# Litter box suggestions?



## sweetyanna (Apr 13, 2008)

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for certain litterboxes, if the brand and dimensions can be provided so I can google it or find it on Amazon, that would be great. Snowy is fine per the vet, but he has a habit of occasionally pooping or even peeing outside the box. I clean it everyday, it is a sufficient size, and it is in a quiet location in our bathroom. I admit, my bf still gets queesy when it comes to pee and poo, so when I do out of town rotations for school, I come on the weekends to find poo piled there at times. Kitty does have fewer mishaps with a cleaner box but it still happens.

No obvious distress or issues when I actually watch him do the #1 or #2.

But, I find that his butt hangs a little too far over the box, perhaps he miscalculates. Sometimes when urinating he'll slowly lift his butt up as he is finishing and sprays outside. 

The Biddy litter box looks nice as it is larger and deeper. But how deep is too deep and how shallow is too shallow? I don't want kitty to do acrobatics everytime he has has to go, but it is getting sometimes difficult to clean the pee out of the crevices in the bathroom.

Thank you!


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

The Biddy Cat box is my favorite. It's certainly not "too deep" unless you have a very old, disabled cat!

That said, if your cat is having LB mistakes, I would first rule out UTIs. A trip to the vet is in order.


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## NosyKitty (Feb 3, 2010)

sweetyanna said:


> I don't want kitty to do acrobatics everytime he has has to go.


 :lol: Sorry, I understand your concern, but at the same time, the feline, IS the acrobat of the animal world. So I wouldn't worry about that part too much.

As for accidentally poopin off the edge of the box, **it happens..(Once again, sorry, couldn't help it) :mrgreen: 

Size and depth don't matter too much, just go with whatever works for your cat. 

-You can just use a deeper box to prevent him from accidentally hanging his butt out. 

-You can you a covered litter box to also prevent this. But since the box isn't cleaned out everyday or probably even every other day, a cover might not be a great idea since cover = more smell, faster.

-If you can't find a litter box deep enough, you could even use something like that blue bin behind your cat in you avatar, cut it down a little if you want.

-I personally would try to help my cat understand that he needs to watch where his butt is pointed in the box. Watch him when he goes, and if he starts to "hang out" then push his butt back in. Praise him when he gets it all inside the box. Some cats will get this, some won't.

-I would also tell your bf to man up :mrgreen: and clean out the box when your gone. If there aren't so many poops and pee balls lying around in the box, your cat won't have to "tippy toe" around in there or have to take an awkward stance to avoid soiling himself.

-I use the plastic litter liner bags so all I have to do is tighten the draw strings and throw the bag in the trash just like a garbage bag. I use the regular solid liners, BUT they also make liners with holes in the bottom that act as a strainer. 
So all you have to do is lay a few bags in there. Then everyday/everyother day, lift the bag, let the clean litter fall through and throw it away.

-Last option is more expensive and wasteful, but if BF just will not scoop or use the liners, maybe you could buy several of those disposable litter boxes to use when your gone. Fill it with a small amount of litter and just have BF throw the whole thing away and refill a new one once a day.

Good Luck! 8)


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

Litter liners. 

I do learn something new and valuable that improves the quality of my life on cat forumn almost every day. I didn't know they existed.


And here's something else I found while searching for litter liners that might help. 

High back pan liners

http://www.cheappetstore.com/Cats-Kitte ... al-178180/


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## NosyKitty (Feb 3, 2010)

Dave_ph said:


> Litter liners.
> 
> I do learn something new and valuable that improves the quality of my life on cat forumn almost every day. I didn't know they existed.


I LOVE using them!

I scoop everyday, that doesn't bother me at all. What IS annoying and gross, is having to scrub the glued-on waste stuck to the bottom of the box when it's time to change the litter.

Now, all I have to do is toss the bag, throw on a new one and fill.

