Efficient way to scoop the litter box?

the catsage

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Hello,

A few days ago I made a thread about my potential cat not using the litter box http://www.thecatsite.com/t/319722/the-feral-im-adopting-wont-use-the-litter-box

Today I have another problem: I don't know how to properly clean it. When she is peeing, the pee sticks the sand together on the bottom of the box. What I do is just scoop that wet sand off and put it into the trash in a separate plastic bag from other stuff then add more fresh litter. Is this efficient though? Do I even need to do it this way? Do I even need to remove pee like this?

How do you clean yours? I need your experience :)

Thank you.
 
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tabbytom

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Hi Catsage, regarding scooping of the litter box, what I did was I change my 5 1/2 kitten's litter box to a larger and deeper box from a smaller and shallower box that he used to have. I put in about 2 ins of clumping litter. This way, my kitten has got more sand to dig and he doesn't dig all the way to the bottom because the sand is deep enuff.
And if the sand is deep enuff, the urine might not flow all the way down to the bottom and you won't have the urine sticking to the bottom. Wait for some time till the clumping is done before scooping out the urine, otherwise if you scoop it immediately you'll have a big problem scooping and you'll get urine sticking to the scoop and the sand will disintegrate and all fall apart.
I got an ice cream tub and place a plastic bag over it and I scooped the hardened urine and pile them in the tub and throw away the bag when it's full. But if I'm scooping his poop, I'll immediately throw away the bag.
I fill up the litter every two days or so depending on how often my kitten urinates. This is what I do for his litter box. Maybe some others have a better way to do it.
Hope this helps :catguy:

Sorry, my kitten is 5 1/2 months old, not 5 1/2 kitten :smshfrk:
 
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jcat

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Welcome to TCS!

These articles contain some tips you might find useful:
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[article="0"][/article]

One of our members posted this video to YouTube a couple of years ago:

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]
 

LTS3

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You need to have at least 3 inches of litter in the box to prevent urine from reaching the bottom of the box and causing a sticky mess that has to be scraped off.

What kind of "sand" are you using? Something that you get outside from a child's sand box or a garden? Sand doesn't clump very well and offers no odor control. Clumping cat litter is best to use.
 

catlover73

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I have 4 cats and 4 litter boxes.  Each one is a different depth due to my cats preferences.  My biggest cat is a digger.  He has a larger deep litter box which definitely has more than 3 inches of litter in it. I use clumping litter and scoop all the boxes every other day. Once I got him a large deeper litter box and put extra litter in it the problem went away.  Even though I have multiple litter boxes he has chosen that box as his own.  My other 3 cats will use any of the 4 litter boxes but they dig less so it is not an issue.  You may just need a deeper box with more litter in it.
 
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the catsage

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Hello again,

Today an accident happened :(

The cat went to the bathroom thrice during night (unusual for her) and she did a lot of mess. As I had scooped before bed I wanted to at least wait until morning before work to scoop again, but something happened - she went into the bathroom for the 4th time since last scooping, this time to poop (I didnt expect her to, she did it 14 hours ago). And what's worse, as most of the litter was wet from urine, she took a piece of poop out with herself...my mistake I know, but I didn't expect her to urinate that much, had to ask for the day off work to clean her mess, took me 2 hours.

So until now I'm going through 3 to 4 kilograms of litter a day, that translated to cost is 2 dollars a day, 60 dollars a month, 720 dollars a year...her food costs us 300 dollars a year. The litter is costing a lot more than I'd expected it to, I never thought it'd do more than 100 dollars a year, so again I'm back to point A. Am I being efficient enough when cleaning it?

I just remove the feces and urine clumps, and it hurts when I see myself filling a medium sized plastic bag completely with wet clay litter. I cannot afford that much. Should I switch to other type of litter? Should I break the clumps up and leave them there and only remove the poop then replace the litter once a month (this would reduce cost by like 6x, I'm just not sure it would work).

Anyone have any ideas? This is stressing me so much. It's a relief knowing she's getting spayed in just 1 month and then she's going back to her feral ways but then again it stresses me out knowing I'm adopting her son and as a consequence I'm going to have to go through these things every day...I definitely need to change something.
 

tabbytom

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It's hard to predict when your cat will poop. My cat used to poop every morn around the same time but now he doesn't do it in the morn but at night. Some days he poop twice and some days once. He pees around 5-7 times a day ranging from little pees to heavy pees. Evidence left by him after using his litter box are that some litter are spilled out because he never walk or climbed out but instead he jumped out of the box and also I can see that there are little humps in the litter box to show that he cover his business. Pee are small humps and poo are higher humps.
Get an extra large box and fill up 2-3 inches of clumping kitty litter (I filled up 2ins and some others do 3ins). A bigger box gives your cat more space to select an empty spot and a deeper sand gives your cat more litter to cover up and also urine won't flow right to the bottom and it's easier to scoop the urine because it is not stucked to the bottom and poo definely won't sink in.
If while scooping, if urine does not dislodge easily means it is still wet or damp. Leave that pile alone and scoop others first and come back later for that pile. Otherwise the wet or damp pile will break up and you'll have many smaller wet/damp pieces of litter around and it gets mixed up with the rest.
 
