Question for cat owners

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Question for cat owners

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1theretiredlibrarian
juny 4, 2015, 3:44 pm

I need to buy a new cat litter box. Currently we use the traditional hooded box for 2 large cats (1 male; 1 female). Even with the hood, litter is tracked everywhere, and when they will often pee on the mat instead of inside the box. I'm looking at automatic self-cleaning boxes, but am finding the reviews of them are all over the place. Everything from "Love It" to "Don't waste your money". Does anyone have one they like? Before I plunk down $150+ I want to know it works.

2RowanTribe
juny 4, 2015, 3:57 pm

I think you might have a few different problems going on.

First, if you've got two cats, you need to have at least two litter boxes, preferably three. I know it's a pain in the ass, but adding another litter box will do the most to stop any peeing on the mat or outside the litter box. If another box doesn't help, try taking the "hood" off the boxes, so the cats can see around themselves and feel more confident.

Second, if you have cats, and they use a litter box, there will be litter tracked all over the house, especially in the room the box is in. It is the price paid for indoor cats. I have never seen any product or any litter that entirely eliminates it, but you might consider switching to a more expensive "natural" litter like Feline Pine or World's Best (made from corn) that tracks less odiously. That said, if your cats are already using a certain type of litter, be aware that changing it (to the naturals, or even to the type suited to the "auto-clean" boxes) that may cause the cats to freak out and begin using the floor instead of the litter box altogether.

Third, the action of the auto-box itself can be shocking to cats, and might cause them to avoid the box.

Fourth, if a cat has a particularly large bowel movement or clump of pee (especially if the level of the litter gets too low) then the auto function will not clean it out entirely, and so you still have to check it regularly, and you'll still have to clean that sort of thing up yourself (which means partially disassembling the box and then putting it back together). Even when it works perfectly, you'll still want to replace the litter entirely about every two weeks or so because of the smell building up from the un-caught clumplets and bits (which has happened with all the different types that I've used).

So you can probably guess what my answer is about spending $150 on an expensive litter box. :)

Good luck with your kitties!

3theretiredlibrarian
juny 4, 2015, 4:05 pm

If it really truly worked I wouldn't mind paying that much. But if "it sounds too good to be true..."

4theretiredlibrarian
juny 4, 2015, 4:15 pm

How about the top-entry boxes (not self cleaning)? Anybody use those? Mr. Big is about 25 lbs., would he fit?

5Taphophile13
juny 4, 2015, 5:01 pm

I have had two self-cleaning litters boxes. Both were expensive to maintain. The first one mal-functioned after the rake apparatus broke and required special plastic containers for the waste which quickly filled up. The second required pre-filled trays which were sometimes hard to find. So I say "Don't waste your money."

As >2 RowanTribe: says, litter goes everywhere no matter which one you buy. Fortunately both my cats aren't picky about litter so they adjusted immediately to every brand.

I think all the self-clean boxes have a timer (about 10 minutes) so the cat has plenty of time to leave and not be freaked by the mechanism.

I tried one of the top-entry boxes but neither cat (10 lbs.) would ever go near it.

Currently I have a box with a clear cover from Petco (about $15) and use litter from Costco ($10 for 42 lbs.). Feline Pine also works well. I did find that spraying with a little cooking spray before the first use help decrease the amount of sticking to the box.

Hope you find something that works for you and yours.

6tardis
Editat: juny 4, 2015, 5:13 pm

Every cat is different, but we've had a lot of problems with one of our cats peeing outside the box (still not resolved) and here's my experience/recommendations:

1. Boxes with hoods are not a good idea. Amy would stick her head into the box but would not go all the way in and turn around, so her back end would hang outside. Not pretty. Also, cats are sensitive to smell, and the hood of the box traps the smell. Nicer for us, but worse for them.
2. One box for each cat. Not that they each use one box exclusively, no, that would be LOGICAL. However, they do seem to be happier with two. I may take the suggestion in >2 RowanTribe: above and add a third box by the other two. We had a third one up on the second floor but they never used it.
3. Clean the box daily. I came to this late, but Rory, who pees outside the box, seems to do it less if I clean daily.
4. Get the boxes with high sides. Amy still manages to pee over the edge of the box sometimes, but the high sides help. Also it slightly (although not entirely) reduces the amount of litter they kick out of the box when burying their business.
5. A litter-catching mat to prevent tracking seemed like a good idea but has been a bit of a pain. It gets full of the litter they still manage to kick out of the box, if they miss the box it gets pee on it, and it's hard to clean.