No more mess, no more glued-on pee, no need to disinfect anything and no more using mom's shower tub to wash the dirty box, which means no more hearing any of this, "Lea!! Why is there litter in my tub!?" :lol:


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

They really are going to improve the quality of my life. I don't scoop. I do a full dump every other night. Even with the clay litter there was some dust in the air after I poured the pans into a lined garbage pail and last night was a bad "first". I had left the litter in the car last night and had to go get it after I emptied both litter boxes. Fay decided to use the empty box while I was getting the litter. I just poured over it last night but it's box scrubbing time on Saturday....unless I buy a high backed one. The high backed one looks like a good deal. Mia manages to throw litter out of the box a lot because she hops out then leans in and buries with her fron "arm". This could get her aiming her litter at the high back


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

I reallly caution against using liners. All they do is allow the urine to pool in the folds and make it impossible to remove EVERY single bit of pee clump when you scoop. If you scoop at least once a day (which takes about 30 seconds) and do a good job of it, you will have a smell-free box. I almost NEVER completely dump my litterboxes b/c I remove all waste when I scoop. Every box I've ever seen where a liner was used stank, honestly, and if it doesn't stink to a human, it still will to a cat. You just can't do a good job w/ urine clumps w/ a flexible, moving substrate.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

I'll still be doing the full dump every 2 days. It's what the girls expect and I gag at the slightest smell of kitty waste. I mean really gag. By doing it that often I never smell a thing.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Yeah--I guess that if you dump the whole thing and dispose of the liner every 2 days that's fine -- not time for much to build up in the folds. Most people don't do that, though.

My boxes are completely smell-free. I have 3 cats and 2 boxes and a fairly sensitive nose--even when scooping them I smell nothing. Of course, my cats eat raw, and that means small, smell-free, and infrequent poops (poops are what actually smell in the litterbox mostly, unless you don't scoop regularly).


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

You should have seen me last night when Fay deposited in the empty box. Litter is the reason I went so many years without a cat. If Fay hadn't decided to move in the thought of litter probably would have kept me from every actually getting a cat so while I spend a fortune on litter it's worth it for all of us.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

We currently have eight cats. We have had as many as a dozen. I only use two litterboxes. 

My house does NOT smell like cat, and I constantly ask guests if they can smell 'cat' ... _because I know that I could become accustomed to the smell and not notice it myself._ 
My friend and I were just discussing this (_home odor due to pets_) topic tonight. She has never smelled 'cat' in our home, and she is *very* sensitive to animal smells. She cannot stand the doggie-smell of dogs and she dated a man for a short time who raised snakes in his basement and she said his home was permeated with 'snake-smell'. 
She said it almost knocked her over when she first visited his home. 8O 


This litterbox is very close to what I use. I have three of these "jumbo" litterboxes BUT I only use one. One is kept in the master bedroom and the other two are stored in the garage. I use them when I have foster cats/kittens and/or need to isolate kitties from the rest of the household. 
I don't know what brand they are.
The pan is 16"x21"x7" tall, The hood is an additional 12" tall, making a total height of 19". I keep it at least 4" deep in clumping clay litter.









Our major litterbox isn't a litterbox at all, it is a home-made LitterChest. 
It looks like a Hope Chest at 2'x2'x4' with a lift-top lid and a cat flap in the center front. It is on wheels to easily move for cleaning scattered litter, the bottom is reinforced to hold the weight of 100# of clumping litter, the sides and bottom are lined with plexi-glass and caulked at all seams to be liquid-tight for no leaks and easily cleaned of any 'smears'. Finally, it is vented outside to help reduce dust and the initial odor of a freshly dropped stinky.
Here is a partial pic of the LitterChest:


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## KittyMonster (Nov 8, 2009)

I use a CatIt litterbox. 















I love it because the top half opens so you can easily scoop everything out without having to take the lid off each time. Plus the back and sides are plenty large enough so that you don't necessarily need to use the top. 

I used to use litter box liners but I found by the time I needed to empty the litterbox they were ripped to shreds.


