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The Litter Box

post #1 of 24
Thread Starter 
How many cats do you have?
How often do you clean the litter box?
How many boxes do you have?
post #2 of 24
7 seniors in their own apartment. 1 jumbo petmate box...cleaned 3-4 times a day. Only need to clean maybe 2 0r 3 but I am fussy about their box. This box is huge and fits into an alcove that a refrigerator used to be in. It holds 40 lbs of litter.

3 other kitties, a mom and her two kids, one box, cleaned maybe 3x a day. They also have their own room.

1 kitty that lives in with my DH and I, cleaned once in am and once at night.

In the multiple cat areas, no one ever goes outside the box. Plenty of litter and room for sharing. So in my case, the rule of "one more litterbox than number of cats you have" does not apply.

Thank goodness!!
post #3 of 24
Thread Starter 
WOW!!!! whatt do you mean they have their own room ?
post #4 of 24
How many cats do you have?
3. Two females and one male. They're siblings.
How often do you clean the litter box?
I scoop them twice daily. Throw out the litter, scrub the boxes with hot water and soap and refill it with litter and baking soda once a week.
How many boxes do you have?
4. Two on the second floor, one on the main floor, and one in the basement.
post #5 of 24
  • 2 cats
  • One Box
  • Non-Clumping clay litter
  • Scooped twice a day
  • Dumped completely and washed twice a week
  • No odors, no accidents
post #6 of 24
10 cats. 4 litterboxes downstairs, 4 litterboxes upstairs. Ideally should have 3 or 4 more litterboxes. I use 18 gallon rubbermaid totes for litterboxes.

I scoop at least 1x/day, but often if someone poops it gets scooped right away. I clean them out when it's needed. I monitor each box individually, as some get used more than others, and change them before they start to get icky.
post #7 of 24
I have three male cats ages 1, 2 and 3, they range from 12-17lbs. I use the Tidycats Breeze System and have two boxes. They usually all pee in one and poop in the other, so I change the pee pad on the one they use for pee twice a week, and scoop every day on the poop box. I scoop/change pad as needed on the opposite one which is usually once a week.
post #8 of 24
2 cats.
1 Box. Had 2 boxes before but they both used the same one??
Scoop 2x / day (though sometimes 1/day but rarely).



QUESTION FOR ALL:
When you wash the litter box - where do you wash it?? Tub? Shower? Sink???


I'd wash it outside but no hot water there and don't want to do that in the winter since it is too cold (in midwest)!!
post #9 of 24
Three cats indoors and 3 litter boxes. Litter boxes are cleaned every day, if necessary. All our cats go outside too so litter boxes are really only used overnight.
post #10 of 24
four cats , 3 boxes ( 2 18 gal totes and 1 10 gal) ... cleaned 1-2 times a day
post #11 of 24
One cat, one box. Chester wouldn't use another one even if I lined it with catnip!

He is very set in his ways!

Oh & I clean it when he tells me to because that is his new thing. When he does his "business" he meows at the top of the stairs. This is fairly new development.
post #12 of 24
I have 3 cats, 2 girls and 1 boy.

I have 2 litter boxes, one jumbo and one large. I have one box in the main bathroom and the other in the master bathroom. I scoop 3-4 times a day and I also scoop right after somebody poops. I dump and wash my boxes as needed. Usually once a week. I am very OCD about the litter boxes, the OCD started after my MIL told me she could smell cat. I'm like "WHAT!?! there's no smell in here!" LOL
post #13 of 24
I have 4 cats: Emory is a 3 year old DSH, Cassidy is a 2 year old DLH, Emory is a 2 year old DSH, and Finnegan, my only male, is an almost 1 year old DLH.

Currently, I have 7 litter pans for my 4 kitties. I am very, very particular about litter, the boxes, and cleanliness and this is the number that works well for me (I'm not ashamed to admit that I do have obsessive-compulsive disorder and this is something I've done so as to minimize my anxiety). Also, I did have a period of time where my cats temporarily stopped using their litter boxes. So, this set-up has become crucial to everyone's well-being. I use 10 gallon totes for 3 of my pans, one 18 gallon tote, 2 large commercial litter boxes (purchased from PetSmart), and one medium litter pan. I also have a number of small ones I can use in the cats' carriers or in the crate in a pinch should the need arise.

