# switching litter boxes



## amy22 (Jul 5, 2013)

Freja has recently stopped burying her leavings in the litter box. Its not very pleasant to see unburied cat poop right as I walk in so I was thinking of switching to a covered litter box. 

I was thinking of switching to a top-entry litter box like this one
Clevercat Top Entry Litterbox - Enclosed Litter Box and Cat Litter Box from petco.com

but I'm worried she won't use it. Does anyone have any thoughts about switching to a covered litter box?


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## FurbyFace (May 13, 2013)

I have that exact box. I love it. Numly figured it out after I showed her where the entrance was. I was cat sitting for a friend at my house and even though she had her own box, she wanted to use the top entry one. I didn't show her how it anything. 


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

This kind of covered box is fine with me because it vents from at the top so it won't hold in the odors which is a turn off to cats. Normally I don't like covered boxes for that reason. My cats are old and don't jump much at all so I don't do tall things, but if your cat is young and limber it's great and probably will solve the problem (as long as you don't forget to scoop.....out of sight, out of mind).


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

I am not a fan of covered litter boxes. Why not just scoop the poop when you come in? It has to be scooped anyway, right?

Put down your things, scoop, squirt some sanitizer on your hands until you can get to the sink, done!

However when switching litter boxes never do it all at once. Put them side by side, old and new. If she doesn't use the new one, put some of her used litter in it to give her the idea.

But as for not covering, if this is new behavior, you might want to try to find out why. 

Is there a strange cat hanging around outside? (Seeing or smelling a strange cat might cause her to not bury, she is giving the cat the message that 'this territory is taken')

Is the litter box not clean enough? Cats are fastidious and do not like to dig in a dirty box. If there is too much already in the box, or the litter hasn't been changed in a long time, she may decide that digging would dirty her paws too much.

If there is a new cat outside, I might try installing a feliway plug in diffuser somewhere in the house (not by the litter box)

If the box is not kept clean enough, I advise scooping more often, at least twice a day. If you already scoop twice a day, perhaps just add another box, a regular box, so she can pee in one and poop in the other, many cats prefer that, it is an instinctive thing to prevent being tracked by predators.


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## amy22 (Jul 5, 2013)

She started not covering after I changed out the litter. I poured out the old stuff; rinsed out the box with soap and water and put fresh stuff in. Since then she won't bury her poop and twice she's peed on the bed. I'm a bit worried that she smells the soap or doesn't like the new litter (I switched from fresh step to tidy cats)


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I never wash out my boxes except if someone has a very bad illness issue. I just scoop and top off for months at a time.


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## MollyMailbox (Aug 15, 2013)

We use a litter box liner in our box. Every week, I replace the litter with fresh litter. We use World's Best which clumps nicely. I scoop out the clumps and poo in the morning and when i get home from work at night. I put about 1 1/2" of litter in the box, which is more than enough to last the week until I change it Sunday nights

The clean up is easy. And the litter box is just quickly brought outside, hosed down, then wiped dry with a paper towel before I put a new liner and fresh litter on it.


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## DeafDogs&Cat (Mar 27, 2013)

I use a covered litter box for Munch... otherwise the dogs use it as a buffet. Also he likes to fling litter so a regular box doesn't keep litter in. But Munch doesn't have any litter box issues. I can change the box, litter, and forget to scoop for a couple of days without him having an issue. Is is a seriously easy cat with no hang-ups lol


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

amy22 said:


> She started not covering after I changed out the litter. I poured out the old stuff; rinsed out the box with soap and water and put fresh stuff in. Since then she won't bury her poop and twice she's peed on the bed. I'm a bit worried that she smells the soap or doesn't like the new litter (I switched from fresh step to tidy cats)


Sounds to me like she is telling you she doesn't like the new litter. Litter changes should always always be done gradually.

However, peeing on the bed can be a sign of illness. I would give her back her old litter, and take her to the vet for a urinalysis/check up.


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

I have a clevercat© in the closet lol. I bought it four years ago because I had a cat who liked to pee in my bed and wanted to try it in the bedroom because of tracking issues. however, the offending cat will have nothing to do with it (he's six). my old cat could probably get in it but getting out would be the problem. the kitten loved it but when the other two wouldn't use it, he only went in a few times then started eschewing it for the other box so I just use two booda domes. he's three now, and will play or sleep in it if he gets the chance but he also sleeps in a picnic basket with a lid that I keep the toys in. he just tosses all the toys out and gets in.

my first thought agrees with lovex4, i'm going to guess she doesn't like the litter change. from my own experience and a couple of other people, bed-wetting has been cat language for "I would like a litter box right by your bed, please," lol but if you put one there with the old litter and she still does it, i'd have her checked for a UTI.

I switched to pine pellets so there's no tracking, and my cats all love it but you never know, I guess some cats don't. the cat decides what kind of litter, what kind of box, and where it is, that's just the way it goes.


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## pkbshrew (Feb 13, 2013)

I agree, she's likely not thrilled about the new litter if the problem started with the new stuff. Go back to your original and see what happens. I'd also add another litter box in a different location. Then, if the problem resolves do a gradual transition over to the new littler. 

Peeing on the bed in my experience with Effie was the result of stress - which led to peeing/marking on bed number one, and which then led to stress induced illness - peeing on bed number two + major diarrhoea. This needed both medical and behavioural modification assistance to resolve.

At this stage I think it would be a BIG mistake to make yet another change = increase stress, by changing the actual liter box as well.


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