Conference misery::feline_v1

    How often are you changing the litter?  With two cats, I change
    it every three days.  This makes me think that with three cats,
    two days is perhaps right?  Your fiance is chipping in for the cost
    of the litter, right, since two of the cats are his?  (oops, excuse
    me, I thought for a minute I was in womannotes.....)
    
    Extra cuddling for Loki?  So he'll be safe in Mom's arms instead
    of hiding?  Actually, it sounds like things are adjusting fairly
    well.  At least there's no mayhem.  I suspect cuddling for Loki
    and a little scolding for Fluffy will straighten things out.
    

    My cat's won't use the litter if it is dirty, either. I have six
    cats and two boxes. The boxes are changed 2 times a week (3 times
    a week in the summer). I also line the bottom of the pan with backing
    soda before putting in fresh litter. I find that this allows me
    to go an extra day or two.
    
    My Argus doesn't cover either (and boy do you know when he has just
    gone.)
    
    Deb 

    It also occurs to me that your fiance might share litter box duty with
    you, thus alleviating some of the time/energy drain.
    

    I had a problem like this until I went to 6 boxes for 5 cats.
    
    The reason for the extra is that one cat will do one job in
    one and the other job in the other one-talk about finacky!
    
    Somehow each cat has adopted his/her own box and doesn't use
    the others.
    
    On the Feliners-I loved them my cats didn't! Bigfoot might
    not like them.
    
    Where do I put all these boxes? One is in the bathroom and
    the rest  are  in the bottom of a closet I converted to a 
    kitty bathroom by taking the door off and hanging curtains
    over it.
    

Sprinkling baking soda over litter each night before turning it may reduce
noticble odor to you....getting a larger box may delay necessary changes.
However, a dirty box is a dirty box and picky cats will not use one...
I agree that your SO should be pulling AT LEAST 50% litter changing duty and 
kitty litter purchase expense..if not, talk it over with him, for heaven's
sake, and schedule the purchase of supplies and the changing of the
litter...my experience is that you have to SCHEDULE a day and time for
such duties or the guy will just drop it out of the queue...and you will
get angrier and poorer until you really blow up.

As for getting a cat to cover after using the box...if you find a solution,
please send it over.  As far as I can tell, they either do or don't and
they never change....much to my regret.

D-who-changes-the-litter-at-least-3-times-a-week and
messy Tabitha, neat Hannah, really neat Nick, and fastidious Sam

    My fiance and I also merged a family of cats together making a wopping
    family of five cats.  We split the cost of caring for them and split
    the care. We worked it out that he gets litterbox duty three times
    a week and I am incharge of feeding them and keeping the feeding
    area clean. This works out well as each knows what the other has
    to do and it keeps things cleans so that we don't have the problem
    with the litterbox getting out of hand. It seems like you have too
    much responsibility in taking care of the gang and it gets frustrating
    and things back up. Split the resonsibilities and everything can
    get done take it all on yourself and it is too much to handle. Most
    cats are finiky with the litterbox and they like routinne as well,
    work out a claning routine with your fiance and things should smooth
    out in caring for the cats and the litterbox problem .
    Fran

    You must have seen Bigfoot urinating on the bathroom rugs to know
    it is him.  So, you could try scolding him when you see him in
    action, by giving him a "good whiff" (like most people do when
    training puppies) and immediately taking him to the litterbox, and
    putting him in it.  I would probably wait there with him to make
    sure he finishes in there, what he started on the bathroom rugs,
    to reinforce use of the litter box.
    
    After a session of the above, put the bathroom rugs away (after
    they've been cleaned) for a while.  Maybe you should put all scatter
    rugs away as well.
    
    As for my cats (4), I have no problem with them using a covered
    and lined litterbox, which I usually change just once a week, unless
    one of them has been loose (you know what I mean).  I do make sure
    that there is a lot of litter fill in the box (usually 8-10 lbs),
    and I use only the Kleen Kitty brand.  Although it is somewhat dusty,
    it is not made from clay, which I think doesn't dry out as well and
    tends to hold the odors.
    
