Making Cat Patio Help

[Ace73]

Hello all

Due to medical problems(cancer) I need to leave my home for a while. I can't leave my cat inside my house so I wanted to make a cat patio, or cat cage, next to the garage. The cat will be in the garage and have a pet door to go outise to the cage.

I will have someone looking in on her and feed her and my dog. And will have automatic feeder as well as watering. But my dilemma comes to my cats bathroom needs.

This person will look after the cat but can't clean her cat box so I wanted to know how much ground would my cat need so she can do her business and it not be a problem. Would 50 square meters of ground be sufficient? Would grass be fine? Grass and have a sand pit?

I may be gone 3 or 4 months. All depends on recovery. My other alternative is to give her up to a shelter. But don't really want to do that.

Would appreciate any advice.

 

[Kieka]

That amount of space may be sufficient, maybe. It won't be pretty when you get back and trying to get back to a litter box later would be challenging. You'd need something the cat can dig in because burying is very important. So no to the grass, either sand or bark chips on the whole ground, my cats do go outside and they won't use gravel or grassy areas. While long term some grass and some other material would be good; I wouldn't want to take away potty space with the potential long term.

If the cat sitters problem is the scooping of the litter box is the problem; can you maybe get an automatic one?

 

[Ace73]

Yes, I was thinking of actual dirt might be better than sand as with the dirt, as in a garden, it will decompost? I haven't been able to find an automatic litter box where I am from.

 

[Norachan]

Cat poop isn't good for the garden, if you were meaning could you use the earth from the litter box as compost for plants.

50 square meters is plenty of space. My cats prefer to use their enclosure rather than an indoor litter box. They usually choose one corner that will be the litter area and stick to that.

Just earth or earth with dead leaves over the top is easier for them to use than places where grass is growing.

 

[Daisy6]

Why can't the person clean a litterbox? If it is impossible to scoop litter out of a box the person can't scoop waste from mulch, dirt, or sand either. No matter what type of litter substitute is used, it must be cleaned up, so sticking with real litter is better..

Automatic litterboxes are sold online. They may only work with one type of litter (a bad thing if your cat is not already using it) and cost a lot, so you must be careful. I would only buy one of those if it is highly rated and can use your cat's favorite litter. But if you do find one that matches your cat's requirements, that is better than just letting cat waste go in the dirt.