Litter boxes
 

Hello everyone :)

I was wondering if anyone has any tips to share regarding litter boxes and easy cleaning.

The experts say that to have a proper sized litter box you are supposed to measure your cat from nose to butt. The width of the litter box should be as long as the cat, and the length of the litter box should be the length of the cat plus half the length of the cat...

So if your cat is 12 inches from nose to butt, the litter box should be at least 12 inches wide and 18 inches long.

The experts also say that you need one litter box for each cat.

I have 3 cats.

If I followed the experts advice, my litter box (or a combination of more than one litter box) would be a total of 36 inches wide and 54 inches long!! That would be a huge litter box and the space it would take up would be insane.

For our litter box, we have a rubbermaid box that is meant to be an under the bed storage container. It's about 14 inches wide and 32 inches long. It's big for a litter box, but not as big as it "should be" according to the cat experts.

I use a scoopable litter (Tidy Cat with the Tidy-Lock system). I scoop it daily, and I do a complete change-over and scrub down every week.

We buy a new box every few months because the plastic gets scratched when they go to dig and cover (this is why we started using rubbermaid, because the actual litter boxes would get scratched up too, but they were more expensive to buy and they get scratched up too quickly... the rubbermaid is a harder plastic so it doesn't scratch very easily).

When I scoop, I dump the clumps into a small garbage can with a small garbage bag inside and then tie it up when I'm done.

Anyway, my point of this whole post is because I am wondering what types of litter boxes other people use, what type of litter, how often you scoop, how often you do a change-over and scrub, and if you have any tips or ideas to make scooping and cleaning easier.

We can't use any of the automatic litter boxes because -

1. we have no available plug and the only place that is near a plug where a box would fit is in my dining room and I don't want a litter box in my dining room especially since there is no wall between it and the kitchen.

2. one cat is terrified of noises and movement, so he would run away and refuse to use an automatic box.


So - does anyone have any ideas on how to make the job of litter box cleaning/scooping easier on my wrists, arms and back? I wish we could allow the cats to be outdoor cats for at least part of the day, but we live so close to the woods which are full of foxes and coyotes and they wouldn't last an hour out there.

((((((Liz)))))),

I use the Van Ness sifting cat pan (
.
)

I've got three cats. I sift a couple of times a day. I totally clean the pans about once a month. Never totally throw out all the litter. When I get around to cleaning it, I clean the sifter, the frame, and one pan and let them air dry. Then I put the litter into the clean pan and wash the other dirty pan.

I use Cat's Pride scoopable cat litter. It's scoopable and flushable. Yeah, I flush. People can't believe that I flush. But, it goes down, so...

I also have a boot tray that I got from Kinsman. One of my cats is a high-kicker :D

When I clean the pans, I use Comet and dishwashing liquid and scrub with a brush.

I've had my pan for years (5 maybe). It looks good after I clean it.

I found a new type of litter that I absolutely LOVE -- it's called S'Wheat -- it's made from wheat kernels. It's clean and smells good and is flushable. Two of my cats didn't mind it at all. But, one didn't like the crunchy sound that it made so he REFUSED in CAPITAL LETTERS to use it. Needless to say, I've gone back to Cat's Pride :D

Barb

PS: Oh, I've thought about also using the plastic bag liners too -- I think that would save on having to clean the pan. It's an extra expense that I can't afford right now, though.

Liz

sifting litter boxes with clumping litter are definitely the best way IMHO

at WalMart they are half the price of the pet stores

I sift twice a day and also keep a scoop for in between cleaning

It is just so much easier

My older cats are indoor/outdoor and dont use litter boxes so these are just for the kittens

Sifting boxes sound great - thank you ladies :)

Are they heavy to lift when you pick them up to sift? (that sounds like a sentence in a Dr Seuss book LOL).

I wonder if putting 2 normal sized sifting boxes side by side would give my 3 the space they need while making the lifting/sifting easier and lighter to pick up?

I'll have to go do some searching to learn more about sifting boxes and the sizes available.

Again, thank you :)

Liz

indoor and outdoor...
 

yes, ours too. When it is really cold outside, then the "box" becomes a concern.

We use the crystals and some regular litter and mostly Feline Pine (this is new
and available now at Target's.) Feline Pine really helps alot.
We scoop and flush poopies and change the box when it smells. Our girls all share a large one believe it or not. I put newspaper all round the outside on the bathroom floor, and they scritch that instead of the litter.

But the best cat box solution of all is my husband. He does that job for us,
without complaint. He is a treasure in so many ways! ;)

Liz,

Mine (the one that I gave you the link to) weighs 11 pounds all together. One box with the litter weighs 10 pounds.

I keep mine in the bathroom. I stack them differently then what they show on the directions. I put the sifter in between the two solid boxes (so the sifter doesn't get clogged). Then I pick up the full one and dump it into the sifter which is sitting inside the other solid box. Sift and dump the 'remnants' into the unclean box, them empty that into the toilet -- or in your case, the trash bag. I think if you lined both of the solid boxes with litter liners that you could just pull out the bag full of the 'remnants', tie it up and dispose of it.

Since I keep mine in the bathroom, I usually sit on the 'facility' to sift. So, I'm not picking up the 10 pounds very high or for very long.

Barb