I wouldn't consider an automated box for our guys - Rory is a very nervous cat and I think it would freak him out.

7theretiredlibrarian
juny 4, 2015, 5:55 pm

http://www.hometalk.com/1971412/hideaway-cat-litter-box
I'm thinking I may make one of these; Pinterest has lots of variations, from a trunk, old end table, and dresser. Maybe I'll hit the garage sales this weekend and see what I can come up with. There are ready-made versions, but they are over $100. If I can find a bargain...and a little work. Thanks for all the input everyone.

8tardis
juny 4, 2015, 6:13 pm

>7 theretiredlibrarian: That's really nice looking! It would be excellent if one needed to have the box(es) in a more public area. Mine are in the basement utility/laundry/furnace room, so I don't feel the need to get fancy :)

I saw a home renovation once where the owners had built a special cubby in their bathroom for the cat box. I thought that was a great idea, too.

9NorthernStar
juny 4, 2015, 6:26 pm

I have two cats and two boxes, both hooded. My cats are fine with the hoods, and it cuts down on missing the box and kicking litter around, and I can have a really deep layer of litter in the boxes. I also have a slotted mat in front of the boxes that catches most of the litter that makes it out. I really like the idea of clear hoods, and would get one if I saw it. I have only had problems if the boxes went too long without cleaning.

>7 theretiredlibrarian: My boxes are in the basement where I'm not too worried about how things look, but that idea with the chest looks great!

10saltmanz
juny 4, 2015, 6:41 pm

We have two cats, and used a ScoopFree® automatic litter box for a few years. We got around having to buy replacement trays by ordering a Forever Litter Tray® through Amazon, which is just a permanent tray to hold the crystal litter that you still need to buy. The automatic cleaner itself worked mostly fine, and the cats didn't seem to mind the box, but with two cats we had to swap the litter out of the tray at least weekly, as the crystal litter wasn't terribly absorptive, and nor was it cheap.

A year or so ago we switched back to two litter boxes. We ditched the lids, because our oldest cat is very large (he's gotten fat, too, but he was big before he got fat) and he was having difficulty maneuvering in the box with the lid on. (We also actually replaced one of the litter boxes with a large Rubbermaid bin for the same reason.) We only use Fresh Step litter ($16 for 38 lbs every 2-3 weeks at Walmart) as we've found that none of the other litters clump as well.

I'd recommend getting one of those rubber mats (which I see is pictured with the "hideaway" box) to help clean the litter off your cats' feet.

11reconditereader
juny 4, 2015, 7:35 pm

I second (fifth?) what others have said about more litter boxes and cleaning more often. And yeah, litter will get around. But I've had success containing it somewhat with those rubber mats that have bristles. Or, if they don't like that, you could sacrifice a rough towel or bathmat that will catch some of the litter, and that can be shaken out and bleached in the washing machine.

12Seanie
juny 4, 2015, 8:31 pm

I've always heard/read/been told that 1 tray per cat plus 1 extra is the best way to avoid toileting outside trays. I haven't got a good spot for a 3rd tray tho, so its just 2 trays for 2 cats at my house & it mostly works OK. No-one toilets outside the trays, but I do have a high pee-er, tried all sorts of things & am currently using cheap flexible buckets from bunnings with an entry cut out - best solution so far, including expesive hooded trays. I also use a litter that requires a sifter tray so that limited my options as far as high sided trays go, so I got someone to drill holes in the base of one bucket for me & it sits inside another bucket (with a cheap $2shop small litter tray between to create room for the used litter to sift through to) - so I've created my own sifter system, the buckets only cost $7 each & work better than the specifically made sifter trays with hoods...

I dont have a pic of mine with me to post, but this is the picture someone posted in a cat group on FB which convinced me to try the bucket option:


As well as the high peeing I do find that the high sides help reduce tracking - except occasionally when one of them decides to flying leap out the top of the bucket instead of using the cut out entry, then there can be litter scatter all over the bathroom *sigh*

13JannyWurts
juny 4, 2015, 9:23 pm

Litter tracking: we have far better luck with the litter that has a coarser grain - the heavier grains fall off their feet faster and don't track as far.

