Tag Archive | "Litter"

Is an Automatic Litter Box Right for You?


Automatic litter boxes are a wonderful convenience for cat owners with busy schedules. They don’t require daily scooping or a lot of general maintenance which allows us to enjoy more free time with our pets. Many brands, like Littermaid only require that you empty the bottom receptacle a couple times a week, while others like the Cat Genie only need you to keep an eye out for clogs and replace the sani-solution every once in awhile. Of course you would need to do both more frequently in multiple cat households.

My favorite thing about robotic litter boxes is that they allow you to mark cleaning the litter box off of your daily chore list. You also don’t have to worry about buying special cat box liners. And best of all there is no more need to scoop the poop because automatic litter boxes mechanically clean up the waste each time your cat uses the bathroom.

This type of litter box has been around for awhile so you have many models to choose from. Some even come with a cover which provides a more pleasing appearance while allowing your cat to have maximum privacy. But most important, a cover will keep litter particles from being scattered about when your pet jumps in and out of the litter box. Its also important to note that most brands require the use of a premium scoop-able cat litter. Premium litters often have better absorbency for trapping urine which will keep the automatic litter box from jamming. Generally a better quality litter will control odor more effectively than any of the cheaper brands you might find.

Prices for these type of litter boxes can range anywhere from one hundred to three hundred dollars. But if you are tired of raking, scooping and bagging cat litter, investing in an automatic litter box can be worth every penny. They are convenient, clean and most of the popular brands on the market today will adequately sense movement to rake away your cat’s waste in a matter of minutes.

Overall, an automatic litter box is a great investment for the dedicated cat owner. They reduce the amount of litter used on a day to day basis and at most you will only need to keep an eye on when its time to empty the receptacle bin. They keep the house consistently odor free and allow us to enjoy our cats without the constant stress litter box cleaning. Chances are you will feel that it was worth the investment and your cat will thank you.

Want to learn more about automatic litter boxes? Visit http://www.healthycatcare.com/index.php/automatic-litter-boxes for more tips and info!

Kate Evans is a both web author and cat lover. She lives in the South with her two cats, Gia and Einstein. If you’d like to read more of her articles visit http://www.healthycatcare.com

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5 Secrets For Litter Box Success


Cats make wonderful pets, they’re soft, cuddly and affectionate without being overbearing and they don’t require too much maintenance. In fact they’re almost perfect except for one thing – the litter box. While most cats will use the littler box with little or no training it can be a smelly and messy area in the home but it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are five tips that will help keep your cat’s litter box smelling and looking great.

1. Make sure you have enough of them. Cats like to have a clean litter box and some of them can be a little quirky about the way they use it so you should have at least one litter box per cat. Now this doesn’t mean that each cat will have its own litter box they’ll probably use all the litter boxes some may like to only urinate in one and defecate in another while others won’t like to use litter boxes that other cats have used – you really won’t know until you watch your cats and see how they behave and then you can decide what works best for them. It’s also not a bad idea to have an extra litter box if you have the room. If your house is more than one floor you’ll want to consider having at least one litter box on each floor.

2. Keep it clean. The biggest reason that cats will use the litter box is that it’s full. You wouldn’t want to dig around in a bunch of clumped up pee and poop would you? Well, neither does your cat so you should be sure to keep his litter box clean. Be sure to scoop it at least once a day and totally change it out and wash it every week. This will cut down on the litter box smell as it is actually the bacteria that’s causing the smell and, remember, even if you can’t smell it your cat probably can, so keeping it clean is important if you want to keep your cat using the box.

3. Use a litter your cat likes. If your cat refuses to use the litter box, it might simply be the litter. Try using different types to find out what the cat seems to like best. unscented litter is your best bet and kittens under four months should use a non-clumping letter only. I personally like a clumping litter that is made out of wheat which is called “Swheat Scoop” and is all-natural and biodegradable and doesn’t have all that dust that clay litters have – and my cat likes it too!

4. Make it private. Just like you, your cat wants to feel relaxed and comfortable when he’s using his litter box so you want to put it in a place away from noisy areas that has a little bit of privacy. Make sure it’s not anywhere where something might happen that could frighten the cat away. Also, do not put the litter box near their food and water dishes.

5. Proper introduction. Young kittens already have the instinct to use something that can be raked as their litter, but they might find that your plants or other things in your house are just as convenient as a litter box. Until your kitten gets used using a litter box and only the litter box, you might want to limit where they can go so that the litter box is the only appealing place for him to do his business. If you bring a new cat into your house, confine him to a small area that has his food, water, bedding and litterbox. Once he has used the litter box several times and you feel comfortable it’s the only place he wants to go in, you can widen his range and slowly move the litter box to where you eventually want it placed. Once you find a spot for the litter box keep it there always.