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the catsage

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Umm actually she's a feral cat that I'm keeping until she can be spayed and her kittens grow up, I've taken her in temporarily. She's way too feral to be adopted sadly, but on the other hand I cannot find home for all the kittens, if I could pick between keeping her and the kitten it'd be the kitten cause he has never lived outside, and the mother is feral. I am going to release her back after spaying, until then she's staying in. All I want to do is control her birth and then I'll adopt one of the kittens, not giving up on her or anything.

She still holds bonds with her feral colony, well she did until a few days ago when we decided to completely lock her in and I suppose nothing will change between them until we release her. Sadly we cannot afford to spay all of them, but this one deserves it for bringing us home our future cat. The other 2 kittens we are giving to other families for adoption, so all babies will have homes :)

The litter though is costing a lot, way more than the food. Maybe its because she uses clumping litter, not sure if non-clumping would cost less. But at the moment I wonder why people say they spend 4 to 10 dollars a month on litter. It's a lot more expensive for me so I am doing something completely wrong.
 

tabbytom

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Is the mother of the kittens and the kittens using the litter box too? Not sure it has got anything to do with de-worming. Kittens eat a lot and poo a lot. I kind of remember that my kitten, he was a rescued abandoned kitten with a big gash wound on his bum next to his anus when he was only 3 weeks old.

He started using the litter box immediately and think he pooed and peed a lot. Now at 6 months, he poo once a day and probably pee 5-6 times a day. Maybe after spaying the the adult cat might decide to stay with you and the kitten?

Glad that the other kittens have found new homes :clap:

Did you use a scoop with holes in them so that the loose litter will fall back to the tray?

Unless you scout around or wait for others to recommend a more affordable clumping litter? I have not used non clumping litter before, so I cannot comment on that. I hope you find a solution for this.
 

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What kind of litter are you using?  What kind of litter box?  Do the kittens have access to this box as well?
 
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the catsage

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Hello, thanks for the replies.

The litter box is a plastic rectangle box, the sides are a few centimeters above the ground, and its open. The kittens are still being cleaned by their mother but during this week I expect them to start using it, they already have teeth but find it more comfortable to drink from the mother, they are already sniffing the mother's food though so soon they may start eating it and as a consequence use the litter box :)

The litter I'm using is clay, clumping clay. I scoop it every morning and night and I'm throwing all the clumped litter away, that's the part that stresses me out most when cleaning it. I love it when there's poop cause it means I'm throwing less litter away. But for some reason I have a feeling I'm doing something wrong unnecessarily. Like dumping too much litter or something. I just scoop off all the wet litter, nothing more nothing less. So maybe I could use a different cheaper litter? I mean this is the cheapest per kg but a lot gets thrown away every day, maybe the more expensive non-clumping litter would be cheaper in the long run because of not being thrown out? And dirtier too? Ugh...whatever...I'd sacrifice some hygiene for lower cost as long as it's just enough for the cat to use the litter box. Maybe urine won't smell even if left on the box? Idk it's supposed to be sterile, or not?
 
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talkingpeanut

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No, you definitely need to throw away all of the litter that has been used. There is no wiggle room there.

You need multiple litter boxes. One for mom, and one for the kittens. Mom needs one with proper deep sides. She can have 4-5 inches of litter. That way she can properly bury her pee and poop in clumping litter and then you scoop out the clumps. You waste a lot less that way. It can be worth it to buy a quality litter instead of the cheapest.

Kittens can only have nonclumping litter because they may eat it. It can clump in their digestive tracts and easily kill them. Their litter boxes can be disposable box tops or baking trays and low to the ground with just a bit of litter.

Here's the thing, and I don't want to overstep, but cats cost quite a bit of money. Kittens eat a lot, and will need vet care, and will always need litter boxes, and may have emergencies. I can feel the anxiety in your post. You've done a wonderful thing for this family. Are you sure you want to keep a kitten?
 
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the catsage

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Yes I am sure I want to keep a kitten. It is not the cost of a single cat that's bothering me much, it is the cost of all 4 of them that is causing a bit of a problem, then every little thing that adds looks like a disaster. When the other 2 kittens get adopted and mother gets spayed and released back to her habitat I will be able to fully support all the needs of the one cat I keep, I've done a detailed calculation of costs and I can support him easily.

The reason why I made this thread is because I've googled a bit about how much people spend on litter boxes, there are some who spend hundreds a month, others who say they spend 4 to 10 dollars per cat, but they havent given much details. So I am just trying to economize, if there is a cheaper way of doing the litter stuff then why pay more when I could do the other way, and use the saved money for treats for example? I don't want to reinvent the wheel, I could experiment myself but then if there are people already doing it then it would be better to get their share of experience, instead of buying different types of litter to experiment and spending money that doesn't have to be spent :)
 

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Can you take a picture of you litter box? I'm having trouble imagining how tall it is. I agree that she needs like 3 inches of litter to work with, and get the kittens another litter box with small sides and nonclumping litter (doesn't have to be a branded litter box, just any container that would work). I think clumping litter is best for adult cats as far as the clean up, maybe the brand you're using just isn't absorbent or isn't clumping well. We use store brand clumping litter.

