Having Minnie and Flo in the house for the first time, isn’t just about how they will get along with the dogs and what furniture we let them on or not, it’s also about Kitty Litter.
Growing up we had cats, but they lived outside. On the few occasions (like when they had kittens) when they were inside, we would use shredded newspaper in an old basin as Kitty Litter. ( I still love the feel of shredding newspaper. How in one direction it won’t rip at all and in the other it’s like cutting with newly sharpened shears.)
I’ve never really lived with a cat in my house, as much as I like having them. So, for the first time, we have cats in the house and so we also have kitty litter in the house. Not in the basement, or tucked away in a closed off room, but in the laundry room right off the kitchen. I thought the smell might be a problem, but obviously the makers of Kitty Litter figured that one out. I have friends who have house indoor cats, so I know all about the latest developments such as clumping kitty litter and plastic scoop shovels and hooded pans. So for the cats, the indoor plumbing has not been a problem. And it hasn’t been a problem for us either, it’s actually very easy to clean and care for.
One thing I did notice early on was that there’s a lot of clumping Kitty Litter, but not a lot of feces. We do put the cats out in the morning so they have a chance to do their business outside, but as you might have guessed I had other suspicions. My first guess was Lenore since she’s lover of all poop, no matter where it originated from. And she may also have a hand (or tongue) in it. But this morning I caught Frieda in the act. Ugk!! Frieda!! I yelled in disgust, loud enough to scare her out of the room.
I guess I shouldn’t really complain, less cleaning for me to do. And at least Frieda isn’t one of those dogs who likes to “give kisses”.
Mostly I like having the cats in the house. But I’m thinking once the weather gets warmer, it might be time for the cats to summer vacation in the barn.
Cat poo has always been a favorite of any dog I’ve ever had – kinda like me and chocolate.
Well you made me laugh Marcia. great analogy!
The litter ingested along with the feces might cause some problems for the dogs. My mother-in-law’s dog ate the feces and was vomiting as a result. She was a toy poodle, so we resolved the issue with a baby gate at the door of the laundry room. A cat flap in the laundry room door might be another solution.
Ah Bonnie, both Frieda and Lenore have stomachs of steel.
I have an outdoor cat who adopted us last summer. She has been sleeping in a heated bed on our porch (covered and enclosed on three sides)but I’ve been going back and forth about letting her in the house during this cold weather. How do you keep yours off the furniture and food prep areas? My only experience with indoor cats came from a lady I knew who had several and they were everywhere; table, counters, nice furniture, etc. Can they be trained to stay on the floor while inside?
Kathy, when ever we see Flo (Minnie can’t jump on the counters etc.) on a surface we don’t want her on we just pick her up and put her on the floor. I’m sure all cats are different, but Flo seems to understand and doesn’t go where we don’t want her to. In my experience you just have to be consistent and mean it.
So she may pretend to not like them but there is something she likes about them! Funny!
That’s for sure Denise. It just a different kind of relationship!
My Vet told me cat poo was like Almond Roca for dogs…I angle a hooded cat box in a way the dog has difficulty getting it’s head in the door of the box. It has solved the problem. Nothing is perfect. But the dog will be fine.
Oh no, that couldn’t have been Frieda. You must have seen a flash of black and just assumed that. It had to have been Lenore. Frieda would never do such a thing. 🙂
On no, not my Frieda.
I would worry about possible chemicals in the litter being ingested by the dogs. I use “Feline Pine”, you might want to check it out. Good luck.
Well – around here we call it Kitty Almond Roca. Gross, I know, but labs are sneaky!
Any dog I ever had wanted to eat the cat poo, in the kitty litter or anywhere outside they could find it!! Our one and only cat trained like a dog (very easily, w/o help from me) to do his poo at the same time in the same place every day. I just followed him and cleaned it up before the dogs could. Annie
This made me laugh and brought back memories too. Although I no longer have a cat, when I did there were always two and always a litter pan. Because we had dogs too, we took an old baby gate and cut a small rectangle in the webbing near the bottom just big enough for the cats to squeeze through. The gate was put in the doorway to keep the dogs out but the cats could get in and so could we. Don’t know that it would work for you but it sure did for us. Certainly better than “kitty litter” breath on the dogs!!! YICK!
If you are using clumping you might put up a low gate so cats can jump it or go under but the dogs can’t get in. If the dogs eat enough of the clumping litter it can cause a blockage. I’ve know a few dogs that had to be operated on. Not a good thing. I won’t have it in my house anymore just in case the dogs get in the room it’s in and eat it. Just sharing the info.
Speaking of kitty litter!
I have had indoor cats for years. Tried the hooded litter pan…smelled too much…& cats did not care for the enclosure. So back to large, open pans but with heavy-duty, non-tear from cat claws, jumbo size, “Johnny Cat” brand cat pan liners. These are real thick plastic…lasting.
Before clumping litter, my favorite litter was “Fresh Step.” Crystals, not the sandy type of litter. Then I progressed to different types of clumping litter, with “Fresh Step” the best. However, with all the litter brands, there is that dusting-up of furniture, of items in the room where the litter is, with the cheaper brands the worst.
Then I found the clumping litter, “Swheat Scoop.” A little expensive, @ $9.50 for a 12.3 lb. box but I save $$$ with this brand. It is the best clumping to scoop & NO dust. *And it lasts! Clumps easy, scoops easy…litter remains fresh longer. Less changing the whole litter box! If needed, a little “Arm & Hammer Cat Liter Deodorizer.”
No problems now with kitty & litter. Mine is in the bathroom.
Once I had a cat who peed over the litter box. So I needed floor pads…called “Wee Wee Pads.” Theses are so small, thin & expensive. Best buy is Walgreens jumbo, adult, bed incontinence pads. They are pink 🙂
Yes. I know all about this (three dogs, two house cats). I have an expandable plastic gate that has a swing door. It does is nailed (screwed) into the door frame, but when we move from house to house every so often, it easily filled in and painted over. I also have a hunch that once the weather changes, the cats will be in for much shorter periods of time, if at all. (but once cats get use to the comforts of couch and quilt, I’m not sure they ever want to give that up completely. 🙂
Ol yea… let em poo outside!! funny cuz in the fall… covering with a leaf is burying!!! til the wind blows!!!