Covered litter box, love it

I was having trouble with my feral female throwing litter out of
the box. There are plastic grass doormats under the area that
catch litter, but the amount was ridiculous. I tried restricting
the edges of the box, but she found a way over that. So I went to
the local megastore and bought a covered litter box. It looks like
a medium-large pet taxi/carrier. That was about six months ago. It
is one of those "how did I live without it" things. Even without
the excessive litter throwing, I will use one from now on (even if
I have to make it). Best $15 I have spent in a long time.

The cover must be lifted off of the bottom half every time the
litter is scooped, but I removed the snaps since cats do not plow
into things, and it stays solidly in place. The fact that the box
is bigger and covered means that more litter can be used, so you
can scoop the litter less often per day. I think they enjoy having
the privacy provided by the big covered box. It is a win win win
situation.

The one I bought comes with a swinging door, but it was left off
since my cats did not like it. I did add another inch strip across
the entrance to keep all of the litter in the box, but they easily
climb over that to enter the box. The only litter that gets out of
the box is the small amount that they track in front of the
opening. The product came with a silly charcoal filter fabric of
some sort that is supposed to go on the top back part of the box.
The claim is that it is supposed to keep odors down, but keeping
the odor level down is what regular scooping does. Whatever, you
can just throw away the swinging door and the fabric covers.

This is the covered litter box, but mine is candy blue and not
the sifting type.

http://pet.imageg.net/graphics/produ...761238t400.jpg

Good luck and have fun.




--
FWIW. After two years, my feral female is still afraid to get near
people, no touch yet... but my male loves attention more than a
puppy, and she gets along with him, so it's all good

Hi
cover litter pan is not for every cat.
my cat wouldnt used one
I was having trouble with my feral female throwing litter out of
the box. There are plastic grass doormats under the area th

"Linda Boucher" wrote in message
...
Hi
cover litter pan is not for every cat.
my cat wouldnt used one


The worst thing about them is they hide the mess so that some people will
not clean them as often. And many cats do not like the feeling of being
trapped.

"cybercat" cyberpurrs yahoo.com wrote:

"Linda Boucher" jlbouch nb.sympatico.ca

cover litter pan is not for every cat.

Few things are for every cat.

my cat wouldnt used one

Both of my cats used the covered litter box without hesitation.

You might want to elaborate, Linda. Sometimes a detail in a
circumstance changes the outcome/behavior (see my original post
for a good example of that). Another possibility is not just
circumstance, maybe it was reacting to pressure from you.

The worst thing about them is they hide the mess

My nose works very well, CyberTroll, are you a smoker?

And many cats do not like the feeling of being trapped.

But of course they are not trapped, CyberTroll.

Sounds like CyberTroll is desperate for attention, as usual.
























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From: "cybercat" cyberpurrs yahoo.com
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Subject: Covered litter box, love it
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:12:08 -0400
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On 12 Aug 2009 23:12:24 GMT, John Doe wrote:

"cybercat" cyberpurrs yahoo.com wrote:

"Linda Boucher" jlbouch nb.sympatico.ca

cover litter pan is not for every cat.

Few things are for every cat.

my cat wouldnt used one

Both of my cats used the covered litter box without hesitation.

You might want to elaborate, Linda. Sometimes a detail in a
circumstance changes the outcome/behavior (see my original post
for a good example of that). Another possibility is not just
circumstance, maybe it was reacting to pressure from you.

The worst thing about them is they hide the mess

My nose works very well, CyberTroll, are you a smoker?

And many cats do not like the feeling of being trapped.

But of course they are not trapped, CyberTroll.

Sounds like CyberTroll is desperate for attention, as usual.



She's right though. I had a cat who wouldn't use the covered box. I
think it's odd because they usually like crawling into little caves
and such but they're all so individualistic that it's hard to
generalize.

Also, while a covered litterbox is nicer for us humans (keeping the
elimination products hidden and containing the dust), monitoring the
behavior in the litterbox is a clue to your cats health. This is
particularly true if you have multiple cats and need to know which one
did what.

Because Espy has recently had a urine blockage, I need to know if he
is peeing regularly. Luckily I only have one box for the three cats so
I only have to monitor that one. I set up a cam - here, if you're
curious: http://72.229.187.145:81

Log in as User Name viewer with the Password of trendnet - and you can
watch the box. Of course, the odds of actually catching a cat in the
box is pretty small, so I have motion detection turned on and I view
the captures daily to see what I missed live. As of this morning, all
three cats had peed within the last 12 hours. Marlo, That Girl, pees
much more often than the boys.