I should mention that I scoop a minimum of 3 times per day. The dirty litter goes straight into a plastic grocery bag (double bagged) and then into a sealed Rubbermaid container. I change the bag in the container every day and scrub the container and let it air out every week. I have a spare to use when the one is being cleaned. I also do a complete litter change every 7 days and scrub the boxes and let them air out for a week. I have a second set that's available when the others are getting cleaned. Just those small changes have helped make my home smell better and be more sanitary -- for both myself and the kitties.

What works for me may sound extreme, but the area my cats are allowed in within the house (it's a modified two family home that I share with my roommate -- I'm not counting what she has as far as litter pans are concerned) is expansive and I do not want to borrow trouble if there's no need. Thankfully, with the number of pans I have, cleaning is very simple and the litter goes a long way. (Speaking of which, I do use Tidy Cats Instant Action Clumping litter with one pan full of Cat Attract litter at all times.) It allows all of the cats to never have conflict surrounding the litter pans and they are available in all of their living areas so the risk of accidents is minimal. I'm grateful to have the space I do as I know that having a number of litter pans is not always possible. But, I speak from experience when I say that the additional pans have made all the difference.
post #14 of 24
I have 2 cats, and I was using 2 covered litter boxes with FelinePine, side by side in a separate bathroom from the "human" bathroom. I scooped twice a day during the week, and after every poop on weekends and holidays, and put it straight into a Litter Locker Plus. When I used clay litter, I had to do a complete change every 5-6 days, max. With the FelinePine, I found that I only had to do a complete change every 10 days or so, and the cats actually started using only 1 litter box at a time (with the clay, they used both equally). Don't know why that happened, but no accidents EVER (unless you count the time that Piccalo got locked into the closet by accident, but I don't!). Someone asked where others cleaned out the boxes (which I always did when changing litter) - I used some wipes that I got at some pet shop, so I didn't use soap and water. I should also mention that I used litter liners. On the seldom occasions that the liner ripped, I did do a complete wash with hot water and soap, and that was always in the "cat-bathroom" tub.
Now that I am in Japan, everything will change! No liners, no spare bathroom, totally different litters than any I have seen in the US, etc.
post #15 of 24
Three cats, 3 litter boxes scooped a minimum of 2 times a day, usually 3 times. We change one litter box a week and it's cleaned in the shower. We use flushable litter and then spread the old litter in the back yard where it breaks down and feeds the soil.
post #16 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ummm View Post
2 cats.


QUESTION FOR ALL:
When you wash the litter box - where do you wash it?? Tub? Shower? Sink???


I wash them outside. I carry all of them outside to the driveway and empty the litter into a garbage bag. Then I turn on the hose (hot and cold faucet) and rinse them out. Then I squirt soap into them and scrub with a scrub brush. Rinse and dry. Bring them into the garage where the container with litter is and sprinkle baking soda into the bottom. Fill with two inches of litter, another layer of baking soda, and another inch of litter. Then I carry them back inside.
post #17 of 24
5 indoor cats, soon to be 6 (!)

3 extra jumbo Van Ness litter boxes inside (4 if you count the one where Squeaky is isolated in my laundry room.)

I scoop at MINIMUM every other day, but most often it is daily. I use World's Best mixed with Purina Layena chicken feed.

The only times there has been an "oops" is when someone has kicked a poop ball out of the box through excessive digging (I have a couple that will try to get to China.)

I wash them in the house using Nature's Miracle, then rinse in the tub.
post #18 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiffany01 View Post
WOW!!!! whatt do you mean they have their own room ?
I ;have the traditional "farm house". When my dad moved in with me years ago, we converted 1/2 of the lower floor into his apartment. He had a living room and converted a bedroom into a kitchen/bedroom combo. Also a bathroom.

