[BrittyBear]

Okay so for those who have read my later posts you know i have 3 cats. Two of which are 4 yrs old, and have been living with me for 3 years now and one is almost a year and has been here about 8 months now. Recently we bought brand new litter boxes to replace the old ones.

Ashes hated his old litter box to begin with since it was so tiny so he has taken to the new ones very fast and uses not only his but the other cats' too.

The new litter boxes are those sifting boxes with the lids on top and the cat flap door. Now Mystery and Shadow's old box had a lid on it also and they liked it fine. The new one is sliiightly smaller but not by much so i dont think it makes much of a difference.

My problem is the cat door. Today i noticed both Mystery and Shadow sitting around the litter box staring at it and trying to pull the cat door backwards instead of pushing it in. And after thinking i realized they hadnt used the litter box in over a day and looked like they really had to go. I tried pushing the door inward for them to show them how but they still wouldnt go in it. As soon as i popped the door off though they both ran in.

My mom insists on the cat doors being used though to help with the smell, because Ashes is not yet fixed and he stinks... but these are my first adult cats ive had, in the past i always kept kittens or dogs, but we always had to give the kittens away before adulthood. So i have no idea how to go about handling this situation. Mom says i should just push them through it to teach em like you do to dogs. But i dont want them scared of the litter box.

Does anyone know how i should handle this? Is it because theyve gone so long with no door? At the moment the door is still off until i know how to handle the situation better. Any help is welcome thank you ^_^

 

[CatMonkeys]

Honestly, using a door to help with smell is a little on the lazy side. Why not make a point to scoop a few times a day and leave the door off if that's what the cats prefer? Cats are much more sensitive to smell than humans, and if the box smells enough for you to notice it, why would a cat want to go in there, you know? It would be like using a porta-potty, where the smell is concentrated in a small area. Not appealing to humans or cats!

Also, for the smell issue with Ashes, is there a reason he hasn't been neutered yet? You said he's 1, so he is definitely old enough to have been fixed by now. Getting cats fixed at the earliest age possible (2 months & 2 pounds in some places is common, other places prefer the cat to be 4-6 months old) can help prevent spraying/marking behaviors in addition to unwanted pregnancies.

 

[BrittyBear]

Well i scoop every day, when i know it needs to be done. But for when im not here, if i am busy and had to go somewhere, mom dislikes cats and does not like doing litter boxes, and she has a sensitive nose. So the doors for her mostly... and to keep the litter in the box. Id leave the door off for sure if it was up to me, i dont have any problems with it. I clean it when it has to be done so it dont stink when im home... its for when im not :l my cousin and sister both dont like doing the boxes for their cats so its left to me alot and if moms forced to do it she throws a fit lolz. She wants the lids on and its her house... so i dont have much of a choice. Not to mention her and my bro have asthma so the dust bothers their noses, its why she bought new ones with lids... im going to be starting work and school and all soon so when im not home mom would want the doors on until i got back...

As for getting Ashes fixed we are working on it... its really expensive n we havent had the money till now. Soon as our car gets fixed up and mom buys the stuff she thinks we need then she will make him an appt... trust me i have been pushing to have him fixed since the day he got here... once again though, her house, her money, her car :l we go when she feels like it.... i ask her every chance i get but if i push too hard she will get mad and it will cause a fight again. I want him fixed and if i had money i'd do it myself lolz i hate locking him inside when the others get to go out.

I understand the cats may not like the door... it wouldnt be forever, i'll have my own place in like a year and a half... but she wants them on their so if theres anyway anybody knows i can make this work id appreciate it. I dislike it as much as them :l but i have to at least try or she just wont buy them anything anymore

 

[Marcia]

If you are keeping the doors on think of a port-a-potty in the sun. Would YOU want to use it when it reeks?? Same thing. You are just setting the stage for litter box issues by keeping those doors on. Repeat after me: I MUST SCOOP THE LITTER BOXES AT LEAST 2 TIMES A DAY. I MUST SCOOP THE LITTER BOXES AT LEAST 2 TIMES A DAY. I MUST SCOOP THE LITTER BOXES AT LEAST 2 TIMES A DAY......

