Relocating litter boxes

[melissa]

We have two kitties, a 1 year old and a 14 week old. When we got the oldest cat last year he was timid and small for his age. Our bedroom where we spend a lot of our time is on the upstairs level of our house. We put the litter boxes for our first kitty in the second bedroom on this second level. Our newest kitty had his base camp room on the main level of the house with his own litter box. Now that both cats are freely living with each other in the whole house, both of them use the boxes on each floor. The upstairs room has a window seat and a bird feeder for them to watch and they spend a fair amount of time in there. I clean the boxes every morning but I can’t help but think they’d prefer their bathroom area not be in a room they like to lounge in. If I move all the boxes to the downstairs room will they be confused/upset? I know cats like their routine to stay the same. Should I move one at a time? They have 3 altogether

 

[FeebysOwner]

Leave the litter boxes where they are, and by all means keep box(es) on all levels of the home that they spend time in. If they are spending time in that room with the box in there currently, it would seem they don't mind.

If you are really insistent on relocating one, then start by adding another (4th) box somewhere on the same level as the one you want to remove and let them adjust to the new one first.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Bear in mind that cats just don't think the way that we do about toiIeting, and the smeIIs associated with it. If they Iounge in that area, they are absoIuteIy fine with it. For them, those smeIIs are simpIy sources of information about each other. That's why cats, and dogs, are heiny-sniffers. They gIean information about generaI heaIth, mating status, even emotionaI state. They no more think, "OOOOH! POO! That's ICKY" than we wouId think, "OOOOH! A note from my roommate! That's ICKY!"

And that, by the way, is why a cat sticks his heiny in your face...he trusts you, and considers it your business what his heaIth, mating status, and emotionaI state are. You are a trusted confidant.