Just got Terra the Cat a new litter box

thefishyone

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So I got Terra’s old litter box when she was a 3month old kitten, and she is almost 9. I decided to gey her a Litter-Robot as an early birthday/Christmas present, so that she will always have a fresh, clean place to poop. My question to you is how much time should I give her to get used to the Litter-Robot before throwing away her old litter box (which is 9 years old and starting to break apart) for good?
 

daftcat75

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Put them both out side-by-side to start. Has she used the Litter Robot yet? Once you're confident she's using the Litter Robot, you can remove the other one. Though honestly, the rule of thumb is one per cat plus one. So even an only cat should have two litter boxes. You can replace the old one once she she's using the Litter Robot if the old one is breaking down. I buy duplicates of litter boxes to make cleaning them easier. You just deploy a clean duplicate and dump and wash the dirty one on your own time without worrying about taking Terra's bathroom out of order.
 

Mamanyt1953

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Well, holy spit, daftcat75 daftcat75 ! How perfectly simple, and perfectly genius! Putting a spare litter box on the shopping list right now! WHY had I not thought of that before???
 

daftcat75

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Well, holy spit, daftcat75 daftcat75 ! How perfectly simple, and perfectly genius! Putting a spare litter box on the shopping list right now! WHY had I not thought of that before???
I do that with food dishes and water fountains as well. That way one can always be in the wash or drying while the other is in use with no downtime from the cat's perspective.
 

daftcat75

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In the worst of Krista's poop nonsense (clostridium last summer, lymphoma this year), she would often go to the box two or three times in a session. It was awfully messy. I had as many as six litterboxes either deployed or at the ready. When she had a blowout, I'd just swap out the dirty for the clean, hoping I could keep her interest in using litter boxes before she gave up and finished on the carpet. Having a clean box at the ready, sometimes I could catch her just before the carpet campaign and put a box underneath her. Necessity is the mother of invention!
 
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thefishyone

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Yeah, I’m familiar with the 1+1 rule, but I live in a glorified apartment with a roommate, Terra, and Riggs (my roommate’s Old English Bulldog).The only places I could put a second litter box is the living room or the kitchen. My roommate spends a fair bit of time on the living room on his PS4, and would not be able to tolerate the smell. I HAVE though about putting one down there, but am unsure how to convince my roommate to go along with it.

Terra HAS peed on his bed in the past when I took too long to clean her litter box, but has also done it within 24 hours of cleaning it. My roommate’s room is Riggs’s territory, and he has been known to come into my room and poke his nose in her food, water, and litter box, so I’m pretty sure she was just trying to send him a message. He now acts more like a proper guest when in Terra’s territory, so she no longer does it.
 
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thefishyone

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Terra hasn’t used it yrs, as I just got it this afternoon. If I were to get a second litter box, where should I put it? My roommate spends a lot of time in the living room, and told me he would not be cool with me putting a second one downstairs.

BTW, if you only have one cat, how often do you clean their litter box(es). Before getting a litter robot, I would clean it once a week, tops. A hige part of me getting a litter robot was to ensure that Terra would always have a nice, clean place to poop.

EDIT: According to the Litter Robot app on my iPhone, Terra has used the Litter-Robot once. I truly hope the she loves having perpetually fresh, clean litter.
 
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klunick

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Terra hasn’t used it yrs, as I just got it this afternoon. If I were to get a second litter box, where should I put it? My roommate spends a lot of time in the living room, and told me he would not be cool with me putting a second one downstairs.

BTW, if you only have one cat, how often do you clean their litter box(es). Before getting a litter robot, I would clean it once a week, tops. A hige part of me getting a litter robot was to ensure that Terra would always have a nice, clean place to poop.

EDIT: According to the Litter Robot app on my iPhone, Terra has used the Litter-Robot once. I truly hope the she loves having perpetually fresh, clean litter.
I have 2 cats and only thoroughly clean the boxes once a week. Scoop several times a day though. I don't use clumping litter though as Gracie acts like she is at the beach and lays in the litter even if it has been peed in. I guess because the clumping litter is so fine and not chunky like non- clumping litter.
 