Having a litter box is a necessity if you have a cat, but keeping the area clean and introducing your cat to the box properly can make this part of cat ownership a breeze.

Lee Dobbins writes about cat litter at Topicgiant.com where you can learn more about cats and cat litter problems.

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How To Make Sure That The Cat Litter Box Gets Used


It’s a wonderful thing to have a cat as a pet, but there’s no getting away from the chores that come with it, other than feeding and giving your best friend attention, you also have to make sure that the cat litter boxes in your home are taken care of. This can be an easy task or a difficult one, depending on your feline friend, some take to using the cat litter box quite easily, while others take a little longer and may have to be coaxed.

No one is happy with their pet using the floor or plant pots as their bathroom, so it’s in your interest to get them using the cat litter box as soon as possible. If this becomes problematic there are a few things that check and do to make sure that your cat becomes more comfortable using it’s bathroom area.

Cats Need Room

Cats want space when they use the bathroom, we need to make sure that they have the space they need to do it in. Some cat litter boxes come with hoods, they are great for hiding whats inside the box and they provide the cat with some privacy at the same time. They are a problem though if you have a big cat that can hardly turn around in it, in which case they won’t want to go inside. If you make sure that they have more space so that they can get in and out more easily then you’ll have a happier cat.

Cats Are Naturally Clean Creatures

Cats are very fastidious, and just like you they don’t want a messy bathroom, they respond a lot better when they have clean cat litter boxes. It’s important that you clean the litter every day, the longer it sits there, the more likely that it will develop unpleasant odours, and because cats have much more sensitive noses than us, it will be put off by this. Further to this make sure that you clean out the cat litter and disinfect the cat litter box at least once a month to help keep control of bacteria that is building up.

Location, location, location.

If you have a cat litter box that is out in the open, and your cat isn’t using it, it’s likely that your cat needs a little more privacy. Some cats need to be totally alone when they use the bathroom. If you have a multistorey house then place a cat litter box on each of the floors. Finally, get a box for each of your cats, then plus one. With a little care and attention to the purchase, placement, and maintenance of your cat litter boxes, you can help to ensure that your feline friend stays happy and goes to the bathroom where it should.

Andy Manifield is the owner of On Cat Litter, THE best source on the internet for learning all about the messy aspect of our feline friends.

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How to Get Started With Cat Litter Training the Easy Way


Cats are actually quite easy to train if you pay attention to your pet. Cats are naturally fastidious about being clean and instinctively want to bury their leavings in the ground, so you are already one step ahead compared to other animals.

Cats are loving creatures but if you get a kitten who has not been around other cats then you are going to have to take the cat litter training into your own hands and be the example for your cat during the training process

One of the first things you need to do is to ensure that your litter box is small enough for your kitten to get in and out of. You can pretty much purchase them anywhere from your local grocery store to your local discount store and even home improvement stores.

You will also want to pick up kitty litter as well. You do have a lot of choices here from scented to non scented, clumping to non-clumping and even litter that changes the leavings into a powder for easy clean up. How much maintenance you are willing to do to keep the litter box clean will help you decide which one is best for you.

Now you are ready to let the cat litter training commence. You will want to get your cat to figure out what the litter box is for. You can do this in a couple of ways.

First off, when the cat pees or poops on the floor, place it in the litter box so they can see that it is used for using the bathroom.

Even better, watch the cat constantly and when you see it pawing on the floor put it into the litter box so it knows what it is for. Once it understands what the litter is for, it will use the litter box to do its business.

Don’t forget to reward your cat when it does use the bathroom in the litter tray. You can do this with cat treats and cat nip (just don’t over do it). Don’t forget to be patient and diligent. Your cat will prefer using it instead of the floor but you have to be the one to show it how it is done.

Isn’t it time you discovered why most cat training aids don’t work, and how to get inside your cat’s mind and quickly teach them perfect behaviour from any age? Well, right now, you can discover these secrets for free, with my 9 part guide to perfect cat behaviour at http://cattrainingtricks.com.

There, you’ll discover many easy ways to approach cat litter training the right way, without expensive equipment or aids.

I’ve been writing articles online for many years, and my main passion is in helping people to train and care for their cats and dogs through my website cattrainingtricks.com

This is a website which provides a free 9 part mini course, plus many more articles, which will help you to train your cat to have perfect behaviour.

Lots of people appreciate my writing and advice, and I hope to be able to continue this hobby for many years to come!

Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for reading my articles!

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Litter Training Kittens And Cats In Your House- Tips On Training The Kitten


Nearly everybody like animals and it’s always the particular choices of the particular individual which type of family pet will be ideal for his / her house. This can be a fish that is in an aquarium which needs to be fed and also the tank cleansed at the least each week, a dog which is required to be fed, walked and also bathed and even something as fuzzy and cute as a kitty.

