hanging out. what a jerk! -
Shoot, I'm going to the Lounge to start a kitteh thread after dinner. I've got some good stories and I'm sure everybody else does.
Plus the Lounge can use a little love. -
another problem is having a cat that just has really stinky poop. this is the case with our second cat... what a stinker! :roll:
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one of my childhood cats taught herself to pee in the toilet. we had nothing to do with it. we all thought someone was being lazy about flushing, didn't notice the litter box change because we had two cats. then one morning my dad caught her at it.
man, those were the days....
she wasn't allowed outside, but we had dogs, and every now and then she'd make a break for it. (we did NOT live in the city.) we'd get tired of chasing her and she'd come back after a few hours.
once, after one of her prison breaks, we heard her frantically mewing and scratching at the door. we let her in, she made a beeline for the toilet, peed in it, and then wanted to go out again. :shock: -
harriet, my deranged tabby whom i love more than life itself, refuses to bury the poop in the box. i'm glad the box is in the closet in the other room.
but i do love her. i do.
i know a woman who trained her cat to use the toilet, and she does. really! (but unlike that you tube video, they don't flush.) -
My girl cat flushed the toilet once and scared herself. She got all poofy and ran away
She's a nutjob. I found her on top of the gas stove once standing next to a pot of boiling water about to poke her paws in. Silly girl! -
Flexichick wrote: My girl cat flushed the toilet once and scared herself. She got all poofy and ran away
I keep the lid down on my toilet to keep my cats from drinking out of it, which has resulted in their often sitting on it or using it as a launching pad to jump up onto the sink. Once I forgot to put the lid back down before getting into the shower. Good thing I have a clear shower curtain, because I got a hell of a show when Neely came tearing into the bathroom and went to bounce off the seat. She landed headfirst in the toilet, then flew out of the room howling and shaking water everywhere, while I almost fell down in the shower because I was laughing so hard.
For the next three days she gave the toilet wide berth whenever she came into the bathroom, and sometimes I'd find her sitting in front of it just GLARING.
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