Surely this is one of the top 10 uses of technology, and wouldn't be
possible with a covered box.

dgk dgk somewhere.com wrote:

....

She's right though.

The "being trapped" is pure bull****.

I had a cat who wouldn't use the covered box.

Did you leave the door on the box? Again... Both of my cats used
the covered box immediately without hesitation. Of course your
experience may vary.

Also, while a covered litterbox is nicer for us humans (keeping
the elimination products hidden

The litter tends to keep the excrement hidden, unless you do not
scoop regularly or maybe your cat is not covering it. And I have a
very sensitive nose that knows when the box needs scooping.

and containing the dust),

Maybe you did not read my original post, but the greatest benefit
by far is with a cat that throws litter all over the place.
Anything that makes life easier for the owner and does not cause
harm to the animal is beneficial. So far, the covered litter box
has made a world of difference with litter box area cleanliness.

One of the problem for some might be the work of having to remove
the litter box cover when scooping.

monitoring the behavior in the litterbox is a clue to your cats
health.

If you are giving generic advice, you should include this
caution... The litter box is a special area. Captive cats are very
sensitive around/about the box. Unnecessary attention and or
aggravation in the litter box area can cause very unpleasant
problems for everyone. Realistically speaking from experience, the
litter box area should be a happy place. Here, the extra privacy
the covered litter box provides helps with that. While you are
monitoring and keeping an eye on the litter box, just be sure you
do not cause unnecessary tension, assuming you really want to live
with cats.

If you, in your individual situation, need to closely monitor the
litter box in real time... With the above caution in mind, I would
definitely agree that a WebCam would be the best (if not only)
proper way to do so.

If you are good with such things as WebCams... Do you provide your
cats with real live sounds from the great outdoors? It is easy
enough in most situations. You simply use an infant room monitor
and put the receiver outside. Here, I have the room monitor
speaker output connected to an amplified computer speaker to make
it sound more realistic. But even the basic setup would be better
than nothing. You should introduce the outside sounds very
gradually, especially if your cat is used to the deafening silence
of an insulated room/house. Having used that method for over a
decade, I know that my cats enjoy it. Cats love to use their ears
in addition to their eyes/nose.




















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From: dgk dgk somewhere.com
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Subject: Covered litter box, love it
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"dgk" wrote

The worst thing about them is they hide the mess

My nose works very well, CyberTroll, are you a smoker?

And many cats do not like the feeling of being trapped.

But of course they are not trapped, CyberTroll.

Sounds like CyberTroll is desperate for attention, as usual.



She's right though. I had a cat who wouldn't use the covered box. I
think it's odd because they usually like crawling into little caves
and such but they're all so individualistic that it's hard to
generalize.

Jesus. Mark Bender aka John Doe waits until his box SMELLS to clean it. I
wonder how it smell by then to the cat, who has to venture into the stink to
go.


Also, while a covered litterbox is nicer for us humans (keeping the
elimination products hidden and containing the dust), monitoring the
behavior in the litterbox is a clue to your cats health. This is
particularly true if you have multiple cats and need to know which one
did what.


Precisely.

On 13 Aug 2009 16:56:34 GMT, John Doe wrote:



Did you leave the door on the box? Again... Both of my cats used
the covered box immediately without hesitation. Of course your
experience may vary.

No, no door. My cats don't seem to like a door. I had to remove the
door on the Cat Door into the bedroom and just leave a hole.


The litter tends to keep the excrement hidden, unless you do not
scoop regularly or maybe your cat is not covering it. And I have a
very sensitive nose that knows when the box needs scooping.

Three cats, one litterbox; I scoop twice a day. Espy covers
everything. Marlo tries but doesn't seem to realize that only the
litter in the box can be moved. The side of the tub doesn't count. She
mostly misses. Videos of her attempts are pretty funny. Nipsy doesn't
even try. **** or poop, he does it and walks away.



Maybe you did not read my original post, but the greatest benefit
by far is with a cat that throws litter all over the place.
Anything that makes life easier for the owner and does not cause
harm to the animal is beneficial. So far, the covered litter box
has made a world of difference with litter box area cleanliness.

No question about that. None of my cats is a real thrower though and
the box I has very high sides. It's also in the bathtub so litter that
gets out of the box stays in the tub. The dust does get around though.