Mamanyt1953

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Something like this might work, with a good odor-control litter:

1602342892471.png

There are several models, all look like furniture, and the enclosure adds additional odor protection. They're a little pricey, but they do what they are meant to do!
 
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thefishyone

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Actually, I was wrong. Terra hasn’t used the litter right yet. Terta’s old litter box is at the back of my closet, so I had to put the litter robot in front of the entrance to my closet. Should I try moving her old litter box to be right next to the litter robot? Does she just need more time, being that she’s had hervold litter box since she was a kitten?

My sister’s cat fell in love with his litter robot once he started using it, and I know Terra will, too. Any tips on how to convince her to give it a try?
 

Mamanyt1953

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Let me thing about this. Not something I've had to face...yet. At some point, the arthritis in my hips and hands will get bad enough that I'll need to, but not yet.
 

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I buy duplicates of litter boxes to make cleaning them easier. You just deploy a clean duplicate and dump and wash the dirty one on your own time without worrying about taking Terra's bathroom out of order.
For litter boxes, I love this kind:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XNX32K1/?tag=thecatsite

The nice part about it is that there's two pans (the basic gist of the box is that you sift litter from one pan to another each time you clean it, so you're rotating which of the two pans you're using). Not only does it make sifting the litter much faster, you can always just use one pan while you clean and sterilize the sifter and the other pan, and then after you swap the litter, do the same to the other pan.
 

daftcat75

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For litter boxes, I love this kind:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XNX32K1/?tag=thecatsite

The nice part about it is that there's two pans (the basic gist of the box is that you sift litter from one pan to another each time you clean it, so you're rotating which of the two pans you're using). Not only does it make sifting the litter much faster, you can always just use one pan while you clean and sterilize the sifter and the other pan, and then after you swap the litter, do the same to the other pan.
When things were going well with Krista, it was easy enough to scoop in near real-time or an extra box gave her options if I was away. I use a Litter Genie for making gross pee sausages. And I use dog poop bags, activated charcoal, and an airtight flour container for collecting the poops in between mail checks / dumpster visits. For cleaning, I pulled down a duplicate and filled it with fresh litter. The dirty was emptied to a trash bag destined for the dumpster. The dirty box was often rinsed first and washed later in the shower on my own time.

When things weren’t going so well, I found strength in numbers. 😿🤦🏼‍♂️
Just got Terra the Cat a new litter box
 
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thefishyone

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Well, it’s been 5 days since I installed the Litter Robot and although Terra has been using it, she still also uses her old litter box anout ~50% of the time. The old litter box is on its last legs, but I’m afraid that if I get rid of it, she may start peeing on the carpet. Is this a justified concern, or am I being anal?

Terra has only ever peed outside the litter box to antagonize Riggs or when I fail to clean it in a timely manner. Even as a baby kitten, she had no problems using the litter box. I want to throw the old one put, but not before Terra is ready.

What do you guys think?
 
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thefishyone

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Well, it’s been 5 days since I installed the Litter Robot and although Terra has been using it, she still also uses her old litter box anout ~50% of the time. The old litter box is on its last legs, but I’m afraid that if I get rid of it, she may start peeing on the carpet. Is this a justified concern, or am I being anal?

Terra has only ever peed outside the litter box to antagonize Riggs or when I fail to clean it in a timely manner. Even as a baby kitten, she had no problems using the litter box. I want to throw the old one put, but not before Terra is ready.

What do you guys think?
 
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thefishyone

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Augh, sorry about the double post. iPhone Safari sucks and it blows...
 

Mamanyt1953

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I'd give it another few days, just to make sure. I think it's probably fine now, but let's not rush this!
 
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thefishyone

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Yeah, my roommate is demanding that I get rid of her old litter box, but I don’t think he understands the danger to his clothes if ai do, as he likes to keep a pile of frsh clean laundry on the floor of the laundry room, which is in spitting distance of Terra’s litter box.
 

Mamanyt1953

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LOL, give it to his straight..."I'll get rid of it, but if you don't pick your clothes up, and she goes in them, DO NOT SAY ONE WORD!"
 
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