Is he going to be the only kitten in the house? It's going to be hard on him if he's going to be the only cat. Some rescue groups don't lets people adopt single kittens, and require people to get them in pairs. A lot of kittens don't learn how to interact well and can bite/scratch when they don't have other cats to teach them where the line is. You're going to really have to work hard to meet his play needs, like possibly 1-2 hours of playing. Be sure to buy him toys you guys can interact together with.
 

tabbytom

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I really can't comment on how much I spent on food and litter at the moment because I'm not keeping track of the expenditure for my kitten. All I know for know I just keep feeding him to his heart'ts content and top up the litter box regularly. I know this is not helping you.

Ya, good to show what size and how much litter you put in there, so that the experts don't have to guess in order to instruct you. I'm no expert, I'm just sharing through trial and errors and go with what works for my kitten.

And I don't live in your region and so I cannot tell you what brand of litter to get.

Maybe bear with them for the next few months till they weaned off and the other 2 kittens get adopted by your friends. Think from there it'll be a easier load for you.
 

tabbytom

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Draco the mentor just started this thread. Maybe you might like to hang around this thread and hear what others recommend.
( not sure if I've linked it correctly)

[thread="320479"]​[/thread]
 
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the catsage

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The thing is, in my country cats are seen as taboo. You tell someone that you have a cat and he will immediately ask questions like "How can you keep a pest at home, do you bathe it daily, have you cut its nails, are you sure you arent infected already?" etc etc etc. Even the vets have very little cat accessories and don't have much experience with dealing with cats. Giving them to friends is not an option, my friends freak out when I mention the word cat. I've barely managed to find home for 1 kitten until now, and if I cannot find home for the other 2 I will adopt both, but I am very hopeful that I will be able to give one away, at the moment I am following daily the sites where people normally buy pets (99.9999% dogs), but if anyone asks for a cat I am going to contact him immediately. I don't want them to live on the streets, thats all. If I can't get someone to adopt one of the remaining kittens then I will keep both no matter the costs. They're not going to the streets, I am adamant. And coming from a low income family, it is normal for me to ask if there is any cheaper alternative to do anything. I do not live in the states where everything looks cheap compared to income. To put it into perspective, at the moment we are spending 10% of our family's total monthly income on cat litter, which is costing us 4 to 5 times more than cat food, something isn't right here. And rude comments do not help, sorry. I've always loved cats and this is the perfect moment for me to get one, rather than put them on the streets. If I wanted to give up on them I wouldn't have been posting here.

I am just trying to economize as much as possible...but then again I believe this thread went out of control and I doubt I'm going to get any help here, I'm not interested to argue, I came here for help, because I've seen people spending way less than me on the same routine so was wondering how they do it. I am pretty sure they haven't given up on their cats by spending 10x less than me on litter. Thanks for the link to the other thread, that is basically what I have been asking all along but I've been specific to cat litter and not other stuff.

Thanks again.
 

sprin

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The thing is, in my country cats are seen as taboo. You tell someone that you have a cat and he will immediately ask questions like "How can you keep a pest at home, do you bathe it daily, have you cut its nails, are you sure you arent infected already?" etc etc etc. Even the vets have very little cat accessories and don't have much experience with dealing with cats. Giving them to friends is not an option, my friends freak out when I mention the word cat. I've barely managed to find home for 1 kitten until now, and if I cannot find home for the other 2 I will adopt both, but I am very hopeful that I will be able to give one away, at the moment I am following daily the sites where people normally buy pets (99.9999% dogs), but if anyone asks for a cat I am going to contact him immediately. I don't want them to live on the streets, thats all. If I can't get someone to adopt one of the remaining kittens then I will keep both no matter the costs. They're not going to the streets, I am adamant. And coming from a low income family, it is normal for me to ask if there is any cheaper alternative to do anything. I do not live in the states where everything looks cheap compared to income. To put it into perspective, at the moment we are spending 10% of our family's total monthly income on cat litter, which is costing us 4 to 5 times more than cat food, something isn't right here. And rude comments do not help, sorry. I've always loved cats and this is the perfect moment for me to get one, rather than put them on the streets. If I wanted to give up on them I wouldn't have been posting here.

I am just trying to economize as much as possible...but then again I believe this thread went out of control and I doubt I'm going to get any help here, I'm not interested to argue, I came here for help, because I've seen people spending way less than me on the same routine so was wondering how they do it. I am pretty sure they haven't given up on their cats by spending 10x less than me on litter. Thanks for the link to the other thread, that is basically what I have been asking all along but I've been specific to cat litter and not other stuff.

Thanks again.
I'm sorry. I don't know if you were interpreting my post as mean, but I didn't intend it to be. I have a 1 year old cat now, and it's really hard to maintain the kind of play schedule and energy he needs. I wish I had another young cat to play with him. I think he grew up an only cat, and he really doesn't realize when he's playing too hard and hurting me. I wanted to let you know that this can be an issue with raising an only kitten, so you might choose to keep two or at least be aware of what might happen.
 
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