Cat litter dilemma, please advise

Fusspot

Hi, I have two indoor cats who are very well behaved but they often poo outside of their litter tray. I did have a hooded tray but found that a bind to clean so have now got an open one. I work full time so can't be there to change the litter every time they poo and I realise that cats don't like to poo in the tray once its been used so I don't know what to do. I don't have room for two litter trays. My brother has two indoor cats, uses a hooded tray for them and doesn't seem to have any problems. He uses Wilkos cat litter and finds it OK but I need something that is either light if I am carrying it as I don't have a car or anything heavier I order with my online shopping.


So far I have used Catsan, Catsan clumping, crystals, Asda smart price (which was terrible) and currently I have the Catsan smartpack where the litter is already prepared in the liner. The litter is very deep in these packs which mean the cats are kicking it all over the floor but they are still pooing outside the tray once its been used a couple of times.


I thought the clumping litter would be the best bet but I have had the Catsan clumping litter and that has still not clumped and I've ended up with sludge at the bottom of the tray. Maybe I am not putting in enough litter but I do want to make it last.


Can anyone advise me as I don't know what to try next.

GwylimT

With an indoor cat it is advisable to have two trays for each cat, we have a covered tray and we don't find it a problem to clean at all, my wife is a wheelchair user and she doesn't struggle. When we had an open tray out cat would often miss and poo on the floor, but always managed to wee in the tray! This was always due to the tray not being clean enough as it only happened if she had already done a wee or poo in the tray.

Our tray is outside, you could get some rubber mats, or even just newspaper to put under the tray so any spillage is caught.

Fusspot

Thanks for your reply. My cats still did a poo outside the tray when I had the covered one. They don't do it directly outside the tray as if they have missed it, they go into the corner to do it so I think its a case of the litter used and how often the tray is emptied. I can't empty it every time they have used it as I am not in all day. I also like to use cat tray liners but they didn't fit in the covered tray.

*~Zephyr~*

I'm out all day too and have had a few 'accidents' in the past. I now have one extra large tray for my two cats and rarely have any mishaps. Clumping litter doesn't work for us because my Tom pees like a horse and could clump an entire tray with one wee! What I eventually found worked is I use Tesco value litter and change the entire tray every day when I get home. The litter is so cheap it keeps costs down, it takes 5 mins to change the tray and Girlcat has a nice fresh tray to use at 6pm every day, which she loves!

I also went to Lidl and got one of the HUGE boxes. It's actually the box that they hold their own-label multi-pack crisps in. It is slightly wider than my large tray, but double the length. I put a rubber mat in the box in front of the litter tray and that catches any loose litter off their paws as the walk out of the box. The box serves a dual purpose as it is about 2 foot deep so gives Girlcat the privacy she craves while she does her business, but it has a cutaway at the front so that it's easy for them to get in and out. The theory was also, that if the tray wasn't to either of their liking, they would most likely poo in the box than on the floor, but since I bought the big tray and started changing it daily, they've not gone anywhere other than the tray.

dandelionclock30

You need to make room for 2 big trays, you can get these at Wilkinsons quite cheap. At the end of the day its better to have 2 trays that your cats going to the loo on the floor.
My Tom has 2 trays down and I use the Wilkinsons clumping cat litter, its good and it clumps and doesnt smell at all. I either get it delivered from Wilkinsons or take my Mums old lady shopping trolley and wheel it home.

Fusspot

Thanks for all your replies. How long does litter last if you change the tray daily? When I bought the Asda litter it didn't absorb anything so then I changed the tray every day and the big bag of litter only lasted a week.

Do you also use tray liners? I find these essential for keeping the tray clean but using one a day or for two trays may be costly.

donnac2558

Do not use the wood one, I had to take a cat to the vet as she got a wood bit in her eye. The vet said never use this type of litter.

I use Pura Moonlight which is brilliant. I do not need to change the litter everyday, just take out the lumps of pee and dried up poo.

*~Zephyr~*

Fusspot wrote: »

Thanks for all your replies. How long does litter last if you change the tray daily? When I bought the Asda litter it didn't absorb anything so then I changed the tray every day and the big bag of litter only lasted a week.

Do you also use tray liners? I find these essential for keeping the tray clean but using one a day or for two trays may be costly.

Yes, the Tesco everyday value will last a week, but it's only £1.55 a bag, so it's not prohibitive as a weekly cost. I tend to buy three or four bags at a time because I a) have the room to store them and b) don't buy anything else from Tesco so I have to make a special trip. As you don't have your own transport, you could have Tesco deliver the litter to you?

I would LOVE to use the tray liners, because it would make the process SOOOO much quicker and simpler, but Tomcat is a digger. He digs and digs and digs like he's burrowing to China and his claws snag and tear the liner bags so badly I may as well not bother using them! Wilko do a pack of 15 liners for £1.25 which is not too expensive at just over 60p a week. You could probably find them even cheaper online too.

dandelionclock30

I dont change whole the tray daily I just take all the various clumps out and I disinfect both trays about once a week. I dont use liners but I do have the litter quite deep and it rests on newspaper in case the cat wees a bit over the edge.
1 bag of Wilkinsons clumping lasts about 2-3 weeks and there is no smell from the trays.

chocdonuty

I have three cats and two trays, never had an accident but think I am rather lucky! I use oko plus litter which is amazing on smells and flushes too, being on the 2nd floor I'd rather not traipse up and down the stairs and out to the bin sheds every time one does a poo!
If you don't have the space, how about getting either a specially made litter box hider or make one yourself? That way it can be part of some other useful furniture and nobody would ever know! Ikea hacks have a few good ideas and let's face it no litter tray is pleasant to look at!

Fusspot

I like the Crystal litter but it only comes in small bags, it is easy to store and carry and hides smells. Does anyone use this?