Cat litter and cat poo

suki1964 · 30 November 2016 at 3:31PM

So I've a kitten, rescue , perhaps 3 months old , male
Goes by the name of Arthur

So anyways he's been here two weeks and is a wee dote. ( I'm sure the scars on my hands will fade with age )

He's eating lidls pouches and dry food which he's happy with, wolfs it down

However he seems to poo and wee for England

I clean the tray once a day of poo and will fill a poo bag. When I clean the wet litter it's at least two bags. It's a big tray and I'm changing the whole lot every 3 days

Is this normal?

I'm using lidls Fullers earth litter Is this a good litter? What should a litter be doing?

We got Arthur short notice so only had time to nip into lidls to stock up. Pets at home is another town.

Sorry if none of this is clear

. I've never been a cat lover atbh I'm finding the smell of the litter and food stomach churning ( always have btw) I think I'm just over sensitive to the smell but I'd hate to think it does stink as much as I perceive it to stink

pinkteapot · 30 November 2016 at 3:44PM

Is the litter a clumping one? If so, you should only need to change the whole lot about once a month! You just scoop out pee balls and poops and leave the rest of the litter there (then top up as needed). The litter should be deep enough that pee balls don't touch the bottom of the tray itself.

Switch to a clumping litter if your current one isn't a clumping one.

The average adult cat will poop once a day and pee anywhere from 2-5 times, but I've not had kittens so don't know what's normal for them. What size poop bags are you using to be filling them?! I use nappy sacks (about 35p for a pack of 300 in Tesco).

The smell of the food you will just get used to. Poops are always stinky.

ripplyuk · 30 November 2016 at 4:04PM

It's probably the food. Cheaper foods and wet food tends to have a lot of fillers. The premium dry foods produce less waste. The difference is dramatic, in my experience.

When looking after friends pets that are fed on cheaper stuff, I'm amazed at the amount of poop produced. Not just the amount of times they 'go' but also the size of it!
Perhaps TMI

.

mellymoo74 · 30 November 2016 at 6:49PM

It could just be him settling in.

We use world's best cat litter I am due to buy another sack but have had that one since August.

It clumps brilliantly, it also seems to kill the smell if the cat covers properly.

Ty is just using the litter tray incase cat catchers get him again

TBagpuss · 30 November 2016 at 7:54PM

I agree with ripplyuk, a lot if it will be down to what you feed - the cheap ones are bulked out with cereal which cats (which are obligate carnivores) can't digest, so it just goes straight through!

Try changing (gradually, so you don't upset his digestive system) to better quality brands with 70-100% meat content and you should see a reduction in both volume and smell. (and it doesn't work out significantly more expensive, as you can feed smaller amounts).

In terms of the litter tray, I'd suggest that you use a physically larger, deeper tray, and use more litter. This makes it easier for the cat to bury his mess (which reduces the smell). You could also consider getting a covered tray this kind of thing - http://preview.!!!!!!!.com/z867v2v - which may help contain any smell.

If he isn't good at covering his mess, then try giving the whole tray a shake (which will help cover any mess) and leaving it 10-15 before you scoop, which will give the clumping litter a chance to do its stuff, and make it less unpleasant for you to clean up.

Also have a mat to reduce the risk of him trcking dirsty litter elsewhere in the house and

GwylimT · 30 November 2016 at 7:56PM

ripplyuk wrote: »

It's probably the food. Cheaper foods and wet food tends to have a lot of fillers. The premium dry foods produce less waste. The difference is dramatic, in my experience.

When looking after friends pets that are fed on cheaper stuff, I'm amazed at the amount of poop produced. Not just the amount of times they 'go' but also the size of it!
Perhaps TMI .

Otherway round, premium wetfoods produce less waste, as unlike 'premium' dry food they aren't carb heavy.

suki1964 · 30 November 2016 at 9:37PM

I'd just like to say here, there's no cereals in lidls food

As for his litter tray, it's in the bathroom and has a bigger foot print then our loo, plus it has a hood, flap and filter

suki1964 · 30 November 2016 at 9:43PM

I'm beginning to think it's just me and hating the smell of cats perhaps

Ok the cat himself doesn't smell and keeps himself clean and allows me to gently brush

Today he climbed on the the worktops

See this is my problem. I'm not a natural cat person. I've had dogs all my life and this is all a learning curve

Last time I was in such contact with a cat was over 3O years ago

I don't dislike them, and this wee one is a cutie pie and is getting well spoiled and looked after. Just totally unsure about what's normal and what's not, what behaviour is ok and what's not

Silvertabby · 30 November 2016 at 9:52PM

As you've got the tray in the bathroom. try 'Cat's Best' litter. It's clumping AND flushable - so the 'lumpy bits' can be scooped into the loo and just flushed away. Just be sure to shake off as much of the clean litter as you can.

GwylimT · 30 November 2016 at 9:53PM

suki1964 wrote: »

I'm beginning to think it's just me and hating the smell of cats perhaps

Ok the cat himself doesn't smell and keeps himself clean and allows me to gently brush

Today he climbed on the the worktops

See this is my problem. I'm not a natural cat person. I've had dogs all my life and this is all a learning curve

Last time I was in such contact with a cat was over 3O years ago

I don't dislike them, and this wee one is a cutie pie and is getting well spoiled and looked after. Just totally unsure about what's normal and what's not, what behaviour is ok and what's not

Being absolutely mental is normal.

If cat poo smells its a sign of bad diet, a good diet poo will only smell if you really get up close and have a good sniff up close.

ripplyuk · 30 November 2016 at 11:40PM

suki1964 wrote: »

Today he climbed on the the worktops

See this is my problem. I'm not a natural cat person. I've had dogs all my life and this is all a learning curve

Last time I was in such contact with a cat was over 3O years ago

Just totally unsure about what's normal and what's not, what behaviour is ok and what's not

Cats like height, and climbing on top of kitchen worktops/cupboards etc is normal. He's not being naughty. Some people chase them off each time so they learn not to, but I always let cats do as they please. Dogs thrive with leadership, but cats are happiest with a servant.

Just wipe down the worktops before preparing food.

Are you putting up a Christmas tree? He'll have great fun with that!

Cat litter and cat poo

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