2 Litterboxes

I recently got a new kitten (a week and half ago), and I bought a seperate litter box for her. There is two in my bathroom, I have no other choice but to keep them both in the bathroom... it's a space issue.

My dilema is my apartment is starting to stink. Lily uses Molly's litter box and vise versa. Do you think it would be tramatic to the cats if I just left one box out? I don't want any accidents.

Need your opinions. Thanks

Swalker,

I don't think you'll have a problem with just one box, although the rule is usually one box for each cat. I have 6 for 7 cats and scoop every single day to keep down on the odor.

Let us know how you make out.

Donna

I have 4 cats and have gotten them each there own litterbox. Well all of them use the same one. They never use the other boxes I have. I guess I wasted all that money for nothing. Good luck! I think you will be fine with one litterbox.

why not try a large size Littermaid. It removes anything within 10 minutes after use, scoops into a sealed container. This will eliminate your stinky issue and keeps the litter box clean in case your cats are picky about cleanliness.

Thanks all...

I clean the litterbox twice a day once in the morning and once at night. Lily's box has a cover on it and the kittens does not. I think that is why is smells so icky!

I am going to try for the one litterbox, and see what happens.

Thanks.. I always know I can count on you guys

Of course I am late on this one. Honestly it all depends on the cat. Some cats are much pickier than others. I have the 11 cats and 6 boxes. When I had 2 cats I used one. The more cats the more the chances of accidents. With just the 2 of them, I am confident since both use both boxes you will not have any problems at all.

Where do you get a large size littermaid? I've only seen the one size. We are currently at 3 litterboxes with 9 cats - However one of those boxes is a dog litterbox I bought (it's huge) and I scoop at least once a day. We are also going to be buying a Honeywell Air Cleaner #16100 air cleaner is recommended for rooms up to 160 sq. ft. It's True HEPA filter helps reduce common airborne allergens, such aspollen, household dust, tobacco smoke particles, cat dander , and mold spores. Odor-Lock filter technology-3 times more odor reducing capacity for most odors*!!!!! I can't wait! It's about $80, but I think it will be worth it (In the winter it gets a bit too much cat smell).

Heather

Havel1hv,

They've come out with the Deluxe Littermaid. Air Princess bought one. She has two cats. When they first came out my Dad bought one. It was okay, but I was not impressed. The waste compartment was too small and you couldn't put alot of litter in or it would jam the rake. They may have improved it since them (that was back in 1997).

Covered cat boxes (I have 6 of them) seem to hold the urine smell in till you take off the cover.

Donna

I only offer my cats one litter box (which I scoop out several times a day and totally clean and put new litter in every 2nd or 3rd day). They don't terribly mind, although they can always go outside in the garden once they are well-attached to the house and me. I only put a 2nd litter box when I had to isolate a sick cat in the bathroom, or a new cat in the computer room. I always want an indoor box available for when the weather is bad and the cats congregate in the house. In the winter I usually keep one in the bathroom and one in the computer room. Here, winter is only a few months, so it is no great hardship.

I think there is a lot of nonsence about cats and litter boxes. I use plastic laundry baskets and I clean them with a good detergent and then rub the inside with the leaves of the lemon geranium or with rosemary sprigs to make them more pleasant. I then sprinkle a very light covering of baking soda and put in the litter. The cats don't mind the geranium or rosemary, they don't mind the baking soda (which is a deoderant), and they don't mind sharing -- in fact I suspect that they rather enjoy placing their own :censor::censor::censor::censor: and piss on top of the other cats as a way of showing their superiority. I know there are some cats who feel they need their private toilet arrangements, and why not acommodate if you have the room? But a few minutes every few days to wash, dry (the sun does it here and drive oders away as well), and deoderize is less of a problem than all time, money and effort to buy the latest "effortless" litter box invention.