Pet cats really are among the cleanest critters around due to the fact that by nature, they have the ability to cleanse their selves without any assistance. With this remaining true however, it does not prevent these kinds of house animals from soiling your apartment or house hence the kitten should be trained by way of the application of some sort of cat litter box.

Choosing your litter box for cats will seriously be determined by the size of the cat that’s inside one’s home. Typically the box should be big enough to allow the feline to move around in and readily available for it to proceed inside.

This method will begin simply by making observations of the kitty in the house. If the cat starts to move in any unusual manner, then it is time to pick it up and hurry it to the cat litter box. Some people have already obtained the actual practical experience of not making it soon enough which will undoubtedly imply cleaning up the trail of what exactly the furry friend let trail behind.

One more ill-fated occasion is going to be coming home and locating waste. An effective way to coach the cat at these times is usually collecting the waste and putting it in the box. Next you need to get the kitty and let it stay there for a while which could help your pet recognize the direction to go the next time when there exists an urge.

The interior of the automatic litter box should have some kind of filler that should make the area comfortable for your cat. An individual may utilize a few out of date newspapers or old cloths. If this isn’t going to work, in that case it’s possible to ask the advice among neighbors who may have a lot of knowledge about pet cats at home.

In the event the house is quite large, you should supply more than just one large cat litter box in order to make it easily available for your kitten. As the fecal matter belonging to the cat smells just like that of different creatures, you should do away with it without delay and swap the litter to ensure that the aroma does not penetrate your entire household.

Pet cats, the same as all other pets, will need a certain amount of maintenance. Training the kitty to utilize a litter box for cats may well require more than a day however in the long run, it’s going to keep your household clean of waste materials laying all over.

If you are bringing home a new cat then you are for sure going to need a litter box for your cat. The only way that you can truly stay on top of the stench that their waste causes is to get an automatic litter box. Without it, you will be hard pressed to stay on top of the poopie detail. Learn more by visiting http://litterboxesforcats.com.

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Automatic Cat Litter Boxes – Worth it Or Not?


If you hate the chore of scooping cat litter just to keep the odor and germs at bay, you may be interested to know that automatic cat litter boxes can significantly cut down on the work involved. These robotic trays are ideal for busy lifestyles as well as elderly pet owners. People with disabilities can also benefit from the ease of use and extra help from the unit.

Are you ready to kick your old box to the curb and try out this amazing new gadget? Read on to learn more about this exciting new technology and how it can help you keep kitty’s area clean with ease.

The benefits of using a self cleaning cat box are many. First, you have to consider the odor control factor. If it were humanly possible to scoop up after each use of the litter box, it’s unlikely that you would ever have a problem with litter box smells. Unfortunately, most of us are entirely too busy to follow kitty’s every move and clean up immediately after every trip to the box. The automatic litter box is a tireless creation and most models run around the clock, cleaning waste after every use so you don’t have to. This makes for a significant decrease in smell coming from the litter box and may even make it possible to keep the box in places you otherwise wouldn’t want to.

On average, an automatic cat litter box only needs attention once a week or so. This regular maintenance consists of cleaning the waste out of the storage area and adding litter if needed. Be careful when choosing a pan and note whether it uses ordinary clumping litter or requires you to purchase special litter. Different units have different requirements, and special litter can be more costly than basic litter.

If you are shopping for an automatic litter box, you will have quite a number of choices. There are different brands and models for every possible need or budget. Some are more basic wile some even resemble a human potty! Most models are designed to accommodate households with multiple cats. Keep in mind that self cleaning boxes are not recommended for small kittens, although they are perfectly safe for older cats.

The only drawback to most leading brands is that they all make some noise as they complete their cleaning cycle. If kitty needs to use the box during this time, they may initially have difficulty using the box with this noise. Fortunately over time most all cats adapt to the box and its noises and functions and have no problem using it.

Should you invest in an automatic cat litter box? Absolutely! Many cat owners consider their self cleaning pans to be worth their weight in gold. Not only will you make the nasty chore of cleaning up after kitty’s business easier on yourself, but your pet will enjoy an always fresh box too and thats just healthier all around. You never know, you just might find that your self cleaning litter box is the best investment you’ve ever made!

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The Advantages of a Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box


Having a cat is wonderful as it is small and cuddly, often sleeping and extremely low maintenance and therefore is best for closed environments such as apartments. Many people have cats because they are easy to maintain. All they need is food, water for the day and a litter box to do its business. If you are mostly at home it is easy to keep an eye on the litter box to ensure that it is always clean but if you are most of the day out you need to consider other options in order to ensure it is clean at all times.

