NWR: Will my cats like this?

shoegal715 · November 2010

We don't have our kitties yet (only 2 weeks old now), and we live in a 3 bedroom condo. We're looking for things that really utilize the space well and efficiently.

I saw one of these at Wal-Mart today ($99) and thought it was great. I picked it up but now I'm not sure if the cats will use it. Will they be all weirded out by the fact that there's a roof on a litter box? Will they even KNOW it's a litter box?

Does anyone else have something similar?

http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Select-Litter-Box-Cabinet/dp/B0014LZTL4?&camp=212361&creative=383845&linkCode=wss&tag=mypreciouspetb-20

andy71781 · November 2010

kitties like privacy. How hard is that to clean?

fwiw my kitties really like their nontraditional litter box.http://clevercatinnovations.com/top_entry_litterbox_order.aspx

If you start them young they won't even notice.

Birdie1483 · November 2010

I've never had a cat, so I dont know how they learn how to use a litter box or what it is. However, I've known cats that haven't had a problem using litter boxes that have roofs on them. It looks pretty nice if it works! My bro and SIL put one of those motion sensored air fresheners next to theirs. I thought that was a pretty nifty idea.

PandaBurr · November 2010

We did something similar to that. I saw the original one like two years ago and really couldn't justify spending $250 on it. So what we did was we went to a local thrift shop and bought a small wooden cabinet for like $10, and FI cut a hole in the side using a jigsaw. The cats use it, and it didn't even take them any time to adjust at all. Our black cat definitely likes the privacy, and if you make any noise while he's in there he'll bolt out, haha. He doesn't like us knowing he's in there. Embarassing for him, I guess.

PsyDet 2155 · November 2010

Whoa that's a unique idea as a litter box! As far as litter training goes, I've never had to really train them. I showed Gil where his litter box was an he kept coming back to it. I don't think the roof will bother your kitties unless it's too small, which it doesn't look like. I would recommend getting a litter tracker. Gil loves to kick litter all over the place and likes to dig like a prairie dog after he's done with his business.

Tell me about your new kitties! That's so exciting! It's nice that you're getting two at once so they can grow and bond with each other. When my sister brought Bella home, I was so worried about Gil's reaction because he was used to being the little prince in our apartment. Now they love each other and it's so sweet to see them play and keep each other company.

shoegal715 · November 2010

Thanks for the input!

We are SO excited for the kids to come home haha.

We're still a little iffy on names, but so far we're going with Doug and Tom. We also like Bruce, Gord, Alan, Kevin, Dwight and Arthur.

FI is allergic to cats, and the only type he would be ok with are non-hypoallergic, so we're going with 2 ragdolls. These aren't pictures of our kittens, but it's what their coats will look like when we pick them up in a few weeks.

PsyDet 2155 · November 2010

Oh my goodness ragdolls are so cute!!! I love "real" names for animals

karmellah · November 2010

it certainly is interesting. i wouldnt want their litter box near something i use though. mine is in my office away from everything. cats just know how to use the litter box. its weird. i got my kitten showed her the box and she new what it was for, granted she did play in it a little at first.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · November 2010

They are so cute!

We have covered boxes for our cats, and I see no difference. The only issue would be if one or both have issues with peeing on the floor - they might not like the placement of the litter box. So, basically, you might have to rearrange the furniture.

I'm also wondering how hard it is to clean.

nebbiolo · November 2010

We have 2 covered litter boxes for our 2 kitties and they adjusted to them pretty well for a year. Then, recently we moved and the male cat started urinating on the couch (our basement couch, which we don't really care about).

After speaking with our vet, he gave us a list of litter box pointers, one of which is that cats do not like covered litter boxes. We removed the covers and our male cat started using them again. Just something to be aware of.

waltzingmatilda13 · November 2010

The cats will know it's a litter box, whether or not they want to use it will be a different story. Cats are very picky.

The best thing you can do so that they know it's their litter box is what I did when I brought my cat home the first time: I took him straight inside in his pet carrier, picked him up out of it and set him down in the litter box. Then he was able to find his way back to it, because it was his starting point in the house. I never had a single problem with him peeing on the floor or anywhere else.

frogurt814 · November 2010

Cats also really like to be able to see their surroundings when they are in a venerable position (going to the bathroom.) So to PP above who said their cat bolts out of its covered litter box whenever it hears a noise, it is most likely because it doesn't know what caused the noise, and it wants to escape from covered litter box so it won't be trapped.

Anyway, it just really depends on your cats and if they will like it or not. We've never tried a covered litter box with our cats because we are lucky enough to have a big area in the basement where their litter boxes go so we don't have to worry about the smell or about them making a mess. We just sweep up the litter on the floor every week.

Another point is that if you are going to have multiple cats, it is best to have multiple litter boxes. People recommend that you have one more litter box than you do cats, but I find that to be excessive. We have two litter boxes and two cats, and it seems to work out fine. We clean their litter every day or every other day. I think if we only had one that it would not be enough.

marissa_claire · November 2010

Cats want the best of both worlds - so yeah privacy but being able to look at while they're going (so no flap.)

I have a Booda dome. It's awesome. It's also a little bit stylish.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=booda+dome&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=17616874142512384560&ei=c3HZTOXCIM6onQeo0OXdCQ&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDwQ8wIwAg#

sarah0725 · November 2010

My one concern is that my reading has told me that some cats don't like covered litter boxes - they don't like the smell in there any more than we do! Think about a portapotty sitting in the sun on a hot day. But then, I have heard tell of cats who like using them. So who knows?

PandaBurr · November 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_nwr-will-cats-like-this?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:c08f8e5e-eded-4345-ae3c-b6c0d187c194Post:66afa8af-228a-40e5-93ab-e51c2f676d53">Re: NWR: Will my cats like this?</a>:
[QUOTE]Cats also really like to be able to see their surroundings when they are in a venerable position (going to the bathroom.) So to PP above who said their cat bolts out of its covered litter box whenever it hears a noise, it is most likely because it doesn't know what caused the noise, and it wants to escape from covered litter box so it won't be trapped.
Posted by frogurt814[/QUOTE]

I thought about that too, but he had an uncovered litter box first, and he did the same thing. He wouldn't use it if we were looking at him, which is why we figured he'd like the covered box better. Plus he wipes his paws on the sides of the box for like 20 minutes after going, which he used to do on our carpet and couch before we got the covered box, haha.

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