any tips on how to keep a house clean while living with a cat?

[ut0pia]

I am really frustrated right now. First problem- litter tracking. There is litter all over the house!! I dunno what to do I moved the litter box from one of the rooms to the bathroom, but now every time I step out of the shower I step on litter Second problem- food smell. I'm feeding authority chicken and lamb. He gets two feedings of 3 oz. every day and eats dry food in between. He never eats the whole 3 oz, instead he eats it periodically over 2-3 hours and that time is enough to make the entire house stink!! I can't feed him in the kitchen because we have hardwood floors and so I feed him in my bathroom...It's really gross to have a bathroom smelling like cat food.....I'm just really frustrated right now because I'm trying to do some organizing and cleaning and it's like - nothing works!!! Help!! Any suggestions? I was thinking of getting some kind of mat to put in front of the litter boxes..but i still dunno what to do about the food smell

[Yosemite]

I have a booda dome which has steps up the side and that actually gets a lot of litter of little paws before they get out of the litter box. But it does not get rid of all the litter. I also have the litter box set on an old bath towel folded in half that can easily be washed every week which also seems to do well in collecting litter. You could also just keep a dustpan and brush set where the litter is and just brush it up before having a shower or whatever.

I don't see a problem with feeding on hardwood floors if you use a mat for the food dishes. As to the smell of the cat food, I honestly don't notice that ours smells. In fact I have to usually push my nose almost in to make sure it smells OK for the kitty.

[white cat lover]

Are you talking about 3oz of wet food? IMO, I wouldn't leave the wet food out that long. He gets what he eats in 15 minutes, then it goes into the fridge for later. (Leaving it out causes a build-up of bacteria)

As for litter, I use rubbermaid 18 gal storage tubs. Cut a hole in the lid & presto - top entry litterbox. Cuts down on tracking.

[mschauer]

I have hardwood floors in my kitchen and that is where I feed mine. I don't see the problem.

Some of the wet food can be kinda stinky but I find the smell dissipates pretty quickly. If you're feeding in a small confined area like a bathroom the smell will linger longer.

[kady05]

Well, I solved my litter tracking problem by switching to the Tidy Cats Breeze. No more litter The most I get is a few pellets here & there, which I can just pick up and throw back in the box.

As far as food, I don't see why you couldn't feed him in your kitchen with a mat underneath his bowl. I have mats under all my cats bowls and it works well. Also, I agree with white cat, in that you really shouldn't leave wet food out that long due to bacteria, etc. I give all my cats (4) 30min. to eat. That's it. If they don't finish, sorry, food gets put back/thrown out (if it's wet food) til the next meal. They understand that now, and clean their bowls by the time I let them out.

[ut0pia]

Well sometimes I put the wet food out and he will not even touch it until 30 minutes later...Like I just put some wet food out for him and he still hasn't touched it. I mean he is still a kitten so they eat more frequently in smaller portions than adult cats, that could be the reason why. I guess I will start giving him 2 oz portions three times a day, that should help a little....I just think feeding on tile floor that gets mopped is more hygenic than on the hardwood floor that only gets swept with a very damp mop because water is bad for it, even if i have mats underneath bowls... stuff still gets spilled on the mat and sometimes gets under it..
I think I will start sweeping up the litter more often like 3-4 times per day rather than once or twice...Hopefully that will solve the issue of tracking, or at least prevent it from spreading past the few feet in front of the litter box... I already bought two enclosed litter boxes that were kind of expensive, around $30 and I don't feel like spending even more money to buy bins..I do see how using those could help tho.
I just got so frustated that Jake wouldn't even touch his wet food!! The smell makes me sick...It's authority chicken and lamb. I will try different varieties that might smell less. Like I know I will try out avoderm wet food and wellness.

[Plebayo]

As far as litter tracking I feel your pain. I have a cat with constant bladder problems so he uses the box several times a day. I have the booda dome with the steps in it, but I don't really feel like it stops the tracking of the litter. I pretty much vacuum everyday and sweep up what they track in the bathroom... cats... gotta love 'em :p

[ut0pia]

lol yea i've been vaccuuming every day up until now but since Yosemite suggested sweeping it occured to me that it might be much easier especially on the tile floor of the bathroom...I hate dragging that huge vacuum throughout the house..

[littleraven7726]

I vacuum the room with the litter boxes a couple times a week, but the rest of the house more like once a week (my classes have kept me very busy this semester).

We have linoleum in the kitchen/bath and hardwood everywhere else. We have had fed them on the hardwood before, like when we were settling in. I just used placemats to protect the floor.

[proudmamiof4]

I bought those mats that catch the litter and put it infront of the litter boxes, and sweep a couple times a day.I don't have any litter tracked any further than a few feet away from the boxes.

[Cat-tastrophe]

I reallydon't have to worry much about a dirty house, because our 4 cats our strictly outdoors with the exception of bringing them in every now and then to hold on the couch. We used to keep our kittens indoors, and it was a stinky mess. Litter everywhere and our house smelled like pets. Our cats have a nice, big, fenced in yard and a back porch to enjoy. They don't need litter or boxes and are much happier that way. I'm not sure what your situation is, but I find it much easier in general to allow cats outdoors or to keep them outside, provided you give them shelter, fesh food and water and lots of TLC.

[jennyranson]

I would feed him, as you suggest, small quantities more often, and take it away after an hour. If he is hungry once or twice, he wioll soon learn to eat while it is there. ANd I use puppy training pads under hte litter booxes, that catch moisture and pellets and can be easily taken up and shaken into a bin and changed as necessary.