Comments on: Creative ways to curb cat clutter

By: Leslie

Leslie — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:13:28 +0000

@ Sooz and Arlene: Regarding cats getting older and not being able to jump, at that point you can get/build a ramp or steps for the cat to climb easily to the litter!

By: Arlene

Arlene — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:03:20 +0000

I have two cats and three litter boxes. I live in a relatively large house with three bathrooms and an unfinished basement, so the litter boxes haven’t really been an issue. I have the one on the main floor in the tub of the powder room (my powder room is really a full bath but the tub/shower never gets used. My cats are currently both young enough to get in and out with no problem and seem to like that box, but I, like a previous poster, have thought about what would happen when they get older and can’t jump as well.

In my case I also have one box in the basement and on in one side of a Jack-N-Jill bathroom on the upper floor so they have a box on each floor.

As far as scratching – I saw a neat solution on HGTV once. They wrapped a wooden stair post with sisal so the cat could scratch there and it didn’t look bad at all. Nothing like the truly ugly standing scratching posts. I have on but I put it behind a large chair I have in the corner of my great room next to the fire place so you can’t see it.

By: Tigger

Tigger — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:12:36 +0000

I like the idea of a sisal mat. My cat has ruined my large area rug, and of course I can’t scold him. LOL

I wonder if you found a nice spot for the sisal and used super velcro, if you could put it vertical. I’ve priced scratching posts (I like the ones with seats on them for the kitty) and they are not cheap.

A question about the covered boxes… does the smell building up a little in them. My cat is real fussy to that. Is it hard to scoop and clean it? I understand that it’s removable, but doing that a few times a day, is it a pain?

By: Anita

Anita — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:36:53 +0000

I introduced a second kitten to my first kitten just 3 days ago, so right now their stuff is all over the place, trying to create a “safe space” for each of them and a common “neutral” area to play in and get to know each other, then gradually moving their stuff (like food bowls and litter pans) closer together. There’s really no uncluttered way of doing that. BUT! Under normal circumstances, it’s much, much neater.

My only comment would be re: scratching post. The sisal mat is a great idea, (it saved my furniture as well), but a lot of cats prefer to scratch something vertical and tall enough that they can stretch out while scratching. If your cats like the mat, it’s perfect, but if some people try this and find their cats still prefer the side of the sofa, that might be why.

By: Sooz

Sooz — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:07:30 +0000

I like the idea of putting the litter box into a spare bathtub (assuming one has an extra bathroom) BUT the issue for elderly or ill/weak cats is that they may not be able to GET TO the litter box over the literal hurdle that the tub represents.

And if the cat tries to get over the edge of the tub to the litter box & doesn’t make it, it’s an awfully hard landing for an old or sick cat to fall on most surfaces in a bathroom.

By: ronnie

ronnie — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:29:56 +0000

is it safe to put bi carb soda in the kitty litter?

By: julie

julie — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:17:22 +0000

We have a covered litter tray and have seated that inside a large rubbermaid container (almost bathtub sized, but not quite!) which has clear sides. The cats hop up and in, use the covered tray, can kick litter to their hearts’ content (which is a lot) and hardly track any into the room after hopping out. This system took years but it’s working well.

By: andi

andi — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 01:06:48 +0000

another one using the spare tub… this house has small bathrooms and kitchen, so until we finish the basement, no other place, the tub it is… curtain hides it, less litter tracked. love the training idea but we’ve got our hands full training kids.

By: Kris

Kris — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:38:52 +0000

Ah, a joke. That’s the trouble with sarcasm on the Internet .. doesn’t translate.

By: dB

dB — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 06:02:02 +0000

Kris

Actually I do have pets, just not cats…

it was a joke

By: pyoiu

pyoiu — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:42:43 +0000

Hmm, the sisal rug is a great idea.

Just make sure not to put the cat’s food and litter box in the same place — cats don’t like to use the litter box too close to where they eat (makes sense, I think) and they’ll start pooping elsewhere.

As for food, I agree that 99% of cat food out there is awful and really unhealthy. I’ve found one brand that I (and my cat) love, Wellness, which makes both dry and canned food that are grain-free and the highest in protein out of any food I’ve found so far. Raw diets are good only if you’re using supplements (especially taurine). Otherwise they can get pretty sick.

By: Nikki

Nikki — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:07:03 +0000

Your cats are adorable! I like the idea of a special litter box closet, too. If you had one of those, you could store all of your cat things in there, like the cat food, litter, and grooming tools on shelves, since you’d have a lot of vertical space.

By: LolaGeek » Blog Archive » Linky Thursday - 11/15

LolaGeek » Blog Archive » Linky Thursday - 11/15 — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:17:58 +0000

[...] Creative ways to curb cat clutter: Article from [...]

By: CQ

CQ — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:41:45 +0000

I have three outdoor cats. They have a covered area on our back deck with all of the kitty toys. A few beds, food bowls, a scratching post (otherwise they use my cedar siding) and a few catnip toys. Their things are out of site out of mind for the most part.

I also have a dog, he is a small breed and has clothes, toys, and since he’s a terrier I have to groom him quite often. I actually purchased a rather expensive (with warranty) set of clippers and he and my husband share them. He also has a toy box and knows right where to get his toys when he wants to play. I would love to train him to return them when he’s done.

By: Anna

Anna — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 08:49:10 +0000

I live in a very small house so the only place for the kitty litter to go is in the bathroom, but by using one of those covered kitty litter trays, and putting an old towel over the top, it remains unobtrusive. Kitty things like brushes, and bi-carb soda for the litter, go in a pretty little straw box on top of the litter cover.

Re the comment about feeding your cat’s raw food, that’s fine but you just have to make sure you put certain chemicals in to prevent them going blind or developing respitory problems. There’s some good info about making your own cat food here – http://cats.about.com/od/homep.....r_Cats.htm