please vote in my poll

c1atsite

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please vote in my poll about covered litter boxes

you can pick more than 1 answer

thanks
 
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c1atsite

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oops, I meant to include choices for

"I know very little about CLB's",

"Never considered one", and

"I'd give a CLB a try and see"

If any of these match your opinion, kindly vote "complex opinion"
 

jcat

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Originally Posted by c1atsite

oops, I meant to include choices for

"I know very little about CLB's",

"Never considered one", and

"I'd give a CLB a try and see"

If any of these match your opinion, kindly vote "complex opinion"
I've edited the poll, but the last option didn't fit.
 
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c1atsite

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Originally Posted by Fairy_kitten

I tried a covered litter box , my cats did not like it at all
i wanna ask for details but i'm afraid to!
hope the experience wasnt too bad for you guys
 

GoldyCat

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I've tried several different types of covered litter boxes. The first two didn't work at all for my cats. One wouldn't even go inside the box. The other would get in, turn around and bat at the swinging door flap, but wouldn't actually use the litter. I tried a top-entry box and that seemed to be working pretty well. Then I brought a third cat into the house. I saw all three using the covered litter boxes, but somebody was also peeing outside the box on occasion. I pulled out my original (small) litter pan and dumped some litter in it to use just until I could buy another covered box. The inappropriate peeing stopped immediately, but I also noticed that all three cats were using the open pan exclusively. There were no deposits in the covered boxes. I guess you can't get much clearer than that. "Meowmy, we don't like the covered litter boxes!"
 

ktlynn

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I didn't like the idea of my cats breathing in the dust from the litter in such a contained space. It just didn't seem healthy.

They were also limited in how they could move around. With the "open" boxes, they hop in and out til they find the right spot, and can step outside of the box to get a better angle to cover up deposits
 

goldenkitty45

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I had one (still do, but use it without the top on it). They like a deep one, but I felt that the covered ones would produce too much dust with the litter and covering and therefore the cats would be breathing in the dust.

So I uncovered it. They kinda stop using it with the cover on. We use the wood stove pellets in both the covered pan and the larger open pan and that works out better - no dust with pellets.
 

ldg

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I voted "complex" answer.

Our cats use the covered and uncovered boxes. I like the covered boxes because they help contain the litter from our "litter flingers," but I don't like them because of the dust.

I know there are some cats that like them and some that don't. We have always provided both for our kitties, but I always made sure there was good air circulation and a filter near any of the covered boxes. If you use a non-silicone based litter, then the worry about dust wouldn't be as great with a covered box as it would otherwise be.

Laurie
 
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c1atsite

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Originally Posted by KTLynn

I didn't like the idea of my cats breathing in the dust from the litter in such a contained space. It just didn't seem healthy.

They were also limited in how they could move around. With the "open" boxes, they hop in and out til they find the right spot, and can step outside of the box to get a better angle to cover up deposits
Hi KTLynn. Thank you. Interesting thinking And to everyone who wrote and voted, thank you, your responses give me information to mull over It helps me make a decision. Uh-oh, thunder, maybe I should turn off the computer
 

bookworm

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I have two covered boxes and 10 framed with a paertial cover. Nost of the cats prefer the more open boxes, but I have a couple who use only the covered. I did take the door flaps off. I keep the covered boxes in the more public areas of the house, it's harder for the dogs to stick their heads in for a forbidden snack.
 
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c1atsite

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Originally Posted by LDG

I voted "complex" answer.

Our cats use the covered and uncovered boxes. I like the covered boxes because they help contain the litter from our "litter flingers," but I don't like them because of the dust.

I know there are some cats that like them and some that don't. We have always provided both for our kitties, but I always made sure there was good air circulation and a filter near any of the covered boxes. If you use a non-silicone based litter, then the worry about dust wouldn't be as great with a covered box as it would otherwise be.

Laurie
Hey, thanks I never thought about that (circulation)
 
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c1atsite

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Originally Posted by bookworm

I keep the covered boxes in the more public areas of the house, it's harder for the dogs to stick their heads in for a forbidden snack.
yikes! you've given i think the 12th or so account of a dog who snacks on you-know-what
 

audiocat

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We have 3 cat boxes throughout our house. All three have covers.

Zachary stands when he pees. Without a covered box the walls and floor would be a mess. When we first adopted him he had "explosive diarrhea". Fortunately he made it to the box. It was much easier to clean the inside of the box cover than the walls.

Forrest digs in the sand like he's trying to get to China. Even with the cover he still manages to get sand everywhere.

Lilly does not care if it is covered or not.
 

srrh

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I use uncovered boxes for my cats and do not have any issues with them. For the time being, they are working perfectly and that's what we are sticking with.

However, I do see two sides to covered boxes:
1) There are plenty of good reasons to have a covered litter box. Dogs eating "special treats" (
), inquisitive young children, cats that are messy while pottying, or litter being flung to the four corners of the earth, just to name a few.
2) There are also reasons not to use a covered litter box. The main one being, as has already been brought up in this thread, the circulation of dust in the litter. Also, cats' noses are something like 100x stronger than ours (at least that's what I've read) and if a port-o-potty smells bad to me, I can't imagine how bad a closed litter box must smell to a cat.
This is not a problem for people that clean the boxes regularly (as I'm sure all the wonderful cat owners on this site do
) but for some people, it gives them an excuse not to see or smell the waste as much, so to clean it less.

I am DEFINITELY not referring to anyone here when I say that... to be honest, I'm referring to my own mother. She got a covered box for her cat (to stop her dogs from trying to eat its poo), and immediately the box became like a disgusting slum. I honestly do not think she scoops it more than once a month. For out-of-sight, out-of-mind type people like my mom, I think covered boxes are a horrible idea... although she certainly just thinks it is more convenient.
 
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