The Convenience of a Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box

For those of us that lead busy life styles and are out of the house for the most part of the day or live alone, we need to ensure that the pet has all it needs taken care of in order to be comfortable and happy. Cats are very clean animals and many times they will not be able to use the litter box is it is not clean even if it is the only one who used it and this is when a self cleaning cat litter box is the perfect solution.

The self cleaning cat litter box is larger then a normal cat litter box and therefore you need to find the right spot for it in order not to inconvenience you or the cat while using it but keep in mind that it should be in a quiet spot as cats usually enjoy their privacy during those times. The best part however about the self cleaning cat litter box is that you will not have to worry about cleaning it during the day as it will do that for you leaving your cat a cleaning box to use as he or she pleases.

The self cleaning cat litter box detects through sensors when your cat has used the litter and after about ten minutes it will initiate a self cleaning procedure and remove the dirt to a secure closed box which you can clean once a day. Most of these self cleaning cat litter boxes come with a guarantee to eliminate all types of odors and smells leaving it fresh and clean every time.

Helpful Tips

It is important you teach your cat to use the box gradually as it is larger and because it does make a sound when it cleans the litter your cat may have some reservations using it. Reward your cat when he or she uses it and remember to clean it every day in order to ensure there is enough space free for the litter next day.

With a self cleaning cat litter box you and your cat will be worry-free especially if you live alone and work late most days. Now all you need to ensure everyday before you leave home if that you leave your cat food and fresh water for the day as the litter box will take care of the rest.

Roland Jefferson III is a web based writer out of Manhattan Beach Village, California. For free resources covering Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box, please visit our Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box Resource.

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Which Cat Litter Is Best For You?


Although cats have been kept domestically as pets since the early Egyptians, it wasn’t until the late 1940s that commercial cat litter came to be. Prior to that people either let their cats outside to do their business or used cardboard box full with stand in the home.

This was less than ideal and, in fact, the first commercial cat litter was “discovered” mostly by accident when a cat owner sought out the help of her neighbor after the sand she used for her cat litter box was frozen solid. This neighbor made a product that consisted of clay and gave her little clay pellets to use as litter. The pellets proved to be so absorbent this was an immediate success and soon everyone wanted to use these little clay pellets which soon became sold under the name “Kitty Litter”.

Since than there have been hundreds of brands and types of litter manufactured and sold on the market. But how do you know which type is right for you?

The answer that might have a little bit to do with your cat is some cats can do not like different types of litter. Needless to say, if your cat isn’t comfortable going in the box you can probably find someplace else to go and you may not like it. Although most cats take to most types of litter you may find you need to experiment a little bit if you cat doesn’t seem to like his litter box.

Here are some of the materials you might consider for your cat litter:

Clay

The original Kitty Litter was made from clay and this brand is still available today and very popular. It is made from sodium bentonite which is a type of clay that is very absorbent. When the cat would use the litter box, his waist with clump up making it easy to change out. Most cat litter has claimed today in fact this is what makes the clumpable cat litters so easy to use.

Clay litters, however to have some problems they can clump onto your cat’s paws and fur and can be destiny. Some of the newer brands claim to be less dusty but these contain silicon particles which are a known carcinogen. You might want to think twice before buying any cat litter with this in it, but a lot of them do use it so you have to read labels carefully.

Silica Gel

This is a fairly new material for cat litter and is made from silica dioxide sand, oxygen and water. It is said to absorb up to 40 times its weight and does not track so you won’t have to worry about it getting all over your house. Manufactures claim this is non toxic, and although it can be expensive and might save you in the long run since holds the moisture inside the silica gel balls, the same cat litter can be used for months without changing up the box so you save on material and maintenance.

Newspaper

You can buy some litters made from recycled newspapers that are crunched up into pellet form. This cat litter is dust free, non-tracking and is biodegradable so you can flush it.

Wheat And Plant Based

These are the most natural kinds of litters and while you might think that these don’t work as good as the other letters I used a wheat based cat litter and I can assure you it works just as good in his last dusty and smelly as the clay litters. They can be a little bit more expensive car very good at controlling odor and can be flushed. My cat seems to like it too!

Other natural types of cat litter include those made from corn kernel, ground corncobs, beet pulp, and wheat grass.

Sawdust

Some cat litters used pine or cedar sawdust which is dried and compressed into pellets. These naturally neutralize the odor from the ammonia in the past year and enter pretty absorbant as well. These plants have natural bacterial and insecticidal properties and the natural smell the plant. If you have allergies or asthma, you may want to be careful with these as I know personally the pine smell can set off my asthma.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://catlitter.topicgiant.com where you can learn more about cat litter and cat litter boxes.

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