 

[cat face]

Ok, I have a litter box, that IS covered and DOES have a door on it.
As much as I've seen it suggested on here, a covered litter box does NOT retain the odor. It just doesn't. If you scoop at least once a day, there is plenty of air flow when you open the box. Now if you don't scoop for at least 4-5 days, it might be another story!
The door is a great asset for helping, and I stress the word "help" it's not perfect, but does help at keeping in the litter.

Will the door help hold in the odor? I'm sorry to say it probably won't. They don't seal themselves shut. In fact, they swing and often there is about a half inch gap. (depends on how level your floor is or the spot you have the box.)
A free swinging door will seek a true plumb (vertical level) and this often leaves a gap between the lid and door.
But like I said, it is great for aiding in keeping the litter in a bit better.

The door thing, some cats like them, some don't. My cats have a door to go outside, so they just see it as normal.

You'll know if your cat doesn't like the door by his refusal to go in the box at all.

All I can say is to give it a try, see how you and the cats get on with it. Then decide from there. Good luck

 

[MowMow]

Have you climbed in there with the door closed and hung around for as long as it takes to take a dump? Otherwise I can't say that you can accurately say one way or the other if it offensive to your cat to be in there with their heightened sense of smell.

 

[cat face]

Have you climbed in there with the door closed and hung around for as long as it takes to take a dump? Otherwise I can't say that you can accurately say one way or the other if it offensive to your cat to be in there with their heightened sense of smell.

Lets put it this way, if my cats were so offended, they wouldn't use the box! But they have no problem, or issue. IN FACT, a couple of times when they were frightened by unusual noises, and they were in the area, Belle will quite happily hide in the box.
Sadie will hide in the box to evade having her claws clipped.

Now, unless you HAVE hung out in a covered box with a door long enough to take a dump, then perhaps, just perhaps, you may not know exactly what you are talking about

 

[MowMow]

I never made a declarative statement either way... good or bad.

 

[CatMonkeys]

Cats aren't like dogs in the sense that you can eventually train/force them to do something. If your cats don't like the litter box, they will start eliminating on the floor, couch, bed, etc. I really think the best solution would be to leave the door off, work out a scooping schedule with your sister and cousin to keep the smell from bothering your mom, and maybe keep an air freshener near litter boxes.

 

[MowMow]

If mom INSISTS you keep the door on, you could wedge something up towards to the top of the door to hold it slightly open so the cants can learn to duck under open part and slip it.

It might make it easier for them to get in and out and appease mom enough to chill out.

 

[marie73]

If you scoop at least once a day,

No matter how many cats you have, I think litter boxes should be scooped at least 3 times a day.

 

[DeafDogs&Cat]

I have a covered litter box with a door on it. This is to keep out my jerk dogs who insist on eating kitty snickers. It works. My big guy cant get his head in, and Mouse thinks the door is a wall cuz she cant see very well. Munch doesn't have an issue with it. Besides, he likes to fling litter, the covered box prevents it from being flung all over my room. But I cant say it holds in odours... I certainly know when he's going! Lol.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

[BrittyBear]

Alright thanks everyone. Ill have to see if i can convince mom to let me keep it off. If i can get the kids to help out itd be fine lolz but they just dont like to. Ill have to figure something out so mom dont get mad. Ill try the wedge idea ty if that dont work idk xD ill just have to argue with mom over it i guess so she dont make em stay outside :l
Ty everyone ^_^ if it comes to it i'll just save up and buy a different type of box that mom wont mind, so she wont fuss so much

 

[cat face]

No matter how many cats you have, I think litter boxes should be scooped at least 3 times a day.

Yea, I agree with you. I scoop as many times a day as necessary, meaning just about every time they go. The girls have a routine when they use the boxes, so it's not hard to do.

I tend to say "at least once" trying to make it sound like something that is achievable. It really freaks me out when I hear about litter boxes that don't get scooped that often, sometimes missing a day or two, now to me, that is a horror. The poor cat!!

 

[marie73]

I know, I can't imagine not scooping for an entire day - or more! :shock:

 

[MowMow]

I do 3 times a day. I'd love to do it every time they go but... someone has to work and pay the cat food bills.

 

[Heather72754]

I settled on twice a day - it seems to work with three boxes for three cats. There is never usually that much in any one box, except when they ALL decide to use the box-du-jour on any given day lol.