House Grooming and Litter Box Suggestions?

Hey folks,
As a life-long cat owner, I have adopted the attitude that everything looks better with cat fur on it and tastes better with cat food in it. Really, I thought it was inevitable that everything would be literally covered in it; however, I recently went to a house that had a bird, two dogs, and seven cats, and couldn't find a speck of hair ANYWHERE.

Now, I'm not the cleanest person as it is, which I am looking to change, however.. Whenever I have done the whole vacuuming everything, carpets, upholstery, everything, I find that it's totally covered again the next day.

How do I get my house to be less cat-hair infested? Is there anything to it besides just vacuuming everything?

Also, litter box suggestions: My cats are NOT neat cats. They spray litter EVeRYWHERE when they get out of the cat box and lately I've been noticing that my cat Toby has the nasty litter encrusted all over his paws. What works for you? Should I just get a bigger litter box with higher sides and change cat litter or what?

Thanks!

What kind of litter do you use? I use a clumping litter (fresh step perfume free) I also have a cover for my box and scoop at least 3x daily. There is still litter that gets splashed everywhere as I have a cat with neurological issues who is wobbly on his feet and gets it EVERYWHERE but the cover helps. The Booda that has the stair type thing works really well at keeping in litter, look into that. I also use a stick vacuum that I keep right by the box and just zippy suck up all the litter.

As for the litter covered paws, does it get stuck on his feet fur? You can have a groomer scissor the fur from off the bottom of his feet.

As to cat hair: I did really well when I had an air purifier. It was a really good Oreck. Since I stopped I've noticed more fur hanging around.

Walmart I noticed has a small vacuum like appliance they sell that is supposed to work wonders on getting hair off upholstery and stuff. It looks interesting but i've never tried it.

Also, microfiber cloths! Just wipe with this and it is awesome how easily the hair comes off things. I use it on the cat trees and my area rugs. I have them tucked all over the house for quick cleanups. I also use swiffer sweepers for the floor. It's a quick way to get the tumbleweed hairs off my wood flooring.

Were you visiting? Because they may have done a heavy duty cleaning before company arrived....it probably looks like the rest of our places most of the time

Originally Posted by Fiery

Hey folks,
As a life-long cat owner, I have adopted the attitude that everything looks better with cat fur on it and tastes better with cat food in it. Really, I thought it was inevitable that everything would be literally covered in it;

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That's a good start! When we accept animals living in our homes we really have to become less finicky about some things.

however, I recently went to a house that had a bird, two dogs, and seven cats, and couldn't find a speck of hair ANYWHERE.

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With that many animals and not a speck of hair to be seen, they would have to be absolutely obsessive about cleaning. Three cheers for them!

Now, I'm not the cleanest person as it is, which I am looking to change, however.. Whenever I have done the whole vacuuming everything, carpets, upholstery, everything, I find that it's totally covered again the next day.

Click to expand...

You only have 2 cats and no other animals? Is it just this time of year that they shed so much? They will shed more in the spring.

How do I get my house to be less cat-hair infested? Is there anything to it besides just vacuuming everything?

Click to expand...

Brushing them every day or almost everyday will help. Get a Furminator and a slicker brush. Go over them throughly with the Furminator which will remove all loose fur. Finish will the slicker brush to pick up any loose fur left on the surface.

I don't like my furniture to get covered with fur. I don't mind for myself but I don't like visitors to get covered with fur. So, I have a couple of kitty beds that I put on unoccupied furniture in my living room which is where I spend most of my "down time" when I'm home and is also where the kitties tend to congregate. The kitties prefer being in the beds over just lying on the furniture so the fur stays in the beds. When I have visitors I just remove the beds. But I have a lot of seating space in my living room and so the beds aren't in the way when I don't have visitors.

I *love* Sticky Sheets. They are slightly tacky and are great at removing fur from otherwise difficult to clean areas, like curtains. The sheets are big and go a long way. I got 24 sheets in Fed '08 and still have a bunch left. I cut the sheets into smaller pieces to make using them easier.

http://stickypethairremoval.com/Pepp...nding_page.php

The "50% off" price they show for 24 sheets was the "regular" price I paid for mine.

