Latest poop on Litter Robot

"dgk" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 2 Dec 2009 15:20:48 -0500, "cybercat"
wrote:


"dgk" wrote


The main problem I've had is that I refuse to use more than one litter
box and I have three cats.

That is just totally crazy. You are very lucky they are not pooping on
your
bed and peeing in your shoes. What exactly are you trying to accomplish,
other than tormenting your cats?


They didn't seem tormented. It was a very large litterbox and I
cleaned it morning and night. There never seemed anywhere else
appropriate to put a litterbox (bedroom? living room? dining room?
kitchen?).


Appropriate?? Forget appropriate. You need one box per cat, or you're a Mean
Guy. We keep one in my office under a work table (uncovered, always clean
because I scoop it often enough) and one in the utility room on the first
level. This is no mansion at 2200 sq feet, but I surely could find another
place--or two--if I had to. I cannot abide a box in the kitchen or bath,
which is where most apartment people put them.

cybercat kirjoitti:

Appropriate?? Forget appropriate. You need one box per cat, or you're a Mean
Guy. We keep one in my office under a work table (uncovered, always clean
because I scoop it often enough) and one in the utility room on the first
level. This is no mansion at 2200 sq feet, but I surely could find another
place--or two--if I had to. I cannot abide a box in the kitchen or bath,
which is where most apartment people put them.


Talk about different ways of looking at size... You say 2200 sq ft is no
mansion. That's 204 and change sq metres, which, to me, is almost a
mansion... My apartment is 77 sq m = about 829 sq ft, but then, it's an
apartment, not a house.

I only have one cat, though I used to have two. They were quite happy to
do their business in the same litter box, even tho they didn't get along
all that well otherwise. When I separated from my ex, we also separated
the cats. Now both cats are happy being only cats of the household.

--
Christine in Finland
christal63 (at) gmail (dot) com

"Christine BA" wrote

Talk about different ways of looking at size... You say 2200 sq ft is no
mansion. That's 204 and change sq metres, which, to me, is almost a
mansion... My apartment is 77 sq m = about 829 sq ft, but then, it's an
apartment, not a house.

Yes, I watch the real estate shows on HGTV when they cover European places,
and note the difference. 2200 sq feet is good for us, it does not seem
small--but this is the land of 6000 sq foot "McMansions," ugh.


I only have one cat, though I used to have two. They were quite happy to
do their business in the same litter box, even tho they didn't get along
all that well otherwise. When I separated from my ex, we also separated
the cats. Now both cats are happy being only cats of the household.


Christine, I hope you don't miss your other cat too much.

On Thu, 3 Dec 2009 10:14:57 -0500, "cybercat"
wrote:


"dgk" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 2 Dec 2009 15:20:48 -0500, "cybercat"
wrote:


"dgk" wrote


The main problem I've had is that I refuse to use more than one litter
box and I have three cats.

That is just totally crazy. You are very lucky they are not pooping on
your
bed and peeing in your shoes. What exactly are you trying to accomplish,
other than tormenting your cats?


They didn't seem tormented. It was a very large litterbox and I
cleaned it morning and night. There never seemed anywhere else
appropriate to put a litterbox (bedroom? living room? dining room?
kitchen?).


Appropriate?? Forget appropriate. You need one box per cat, or you're a Mean
Guy. We keep one in my office under a work table (uncovered, always clean
because I scoop it often enough) and one in the utility room on the first
level. This is no mansion at 2200 sq feet, but I surely could find another
place--or two--if I had to. I cannot abide a box in the kitchen or bath,
which is where most apartment people put them.


I know the theory is one per cat and one spare, but I never understood
the reasoning. Mine (currrent and gone) have shared the one box for
--- well, since ever with my cats. My somewhat limited understanding
of a cat's brain is that if they are not happy with the sanitary
facilities, they have a way of letting you know - usually
unpleasantly. That has never happened with any of my cats.

A Poll then! Separate thread.

"dgk" wrote
I know the theory is one per cat and one spare, but I never understood
the reasoning. Mine (currrent and gone) have shared the one box for
--- well, since ever with my cats.

If you were a territorial creature with little frontal lobe capacity, but a
sense of smell ten times what yours is now, would you LIKE walking into the
stink of another creature to do your business? I'm betting "no." As long as
you don't mind making your cats really uncomfortable and risking aversion to
the box, which leads to poop in your bed, shoes, and on the living room rug,
not to mention pee, which is much worse, then carry on.

On Fri, 4 Dec 2009 11:30:32 -0500, "cybercat"
wrote:


"dgk" wrote
I know the theory is one per cat and one spare, but I never understood
the reasoning. Mine (currrent and gone) have shared the one box for
--- well, since ever with my cats.

If you were a territorial creature with little frontal lobe capacity, but a
sense of smell ten times what yours is now, would you LIKE walking into the
stink of another creature to do your business? I'm betting "no." As long as
you don't mind making your cats really uncomfortable and risking aversion to
the box, which leads to poop in your bed, shoes, and on the living room rug,
not to mention pee, which is much worse, then carry on.


Their sense of smell is more likely 1000* mine. I can sit in a subway
car with homeless people and wonder why everyone else is leaving.
Sometimes having no sense of smell is useful as far as getting a seat
is concerned. Not so good for a wine tasting.

But housecats aren't individuals like in the wild. Just having them
confined indoors and neutered changes the dynamics. Instead of three
individuals, I have a pack. Espy is clearly the dominant pseudo-male.
They all lick each other - though usually as a prelude to fighting.
They clearly even like each other.

That was one of my questions in the poll. If people have multiple cats
and multiple litterboxes, but all the cats use all the litterboxes,
then having a personal litterbox isn't very important. The only
response so far, from Mike, indicates that even with multiple boxes,
the cats share them.

I've had cats for 23 years, beginning with Nico and Bushky. I've read
about all kinds of problems with cats going in inappropriate places,
but I've never had a problem with a single box. Outside of sticking
one in the basement, I don't even know where I could put another one.

On Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:00:14 -0500, dgk wrote:

They didn't seem tormented. It was a very large litterbox and I
cleaned it morning and night. There never seemed anywhere else
appropriate to put a litterbox (bedroom? living room? dining room?
kitchen?).

Only the basement, and I can go a week without going down there. In
fact, I've installed Leak Frogs
http://www.ideativeinc.com/leakfrog.cfm

just in case I get a leak down there since I likely wouldn't know
until too late.

What you are doing sounds to me like it's working
You would be the first to know if it wasn't

A neighbors old old cat could not get outside so they put in a litter
box for it (only)

Then their two other cats would use it as well without hesitation in
preference to going outside (for the last 20 odd years mine fertilizes
the orchids which thrive?) In fact they would come from outside to use
it?

My neighborhood all have big yards, fair size houses (200 sq m)
cats go outside for business cats generally come inside to eat and
maybe sleep (Australia, Suburban Sydney)
--
Petzl
http://tinyurl.com/atheist-mp3

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:51:34 -0500 from dgk :
I know the theory is one per cat and one spare, but I never understood
the reasoning.

Perhaps it was bruited about by litter-box manufacturers. :-)

It's self-evidently absurd in a one-cat household, and during all the
years I had two cats they used the same box quite happily.



--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...