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## NosyKitty (Feb 3, 2010)

hoofmaiden said:


> I reallly caution against using liners. All they do is allow the urine to pool in the folds and make it impossible to remove EVERY single bit of pee clump when you scoop.


It's a good point and I know what your talking about, but I never experience this because I keep the litter deep enough that the urine doesn't ever reaches the folds. It will if the litter is shallow, but when my litter is shallow, it's time to change.



> I almost NEVER completely dump my litterboxes b/c I remove all waste when I scoop.


Really? This seems so unsanitary to me. Just because the bulk of the waste is removed doesn't mean the bacteria is too. You can still smell the difference between fresh _unused_ litter and clean _used_ litter because of the bacteria and the remaining soiled pieces of litter. It's like always flushing the toilet but never scrubbing it with comet/disinfectant. Ew! 

I love Ninja cute fuzzy feet, but even I get a little disturbed at the thought of letting those feet walk on my counters and pillows 8O after several trips to the box.

And how on earth do you remove all the waste? What about those tiny pieces that break off and fall through the pooper scooper?



> Every box I've ever seen where a liner was used stank


Now now, I know how you respond to other posters who make such generalizations.  Just come over to my house and you won't be able to make that claim anymore! :mrgreen:


Oh, and *Sweetyanna*, if all else fails, you could always save up to get one of these nifty Litter Robots - http://www.litter-robot.com/litter-robot-demonstration.aspx


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

> I almost NEVER completely dump my litterboxes b/c I remove all waste when I scoop.





NosyKitty said:


> Really? This seems so unsanitary to me. Just because the bulk of the waste is removed doesn't mean the bacteria is too. It's like always flushing the toilet but never scrubbing it with comet/disinfectant. Ew!
> And how on earth do you remove all the waste? What about those tiny pieces that break off and fall through the pooper scooper?


_Human toilets, having a constant source of moisture, are a completely different bacterial environment from a desiccating litterbox._ :wink 

I am about to gross-you-out: 
My LitterChest ... has *never* been fully emptied and cleaned/sanitized since it was built in 2001. 
I scoop and remove all waste that doesn't fall through the scooper daily and add a 40# bucket of fresh litter twice a month.
If a kitty smears some solid waste or sprays urine on the walls I will spot clean to remove the organic odor-causing material to keep the LitterChest pleasant for the kitties to use.
_Note: Our LitterChest is also vented outside and has a constant pull of fresh air into the LC and out the vent, removing nearly all odor and most dust._

The little 'bits' that break or shake off, fall through the scooper and remain in the litter? ... They quickly become too dried to offer a viable environment for the bacteria to thrive and emit odor. They are small and will be quickly and thoroughly desiccated by the clay litter to find themselves eventually scooped out as a loose bit or re-incorporated into a pee-clump and scooped out that way. 
As for bacteria present in the waste-bits? I'm pretty sure the bacteria requires a warm/moist environment to survive. IME, the poo exterior dries quickly and if they and the large/moist pee clumps are regularly removed then the environment odor-causing bacteria flourishes in is also removed.

Outdoors, cats are often known to habitually use the same areas over and over again as their waste area and there is NO sanitation, other than organic breakdown, that goes on out there...


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## NosyKitty (Feb 3, 2010)

So, _The Tooter_, are you saying that if it's a dry environment then bacteria won't grow? What about when kitty walks on the table or counters, don't you always make sure that you use a Clorox wipe before using these areas? How come I can't find a single shred of evidence confirming this sanitary litter box theory?

And what about Toxoplasmosis? Parasites are very common, especially in cats who are let outside or who are fed raw diets - I am pro raw, but mistakes are made. Even though most are too insignificant to cause any problems, it can happen! :wink: 

What does _The Tooter_ have to say about that, hmmm...? :cool Maybe you can help _Tooter_ me on this one! Ahaha! :lol: Oh lordy, being up at this hour always makes me silly.

