Automatic Litterbox Central

Hello, I'm new to this group, having located it in a fit of desperation.

I have two cats, Kate the Annoying (a calico about 10 years old who adores fetching socks for reward) and Michael P. Schmead (a grey tabby about 9 years old who always knows when I need a little kitty cuddle), and they're both pretty big. I love them dearly, but I'm tearing my hair out over them right now.

We recently moved from a two-story condo to a single-floor apartment. The litterbox is now within smelling distance of the living room. The cats have their own bathroom, where I keep their litterbox. They're generally pretty great cats, but Mike tends not to cover his stuff in the litterbox, which really drives me nuts. Kate will get in and cover it for him sometimes, but when it's a stinker, she's rarely quick enough to suit me.

I have tried litter after litter, and nothing works to my satisfaction. I tried regular clay litter, it was too dusty and I don't think they liked litter that wasn't scooped, even though we used it for quite some time after I decided I hated scooping the first time. I tried scoopable clay litter and it got stuck on their paws and ended up everywhere. Gross. I tried Sweat Scoop, and it never created any solid masses to scoop- only goopy clumps that smelled like bread. I tried a corn-based scoopable litter, and it had no odor control at all. I tried pine pellets, and after two days of using it (and me scooping twice a day), Mike used the floor in the hallway in protest. Mike and Kate are very adjustable cats, and they will use whatever litter I give them, but if they don't like the litter, they will make their displeasure known. I am now back to a clay-based litter, but this time it's designed with an enzyme or herbal something or other to attract them to the litterbox. Yippee. The clumps these two cats create in half a day are often so big they barely fit into the Litter Locker.

We have tried the LitterMaid, which was generally a nightmare when we tried it, because it combed the litter way too soon, before anything actually was clumped. I hate scooping, but I hated cleaning cat poop off those darned combs more.

I have to tell you I am so sick of scooping litter and dealing with the waste of these cats. Twice a day every day, and don't even ask about the days the litterbox gets changed. I hate it, and I'm miserable. Please understand that I am a loving pet owner and my cats are as dear to me as children- I've had them since kittenhood and want them with me always. They're very dear friends...I just hate dealing with their waste and would be very happy to never scoop or dump another litterbox ever again.

I'm at my wit's end. I'm desperate. I don't want to deal with litter. I don't want to deal with clumps. I don't want to deal with poop anymore! I don't want to scoop it, dump it, smell it, cover it, worry about it, or even think about it. So I've just moved the litterbox over next to the toilet and put the lid up. I'm going to stick an old phone book (our new ones just came, how convenient!) under the litterbox in a few days, if I see them using the box without any problems. I'd love if they'd use the toilet. I would. Love. It.

If you have any other ideas or even if you can empathize, I'd really appreciate some support. I'm overwhelmed and depressed over cat poop. Who knew?

MR

I forgot to mention that now I have some concerns about the clay-based clumping litter, because I read this article:
[url]http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/pets/620[/url]

The article indicates that many clumping litters have ingredients that are not only carcinogenic to cats, but also to humans! Does anyone know more about this?

MR

If you're worried about clumping clay litter, talk to your vet. They will be able to advise what is best in your situation. We use it and do not have problems. Kittens sometimes have problems passing litter that they ingest, but our cats haven't had these problems.

Also, you might try the LitterRobot or the Omega Paws box. Life with a cat's toilet is never perfect, but these two products make it a lot better.

My concern was more about the carcinogenic effects, which you probably wouldn't see right away. Here's the article I referred to:

The Dangers of Clumping Cat Litter
More Everyday Pet Care Solutions

Adapted from Why is Cancer Killing Our Pets? by Deborah Straw (Inner Traditions, 2000).

Clumping cat litters hold great appeal for cat-lovers because they are so convenient. But what many pet-owners don’t realize is that two ingredients in most clumping cat litters have been implicated in diseases and even the deaths of many animals and humans.


Simple Solution:
Sodium bentonite is often added as a clumping agent to traditional cat litters to create the “scoopable” clay litters on the market. Sodium bentonite acts like an expandable cement, which is why these litters should not be flushed: they swell to fifteen to eighteen times their dry size and can be used as grouting, sealing, and plugging materials.

Cats often lick themselves after using the litter box, ingesting pieces of the litter. If litter gets inside them, it expands just as it does in the plumbing.

Also, the dust from such litters can coat our cats’ lungs, leading to respiratory problems. The Hennepin Center for Poison Control in Minnesota has reported instances of poisoning in humans from chronic ingestion of sodium bentonite, so just imagine what effect it can have on our kitties!

Quartz silica (sand), the other ingredient in most clumping litters, is a known carcinogen for both humans and household pets when inhaled.

Switch your cat litter to one made from a plant-based material, better for your pet and for the environment. There are many commercially-available products using compacted pine shavings, cedar, newspaper, or corn cobs that make healthier alternatives.




I checked the ingredients in the litter I have been using, and it doesn't have the ingredients mentioned in the article, so I feel okay about that. I just put the first phone book under the litterbox, so we'll see how they do.

Thanks,
MR

I'm confused -- how does the phone book help? Are you trying to ease them from the litterbox to the toilet? If you do a web search, you should be able to find instructions for training a cat to use the toilet, but I've heard that people have had very mixed results.

