Advice and tips needed.....

[ChrisH]

...on the best way to encourage Ebby to use an enclosed litter box. I know advice has been given before but could you all tell me again, or post a link?

Ebbs has peed twice just outside the tray, I know it is accidental because I saw her today trying to cover it by scratching at the carpet and then pawing litter out of the tray to cover. When I went into town today I called my favourite pet supplies to see if he stocked bigger trays but no luck. Then we talked about the enclosed ones and I decided to get one, he didn`t have any in stock at his place in town but he is getting one for me and delivering it on Friday. So, PetTalkers, pleeese help me make it work for Ebbs and not have made an expensive (for me ) mistake!!

Thanks!
Chris

[moosmom]

You might want to take ebby to the vet to make sure it's not a urinary tract infection. That's usually the first sign that one is brewing.

I started out with just a regular litterbox with my first cat Mollie Rose. But she dug to China!!!! She got litter all over the friggin place. So I picked up a covered box and didn't have any problem introducing it to her.

Cats are very smart creatures. What I would do is keep both boxes side by side and let her choose. She might surprize you!

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Cataholic]

Chris,
I am not sure we have been through this...but, is it possible she is peeing outside the box for other issues? Too dirty? Doesn't feel 'safe'? Is an unusually large kitty, and needs a bigger box? Tenny isn't able to use a covered box..his tail is too swishy to make manuevering comfortable...just wondering if there is anything behind these two accidents....

[kitten645]

I've always thought when seeing pics of Ebby how similar she is to my Hobbes...much more lady like of course but they seem to be the same gene pool. I know Hobbes would never go for a covered litter box since (to put it discreately!) he's quite big bone! I can't imagine a covered litter box big enough to accomodate him. He also has a funny "style" and looks up at the ceiling while peeing So I imagine a cover wouldn't work so well for him. They both tunnel to china as well but I guess I'll have to put up with being their personal LitterMaid and sweeping up after them. Gives my life purpose

[Kirsten]

Well, from what I've read, some cats just don't like these enclosed litter boxes. The smell is stronger in there, and some cats don't feel safe in there because their escape route could be blocked by another cat. So he just may not feel comfortable in that box.

Kirsten

[ChrisH]

Thanks, to each of you for your thoughts and ideas, I am taking note of them all.

Donna, I honestly don`t think there is anything wrong with Ebbs but there could be so I will certainly keep what you said in mind. And she tends to `dig to China` too sometimes and make a real mess! I will begin by putting both boxes side by side as you suggested and see how it goes. Thanks.

Johanna, of course you are right in that there could be more to her peeing outside the box than just accidents. I am sure it is not because of the tray being too dirty for her though, I am really fussy about keeping it clean, though it did make me think about this batch of litter, it has more powdery parts than usual...though, no, it couldn`t be that, the other time she peed outside it was a while ago when I was using the other batch.
No, she is not a big cat, she is small boned and quite dainty but I have an idea a deeper box might be better for her......
.....I just heard her scratching in her box and went to look and, yes, she peed inside ok but it did remind me of another odd thing she does. For a while the tray was close to the wall and when using it she would scratch the wall too, so one day I put an old heater next to the wall and moved her tray forward a bit, and guess what, she scratches at the heater front instead! I have no idea what that is all about!

kitten645, like I already said to Johanna, Ebbs isn`t a big cat so a covered one should be big enough for her, whether she will like it and use it or not is another matter!

Just been (well about ten minutes ago) and took a picture of her and her litter tray

though you can`t really tell the size of the tray she has now (she wouldn`t sit closer for me ) it might give you all some idea.

Kirsten, thanks and yes, I am aware that some cats just don`t like them, I just hope Ebbs does. Thanks for your input.

[Prairie Purrs]

Originally posted by ChrisH
For a while the tray was close to the wall and when using it she would scratch the wall too, so one day I put an old heater next to the wall and moved her tray forward a bit, and guess what, she scratches at the heater front instead! I have no idea what that is all about!

