Litter Box Advice

[catknit 144]

So I have these two great cats - Noufi: 10-ish female who loves to dig and Oscar: 7-ish male who is a big mush.

There was an accident out side the box a couple weeks ago. They just moved in with me from the ex so I thought maybe someone just had an attitude issue. They are both healthy and no urinary health issues [had a cat with those and know the symptons and drill]. Figured I'd give them sometime and see what happens.

Well fast forward to yesterday and I'm in the bathroom flossing my teeth and in comes Oscar. He climbs into the box [a covered style with the charcoal filter built into the plastic top], spins to get comfy, begins to pee...And then I see what's happening. Oscar isn't much of a squatter. His pee is literally hitting the side of the box just where the cover of the box meets the pan and is leaking down the side! This was the source of the accident - within a couple of inches of the first "accident".

Because Noufi would dig to China if given the chance I keep a fair base of litter in the box, maybe 4-ish inches.

I need recommendations for a litter box that can handle a digger and a side-peer.

I saw one years ago that were sort of like a snail's shell...a circular incline to catch lose litter on paws and somewhat covered for privacy/odor control.

Anyone?

I'm not too close to a petsmart or petco or walmart for that matter - just want to know what other cat owners would recommend.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I have one who does that as well - I have actually stopped using the covered litter boxes because of that. There are several things you can try. The good news is that he is using the box and not deliberately going outside of the box.

The issues could be as simple as a box that is too small and he doesn't feel that he has enough room to crouch; or, it is in a noisy or busy location so he doesn't feel safe crouching but rather staying in a more upright position so he can 'run' quickly if he gets startled or someone walks by; or he has been harassed while in the box by the other and so doesn't crouch as it is more vulnerable.

There are a variety of boxes available that might meet your needs - everything from one that the cat can enter from 'above' and it is more or less sealed like a plastic storage tub except for the enter/exit point to ones that are like the snail shell one you describe to ones that fit into a corner. You can search on line for high-sided litter boxes - just do a search on litter-box. Amazon has quite a selection as well. They do deliver because I ordered in one that was cheaper on line in the size I needed than buying it at PetSmart or PetCo. Or, you can do something else I have done in the past - go to a store like Target or Walmart and get one of the plastic storage tubs - you want something with high enough sides to deflect the 'line of fire' but not so high that the cat can't see out of it. I also use dog training pads underneath the side of the box most likely to suffer from leakage and they work to absorb any accidents.

Good luck.

Edited July 18, 2008 by Kathryn41

[aidan80 9]

We too have two cats, george who is 2 and bigfoot (has extra toes) who is now 9 months. We actually just moved into another place a few months ago and luckily our cats adjusted quite well.

We have one litter box per cat (they like to go right after dinner and first thing in the morning ) and we keep ours well.. in the bathroom right where we go We use the scoopable type of litter so we can quickly scoop things away when they happen. We've never had an accident outside the box and never had anything leak over the edge. The litter boxes have a high back to avoid things being flung out the back or anything leaking over. The boxes are also uncovered.

I don't know if any of this helps? Good Luck!

[natty bumppo 297]

We too have two cats, george who is 2 and bigfoot (has extra toes) who is now 9 months. We actually just moved into another place a few months ago and luckily our cats adjusted quite well.

We have one litter box per cat (they like to go right after dinner and first thing in the morning ) and we keep ours well.. in the bathroom right where we go We use the scoopable type of litter so we can quickly scoop things away when they happen. We've never had an accident outside the box and never had anything leak over the edge. The litter boxes have a high back to avoid things being flung out the back or anything leaking over. The boxes are also uncovered.

I don't know if any of this helps? Good Luck!

scoopable

hairballs on the other hand .... nothing like stepping on one in the middle of the night .....

[aidan80 9]

We too have two cats, george who is 2 and bigfoot (has extra toes) who is now 9 months. We actually just moved into another place a few months ago and luckily our cats adjusted quite well.

We have one litter box per cat (they like to go right after dinner and first thing in the morning ) and we keep ours well.. in the bathroom right where we go We use the scoopable type of litter so we can quickly scoop things away when they happen. We've never had an accident outside the box and never had anything leak over the edge. The litter boxes have a high back to avoid things being flung out the back or anything leaking over. The boxes are also uncovered.