We also put a square of deep pile carpet (remnants are cheap) , or a rope door mat, outside the box - when they step on that, it catches most of the litter off their feet. That can be flipped back into the box, since it's loose and dry. If the rug gets soiled, beyond what carpet cleaner will handle, we just toss it and replace. The mats are no more than 8 inches wide, and length of the box exit.

The litter pans never worked well, because the cats can dig and spray the sand out over the low sides. We solved that by getting, cheap, those huge, plastic storage bins from the organizer section of the office supply/home depot/Target - whatever - the tub like ones that you'd store Christmas ornaments in, etc....we cut one side for an entry. Threw away the top. The huge depth of the sides catches all the debris they fling, also it catches any pee if they go standing up, or crooked, or near the sides. Also, the clear plastic sides are see through and they don't mind going in. The heavy plastic lasts forever, and is easily hosed out and cleaned. Better, if you have an aged cat getting stiff, you can cut the entry side lower so it's easier on them. We leave the entry side pretty deep for the younger cats. The boxes are even big enough the litter can be stacked thicker at the back, which keeps them from flinging it out pretty well.

I've never had a cat who missed the box, but if I did, I'd look at getting one of those flat rubber mats with the slight lip on the edges - like you buy to stack boat gas cans in, you can get them in the marine store. They are heavy rubber, very thick, with a thick, low lip, designed to catch spills. (namely gasoline slopping, so it won't get into the bilge). If the cat missed, that sort of mat would catch the pee, and you could clean it really easily, but it's a low enough lip, and sturdy enough not to wrinkle, it wouldn't cause problems with foot traffic.

14AnnaClaire
juny 4, 2015, 9:24 pm

I have only one cat and only one box for her. She was a bit skittish around the covered box, so we took the top off and just use the bottom half as a normal box with very tall sides. That helped with her missing by a little bit, and also keeps the kickage at bay. We also have an old doormat at the "entrance" which has cut down considerably on how much gets simply tracked around.

15nhlsecord
juny 5, 2015, 1:44 pm

We tried a covered box but the big guy always thought his behind was in when it wasn't. I am more upset by dust than by sweeping, so we got a big, high cardboard box, cut one long side and one short side off, and turned it upside down over the litter box. It's quite high so it doesn't bother either cat and it keeps the dust down and there's lots of room for them to get in and out. Under all that I put an old smooth sheet to catch most of the litter. I can sweep the sheet and the floor easily (there's no place here to shake such things out outside). I keep the litter fairly deep which makes it easier to scoop everything and keeps odours down.

In addition to doctoring up the litter box, we have to keep the water and food bowls on a towel lined boot tray because young Feather loves to play with the water and spillage is a really bad thing in this old building with slanted floors and imperfectly joined walls and a restaurant downstairs where the spillage ends up.

16theretiredlibrarian
juny 5, 2015, 2:42 pm

We spent the morning checking out area thrift stores looking for something to make the "hideway cat box"; no luck. We are going to Ft. Worth tomorrow anyway, so we'll check there. There are several really good thrift stores there. If we can't find anything, I've pretty much convinced Jim he can make one from scratch. If not, I will go the big plastic box route. It's in the laundry room/kitchen, so I'd like something nicer. But anything's better than the current system.

17JannyWurts
juny 5, 2015, 3:11 pm

We hid the plastic boxes under the counter in the bathroom, designed it so there were no cupboards or drawers at one end, past the sink - you could take off a cupboard door in a kitchen - to create such a nook. Or do what we did with our trash can - put it inside a wooden box so the container that lined it was not what you noticed immediately.

18AngelaB86
juny 5, 2015, 4:24 pm

We used to have the Littermaid self-cleaning box, and I loved it. Sure it was pricier to maintain, but so much more convenient. The only malfunctioning issue we ever had was sometimes litter pebbles would get stuck in the grooves where the rake sits, and would make it run constantly until we brushed it out.

I'm not sure why we stopped using it, maybe because we moved and it broke?

Seanie, I really like the look of those buckets! I may have to try that with Hypatia, as she has become the queen of kicking litter everywhere, and has started doing the "hang her butt over the edge" thing.

19vpfluke
juny 5, 2015, 4:53 pm

We have two boxes for our two male cats. The two use both, usually one litter box is 80% pee, and the other box is 20% pee. About every 4 months they reverse the ratios between the boxes.

