Dear all,
I have been taking care of a lovely partly paralyzed cat for some years, and we are very happy together. She is great! She can't use her back legs anymore, nor actively move her tail. She has full control over her bladder & poo. However, she doesn't like her current litter boxes very much. I put newspapers in them, which she claws through with her very strong front paws after her business. She likes cushion like things much better though. I don't put normal litter in the box, because she would dirty herself with it and might get ill from swallowing it while licking it. Also, she uses the boxes when i am not there too, so I couldn't clean her afterwards always. Do you have any idea what I could put in her boxes that she would like and would be safe? Or another system maybe? I browsed through forum and site a lot, couldn't find it, although there is a lot of helpfull information there.
Thanks, Anna, a newby.
Litter for litter box?
I'd definitely try Yesterday's News. I have a similar problem with my very senior Himalayan. When she goes to the box, she gets tired and kind of sits right on the litter. If she wets on the clumping litter, then she walks out of the box with a big ugly mess of clumped clay on her bottom, and sometimes doesn't even try to clean it, she is so depressed, she hates that. Yesterday's News is pellets of recycled newspaper. It smells very pleasant, I love the smell. Your kitty will probably track some of it out of the box, but it's easy to vacuum up. It will smell like ammonia in about 3 days, so you have to change it, it's not like the clumping litter where you can go several weeks if you just scoop. I converted our whole house (6 litter boxes) to YN and we love it!. I no longer have dust everywhere, either, which was always true with the so-called 99% dust free stuff.
You might also try the Purina SecondNature Dog Litter pan for a large litter box with a low opening. There is a picture of it here.
https://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/?title=Litterbox_for_handicapped_pet
You might also try the Purina SecondNature Dog Litter pan for a large litter box with a low opening. There is a picture of it here.
https://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/?title=Litterbox_for_handicapped_pet
We like pine pellets, which I get cheaper at the feed store as Equine Fresh horse bedding. There is a plain, pine smell when they pee (it turns to sawdust), and it doesn't stink for a long, long time.-
Anna Brouwer
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:31 am
Thank you,
I''l defenitely look in your suggestions. The problem is not so much that it might smell, but that from her behaviour I can see that she doesn't like the old news paper I have in there now. I have regular feeding times for her, and she wees and poohs mostly at the same time (after dinner), she first uses the one box and then the other, and I always clean them up immediately afterwards. It is some work, but it keeps the house clean.. The point is, that if for some reason I would leave something on the floor like a jacket or a bag, she really likes to wee on that. So I don't put any of those things on the floor, but I'm thinking of creating something for her that she'd like better. As I said, I'll definitinely have a try with the two sorts of pallets.
By the way, I'm very satisfied with the boxes I have for her. They consist of the 2 halfs of a transporter box for a big dog (like a giant cat carrier). I took the box apart and took out the door. Each half has a very low rise and is big enough for her to drag herself around in, and it's made of durable cleanable plastic.
Thanks, Anna.
I''l defenitely look in your suggestions. The problem is not so much that it might smell, but that from her behaviour I can see that she doesn't like the old news paper I have in there now. I have regular feeding times for her, and she wees and poohs mostly at the same time (after dinner), she first uses the one box and then the other, and I always clean them up immediately afterwards. It is some work, but it keeps the house clean.. The point is, that if for some reason I would leave something on the floor like a jacket or a bag, she really likes to wee on that. So I don't put any of those things on the floor, but I'm thinking of creating something for her that she'd like better. As I said, I'll definitinely have a try with the two sorts of pallets.
By the way, I'm very satisfied with the boxes I have for her. They consist of the 2 halfs of a transporter box for a big dog (like a giant cat carrier). I took the box apart and took out the door. Each half has a very low rise and is big enough for her to drag herself around in, and it's made of durable cleanable plastic.
Thanks, Anna.
Great idea for the litter box, Anna!
This is not what I use for litter, per se, but I'm wondering if it might fit the bill of what you're looking for. Every night before I go to bed I place a puppy pad with a folded over towel on the bed next to me. This way, if my kitty loses her diaper during the night (which she always does) I can still pull her up on the bed and let her sleep with me. The towel does a great job of absorbing, and the puppy pad keeps it from leaking through to the bed. I tried just the puppy pad, but she wakes up wet; it just doesn't have the absorption power. I end up doing a lot of laundry that way, but it's well worth it. I just use my older, worn out towels. If you put a folded towel in your box, she could pee on it, it would be soft for her, and she can still cover poo. You'd probably need at least a towel a day, but it might do the trick. Dunno if it would encourage bad behavior, though...
Natasha
This is not what I use for litter, per se, but I'm wondering if it might fit the bill of what you're looking for. Every night before I go to bed I place a puppy pad with a folded over towel on the bed next to me. This way, if my kitty loses her diaper during the night (which she always does) I can still pull her up on the bed and let her sleep with me. The towel does a great job of absorbing, and the puppy pad keeps it from leaking through to the bed. I tried just the puppy pad, but she wakes up wet; it just doesn't have the absorption power. I end up doing a lot of laundry that way, but it's well worth it. I just use my older, worn out towels. If you put a folded towel in your box, she could pee on it, it would be soft for her, and she can still cover poo. You'd probably need at least a towel a day, but it might do the trick. Dunno if it would encourage bad behavior, though...
Natasha