Inexperianced cat owner - silly question!

[bettymae1121]

I am now the owner of a 7 year old kitty (my best friend's mother passed away and I took her cat). Although I've had dogs for as long as I can remember, I've never owned a cat before so I feel a bit out of my element.

My question is, how much litter do I need to put/keep in the litter box? The instructions on the litter box said I should put in enough to make it 3 to 4 inches deep. Opie is a big kitty and I have the biggest litter box they make, so one 17 pound box only makes it about 2 inches deep. Is that enough or should I add most of the other 17 pound box to make it at least 3 inches?

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

You really do need the 3-4 inches. Otherwise he will dig a hole clear down to the plastic and pee directly on the plastic. It makes it way harder to scoop clean and you will have to totally dump and clean the whole pan more often.

 

[SC Minnie]

You really do need the 3-4 inches. Otherwise he will dig a hole clear down to the plastic and pee directly on the plastic. It makes it way harder to scoop clean and you will have to totally dump and clean the whole pan more often.

exactly. We have a box with higher sides which seems to help somewhat with the tossing of litter too. THe plastic litter box liners help with box clean up as well.

Thank you OP for taking in this kitty.

 

[bettymae1121]

Thanks!

Oh, and here's a picture of Opie, if anyone is curious!

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[bettymae1121]

exactly. We have a box with higher sides which seems to help somewhat with the tossing of litter too. THe plastic litter box liners help with box clean up as well.

Thank you OP for taking in this kitty.

Yes I have the liners, but thanks for the tip!

I've always wanted a cat, but the stars never seemed to line up in my life for it to happen. Opie is a sweet kitty and we're happy to have him in our home. Even my DH, who is not a big fan of cats in general, really likes Opie.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Lots of litter and scoop it daily!!!

Cute pic!

 

[Luvchefmic]

Opie is gorgeous and you will get many blessings in return for this adoption Merry Christmas to you both, sorry for the loss of your friend's Mom Opie handling things ok ? Cats grieve just like anyone else

 

[wiigirl]

Cute kitty.

 

[bettymae1121]

Opie is gorgeous and you will get many blessings in return for this adoption Merry Christmas to you both, sorry for the loss of your friend's Mom Opie handling things ok ? Cats grieve just like anyone else

My friend's mother passed last spring. It's a rather long story, but the Cliff's Notes version is that my friend lived with her mother, both because my friend was unemployed and needed a cheap place to stay, and also to care for her mother in her final illness. So, when her mother passed my friend (and by extension Opie) needed a place to stay for a few months while my friend got her life together. So my friend and Opie both moved in with us. The deal was that if Opie seemed to settle in okay, he'd stay with us when my friend moved out. She just moved out last weekend and so all of Opie's care is now my responsibility. I didn't think to ask my friend before she left about the litter box, and rather than bother her with it I thought I'd just ask here. (BTW, it's not that my friend didn't want Opie, it's just that she is allergic to cats in a major way. She'd have kept him though, if she hadn't found someone to take him. She'd never have let him go to a shelter).

So, anyway Opie handled the death and the move last spring really, really well. He's a pretty chill cat in general and any upset he felt over everything didn't manifest itself in his behavior. Since my friend moved out he's stuck to me like glue though, good thing I work from home so I'm around a lot. Other than that he's doing great!

 

[Luvchefmic]

Ahh you're a good person Opie has probably had an easier transition than since your friend came with him in the beginning

I never really thought I was a big cat person BUT had 3 in our life ( they all lived a long time ) lost the last one last spring and really missing a cat around the house We are an animal household thats' for sure Glad you're home with him, before you know it you will no longer be an " inexperienced cat person" They can be a real joy and since you don't know you don't own him,,,he owns you

 

[Imzadi]

Make sure you use the same litter Opie is used to using. Some cats really don't like having their brands of litter changed.

My cat will do okay with 3 inches of litter. I have the scoopable and scoop often. And since I use a plastic liner, I am able to flip the used litter right off the bottom of the plastic liner and scoop it right out.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Very nice looking cat


I never really measured how deep I pour litter. I use maybe a little more than half of a container of cat litter. I use the Tidy Cats stuff, just the regular full-size jug. If I had to guess Id say 3+ inches.