Sorry I am being such a PITA, but I can't sleep and seem to have nothing to do but test the patience of you great cat folk. :mrgreen:


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

NosyKitty said:


> It's a good point and I know what your talking about, but I never experience this because I keep the litter deep enough that the urine doesn't ever reaches the folds. It will if the litter is shallow, but when my litter is shallow, it's time to change.
> [SNIP]Really? This seems so unsanitary to me. Just because the bulk of the waste is removed doesn't mean the bacteria is too. You can still smell the difference between fresh _unused_ litter and clean _used_ litter because of the bacteria and the remaining soiled pieces of litter. It's like always flushing the toilet but never scrubbing it with comet/disinfectant. Ew!


The difference is that you put in TONS of litter and then don't add more--you clean the whole box when the litter is low. I keep the litter at a consistent depth by adding fresh litter EVERY time I scoop. Right next to each of my 2 LBs is a bin containing litter and a cup (see bin to left in pic below):










On top of the bin is a litter scoop (see more below) and a whisk broom/dustpan set. I remove ALL poop and ALL clumps (and traces of clumps!), add as much litter as I took out, stir gently with the scoop, sweep the floor around the box, and I’m done.

I can literally put my nose INTO the box and I smell NOTHING. Granted, cats have better noses than I do, but still. 


> And how on earth do you remove all the waste? What about those tiny pieces that break off and fall through the pooper scooper?


I don’t have those. First, I use a really good, hard-clumping litter, Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat:

http://www.preciouscat.com/precious-ultra-p-2.html

And I use a super high-quality scooper, which no only doesn’t let pieces escape, but is metal, so the clumps can be removed w/out breaking them up. This is the scoop:

http://www.petco.com/product/106655/Dur ... erralID=NA









Lots more on good litterbox hygiene here: http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm
Be sure to watch her video on cleaning boxes – I use this method and this is why I don’t have broken clumps.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

About the "smell like cat thing". I'm really paranoid about that. Not the litter box smell but a general cat smell from the fact that they constantly rub against and are held by me. As an ex-smoker getting in an elevator with smokers is an experience. I used to smell like that. But do I smell like cat? Would my friends say "Dude, you smell like a crazy cat lady" or would they just talk behind my back.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

My nieces would tell me. They never miss an opportunity to tell me I smell like horses or that my car smells like wet dog. :lol: I'm fairly sure that, were I to smell like used cat litter, they would not be shy about informing me! :devil


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

Oh wet dog is a whole different story.


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## NosyKitty (Feb 3, 2010)

Dave_ph said:


> About the "smell like cat thing". I'm really paranoid about that. Not the litter box smell but a general cat smell from the fact that they constantly rub against and are held by me. As an ex-smoker getting in an elevator with smokers is an experience. I used to smell like that. But do I smell like cat? Would my friends say "Dude, you smell like a crazy cat lady" or would they just talk behind my back.


I have never experienced the ,"wow that person smells like a cat!" thing, unless they were an unsanitary person who had multiple cats and didn't regularly maintain litter cleanliness. But that would be more like, "wow that person smells cat poop!"

I definitely can tell when anyone has a dog, I can tell horses or other farm/barn animals, I can smell a smoker 5 miles away, but nope, not cats. So, I imagine your good to go! :wink:


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## KittyMonster (Nov 8, 2009)

Cats don't really smell like much, I find. If I bury my face in Mak's fur it smells faintly like shrimp tempura (I know, but it does! I love smelling him ) but it's definitely not something I would be able to pick out in a person. 

