my cat and her dirty protests

[shirt]

betty is a rescue cat and i think was feral before coming to me. ergo she's probably used to stting in the dirt and sand which may be part of the issue.

i started off with the cheap cat litter that clumps. if it got too clumpy she go on the floor. lesson learned for me so i started renewing the litter every couple of days. cat toilet stinks and makes me wretch, it wasn't a pleasant job so i started with the silica type litter that doesn't clump.

a few days in and there's a fresh turd on the floor. lovely. i clean this up and sift the tray to discover there's not really much there and it doesn't smell so bad. i think because the bags are smaller she cat see the mess and doesn't want to use it.

this has happened several times. last night was the same so i went out to the shop downstairs and bought too bags of a different brand silica type. i cleaned and dried the tray and then emptied both in there to a depth of about 5cm. got home today and there's a pile of curlers on the floor and a solitary turd in the tray.

what gives and how do i stop this? the tray is in the guest toilet in the hallway and the smell hits you when you walk through the door. i'm advertising for a lodger at the mo and can't see that being a nice first impression!

i'm thinking her background maybe something to do with it and i should revert to the clumping cheap stuff and just man up when its time to smell the poop [its a covered tray and so it hits with a good waft even with a scarf round your head!]. so a pretty pointless post other than i just wondered if anyone else had had this problem and what did you do about it?

[Mobile Chicane]

I've never had this problem, however I clear out any used litter from Bob's tray and top it up the moment I spot it. The fact it's quite a big tray (for a small cat) may help.

[Hilts]

You could try the wood pellets, you don't seem to get the ammonia smell with them. My cat likes the Tesco kind but won't use the Pets at Home stuff...fussy cat. Remove the crap every day though.

[shirt]

i'll see if i can get some, might be pushing it out here. plus a bigger tray [she is still well fat so would appreciate that!] and a daily clean. i've done so tonight so hoping there's no more tomorrow!

[Mobile Chicane]

shirt said:

i'll see if i can get some, might be pushing it out here. plus a bigger tray [she is still well fat so would appreciate that!] and a daily clean. i've done so tonight so hoping there's no more tomorrow!

It could also be that she doesn't appreciate a change of litter - you're advised to do this gradually.

I personally think the clumping stuff (or woodchip if you can get it) are the best to use. I'm not a fan of the silica gel which supposedly 'absorbs everything' - no it doesn't. From a cat's POV, I can't imagine anything worse than having to scratch in dirty litter.

I find incense works quite well for masking pooey smells in a small space, as does 'Oust', if you can get that.

[New POD]

We don't have a litter tray. Well we do, but it's in black bag in the garage and only comes out when we go away and my sil comes to feed the cat. Even then the cat doesn't use it, and goes in the neighbours gardens. LOL

[riosyd]

I buy this type of litter,

http://www.bitiba.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_litter/cats_...

and remove the clumps whenever I see that the tray has been used. Clumps put into nappy sacks and then straight into the outside bin. There is no smell but the litter does get trailed around the house so I bought the cat a "tracking" mat too.

My previous cat was an outdoor cat but I'm keeping this one inside until he gets used to his surroundings - never had a litter tray before and so far this is working well (no accidents )

[shirt]

just bought some clumping stuff and an automatic air freshener!

[edc]

IMO every couple of days change is way too long. If they are indoor cats and the tray is too dirty they will just go somewhere else. One of mine sts in the bath if the trays are too dirty and they can't get out. Normally they are changed once first thing then once again upon return from work or before bed time. I use the white stone chip style catsan. Sometimes the tray looks clean but under the top layer it can be all wet. I give the tray a shake to check it.

[bexVN]

Get the largest tray you can, poss one with a cover and ensure she has easy access to it and that it is not in a busy traffic area. Clean away the messes Daily.

Stop changing the litter all the time (or change gradually)

http://www.viovet.co.uk/advanced_search_result.php...

Selection of products here inc covered trays. We use one for our cat and the cat litter Okoplus. It's expensive but lasts ages as clumps dirt brilliantly.

Edited by bexVN on Wednesday 11th December 22:22

[rosie11]

Oko cat litter is brilliant BUT it does track terribly, buy much larger tray and maybe one that's not covered just an open type tray.

[bexVN]

rosie11 said:

Oko cat litter is brilliant BUT it does track terribly, buy much larger tray and maybe one that's not covered just an open type tray.

I'm assuming they already use an open tray so maybe better to try a covered one but probably take the door off (we do with ours) Yes Okoplus can track but considering I have a cat with fluffy feet I have found it no worse than most other litters.

[shirt]

i have a covered tray but going to get a larger one. tracking not usually a problem as it is essentially her bathroom, i never use it.

guy at work reckons it's the litter, his two are ex feral and used to stand on the rim of the tray when he used silica.

seems to fit as this is a recent problem. much cheaper as well so bonus and a lesson learnt.

[ali_kat]

Just the one tray?

I've always been advised (& so passed on) it's one per cat & a spare, so you need 2.

As per the others, change the litter type over gradually & clean out daily.

I swear by CarSan & Silica Gel mix btw - wary of the clumping stuff as it can kill cats if the eat it (& both mine play with the litter when clean)

[Jasandjules]

We use Master Grey from Zooplus - it is a clumping litter and the cats don't object to it at all. It also stops the smell.

It sounds like your cat doesn't like the litter you currently use for whatever reason.

[BoRED S2upid]

We had a rescue cat which was feral it used to live outside and came in only for food.

[shirt]

2 trays might be a good idea but i am convinced it's the litter and will just go with what she likes and clean daily.

i think betty has had enough of the feral life, she's 2yrs old tops and the outdoors holds no interest for her.

[Mobile Chicane]

Inspect the tray several times a day if you can and remove any used litter as soon as it appears.

Bob seems to toilet immediately after he's eaten in the morning. Typical man, eh?

[Pixelpeep]

shirt said:

just bought some clumping stuff and an automatic air freshener!

be careful with air fresheners, we put a plug in one in the hall, on its lowest setting but it made one of the cats sick. Literally every day it would vomit.

You think cat poo is gross, a whole bowl full of dried cat food brought back up is quite something

[shirt]

i've placed it next to the aircon vent and i have high ceilings, so isn't a concenctrated burst. i think we both prefer it to the smell of each other's farts.