It only took 30 years!

[natalie_ca]

It only took me 30 years to figure out that there is a better and easier way to do cat box duty!

I use scooping cat litter. The problem is that with scooping litter if you always keep the box full enough and scoop daily or more, you don't really have to wash the box every single week; just when the box itself looks dirty. This creates a problem.  Where do you put the still clean litter from the box while you wash the box? I was dumping the still clean cat litter into a bag to reserve it while I washed the box, then dumping it back into the box. Usually I got litter all over the floor which meant vacuuming and mopping.

Two days ago it hit me!!!  Invest in 2 extra cat boxes that I can keep in the utility closet until I need to wash the cat boxes.  Then all I need to do is pour the litter from one box into the spare box, wash the dirty box and let it dry and put it into the utility closet for the next time I need to wash the boxes again.

2 litter boxes in use + 2 spare clean boxes = A happier Meowy!

I know I can be slow to catch onto things, but 30 years? Really?

 

[ldg]

:lol3: What happens if you don't have a utility closet? :lol3: I pour litter from one into the other, wash one, dump the litter into the washed one, wash the other, let it dry, dump half the litter back into it. Dump the 3rd into one of the others... etc. I do have to wipe some dust off from moving it around, but when you don't have closets or extra space, it works!

 

[Willowy]

LOL, I don't know how long it took me to figure out I needed spare boxes. But not 30 years! :lol3: It really is much easier; you'll definitely prefer it this way.

 

[jcat]

A lot of people are going to read this thread and ask themselves why they hadn't thought of that, I bet.
DH is really into gardening, so I nicked a huge flower (actually tree) pot from him years ago and use that. It's really heavy, though.

 

[feralvr]

I use the large Tidy Cat's Scoopable empty cat containers !!!!! I save one or two of the extra large container's for this purpose. Also they work great as garbage containers for the clumps!! I just dump the litter in that and clean that box, dry and put the litter back. Then on to the next litter box. And it never fails, everytime, a cat is right there waiting to use the new cleaned out box :lol3:

 

[carolina]

I don't wash them.... I wipe the sides and the bottom with a non toxic wipe and they are always clean....

Gawd.... I was so fat in the video - sorry for the accent too! LOL here you go

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

 

[catlover19]

I used to use a litter box I got at Wal Mart that came with 2 boxes. It was 2 litter boxes and a sifter so you could sift out the clumps and then dump the litter into the clean box so you could clean the dirty one and then you just put it underneath the box with the litter in it. I got rid of that one and got a covered litter box because I was tired of having to clean the litter the cats kicked out of the box.

 

[natalie_ca]

Carolina, I did that too, only I used washable cloths. But it's a lot of work and very time consuming.  It's much easier to just scoop, dump the clean litter into a new box, and then fill the dirty box with water and disinfectant and let it soak. Give it a quick once over with the toilet brush and then rinse and let air dry. This way I don't have cats milling around, and can wash the dirty box at my leisure.

I have 3 cats and 2 litter boxes. However, they all seem to mostly use the one in the bathroom. Sometimes the one in the bedroom goes a whole day without anyone using it. 

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

It's much easier to just scoop, dump the clean litter into a new box, and then fill the dirty box with water and disinfectant and let it soak. Give it a quick once over with the toilet brush and then rinse and let air dry. This way I don't have cats milling around, and can wash the dirty box at my leisure.

That's what I do too, except I don't use a toilet brush...I put latex gloves on and use a sponge that I store right in the extra litter boxes. Plus, I like to let it dry all day in the sun, as an extra "disinfectant", plus just want to make sure it's totally dry.  Having the "used, but still clean litter" in another box allows the cats to still have their favorite toilet to use

while all that is happening (you know cats...sometimes they just don't want to be bothered to saunter over to that other box, or perhaps someone is IN that other box !)
 

 

[momofmany]

I figured out that I needed to keep spare boxes about 5 years ago. I have a spare bath tub that is never used other than to clean out litter boxes, Shut the shower curtain and it stores the boxes out of site. :lol3:

 

[natalie_ca]

or perhaps someone is IN that other box !)
 

That doesn't stop Spencer and Katie. They sometimes use the box together!   The first time I saw it my jaw dropped open.  Spencer was in the box going pee, and Katie climbed right on in beside him and went too!  I've caught them doing it again a few other times.  It's too cute!!

 

[otto]

:lol3: What happens if you don't have a utility closet? :lol3: I pour litter from one into the other, wash one, dump the litter into the washed one, wash the other, let it dry, dump half the litter back into it. Dump the 3rd into one of the others... etc. I do have to wipe some dust off from moving it around, but when you don't have closets or extra space, it works!

I store the extra set in the bathtub, and just take them out when I shower, then put them back in. My apartment is tiny and storage space is limited, though maybe not as limited as yours.:lol3:

 

[olivesmom]

How often do you wash out your box? Maybe I haven't been washing mine enough... 

*laughs* I usually end up tossing all of the litter out, say after a month or so, then the box is empty for me to give a good wipe out. I was told/under the impression that litter needed to be completely changed fairly frequently? I also use clumping litter and scoop 1-2 times a day with 1 cat so I throw the litter out once it seems like it might all be "dirty" not sure if that makes sense? I hope I haven't been wasting a whole bunch of litter all this time!

 

[otto]

How often do you wash out your box? Maybe I haven't been washing mine enough... 

*laughs* I usually end up tossing all of the litter out, say after a month or so, then the box is empty for me to give a good wipe out. I was told/under the impression that litter needed to be completely changed fairly frequently? I also use clumping litter and scoop 1-2 times a day with 1 cat so I throw the litter out once it seems like it might all be "dirty" not sure if that makes sense? I hope I haven't been wasting a whole bunch of litter all this time!

I dump and scrub once a week. I'd have a mutiny on my hands if I didn't.Cats have a much stronger sense of smell than humans.

Read this thread

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/238310/...hen-there-is-no-litter-box-liner#post_3145553

 

[natalie_ca]

I dump and change the entire litter about once every 6 to 8 weeks.  I plan ahead for a complete litter change and stop adding new litter to the box and let the litter get low.

I use a good clumping litter that doesn't fall to pieces when I'm scooping, and when I'm scooping if I see bits of litter that look to be a different colour or size than the regular sand-like granuels, I use an old non-slotted vegetable spoon to scoop that bit of cat litter out. I live in an apartment and unless you actually see the cats or the cat box or the cat hair (LOL), you would not know I had cats.

So far as cleaning the actual box, I was doing it once per week and then got lazy and was doing it every 2 weeks. That is until I invested in some extra boxes, now once a week I just scoop well, dump into the new box, wash the old box and store it.

 

[jeanw]

LOL, I don't know how long it took me to figure out I needed spare boxes. But not 30 years!

It really is much easier; you'll definitely prefer it this way.

My thoughts exactly!

  Having spare boxes is soooooooo much better.
 

 

[huyi]

I dump and scrub once a week. I'd have a mutiny on my hands if I didn't.Cats have a much stronger sense of smell than humans.
Read this thread

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/238310/...hen-there-is-no-litter-box-liner#post_3145553

same here, i can't imagine how bad the smell must be keeping litter for a month, i feel sorry for the poor cat who has to use it :S also you don't really need to buy a spare box for the litter tray, as i scrub the litter tray once a week, also using newspaper is a great way to dry off the litter tray and it can be thrown away afterwards instead of using a cloth, more hygienic that way.

also using a very strong bag to cover the litter tray is recommended, i use black bags as they are much stronger than those cheap small bags you get from the pet shop.