I don't know if any of this helps? Good Luck!

scoopable

hairballs on the other hand .... nothing like stepping on one in the middle of the night .....

George was producing a hairball every other week for the first few months after we moved... I haven't see one in a while so I'm assuming he's happy now? Yes scoopable is great!.. no smell, no mess just scoop flush.. light a match or two if needed

[catknit 144]

I love the scoopable and scoop daily. I was just shocked to see it happen and then thought an uncovered pan may not work....but I guess the side heights are all pan specific. Somewhere out there there must be a litter box engineer optimizing this.

Amazon has a couple of options I like - the boodadome seems to maybe a winner - off to online shop some more!

Thanks!

[kerewin21 2]

My cat likes to go on the side too (fortunately doesn't miss!), but I think it helps that the box is pretty tall from the ground and has a plastic cover. I couldn't find the exact box I have online, but this is similar:

http://www.amazon.com/Van-Ness-Enclosed-Li...618&sr=8-43

There's also an intriguing top-entry one on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Clevercat-Top-Entry-...618&sr=8-33

Might be worth a try...

[Mags 112]

I love the scoopable and scoop daily. I was just shocked to see it happen and then thought an uncovered pan may not work....but I guess the side heights are all pan specific. Somewhere out there there must be a litter box engineer optimizing this.

Amazon has a couple of options I like - the boodadome seems to maybe a winner - off to online shop some more!

Thanks!

Boodadome is very good, although not always good if you have very large cats. One of our cats has very long back legs, which means he is pretty tall. He can't use a covered litter tray - only one with a lip around it.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Yeah, 3 of ours are big Maine ####### types as well and it is one of those who has problems with standing up rather than crouching - so high sides and no top and a big box is our solution - with the pad underneath just in case. The biggest problem I find with most litter boxes is that they tend to be narrow and long - and he wants to use it width wise and he doesn't quite fit! (We actually have 4 big boxes for 5 cats - and of course, they prefer to use mainly just 2 - the biggest.)

Edited July 18, 2008 by Kathryn41

[Aubrey 10]

My babies usually go in the corners too. I got tired of my one cat giving me "accidents" because the litter wasn't perfectly clean and also tired of scooping. It's expensive, but OMG so worth it...

http://www.litter-robot.com/

It's elevated so it's pretty hard for your kitty to "miss." It cleans itself, never jams, and works with regular garbage bags. I tried the other litter things - regular, bags, covered, LitterMaid (that machine is so fussy!), etc... and I will never go back. All I do is pull the garbage bag ~once a week and add some litter every 1-2 weeks. No stink, and it stays nice and clean for my picky "princess."

I hope you find a solution, whatever it is. Kitty accidents are no fun!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

We have one of those snail-shell boxes. You still have to vacuum up the litter and they still smell when the urine gets to the bottom of the box.

For loose litter what I've found works best is if you get a bog standard door-mat from Home Depot or Lowes and set it on the floor in front of the entrance. I rarely ever have litter on the carpet.

We don't use the clumping litter though - when we were living in a one-bedroom it smelt so bad we tried pretty much every other kind to see what worked best. For odor control - nothing seems to beat the crystals.

[SteveLaura 0]

Get rid of the cats and buy fish.

Non cat lover (yes, we do exist on VJ).

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Get rid of the cats and buy fish.

Non cat lover (yes, we do exist on VJ).

I dunno - I've had my cats for 4 years. They're part of the family now - with all their weird quirks.

[SteveLaura 0]

We have a cat, which I have failed to bond with in the nigh-on 3 years I've been here. Not keen on animals in general, me. Fish seem less like hard work, tho.

Edited July 21, 2008 by SteveLaura

[caybee 21]

Good tips here. I have a question about the clumping litter. I have used it with cats in the past. When we got our new kittens, I read horror stories online about it causing intestinal blockages when swallowed during grooming, so we switched to a pine litter (like little pellets) especially right after the male was neutered. The kittens are now about five months old. I don't know whether we will switch back or not (the pellets don't track or get thrown out of the box nearly as much as the clumping kind, and the kitties liked to play in the clumping kind when it was fresh). Just wondered if anyone has had any trouble with intestinal blockages, or has heard of anyone who has, from clumping litter.