Litterboxes

Skeeter: My good friend Max The PsychoKitty (my/our inspiration for bloggin) mentioned the other light about his unhappiness with the new litterbox. I understand the problem. As a 15 year old Mancat, I have experienced several differen litterboxes and locations.

I have decided to share my experiences and thoughts (and yes, I think about litterboxes often).

As I have contemplated them over the years, I have decided that there are 7 essential considerations about them.

1. Cleanliness... Well, that's not our problem. That's not my problem. The "domestication agreement" is that I use it an the Beins clean it. None of us want to see a mess there!

(WARNING: This is ONLY a dramatization of a didsaster for teaching purposes. I am a professional; do NOT try this at home)!

2. Litter depth... This is also another Bein problem. I cant control that either. But I can tell you is should be deep enough that I dont hit plastic after the first scrapin. Nor should it be so deep that I feel like I'm sinkin into it. 1 paw deep is too little, 3 is too much.

3. Litter material... I dont control that either (notice a pattern here?) I dont control very much about the litterbox except using whatever you Beins provide. I and LC love the scoopable litter stuff way lots better than that clay we got as kittens. Weve heard that a few kitties have problems with it and prefer other stuff, that's cool. There's nothing that someone doesnt have the odd problem with. And personally, what we would really like is forest mulch and dead leaves.

4. Litterbox size... C'mon Beins, we need room to turn around a couple times to find the "right spot". The Big Thing says he has seen litterboxes barely the size of me. Youve got space in YOUR "special room" to move aroun a little, right? Give us some space, too.

5. Location... I dont really care too much about privacy (I "go" outside a lot where The Big Thing and LC can see. But "quiet" is a good thing when Im doin my business. Low-busy corners are good. An PLEASE, dont make us use those enclosed boxes. You dont wanna smell it and neither do I especially. An Im the one who would hafta go inna the enclosed place... Think about that.

Oh, another thing about location? Some of us older kitties have troubles with stairs. Sometimes we jus wanna stay on one level of the cave. Jus try hoppin down a gazillion steps as tall as you are (an back up) jus to use YOUR litterbox several times each light an dark an see how you like it.

The upstairs litterbox is in the computer room, but thats OK cuz The Big Thing is pretty quiet (especially when I an usin it - he gives me time, ya know). He's good about not starin, too.


6. Litterbox height... This is, I think, my most important suggestion, an its long. All the other stuff applies to ANY litterbox, an Beins can control those after they hunt a litterbox for us to use. But when a litterbox is hunted down an brought into the cave, it is too late to change it. Beins almost neffer replace them!

Most of the litterboxes I have hadda use were too low. LOW, LOW, LOW! I mean, the sides aren't high enough, get it? I get inna litterbox an back up to a edge an I figure Im in the right spot. Well guess what Beins, I cant see "back there" too well. An if my butt is higher than the side of the litterbox, guess where it is gonna go!!!

LC has no problems with the small-sided litterboxes (usually), she's smaller than I am. But even sometimes... An keep in mind that the squatting level INSIDE the litterbox is less than the outside (if there is enough litter init).

So if the litter inna box is properly 2 paws deep (you did figure that part out, right?) and the sides are only 4 paws tall, that doesn't leave much room. Some of us (maybe LOTS) need more "tall" sides.

When I stopped going down inna the basement of the cave, The Big Thing unnerstood and set up my own main level litterbox. An he got me one with tall sides. That sure made a big difference. Not only did I have a litterbox conveniently placed (in the computer room where he spends time and in "encouraged" to keep it clean), he added anoter neat idea... Which is,

7. Protektion aroun the litterbox... The basement boxes are on really hard stuff. But on our living level, there is softy carpet. So he hunted a cheap chair mat that gives a buncha paw widths alla round my litterbox "in case". An there have still been a couple "in cases" but they weren't problems cuzza all that plastic around unnerneath.

Excuze me while I thank LC for bein so good about keepin usin her 2 basement litterboxes and leavin me the one upstairs. Ahem, "Thanx LC for leavin me mine when it would be so convenient to use it yourself".

So kitties, tell yer Beins about what I have learned and Beins, please make litterbox life easier for us...

Whew, that was some serious talkin. I better go lie down for a while...

Skeeter

Inside Pics Monday

LC: Since the batteries for the camera thingy are bein fed, I decided to look through our supply of existing pictures to see what looked good for inside ones.

I especially like gettin groomed by Skeeter. The Big Thing has magic fingers for chin-scratchin an stuff, but for some reason, it messes up my fur rather than gettin it in place and I dont feel any cleaner after either. Oh, he gets the little leaf crumbles an he is really good with gettin the little sticky seeds out. But for getting the back your head and ears done right, it really takes another cat. Skeeter is very attentive and thorough.

I'm not quite so good. I start grooming Skeeter and I suddenly feel a need to nibble on his ears. Then we end up wrasslin more than groomin. Poor Skeeter.

I also found a picture of me fightin with a invisible squirrel. I know it was there at the time, but I cant see it in the picture. Ooh, maybe it was a vampire squirrel! You cant get those inna picture. Anyway, I hadda good hold of it an was bunny-kickin it real good. I dint even remember The Big Thing takin this one (or maybe it was Skeeter).