I'd highly highly recommend the LitterRobot. It's expensive, but works as advertised and is worth every penny.

I also would hope you consider the Litter Robot. There is a new litter at Petsmart called, "Citrimax". It is supposed to be all natural and superior at controlling odors. I use the WBCL and recently switched to their better clumping and odor controlling formula and love it. I was curious about the Citrimax but don't want to rock the boat with the cats. Some people have put an air cleaner such as the one from sharper image next to the litter box with much success. I feed my cats canned food several times a week as a treat, and there is a distinct difference in the smell of the poops. Just food for thought. (no pun intended) Sage

If you have any other ideas or even if you can empathize, I'd really appreciate some support. I'm overwhelmed and depressed over cat poop. Who knew?

Believe me, EVERYONE here can empathize with you. It's part of the price of loving kitties. I want a home dna kit so I can identify which cat is peeing where! I'm about ready to 'cork' all 3 of them.

There is a new litter I have seen at either Petco or Petsmart, made by Natures Miracle. I'm sure you're familiar with Natures Miracle. That is one of those products that just goes along with cat ownership. You may want to give that a try.

I snapped when I realized that cat pee was at the heart of every conversation I had with anybody! If it wasn't the meat of the conversation, it would still manage to squeeze in somewhere. Sometimes I walk around thinking/worrying that I smell like cat pee! I swear I smell it everywhere! lol I had a dream once that I was on the tv show Jeopardy. Every answer I gave was "What is cat pee?"

good luck and keep us posted if you come across any magic.


abbey
proud owner of the Litter Robot

Abbey I love your sense of humor! You have to have it to love these little darlings! The thing that really corks me is that some people automatically assume that bc you have cats, you are dirty. I have found it is almost next to roaches. A very close friend of mine for years will not eat at my home anymore bc I have cats! She says the cats go were they please and there is no way I could assure her they were not on the counter. I have endured her Mastive AND her Rottie drooling all over me, even to the point of my picking out certain clothes when I visited bc I knew I would come a slobbery sticky mess. That is the price for being an animal lover. Sage

If you don't laugh, you'll cry. It is hopeless. Just when I'm ready to pull all the fur off of one of them because they pissed me off, they will do one of those things they do that make you go"Awwwww"' . Milo the punk boy cat has that trick nailed down to a T. Score: Abbey 1, Cats 600,000.


Funny, here I am again on a Friday almost-night, reading about litterbox stuff. I dream of someday having a life

MR~
I'd say try either the Litter Robot or the Omega Paws litterbox. I got my kitten a month ago and because I had to pay for the kitten, cat stuff, etc, I was unable to buy the LR. (Have to have enough left over to pay the rent!) My temporary solution was to try the Omega Paws box and even though I was skeptical (Roll the box over?!) I really like it. I hatehatehateHATE scooping, so this was a good alternative.

Thanks for posting that article about the dangers of clay litter... I've been combing forums for opinions on good clumping litters because my poor little guy has had respiratory problems since I brought him home... the vet hasn't been much help (I swear I keep getting the dog guy!), so I am now trying out different litters. I'm on WBCL right now... man, that stuff smells weird! Max (the cat) thought so too, but he finally did use it after much sniffing and giving me looks that said "you want me to pee in THIS?"

Once I've figured out if it's litter that's making him so snuffly, wheezy, and sneezy, I'll get me a LR! I just don't want to spend the money until I know he can use a clumping litter... sorry for the rambling, thanks to everyone on this board for their previous posts and opinions about litter! I'm getting a real education today. On cat litter. My life is so sad.

Join the Club! My garage looks like a used litterbox lot. Mostly low mile models. If it's been made, I've tried it. If it's been pee'd on, I've smelled it/cleaned it. Litter Robot for life!

I have two cats. I don't even have an automatic litter box, I'm just looking into the possibility of getting one so that I can go away for a few days with no worries. I don't see why some of you find scooping out the box so bad. I don't mind it at all. I think of as hunting for hidden treasure.

Tidy Cats has some new litter just made for small spaces (closets/apartments) that clumps faster, harder and smells less. May wnat to check it out.

It costs just as much as the Crystals Blend I use now and I just ran out of litter so thinking of moving to it. If it clumps as well as they say, might be great for automated boxes.

zzyzzx wrote: I don't see why some of you find scooping out the box so bad. I don't mind it at all. I think of as hunting for hidden treasure.

Well my cat (yes, I'm one of those freaks with only one cat) spends his day drinking water and peeing into cat litter. The vet has verified that he's perfectly healthy. He's just a very active cat and drinks the maximum amount of water a cat his size and age would drink and that's a lot.

The problem with a regular box is that he would turn non-clumping litter into slimey mush within a day or two. I'd have to replace it constantly. Clumping litter would turn the box into an inch of concrete by the time I got home. He didn't like walking around in his filth so he spread some of it around the house. He also never felt the need to bury anything no matter how smelly it was. I guess I thought that was my job.

The Litter Robot solved these problem by giving him a clean box all the time. It also does his burying for him. And he loves the thing. He jumps right into it, does his business and jumps right out. (without even wiggling his feet in the litter) and he's back to whatever important thing he was doing.