Littermaid auto-tray: suitable for kittens?

Hello,

I would be grateful if people could give me some advice.

1. I am shortly to adopt a couple of kittens and would like to allow
them and me the luxury of a Littermaid ("self-cleaning" tray operated by
an electric eye). However, maybe the Littermaid is too deep for a
kitten to get in and out of ? Maybe I should leave this gadget until
they are bigger. Has anybody used it successfully with kittens?

2. What kind of food/drink do kittens require? I would like to get them
onto hard (biscuit) food only, as soon as possible. What's the earliest
age for that? And do kittens have delicate first teeth which are later
replaced by second teeth - or the same teeth all the way through?

Thanks so much for all help.

"Tales of Orpheus" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I would be grateful if people could give me some advice.

1. I am shortly to adopt a couple of kittens and would like to allow
them and me the luxury of a Littermaid ("self-cleaning" tray operated by
an electric eye). However, maybe the Littermaid is too deep for a
kitten to get in and out of ? Maybe I should leave this gadget until
they are bigger. Has anybody used it successfully with kittens?

I had one of these and hated it. They are more hassle than they
are worth, and no, I don't think they are safe for kittens, who
would probably try to play with it and might get caught in it.
Scooping the box once or twice a day is just not a big deal.
Changing the litter completely every two weeks or so is not
either. It is only an ordeal if you let it go and get gross.



2. What kind of food/drink do kittens require? I would like to get them
onto hard (biscuit) food only, as soon as possible. What's the earliest
age for that? And do kittens have delicate first teeth which are later
replaced by second teeth - or the same teeth all the way through?

Thanks so much for all help.



Assuming your kittens have been with their mother long
enough to be weaned and to learn what they need to from
her (such as grooming and covering up in the litter box)
you can feed them any prepared kitten food. I do want to
stress that dry food is not good for kittens or cats. They
need quality canned food--moist and meaty, and not full
of carbohydrates they do not really need. The thinking used
to be that dry was better for them, but it is not. It tends
to make them fat, as they keep trying to get satisfaction
from it that they cannot get--because they want and need
meat. Why are you thinking of feeding them dry only?

"Tales of Orpheus" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I would be grateful if people could give me some advice.

1. I am shortly to adopt a couple of kittens and would like to allow
them and me the luxury of a Littermaid ("self-cleaning" tray operated by
an electric eye). However, maybe the Littermaid is too deep for a
kitten to get in and out of ? Maybe I should leave this gadget until
they are bigger. Has anybody used it successfully with kittens?

I had one of these and hated it. They are more hassle than they
are worth, and no, I don't think they are safe for kittens, who
would probably try to play with it and might get caught in it.
Scooping the box once or twice a day is just not a big deal.
Changing the litter completely every two weeks or so is not
either. It is only an ordeal if you let it go and get gross.



2. What kind of food/drink do kittens require? I would like to get them
onto hard (biscuit) food only, as soon as possible. What's the earliest
age for that? And do kittens have delicate first teeth which are later
replaced by second teeth - or the same teeth all the way through?

Thanks so much for all help.



Assuming your kittens have been with their mother long
enough to be weaned and to learn what they need to from
her (such as grooming and covering up in the litter box)
you can feed them any prepared kitten food. I do want to
stress that dry food is not good for kittens or cats. They
need quality canned food--moist and meaty, and not full
of carbohydrates they do not really need. The thinking used
to be that dry was better for them, but it is not. It tends
to make them fat, as they keep trying to get satisfaction
from it that they cannot get--because they want and need
meat. Why are you thinking of feeding them dry only?

In article , Tales of Orpheus
wrote:

- Hello,
-
- I would be grateful if people could give me some advice.
-
- 1. I am shortly to adopt a couple of kittens and would like to allow
- them and me the luxury of a Littermaid ("self-cleaning" tray operated by
- an electric eye). However, maybe the Littermaid is too deep for a
- kitten to get in and out of ? Maybe I should leave this gadget until
- they are bigger. Has anybody used it successfully with kittens?
-
- 2. What kind of food/drink do kittens require? I would like to get them
- onto hard (biscuit) food only, as soon as possible. What's the earliest
- age for that? And do kittens have delicate first teeth which are later
- replaced by second teeth - or the same teeth all the way through?
-
- Thanks so much for all help.

I don't think a Littermaid would be any problem for a kitten.

I would suggest you get a regular litter box with flushable
litter. Get the good stuff. The cheap stuff has an extreme
excess of dust. I have heard that there is now a flushable
litter that is made of something besides clay -- I want to say
corn cobs, but I'm not 100% sure. I'm going to try it if they
ever sell it nearby. (I live in a small town.)

Scoop your flushable litter litterbox every day.
--
8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~
"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson

http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
***Revelation 22:12*** ICQ: 349878998
http://www.intergnat.com/malebashing/

In article , Tales of Orpheus
wrote:

- Hello,
-
- I would be grateful if people could give me some advice.
-
- 1. I am shortly to adopt a couple of kittens and would like to allow
- them and me the luxury of a Littermaid ("self-cleaning" tray operated by
- an electric eye). However, maybe the Littermaid is too deep for a
- kitten to get in and out of ? Maybe I should leave this gadget until
- they are bigger. Has anybody used it successfully with kittens?
-
- 2. What kind of food/drink do kittens require? I would like to get them
- onto hard (biscuit) food only, as soon as possible. What's the earliest
- age for that? And do kittens have delicate first teeth which are later
- replaced by second teeth - or the same teeth all the way through?
-
- Thanks so much for all help.

