I want a cat so bad...

**M55FF** · 03-23-2008, 12:59 PM

My husband and I would love a cat but the litter box is an issue, they smell... and cat litter goes everywhere ( and they smell)
I look at cats all the time on petfinder and sometimes see a declawed furball
and want one so bad....
I even see those beautiful giant cats on petfinder sometimes and want to go get it.
but .. there is the litter box issue.

How do you adjust to litter box issues ?

**kellydoeshair** · 03-23-2008, 01:04 PM

in the winter we keep the boxes in the garage *there is a pet door between that dh made*
in the summer we keep them in the corner of the unfinished part of the basement
you can't smell it anywhere in the main part of the house
the enclosed boxes are nice
the self cleaning I imagine would be awesome
but really the more you keep on top of it, the less you will notice if if that makes sense.

**shoiji** · 03-23-2008, 01:21 PM

Yes cat litterbox can get stinky but as long as you keep up with the cleaning it really should not be bad. I personally like Fresh Step, would use the cheaper stuff at PetSmart but I can't get there easily. An enclosed litterbox does help with the whole litter everywhere issue. I also vacuum twice a week to keep up with the cat hair and loose litter. Sure it is a little more work, but the benefits of having unconditional love makes it worth it.

Then again, I have seen those kitties who use the toilet on TV. This might help but I wonder how long it takes to teach them this? Just a thought. OK, so I am laughing a little here.

Hope you figure something out so you can enjoy a kitty in your lives.

**kellydoeshair** · 03-23-2008, 01:24 PM

plus if you're only going to have one kitty it shouldn't be bad

**mombottoo** · 03-23-2008, 02:47 PM

We have two cats and the only issue we have with the litter box is the amount of litter we have to buy...

Many of the litters they make today take care of the odor problem, so long as you don't leave the box unchanged for weeks on end. Cats are naturally clean animals, so if you would be willing to keep up on the cat box I don't see where odor would be an issue.

**quiltergirl2** · 03-23-2008, 02:52 PM

You experiment till you find what works. For us it is large litter box and litter made for multiple cats (the perfume is stronger). Clumping litters have less odor than regular clay litters and some clump better than others. And you scoop every day. I have a special scoop where the handle is a round cylinder. The clumps go from the scoop down the cylinder into a special ziploc bag that fits over the cylinder. Pull it off, zip it and pitch it.

We live in a very small space and the cat box is in our bathroom. Cats are just going to scatter a little litter -- no way around that. You just keep a small hand broom and dustpan near buy and sweep -- every day. We also have one of those automatic air fresheners that sprays every 20 minutes. That also helps with the odor.

You think cleaning the litter box is terrible until your senior cat develops a medical condition that makes the smell 10x worse the increases frequency -- even with treatment. Then you learn what nasty really is. But you still do it, because cats have a way of crawling up into your heart.

That is just a certain amount of work (and odor) involved with a cat. After all we don't own them -- they own us. Our only purpose is to serve the cat.

**Marie78** · 03-23-2008, 04:21 PM

I agree with the other posters. Cats own us and we definitely serve them...food, clean litter, brushing, treats, playing, etc... but they do have a way of making your day brighter with their love and mine love to snuggle, which I love!

I have two cats and one litter box. I clean it daily and I stay on top of the scattered litter. I don't ever notice a smell from their litter box (but I clean it every day to eliminate the most odor possible) When I was home from work for several months I cleaned it twice a day and I didn't notice much of a difference in odor between scooping once or twice a day. I would suggest you try different litters out until you find the one that suits you best (odor control and clumping will vary between the litter brands).

**Missourimom** · 03-23-2008, 05:48 PM

Wish I could send you my cat. But, she doesn't like anyone and hides in the basement and only ventures out to eat.

**Telephus44** · 03-23-2008, 08:11 PM

Experiment and find what works for you. We only use the Petco brand cat litter because it smells less than any other brand we've tried. We bought a dust buster for the room that the little box is in and run it every day. I scoop it every other day (we use scoopable litter), and change completely about once a month. We also keep it in a second bathroom that we don't use except for storage.

You just have to figure out what works for you. Also, your body does adjust to the smell after a while. And if you get a cat that's primarily an outdoor cat, they'll tend to go outside most of the time.

**MirandaK** · 03-24-2008, 09:11 AM

We have 4 cats and 3 boxes, including one in our bedroom. We clean it everyday and when we empty the litter out to put new in, we put a layer of bakign soda in the bottom. As long as you keep up with it, no issues. We also vacuum every other day just to get up any loose litter but we have a "litter mat" outside the box that collects most of it.

**halloweenfreak** · 03-24-2008, 09:22 AM

i was going to suggest a litter mat. i have a small bath mat in front of ours, i just pick it up and shake it out. i bought a new litter box off the net thats kind of neat (if litter boxes can be considered neat) you roll it over on its top and the litter is collected into a tray, roll it back over and the clean litter is sifted back thru to the bottom. you just take whats in the tray and dump it.

**luv-my-lexi** · 03-27-2008, 02:12 PM

I don't notice an odor from my cat's litter box. I use clumping/scoopable litter and scoop it every day and thoroughly clean and renew about once a month. Tangie's box is kept in the laundry room and we keep a charged up vac on the wall by the box and just vacuum up the litter that gets on the floor from Tangie getting in and out of the box.

**kaykwilts** · 03-27-2008, 03:22 PM

We have a cat and she stays outside. Of course I live in the south and our winters are mild compared to some areas of the country. We have a little shed with a door cut out for her to go in. She had rather stay outside. She will stay inside for a few minutes and then go crazy if she can't get right back outside right away.

**COUNTRYBUMPKIN** · 03-27-2008, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by M55FF

My husband and I would love a cat but the litter box is an issue, they smell... and cat litter goes everywhere ( and they smell)
I look at cats all the time on petfinder and sometimes see a declawed furball
and want one so bad....
I even see those beautiful giant cats on petfinder sometimes and want to go get it.
but .. there is the litter box issue.

How do you adjust to litter box issues ?

I clean my cat's boxes out everyday and I also vacuum once or sometimes twice per day. My cat's appreciate a clean box and surrondings.