Several of mine scratch the wall next to the litter box, and darned if I know why!

I've got litter boxes of the covered and uncovered variety, and I have to be especially vigilant about keeping the covered one clean. Otherwise someone (usually Kiri) leaves a little reminder right in front of the box.

[NoahsMommy]

We didn't have much of a transition to covered litter boxes, we just replaced them and the cats seem to like them much more. They have a ton of privacy and the smell is better for us hoomans.

I think Ebby will get the hang of it. She's a smart cookie, especially if she went to get litter to cover her mistake outside the box. What a good girl!

[shais_mom]

Would it help if you bought a scratch pad and attached it to the wall? Maybe she would like that?

I really can't help, b/c Kylie uses her enclosed box and hasn't given me any trouble. (Fingers crossed)

Ebby is gorgeous!! I just LOVE black kitties!

[krazyaboutkatz]

My furkids have always used covered litterboxes without any problems. I'm sure that Ebby will get the hang of it. Please keep us updated. Good luck.

[Ally Cat's Mommy]

I am going to get Ally a covered box too. I have been toying with the idea for a while, but also wasn't sure how she would adjust - and they are really expensive!

But when I picked her up at the cattery on Saturday (thats another story - we were gone for 16 days and she is as skinny as a stray!) - they had a covered box in her enclosure, and they said she was using it with no problems. (They gave her a covered one because she is a really messy digger - the floor around her box is like a beach - no matter how many times I sweep up)

At the moment we have her box in a storeroom off the kitchen, but we may be moving house soon, and her box will be in far corner of the kitchen, so I want to change to covered for hygene purposes also

I'll let you know how it goes - please keep us updated

[IttyBittyKitty]

Originally posted by moosmom
You might want to take ebby to the vet to make sure it's not a urinary tract infection. That's usually the first sign that one is brewing.

I started out with just a regular litterbox with my first cat Mollie Rose. But she dug to China!!!! She got litter all over the friggin place. So I picked up a covered box and didn't have any problem introducing it to her.

Cats are very smart creatures. What I would do is keep both boxes side by side and let her choose. She might surprize you!

Good luck and keep us posted.

Me too! Pixel seems to go in there just to dig around. She will go in, do her thing, dig about for five minutes. About ten minutes later, she'll go back in and dig about some more. And another twenty minutes after that, when temptation wins, she goes back in there AGAIN! Argh! You can imagine the litter being everywhere.

I went and bought a covered litter tray and had no trouble introducing it. All I did was put fresh litter in there, and put her in there to show her that it was her litter box. She'd wander off, and I'd puter her in there again so that she got the picture. She had no worries, she enjoyed the privacy!

As for Ebby, check out the UTI angle, but also make sure that you are using a litter brand that Ebby "likes." I tried to move Pixie over to the recycled litter, but she refused to use it and crapped on the floor.

Good luck!

[emily_the_spoiled]

I use covered litter boxes with both of my cats (Emily and Tanner). There was no problem introducing them to the boxes. I gave them a couple of days with no lid, then put the lid on and removed the flap. Then a couple of days later I added the flap back in and things have been fine since then.

[Lorraine]

For my cats, I bought two large ,deep litter pans, and keep them side by side in the bathroom. Prior to having the two large, I had a little one for Romeo, because I thought he would adapt better to the small one, but Sammy would use the little one- and stuff his big body and tail into the tiny box, and make a huge mess all over the bathroom, But the funny thing is, Sammy will "sweep" the litter on the floor into little piles, with his paw. He doesnt like the floor dirty I suppose! Silly kitty! It's funny to see him do it!
However, the piles are very tempting to Romeo, who will mess the piles up, and scatter the litter all over the floor again.
It's like the "Odd Couple" One roomate is neat, the other is messy!
Basically, I'm saying that all kitties are different, some are neater than others! I'm sure Ebby would adapt fine to the covered box.

[ChrisH]

Thanks everyone, I am getting lots of useful user information and advice from your replies.

I knew I could depend on you all, Pet Talkers are the best!!

Chris