Put both litter boxes end to end somewhere for a few days, and then reduce the two to one. If one of the cats protests by messing on the floor, then you will have to provide two for a while again, but put them side by side or end to end until you've habituated them to accepting what is more convenient for you. You will find that you don't have to coerce the cats. Just have a little patience. They really don't like messing on the floor. They like to be able to dig holes and then cover their waste. It is an instinctive urge that helps to protect them against predators figuring out where they live. This is the same reason that they very often protest if their food and water or bedding are close to a litter box. In the primeval part of their brain, they know that a predator might locate their "toilet area" by smell, and that might lead them to the cat's sleeping place or the birthing nest. So keeping the food, water and bedding away from the litter box is much more important than worrying about having separate litter boxes. You may observe that many cats will preferentially use an area in the garden that all the other cats are using. When it becomes saturated according to their instincts, they will all then switch to another spot.

I was hoping you would post to my question. I read all of the advice you give others and find you to be very wise about cats. I agree with you about the litterboxes and am going to consolidate them to one box. As of right now both boxes are right next to one another but the smell is too overpowering for my one bedroom apartment!!

Thank you Catherine.

Clean the litter boxes out with detergent and hot water. If you don't have the possibility to do this outside, then empty the boxes completely into a strong garbage bag (because the stuff weighs a ton!) and scrub the boxes in the bathtub. The smell won't linger on good enameled surfaces. If the boxes are not plastic, but some kind of fiberglass or metal, put a towel down under them while you are washing them, since those kinds of materials can chip or scratch enamal or ceramic.

Wash, rinse and then sprinkle a half box of baking soda in each and add some water to a few inches and let sit for a few hours. Then rinse and dry (paper towels mean cutting down forests, but a lot of dirty rags uses washing machine electricity and the water heater, so take your pick.

When very dry, sprinkle lightly with baking soda and put in your litter. You will notice a pleasing difference, I think. Assuming you scoop the hard stuff out every day, then the problem is probably that you are not cleaning the sort of urine plus litter dust sludge that gets ground into the bottom of the plastic boxes. Rinsing doesn't get it out -- you need a stiff brush and a good baking soda wash. Direct sunlight will also burn out the smell if you have a place where you can set your boxes out after they are washed in detergent.

PS. I am wise after the fact -- I have made some horrendous mistakes with animals (not to mention people) over my 60-odd years, and experience teaches if you aren't too proud to listen. Nor do I mind at all being contradicted. I have no doubt that I still believe vast numbers of myths taught to me by example or words by my parents and teachers and by observing how other people handled different problems. I would rather all my myths fall to the ground like the scales from Job's eyes than to be blind to the facts to my dying day. So if you think -- or know -- that I have parrotted some stupidity I learned in the past, please point it out. There is a remarkably high calibre of information and advice among the participants in this forum, and I am constantly verifying or learning new things. Scientists reckon that people who are interested in learning new things live longer. At this rate, I should live to be 200 at least!

I have no doubt that you just might live until the young age of 200

Thank you for this advise. I will do just as you have written out, and am sure the problem will be resolved.

I appreciate your time in this matter.

Again thank you! :flower:

Well, I did it!!! I cleaned out Lily's litterbox.. spic and span, an got rid of the other one. It smells so much better and all seems to be okay. No accidents, however, I don't believe Lily has gone potty now in a day in a half. I could be wrong. I probably am wrong. She is eating and drinking fine. But when I cleaned the litter this morning, it was just Molly's messes.

I will check when I get home tonight.

Try introducing her to the newly cleaned box (can she go outside? My cats mostly prefer to go out unless the weather is bad, and I keep a box in the house only for their convenience or if I need to confine one to a room).

If she won't use it, she will find somewhere else in the house (usually somewhere hard to get to), so you may have to put back a second box again for a while.

the newcat actually prefers to do his business inside, even though he easily goes in and out the window now and hasn't the slightest fear of the dogs. Today, everyone was inside (it really gets HOT outside), and there were two of the dogs lying almost touching the box I keep in the computer room (when it's not in the bathroom). The newcat surveyed the sleeping dogs, and then swaggered past them, entered the box, had a nice long :censor::censor::censor::censor:, and calmly covered it and then left. Not the least intimidated. But some cats won't use the litter box if anyone is in the same vicinity. Shy? Pruddish? or maybe the instinct that says they are vulnerable at that moment to attack.

Keep trying....