I *love* the Swiffer products. They are very effective and easy to use for quick cleanups. I especially love the Swiffer Vac. It's light weight and cordless and makes frequent vacuuming of my hard surface floors a breeze.

Also, litter box suggestions: My cats are NOT neat cats. They spray litter EVeRYWHERE when they get out of the cat box and lately I've been noticing that my cat Toby has the nasty litter encrusted all over his paws. What works for you? Should I just get a bigger litter box with higher sides and change cat litter or what?

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I don't really understand why he would have litter encrusted on his paws. What brand of litter do you use? Is it a clumping type?

My litter boxes are inside of a closet with a hole in the door for the cats to go in and out. That contains the litter mess pretty well. This closet has no soft materials in it (like clothes) that might absorb odor.

I hope this helps!

For litter boxes, I recently bought clear Sterilite containers. They're just a little longer and wider than an average litter box and they've really helped keep the litter contained. They were $4 each, so it was a great deal. Plus, the boys like a bigger box to dig around in. For under the boxes, I use Litter Maid carpets. One of my cats is a digger and this saves me from having to sweep around the box all the time.

http://www.amazon.com/LitterMaid-Lit...000981&sr=8-15

The best way to pick up cat fur is dryer sheets! I put mine on my old Swiffer thing and sweep away. Or just dust with it. It picks up everything.

As for litter boxes, Rubbermaid makes a high sided litter pan which I have seen on the Pet Smart and Home Depot websites. It may just help you contain the litter a little more in the closet (which is a good idea as well!)

Really, with cats, you can't get away from fur. I would get a small stick vaccuurm for the quick, everyday jobs. My sister-in-law had 3 cats and 2 dogs at one time and they vaccuumed every day. They got a Dyson vaccuum which seemed to pick up every hair. I think they have smaller types as well which would be more convenient for you. They also had an air filter (HEPA?) added and that helped a lot. I didn't really notice a lot of cat hair; more dog hair.

Originally Posted by Fiery

I recently went to a house that had a bird, two dogs, and seven cats, and couldn't find a speck of hair ANYWHERE.

Click to expand...

Then you must've been in MY house! Kidding, kidding!! I can't claim perfection, but I do get compliments on my tidyness and boy those compliments feel great. As mschauer said, Sticky Sheets. http://www.stickysheets.com/faq.html

Here's their awards page http://www.stickysheets.com/whattheyaresaying.html . The homepage has a short video.

When I run out of SS, I use these http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l1.../misce/ple.jpg (Call me odd, but these really really work. And you can use them on clothes for lint/hair/etc. I'm strongly thinking of starting a blog called "Neat Freaks of the World Unite" or something, where people can share cleaning methods they like, even if mucho bizarro )

You are absolutely right, microfiber DOES pick up every cat hair... my couches are microfiber and trust me, they attract every loose hair in my apartment like a magnet!

To get all that hair off, I usually loosely wrap a piece of tape -- masking or packaing both work -- around my hand, and just roll it all over the furniture. It's cheap, it's easy, and it does work. Although, you end up going through a lot of tape if you don't vac first.

I've also found that those little nubby rubbery mitts they sell at pet supply stores and Walmart that are supposed to be Miracle hair removers.... yeah those don't work worth anything around here. I can see them working for a cat tree that's matted with hair, but not for anything less than that.

Hope you find something that works for you soon!

I bought a vacuum that is supposed to help with the hair,and it does a really good job.There's a rotating brush I put on the end of the hose and use it on my computer chair...does a great job.I just have to run the vacuum everyday...no way to get around it.We take turns if I'm working and he's home.Works for me!I have switched to the big plastic totes myself for litter.I have too many dig-to-china kids,and they have helped a bunch.Cheap and easy to clean,and I think they like the extra room!