If you are giving generic advice, you should include this
caution... The litter box is a special area. Captive cats are very
sensitive around/about the box. Unnecessary attention and or
aggravation in the litter box area can cause very unpleasant
problems for everyone. Realistically speaking from experience, the
litter box area should be a happy place. Here, the extra privacy
the covered litter box provides helps with that. While you are
monitoring and keeping an eye on the litter box, just be sure you
do not cause unnecessary tension, assuming you really want to live
with cats.

I never had a problem, though I've certainly read about plenty on this
newsgroup. I know the recommendation is 1 box per cat plus 1 spare,
but I get by with just the one. None of the cats seems to care about
sharing it so I'm lucky there. Even my deceased furballs had no
litterbox issues.


If you, in your individual situation, need to closely monitor the
litter box in real time... With the above caution in mind, I would
definitely agree that a WebCam would be the best (if not only)
proper way to do so.

If you are good with such things as WebCams... Do you provide your
cats with real live sounds from the great outdoors? It is easy
enough in most situations. You simply use an infant room monitor
and put the receiver outside. Here, I have the room monitor
speaker output connected to an amplified computer speaker to make
it sound more realistic. But even the basic setup would be better
than nothing. You should introduce the outside sounds very
gradually, especially if your cat is used to the deafening silence
of an insulated room/house. Having used that method for over a
decade, I know that my cats enjoy it. Cats love to use their ears
in addition to their eyes/nose.


I fenced in my little backyard so they can't get out and they spend
much of the time outside if I'm home. They also all have RF
transmitters on their collars so I can find them. Sometimes it's tough
to know if they're in or out, especially during August when everything
is overgrown. I use this thing:
http://www.amazon.com/Loc8tor-LTD-Lo.../dp/B000YGCO4A

Suddenly, without warning, cybercat exclaimed (8/12/2009 4:12 PM):
"Linda Boucher" wrote in message
...
Hi
cover litter pan is not for every cat.
my cat wouldnt used one


The worst thing about them is they hide the mess so that some people will
not clean them as often. And many cats do not like the feeling of being
trapped.



I don't think it's being trapped, at least not the cat. As sensitive as
a cat's nose is, I would guess the smell of even a frequently cleaned
box would be trapped in the box and magnified.

My cat would use the covered box (no door), but if I didn't clean it
every time she used it (difficult for a working cat mom), she'd either
pee out the front door or aim for the crack between the top and bottom.
She's also a digger and will dig the entire box of litter onto even a
tiny little pee spot. Silly cat!

I eventually gave up and found a box with really tall sides but open on
the top. Now she rarely pees outside the box while sitting in it (I
call it "following the letter but not the spirit of Litterbox Law"), and
while she still digs it's not as bad as before - I think the big pile
was trying to hide the smell that was concentrated in the covered box.

Of course, after that, someone told me they cut an opening in a really
big plastic Rubbermaid box and use that and I thought - DOH! What a
great idea, and a lot cheaper than the fancy box I have!

Meep's next litterbox WILL be a big'ol Rubbermaid storage container

jmc

"jmc" wrote
I don't think it's being trapped, at least not the cat. As sensitive as a
cat's nose is, I would guess the smell of even a frequently cleaned box
would be trapped in the box and magnified.

I agree. But as clean as they are, the smell of a box so dirty the human
could smell it throught he closed top would be terrible.

My cat would use the covered box (no door), but if I didn't clean it every
time she used it (difficult for a working cat mom), she'd either pee out
the front door or aim for the crack between the top and bottom.

Precisely. With these covered boxes, it's a lose/lose. The human cannot see
what is or is not in the box, and the cat winds up eliminating
inappropriately as a result of being forgotten about.

She's also a digger and will dig the entire box of litter onto even a
tiny little pee spot. Silly cat!

Mine does this, as well as standing *on top* of the box, balances on the
edges, scraping the sides. And there is nothing *in* the box but a single
poop or pee she just did.


I eventually gave up and found a box with really tall sides but open on
the top.

This is the kind of box I use. It stops them from kicking the litter out,
but it is not enclosed, so nicer for them and I can see when it needs to be
cleaned.


Now she rarely pees outside the box while sitting in it (I
call it "following the letter but not the spirit of Litterbox Law"), and
while she still digs it's not as bad as before - I think the big pile was
trying to hide the smell that was concentrated in the covered box.


It's true. The main cause of cats going outside the box is either a dirty
litter box or an enclosed box that smells dirty to them.