Now that he has passed, I now use the bed/kitchen combo for the seven seniors. And his livingroom is for the 3 others. There is a screen door seperating these rooms. The mom of the 3 does not get on with the seniors. I don't want to stress the old guys out, so she and her kids stay in the LR of the apartment.There is a screen door seperating my kitchen from this area also.

That whole area is visible from my kitchen. When we remodeled our kitchen two years ago, my husband put a window over my sink which looks right into these areas. It is has clawproof screening, dark color, so it is almost invisible. I have loovered shutters on it, but that is just for looks. It is always open an I can interact with my guys all the time.

I wish I could have everyone together, but it is not to be. The fur would be incredible if I had the seven in the main house. I am back there all the time, cleaning and playing or just sitting with them reading and having coffee. They all have windows with feeders and access to their outdoor enclosure at will. Cat trees, a tram and wall shelves also.

So that is my setup. It works really good. I have no carpets, only area rugs back there. Chipmunks come right up to the door for the 3. Someday I will have my whole house back, but for now, we have plenty of room for everyone!!
post #19 of 24
33 cats/kittens

1 chooses to spend all her time outside. I have 2 boxes in the main area-a deep 71 qt and a low sided storage tote. I have 7 boxes in the cats room(that number goes up and down depending on if I need to replace some I just dumped. 4 are 71 qts and 3 are the bottom half of covered jumbo sized boxes. Then in what was our room is the 9 kittens and 2 moms. They have 3 medium sized pans from walmart(need a few more soon)

I use Dr elseys senior litter and scoop the poop daily and dump it when no more crystal able to absorb pee depends on the usage. I know its not the 1 per cat but it works just fine. My cats get along VERY well. with the exception of a few you will find piles of cats that are not related all on the same bed/crib mattress/floor at times

I wash them all in the bathroom tub. I made a "rack" so I dont have to scrub them at floor level. I wash with dish soap or body wash,rinse, then do bleach/water, let soak rinse air dry and refill.
post #20 of 24
One cat, one litter box, and I scoop it once a day and completely change the litter when it starts to smell. lol
post #21 of 24
I have two cats, one boy and one girl. I completely change the litter out every 6-7 days and I scoop in between as needed. I used to have two cat boxes, but everyone except me - that meaning my husband and the kids - did not like this set up as much as the one large but short litter box, so back to a large short litter box.
post #22 of 24
I have one cat, Aya, and 2 boxes in my studio apartment. One is a corner shaped box behind the toilet in the B-room. The other is a formerly hooded box with high sides that sits in the lving/dining/kitchen area near the trash.

Scooped every 1-2 days.
Dumped, washed etc... every week to 2 weeks, depending on usage and foul aromas...
post #23 of 24
4 indoor cats
5 boxes inside (a 6th on the balcony but they do not have contant access there)
Fine non clumping clay litter
Boxes get dumped every night (just a thin layer of litter in the boxes)
Cleaned with bleach solution every week.

This system suits us and the cats fine, no more 'diggin around for treasure' for us and the cats get a clean box every day.
post #24 of 24
We have six cats and four (soon to be five) litter boxes. Three are in the bathroom; one has scoopable litter and the rest have regular litter. The fourth is in the kitchen (in a bench-type cover from Foster and Smith). The fifth will either be located in the kitchen next to the hutch or in the bedroom....I don't really want a litter box in the bedroom, though, if I can help it.

I scoop at least twice a day, sometimes more.

We take the boxes outside to clean them once a week (Wed night is the night we get all the trash together for pick-up Thurs morning), even during the winter unless it's simply just too cold; then we clean them as best we can to get rid of all the litter, and I'll clean them in the bathtub. The box with the scoopable litter gets a good cleaning every other week.

We do go through a lot of litter, but I think it's worth it. We've had people come to our house and say, "You know, if I didn't know you had six cats, I wouldn't know you had six cats!" I don't want people to walk into our home and smell cat urine.
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