ok....kitty ? again

[arwen]

i asked my dh if i could sell my maternity clothes on here instead of using it for things we should use it for could i get a kitty at petsmart :O
he said yeah....reluctantly...but hey, he said yeah!

so i'm wondering about kitty boxes?
what do you recommend?

don't know if i'll get a kitty or not...i want to make sure he really doesn't care if i get one....if he does that's not right....
but anyway.... :cool

[Mothering by Heart]

The only way I would get a cat again wouldbe if I could get one of those cat boxes that clean themselves :grin

I think they are like, $80.00 at Target, but maybe you could check on Freecycle :shrug

[Mother of Sons]

The cat boxes that clean themselves aren't all they are cracked up to be. I like the ones with the hood, but right now we just have a plain plastic box and it works fine. Just make sure it's a sturdy one.

[domesticzookeeper]

I recommend a tupperware bin, fairly large, and quite deep. Cats jump in an out just fine. A younger cat will need a smaller box, but should be able to graduate to a bin when they're about 6 months old.

For litter, I heartily recommend Arm&Hammer clumping litter (just don't use it if you have a young kitten). It controls odors really, really well :grin To prevent it from sticking to the pan, wash the boxes with that bathroom cleaner that has Teflon in it. Then, before you put the litter in, spray the bottom and sides with PAM. Makes cleanup a breeze...

Now, I personally use World's Best cat litter. It has all the features of A&H, but it doesn't stick to the pan, and it's biodegradable :tu A lot more expensive than A&H though, and harder to find, so it's not a good alternative for everyone.

[UltraMother]

A lot of cats won't use the ones with the hood, because it makes them hunch down in an unnatural position. I prefer a big one that's fairly shallow (6 inches), because I have a long-hair that doesn't like too much litter in the box. Clumping litter is the only way to go, imo. My dh doesn't really like cats, but he tolerates them because I do.

[boonpnutsmom]

We have a big plastic pool with two boxes inside the pool. These are big flat boxes. We use a multi-cat formula version of Tidy Cat clumping litter.

[Havilah]

We also like the Tidy Cats multi cat formula. It's fairly inexpensive at Sams. We use standard kitty pan from Wal-Mart. IME, cats don't care about the particulars of the kitty pan as long as it's kept clean. Ask me how I know :O

[arwen]

ok, thanks!
yeah, i was thinking of the automatic litter boxes....but it was 150 at petsmart!
uh, not anytime soon for here. :giggle

my dh mom and dad used the armor and hammer and he says he hated it...that it was dusty? :shrug

[Ali]

I like the hooded boxes because they keep the odor down. I use regular WalMart brand litter with a litter pan liner and dump the box once a week. My cat is not a big cat, so she doesn't have to hunch down at all in the box. My mom has a HUGE cat and even he doesn't mind the hooded box - he just sitcks his head out the door. My kitty doesn't "go" too much, so once a week dumping works here. I also hate the dusty litters. Even some that say dust free, will still be dusty. The clumping litters can be the worst, but I would also recommend the scoopabale Tidy Cats for Multiple Cats (even if you only have one cat). It has good odor control and not dusty. I used to scoop, but my cat isn't picky about a clean box, so I found I'd forget to scoop until it was time to dump the whole box anyway :blush, so I switched to the cheap litter. Anyway, there's some ideas, but you'll work out what's best for you, and your kitty will probably let you know what he/she likes ;). Have fun!!!

[UltraMother]

Love your sig line, Ali. :mrgreen I found that the cheaper litter (like store brand) was dustier. :shrug I like the Tidy Cat. I buy the bucket o'litter, and then I have an extra pail or small trash can when it's empty. The best thing about the clumping litter is that you get ALL of the urine and the whole box doesn't have to be changed that often. And, fwiw, don't waste your $ on the flushable clumping litter. It doesn't clump as well as the regular stuff.

[arwen]

"And, fwiw, don't waste your $ on the flushable clumping litter. It doesn't clump as well as the regular stuff. "

thanks for the advice!
my dh said we should get the flushable.