I don't think a Littermaid would be any problem for a kitten.

I would suggest you get a regular litter box with flushable
litter. Get the good stuff. The cheap stuff has an extreme
excess of dust. I have heard that there is now a flushable
litter that is made of something besides clay -- I want to say
corn cobs, but I'm not 100% sure. I'm going to try it if they
ever sell it nearby. (I live in a small town.)

Scoop your flushable litter litterbox every day.
--
8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~
"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson

http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
***Revelation 22:12*** ICQ: 349878998
http://www.intergnat.com/malebashing/

"Tales of Orpheus" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I would be grateful if people could give me some advice.

1. I am shortly to adopt a couple of kittens and would like to allow
them and me the luxury of a Littermaid ("self-cleaning" tray operated by
an electric eye). However, maybe the Littermaid is too deep for a
kitten to get in and out of ? Maybe I should leave this gadget until
they are bigger. Has anybody used it successfully with kittens?


I don't like LitterMaids, either, because I can't see the waste (not that
I'm a great ca-ca affectionato) - unless I dump the bin and look - which
kinda defeates the purpose of the damned machine. The only way you'd know
if *one* of your cats had diarrhea is when you have to scrape it out from
between the teeth of the rake.

What's the big deal over scooping? It only takes a few seconds to scoop out
a box. Waste products are early warning signs of illness. Scoop the poop!
;-




2. What kind of food/drink do kittens require? I would like to get them
onto hard (biscuit) food only, as soon as possible.

Bad idea. Cats can't make precise and rapid changes in their voluntary
water intake in response to their state of hydration - kittens are even more
susceptible to dehydration.

Food texture preferences are heavily influenced by early experiences. So,
while your kittens are still young - get them off to a healthier start in
life - feed them a variety of canned foods.

Good luck.

Phil

"Tales of Orpheus" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I would be grateful if people could give me some advice.

1. I am shortly to adopt a couple of kittens and would like to allow
them and me the luxury of a Littermaid ("self-cleaning" tray operated by
an electric eye). However, maybe the Littermaid is too deep for a
kitten to get in and out of ? Maybe I should leave this gadget until
they are bigger. Has anybody used it successfully with kittens?


I don't like LitterMaids, either, because I can't see the waste (not that
I'm a great ca-ca affectionato) - unless I dump the bin and look - which
kinda defeates the purpose of the damned machine. The only way you'd know
if *one* of your cats had diarrhea is when you have to scrape it out from
between the teeth of the rake.

What's the big deal over scooping? It only takes a few seconds to scoop out
a box. Waste products are early warning signs of illness. Scoop the poop!
;-




2. What kind of food/drink do kittens require? I would like to get them
onto hard (biscuit) food only, as soon as possible.

Bad idea. Cats can't make precise and rapid changes in their voluntary
water intake in response to their state of hydration - kittens are even more
susceptible to dehydration.

Food texture preferences are heavily influenced by early experiences. So,
while your kittens are still young - get them off to a healthier start in
life - feed them a variety of canned foods.

Good luck.

Phil

Phil P. wrote:

The only way you'd know
if *one* of your cats had diarrhea is when you have to scrape it out from
between the teeth of the rake.

Hmmm. Not a nice job, I imagine, and you can't just rinse this big
machine under the tap to get the guck out of the teeth.

What's the big deal over scooping? It only takes a few seconds to scoop out
a box. Waste products are early warning signs of illness. Scoop the poop!

Last (gorgeous) cat I had often had diarhoea so scooping was a misery.
Perhaps two healty cats would be simpler. Thanks for the advice.

while your kittens are still young - get them off to a healthier start in
life - feed them a variety of canned foods.

Very good idea. I'll do that.

Thanks so much for the help!

Phil P. wrote:

The only way you'd know
if *one* of your cats had diarrhea is when you have to scrape it out from
between the teeth of the rake.

Hmmm. Not a nice job, I imagine, and you can't just rinse this big
machine under the tap to get the guck out of the teeth.

What's the big deal over scooping? It only takes a few seconds to scoop out
a box. Waste products are early warning signs of illness. Scoop the poop!

Last (gorgeous) cat I had often had diarhoea so scooping was a misery.
Perhaps two healty cats would be simpler. Thanks for the advice.

while your kittens are still young - get them off to a healthier start in
life - feed them a variety of canned foods.

Very good idea. I'll do that.

Thanks so much for the help!

Suzie-Q wrote:

I would suggest you get a regular litter box with flushable
litter. Get the good stuff. The cheap stuff has an extreme
excess of dust. I have heard that there is now a flushable
litter that is made of something besides clay -- I want to say
corn cobs, but I'm not 100% sure. I'm going to try it if they
ever sell it nearby. (I live in a small town.)

Unfortunately, I'm completely rural and therefore not connected to mains
waste - got a septic tank a little lower down the hill. Bit wary of
flushing solids other than human variety!

BUT you have reminded me that a really good quality litter could take a
lot of the misery out of scooping the poop.

Thanks for your help.