The only time I think people will smell like "cat" is if they are unfortunate enough to live in a house where a male can is spraying. Eugh.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

*yells* I have one nerve left and _The Nosy_ is standing on it! 
Okay, I just wanted to get that out of my system. Shake it down, shake it down. Roll your head/neck for a moment. Loosen those shoulders. Shake it down. .....and..... (_pause_) Breathe. :mrgreen: 

...if I "tooter" you, you'll be blown away! :lol: But, _The Tooter_ likes a challenge, so _The Tooter_ will try...
_The Tooter_ says Toxo is caused by a parasite and the cats and _The Tooter_ appear to have extremely limited exposure to the possibility of ever encountering toxo, so we're good to go. Dry powder residue on their feet? _The Tooter_'d be more concerned about their actual *damp butt* sitting on and touching those surfaces and *that* is why _The Tooter_ Clorox-wipes surfaces before prepping/eating.

Good Gravy! _The Nosy_, you've got me speaking in third person! :mrgreen: 
_Thanks for the opportunity to have some fun! I hope you got some rest. 
heidi aka: The Tooter_


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

You guys are NUTS! :roll: :lol:


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

Ewww. Girl fight! Girl fight!


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Hssssstht! That's _*cat fight*_...Mer-Rowr! :wink


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

"The Tooter'd be more concerned about their actual **damp butt** sitting on and touching those surfaces and *that* is why The Tooter Clorox-wipes surfaces before prepping/eating."

Oh no. I was thinking stinky butt last night when Fay was in my arms. She squirms around till she has her little butt tight in the crook of my arm. Not her feet, not her tail. Her butt. 

And you people said I couldn't smell like cat.

I hope nobody at work see's me trying to sniff the inside of my elbow.


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## KittyMonster (Nov 8, 2009)

Uh oh, Dave. Oprah said on her show yesterday that smelling a man's elbow is a surefire way to know whether or not you were compatble with someone. Talk about bad timing.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

KittyMonster said:


> Uh oh, Dave. Oprah said on her show yesterday that smelling a man's elbow is a surefire way to know whether or not you were compatble with someone. Talk about bad timing.


 See she knew. Is it kitty butt or is it puppy butt.


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## NosyKitty (Feb 3, 2010)

Heidi n Q said:


> *yells* I have one nerve left and _The Nosy_ is standing on it!
> Okay, I just wanted to get that out of my system. Shake it down, shake it down. Roll your head/neck for a moment. Loosen those shoulders. Shake it down. .....and..... (_pause_) Breathe. :mrgreen:
> 
> ...if I "tooter" you, you'll be blown away! :lol: But, _The Tooter_ likes a challenge, so _The Tooter_ will try...
> ...


:lol: Good thing _The Nosy/NK/TOWOTWNC/Nasty Craps_ wasn't drinking any *milk* when _The Nosy/NK/TOWOTWNC/Nasty Craps_ read this.. :mrgreen: Whew, what a mouthful. There's some more justice for ya, not only a ridiculously strange name, but a really complicated long one too. :roll: 

_The Nosy/NK/TOWOTWNC/Nasty Craps_ is glad to see that you have accepted your name _Tootie Butt_ (refer to the other thread, if you haven't already).

Yes, nuts. Very nuts, but who isn't?


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

I'm gonna claim _Cabin Fever_ if that's an acceptable excuse...

And yeah, I think I shot myself in the foot giving you your new name; _The Nosy/NK/TOWOTWNC/Nasty Craps_ 
I can see a lot of mis-spells in my future. :dis I'm off to have a snack and a lie-down!


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## KittyMonster (Nov 8, 2009)

_Anyhoo..._

I put litter in my box about 2 months ago (when I moved) and said to myself that I'd completely empty it out whenever it started to smell. That hasn't happened yet and I don't see it happening in the near future.

And just so you know... My apartment is very very small so the litterbox is literally a foot away from where I'm currently sitting on my couch, and I still can't smell it


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## cat1001 (Feb 2, 2010)

Wow, dumping the litter every 2 days seems very wasteful. Plus that seems like it would cost a fortune. What kind of litter are you using?

The Biddy litter box looks cool but Im looking for something easy to clean AND has high sides. One of my boys love to spray litter everywhere.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

This thread is over 3 years old. Please do not bump old threads, it causes confusion.


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