20justjukka
juny 10, 2015, 8:07 pm

I know this will gross some people out, but we leave our regular box in the bathtub to prevent tracking, and take it out when we want to shower.  There's no forgetting to clean it, or periodically scrubbing the tub if we want to soak ourselves.  To further complicate things, we have four cats in this house, and our housemate uses a self-cleaning box that leaves dust on the cats.  Not a huge problem for my petite hairless creatures, but his 15lb beasts have another problem.

Nym also pees outside the box, and after MUCH research and MANY trips to the vet, we've concluded that she's, shall we say, special.

21Euryale
Editat: juny 10, 2015, 9:24 pm

For the peeing outside the box: I feel like I'm probably being too obvious (cats do have different preferences), but it may not even be the hood. Sometimes cats will avoid litter boxes because of smell (either strong urine smell or perfume-y litter). With a hooded box, smells don't dissipate well. And 2 cats is over capacity for one litter box. Imagine: would you rather go in an overused gas station bathroom or just go out in the woods? Your cat may just be getting to the entrance of the litter box and saying "oh hell no, I'll just squat out here."

And it doesn't have to be that it smells like the other cat's pee or that you aren't cleaning it often enough. If you use scented litter and your cat doesn't like the flowery fragrance (or pine smell, or whatever), same deal. You should definitely have 2 boxes and try leaving the hood off one to see what they prefer, but also try fragrance-free litter.

22hfglen
juny 11, 2015, 7:45 am

I have consulted with the feline owners of our household, who object to the title of this thread on the grounds that cats do not have owners, only slaves.

They are satisfied with their open boxes, which allow them to kick litter far and wide when the humans need to be disciplined. The litter is a form of super-absorbent clay grains mined, AFAIK, in Sekhukhuneland (Mpumalanga province) -- not sure what it's called or whether it's produced elsewhere as well. This absorbs the pee and the smell, but cats can still stink the place out with poop when they consider the humans need a wake-up call.

23catzteach
juny 12, 2015, 10:32 pm

We have one of those hideaway chests because one of our boxes is in our entry way. We bought it online. I think we paid around $80, including shipping. One of our cats stopped using that box. So we tried different litter, put a different box in it (a cut out Rubbermaid), and drilled more holes in it for odor and light. She has been using the box more since then. She stills goes some outside the box. Some is better than all the time, though.

For our high pee-ers, we have the hooded boxes and The Husband has used the For Rent signs one can buy at hardware stores to cover the back crease, where the hood meets the bottom, so the pee doesn't leak through the crease. We also have the rubber catch mats in front of all the boxes.

The current litter isn't tracking as bad as some of the others we've used, but it still tracks. Part of life with cats.

24theretiredlibrarian
juny 13, 2015, 8:29 pm

Found an old chest at a junk shop yesterday to make the kitty-potty. Here's hoping A)I can actually get my husband to do the work (really all he has to do is saw a hole in one end; I will do the rest); and B) Mr. Big and Jasmine will like and use the box. Will keep you posted.

25Nabil.El.Alaoui.7511
oct. 13, 2019, 4:32 pm

I'm sorry for bumping this old thread, but I really feel like I have some advice to offer you - and you seemed to really need it at the time.....

One of my 2 cats (both neutered males) had taken to painting all of my walls, furniture, and anything else he could reach. I was horrified when I got a UV light. He never did that in all of the 9 years I've had him and didn't when I got him a buddy (they love each other and did so right away) but when a strange black cat started showing up outside both of my cats went nuts and the older one (9) started his wall painting, as well as the curtains out in the kitty room. I couldn't keep up with it.

My cats are indoor cats so it's not like the stray is actually going to get in here but they both hate him (and he is weird...my neighbor's cats hate him too). I've tried cleaning with a pet urine enzyme and then spraying some "No More Spraying" but that hasn't worked. He's a sneaky little bugger too; he waits until he thinks I'm not looking and then does it. He's learned that the minute I see him backing his butt up to something he gets yelled at.

It wasn't until I found "Cat Spraying No More" that I was able to finally get rid of this tiresome behavior.

Now my house doesn't smell like a litter box anymore :)

Here's a link the their site if you're interested in checking it out: nomorecatpee.com

I hope you guys don't mind me sharing this. Cheers!