My apologies if this is posted in the wrong place, but as it's a problem with the resident canine and not felines I didn't know if I should post elsewhere. Anyway, here is the issue...
We share a house with our best friend who has a 4 year old Shih Tzu. Between us there are six cats, and more than enough litter boxes. The problem is that Rocky, the dog, likes to snack on the cat feces left in the litter boxes...yuck!
The litter boxes are regulated to two areas of the house: mine and my boyfriend's bedroom (for our cats) and the spare/craft/hobby room in the back of the house. Rocky is unable to sneak into our room without getting caught as it's right off the living room. The spare room is a little more out of the way and easier for him to access without getting caught.
With the size and layout of the house, we are pretty limited as to where the litter boxes can go. The most obvious solution is to put a baby gate across the doorway of the spare room. But the problem with that is that the two oldest cats in the house are unable to get over the gate. They can both use the boxes in our bedroom, but our room isn't accessible 24/7 to all the cats.
Right now, I have 2 five gallon buckets sitting in the doorway to the spare room in such a way that all the cats can get by but the dog can't. Rocky is a bit lazy and not inclined (usually) to jump up on or over things. Getting rid of the dog isn't an option, as he's a therapy dog for our roommate. Other than this one nasty habit, he's well behaved for the most part. Doesn't even really bark.
We're trying to figure out a solution that will keep Rocky away from the litter boxes, allow all the cats access, not cost a fortune, and not involve finding new homes for our pets. Any ideas?
We share a house with our best friend who has a 4 year old Shih Tzu. Between us there are six cats, and more than enough litter boxes. The problem is that Rocky, the dog, likes to snack on the cat feces left in the litter boxes...yuck!
The litter boxes are regulated to two areas of the house: mine and my boyfriend's bedroom (for our cats) and the spare/craft/hobby room in the back of the house. Rocky is unable to sneak into our room without getting caught as it's right off the living room. The spare room is a little more out of the way and easier for him to access without getting caught.
With the size and layout of the house, we are pretty limited as to where the litter boxes can go. The most obvious solution is to put a baby gate across the doorway of the spare room. But the problem with that is that the two oldest cats in the house are unable to get over the gate. They can both use the boxes in our bedroom, but our room isn't accessible 24/7 to all the cats.
Right now, I have 2 five gallon buckets sitting in the doorway to the spare room in such a way that all the cats can get by but the dog can't. Rocky is a bit lazy and not inclined (usually) to jump up on or over things. Getting rid of the dog isn't an option, as he's a therapy dog for our roommate. Other than this one nasty habit, he's well behaved for the most part. Doesn't even really bark.
We're trying to figure out a solution that will keep Rocky away from the litter boxes, allow all the cats access, not cost a fortune, and not involve finding new homes for our pets. Any ideas?