hello6--about litter boxes

[Bertha Venation]

Hey, hello6!

In another thread you said you currently care for ten cats. I want to ask how you deal w/ the litter.

I have six. All are strictly indoors. I have seven litter boxes, six in the basement and one up here in a bathroom, because we have one cat who refuses to go to the basement. (Of course all the other cats sometimes use the upstairs box too, but fortunately everyone but this one cat goes downstairs most of the time.)

I scoop all 7 boxes every day and keep the place swept up, so there is no litter box odor in the house or even in the basement. None of our cats misses or eliminates improperly.

But they sometimes fight. We have one very aggressive cat who likes to bully the others sometimes, and he'll sit by the box a cat is using and not let it out.

If you don't mind, may I know how you deal w/ the litter box situation for your cats? I want to find a way to solicit many owners of multiple cats to see if I can come up with any better ways of handling their sanitation.

Thanks!

 

[Kizzy]

We have one very aggressive cat who likes to bully the others sometimes

There is always one bad apple in the bunch. Too funny!

 

[Hello6]

Since I now live in a 2 story town home, I have cats that stay upstairs and occasionally visit down stairs when I forget to fill the food bowls. I only have 4 litter boxes, 2 of them in those fancy cat litter benches featured in Dr Foster & Smith catalog. The other ones are the biggest ones I could get with hoods- one is placed in the laundry room and one in the closet in the dining room. I use odor lockers in one, arm&hammer in another and tidy cat scoop with crystals in the other two. One upstairs and 3 downstairs. Fortunately, no one is peeing on my sofa anymore (threw out the offending sofa) but I do have one cat that refuses to use the box to pee and likes to go in my kitchen sink, and I need a new microwave because I left dishes in the sink one day. (That's one of the SOMD cats, by the way) Many of my cats are jerks and try to bully the others, but it's usually just a swift whap of the paw and I'm able to break it up with the water pistol and an impersonation of my Dad "KNOCK IT OFF" usually does it for me. There's some of "don't you make me come over there" and me chasing the offending jerk away too. Also, when there's a ruckus, my dachshund Gertrude will bark her little brain out and the cats lose all interest in each other and run to avoid the insane dachshund. My cats tend to avoid oneanother.
They seem to sort it out amongst themselves. I want to get another box for my bedroom but with the dogs in there during the day, I'd rather not provide the litterbox buffet. Hope I shed some light on the topic.

 

[grandpa]

litterboxes

We have 2 male persains (cousins) and us e a litter box upstairs and another downstairs. Both boxes are cleaned daily, or just after use. We encounter no odors at all. Sometimes one of the boys growls at the other if the job is not covered correctly. No real problems tho. Keep them clean and they stay happy.

 

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by Hello6
I want to get another box for my bedroom

Okay, now I know you're FOS. NOBODY puts a sh*tbox in their bedroom!

 

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by grandpa
Sometimes one of the boys growls at the other if the job is not covered correctly.

My cats do that. OCS offends them.

When the baby cat came on board, our girl cat refused to eat out of the same bowl. I said, "Fine - starve." She eventually got hungry and lowered herself to eat from the offensive bowl. It's been over a year now and she still picks and sneers.

 

[Hello6]

Originally posted by vraiblonde


Okay, now I know you're FOS. NOBODY puts a sh*tbox in their bedroom!

Had one when I lived in that small azz apt in Great Mills. You could hear the solid stream hit the litter. GROSS but there wasn't room anywhere else. You don't even see them, like I said, I have one sitting in my living room, the cat box bench disguises the box and it looks OK.

 

[vraiblonde]

I'm going to look at that litterbox. Our little slobs kick litter all over the place and it ticks me off. We tried a hooded one but they thought it was a cat carrier and they were going to the vet - wouldn't go near the thing.

 

[Hello6]

Be prepared for sticker shock. It's a little spendy. I swear cat "furniture" is as expensive as people stuff.

