by Diane Burket
We rescue cats (and dogs), so we normally have at least 4 cats in our home. The rule for the number of litter boxes is: 1 litter box for every cat. If you can—provide 1 extra box. We’ve got 4 cats and 4 boxes—2 covered boxes and 2 uncovered.
We scoop the littler at least 2 times a day…more if we smell something gross. If you maintain enough boxes and keep them clean, you probably won’t have problems getting your cat(s) to use the box.
Some cats don’t want to use a litter box. Usually they have good reasons:
- It stinks
- The litter is scented
- The box is not scooped often enough (would you like to use a toilet that already had poop in it?!)
- The litter is old, smelly and/or dusty
- The cat doesn’t like the type of litter you’re using. Try another kind.
- Too much litter in the box
- Not enough litter boxes in the house and the box is occupied by other cats
- The cat doesn’t like covered boxes; the cat doesn’t like uncovered boxes
- Geriatric cat cannot easily get into the box. (We built a little ramp for an old cat)
- Litter box is in the wrong place—too much traffic or noise. Hard to access.
- A medical condition that has not been addressed
A word about automatic litter boxes:
They’re not cheap…so make sure you do your research. After speaking with a friend who LOVED her LitterMaid Automatic Self-Cleaning box, I bought one. What a nightmare! My old cats were having trouble navigating the ramp and doing their business in the right place, poop was getting stuck in the rake and falling in-between the waste receptacle onto the floor. Often, the rake couldn’t push the crap to the receptacle, it was very noisy, too expensive and I spent way too much time trying to clean it. If you buy an automatic box, I hope your experience is much better than mine. Read the reviews on Amazon before buying anything.
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| Our cats LOVE this box! |
Here’s another helpful tip—-place your litter box inside an underbed storage box. Ya know—the kind of box you store things in under your bed? That way, when your cat steps out of the litter box, the extra litter will stay inside the storage box. Here’s a picture of one of our boxes….
Litter Box inside Underbed Storage Box
This Litter Mat is in the Storage Box.
It cleans the litter off the cats’ paws before stepping onto the floor.
It cleans the litter off the cats’ paws before stepping onto the floor.
December 27, 2012 at 5:00 pm
I am not a cat person. I am very allergic to cats. I admire cat owners who keep their cats inside and do not let them hunt for songbirds (songbirds are my other passion. I provide food and birdhouses for them and enjoy to watch them feed, nest, fly around our house. They are my feng shui) I know cats need litter boxes and good care. And I can tell entering a home if the cats get a good care or not. My nose can detect cat pee smell in a second. I am a regular guest at some good cat owner homes. I am glad to call them friends. I can only smell clean. Too bad my eyes start to itch and turn red in 30 minutes, anyway.