I don't know if it's a bad idea or not, but I line the litter box with a heavy-duty garbage bag. It doesn't seem to bother my cat, and it makes changing out the litter a lot easier.

 

[dyna]

When I had indoor cats we scooped 3 to 4 times a day. It also helps to have 2 boxes 1 airing out while the other is being used. Then when you totally dump the box an wash you can leave 1 outside to air out a day or 2. Seems like the plastic always stank if I didn't.

 

[ChiCat]

Cats can be temperamental about their litter! One of mine maybe both of mine I'm not sure, kicks out the litter if we make it too deep. If we keep it around 2-3" it's fine any more and we'll come home to piles of litter on the floor. I'm not sure if they're playing or they don't like it or what. We scoop daily, it is best to do more and dump it and clean it about once a month..... or so, again it should be done more often. I can tell my youngest cat dislikes a dirty litter box more than my older one, she seems more reluctant to use it if it's too dirty. I've heard some cats are even particular about the kind of litter used!

 

[Kimmers127]

I just want to throw this idea out there, since you are new to cats: consider buying a Litter Genie (diaper genie for cats). I got one maybe 6 months ago and it is incredible. First, because it really works well at containing the dirty litter smell, and second because you will scoop the litter box way more often if scooping is easier. With the litter genie when you want to clean the box you don't need to grab a bag, scoop into it, take the bag outside... So much simpler. Now I'll scoop pretty much every time I walk by.

Just a thought!

 

[Imzadi]

I just want to throw this idea out there, since you are new to cats: consider buying a Litter Genie (diaper genie for cats). I got one maybe 6 months ago and it is incredible. First, because it really works well at containing the dirty litter smell, and second because you will scoop the litter box way more often if scooping is easier. With the litter genie when you want to clean the box you don't need to grab a bag, scoop into it, take the bag outside... So much simpler. Now I'll scoop pretty much every time I walk by.

Just a thought!

Yes! I have a Litter genie and I LOVE it!
I used to save up every plastic grocery bag I could get to scoop & toss used litter. Because I couldn't just toss the stinky bag in the regular garbage until I tossed it all in an outside bin, I used to leave it all to scoop once a day or longer. I finally got a Litter Genie and wish I had had one for the past 11 years. Now I scoop all the time. Kitty loves it.

Here is a video on the Litter Genie/Litter Locker along with a great tip for saving money on refills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukBowjbfVO0


And you also need to brush your cat's hair every several days to keep the hairballs that cats get, and to keep shedding hair from getting all over the place. Get a FURminator.

Check out this thread and the links in the first post:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34428420

 

[bettymae1121]

Yes! I have a Litter genie and I LOVE it!
I used to save up every plastic grocery bag I could get to scoop & toss used litter. Because I couldn't just toss the stinky bag in the regular garbage until I tossed it all in an outside bin, I used to leave it all to scoop once a day or longer. I finally got a Litter Genie and wish I had had one for the past 11 years. Now I scoop all the time. Kitty loves it.

Here is a video on the Litter Genie/Litter Locker along with a great tip for saving money on refills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukBowjbfVO0


And you also need to brush your cat's hair every several days to keep the hairballs that cats get, and to keep shedding hair from getting all over the place. Get a FURminator.

Check out this thread and the links in the first post:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34428420

Thanks for the tips! I'm still thinking about the Genie but I did go ahead and order the FURminator from Amazon. The brush I have doesn't get much of his undercoat out, and he does hack up a hair ball about once a month so hopefully the new brush will help with that.

 

[Otto's Doll]

If this is a possibility at all I would highly recommend it: http://www.litter-robot.com/ It is easily the best thing I have for the care of my pets. I have 4 cats now, but have had as many as 6 and the Litter Robot makes life so much easier. It is pricey but worth every single penny!

 

[kollerbear]

Just an idea--if you can change the kitty slowly over to pine litter, we LOVE it. It's very easy to clean. It doesn't clump, it just disintegrates. We tried clumping litter at one point and it was just so hard to clean the box during full-box litter changes. The odor control is very good and it barely tracks. Also, you really only need an inch or so--it absorbs very well.