 

[crabcake]

Originally posted by Hello6

I think I just got an idea for a new project! My litter box (new one) has a top entry (only thing that keeps my dogs from dining on kitty crunchies ) A strategically placed disguising box/bench like that could serve two purposes for me.

How hard (and how expensive) can it be to just build one? :shrug: probably $40 in materials tops if you can get some carpet remnants somewhere which isn't hard to do.

 

[Bertha Venation]

Originally posted by Hello6
Hope I shed some light on the topic.

You did indeed! Thank you. You gave me a great idea w/ that big box thingy from Drs Foster & Smith. Just one question: how did your cat peeing in the sink ruin your microwave?

Originally posted by Hello6
Many of my cats are jerks and try to bully the others, but it's usually just a swift whap of the paw and I'm able to break it up with the water pistol and an impersonation of my Dad "KNOCK IT OFF" usually does it for me. There's some of "don't you make me come over there" and me chasing the offending jerk away too. . . . They seem to sort it out amongst themselves.

Most of our cats get along just fine. The one who refuses to go to the basement, Richard, is one of our 9-yr olds. (Nicknamed Rotunda, he must be getting close to 18 pounds.) His laziness is the only problem w/ him. The aggressive cat picks on Richard mercilessly when he's in the litter box, locking him in, and they pick fights with each other 24 hours a day.

All the other cats get along pretty well. Daddy (the aggressive one) doesn't pick on everyone else much except for the litter box thing. Harry, the other 9-yr old, is a cantankerous old goat, but he doesn't really fight with everyone. He's a professional claws-sheathed whapper, though.

We're lucky, too, that most of the time they work things out themselves.

 

[Hello6]

Dishes in the sink, bitter kitty, peed on the vent of the microwave instead to protest my blatent disregard of her bathroom habits.

 

[jazz lady]

Originally posted by Hello6
Dishes in the sink, bitter kitty, peed on the vent of the microwave instead to protest my blatent disregard of her bathroom habits.

We had a cat that decided as she got old and senile that the bathtub was her private bathroom, even though the litterbox was right next to the tub.

 

[BullDawg]

Originally posted by Hello6
Dishes in the sink, bitter kitty, peed on the vent of the microwave instead to protest my blatent disregard of her bathroom habits.

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that you have about 9 cats too many? :shrug: Good luck with them though...

 

[Hello6]

I think I have 2 too many, Evil Squeak and Hello Kitty could stand to be adopted out.
Thanks for the judgement though. I'll keep that in mind whenever I acquire more than one of something.
Dear Bulldawg, should I buy one egg or a dozen?
8 Hot dog buns or 12. I can no longer function without your opinion. Tigger #2

 

[BullDawg]

Originally posted by Hello6
I think I have 2 too many, Evil Squeak and Hello Kitty could stand to be adopted out.
Thanks for the judgement though. I'll keep that in mind whenever I acquire more than one of something.
Dear Bulldawg, should I buy one egg or a dozen?
8 Hot dog buns or 12. I can no longer function without your opinion. Tigger #2

sounds like you just defined the problem - you put as much thought in acquiring pets as you do in buying a dozen eggs.

 

[crabcake]

Psst .... hey everyone ... the ring moved over here

 

[Bertha Venation]

Originally posted by BullDawg
sounds like you just defined the problem - you put as much thought in acquiring pets as you do in buying a dozen eggs.

Tell us how you really feel.

The cats aren't in your house, Bulldawg, dear.

 

[Hello6]

Funny, I don't remember you being there when I acquired my pets. It must feel wonderful to know everything about everyone.

 

[slackwater514]

Hello, I back you up - I have 16 cats (although most of them are semi-feral and live outside, they have names and are fixed and get their shots and whatnot)...so 10 really isn't that bad, even if they're all indoors. It sounds like you've got it all under control. I would probably be near the top of the list with regards to sheer number of animals under my care...but unless you know me, please don't tell me it's too many!