    I've tried many brands and keep coming back to this one.  So, try
    experimenting with different brands of litter and maybe more than
    one litter box. 
    
    
    Good luck,   Pam
    
    

    I am new to the conference, and don't talk to many cat people, so
    I am amazed at what I am hearing.  I have had cats for about 20
    years.  Much of the time there were 2 or 3 at a time. With 2, I
    never used more than 1 pan, and sometimes with three. We clean up
    ASAP after the deed, and use Lysol spray in the pan. We NEVER have
    a problem with them not using the right place, and people NEVER
    know there are cats in the house until they see them!
    
    Did I just get trained wrong?   8^)
    
    Gary

My mother visited once and decided to help by cleaning out the kitty box
for me while I was at work.  She washed the box out with lysol and liberally
sprayed with lysol when she added the litter....it turned out to be the
best "cat repellent" I'd ever seen!  If lysol has worked for you, I
congratulate you, but I know from experience it don't work for everyone.

		D_who_cleaned_up_lots_of_"accidents"

    
    Also, just having squeaky clean litter boxes isn't the only answer.
    Lots of people in this file have had problems no matter HOW much they
    clean out the litter box.  This is such an individual problem. At our
    house, we sift the litter box once a day and change the litter once a
    week and our kitties have NEVER had problems knowing where to "plant"
    it either :-). However, I am knocking on wood as soon as I say that,
    because who knows what might affect their psyche or behavior in the
    future?  I consider myself lucky. 
     
    Every cat has a complex personality, and that's why it's so difficult
    for us to figure out what makes them tick when they have a problem,
    or what they are trying to tell us.
    
    Clean litter boxes is not necessarily the only answer... there are many
    of us who can attest to that, if only the little fuzzies could talk,
    ya know?  Where's Dr. Dolittle when you need him?  
    
    Amy.
    
    (I hope I have my storybook characters straight, it IS Dr. Dolittle
    who could "talk to the animals," isn't it?)
                                               

    I thought I'd read previously in this conference that
    lysol can be toxic?  If rinsed off thoroughly, no
    problem, but I'd be hestitant to spray the disinfectant
    in the box.  
    
    Donna

    My vet told me Lysol was toxic and told me not to use it.  He suggested
    either plain bleach and water or vinegar and water.  
    
    I've recently been using the vinegar and it has really helped with
    limiting the male cat smell that Fire produces.
    
    cin
    

    Although no particular solution works for all cats, I have found
    the following suggestion to be helpful when having litter box problems
    associated with introducing stranger cats to living together:
    
    Cats can sometimes object to each other's smell, especially when adult
    cats are introduced to living together in the same house.  It really
    helps to have at least as many litter boxes as cats.  This gives them
    the opportunity, if they want, to establish "ownership" of a particular
    box with their own smell.  It also lets us get by changing the litter
    less often, although the solid wastes (a euphemism for turds!) are
    scooped out daily. 
    
    We also found that the timid, shy cats are always bullied by the more
    aggressive cats, until they establish their pecking order and social
    status!  Patience and extra love for the timid ones help them through
    the where-do-I-fit phase.  We're still waiting for our new addition to
    quit being such a bully.  The girls are so uncomfortable with him
    around that they spend all their time on top of the tv or china
    cabinet!  And it's been almost 4 months! 
    
    Good luck!  Just be patient so you don't have to give up any of
    your or your fiance's babies!

    I agree with what Doris said, but I also have found that the cat's
    personal smell (body odor so to speak) is a part of the problem.
    I've found that by putting some grooming spray on a comb and combing
    everyone, everyone smells a little more alike as a result, the cats
    are calm for a little  while and they will adjust to each other
    a bit quicker.
    
    Deb

    Re: .8, .9, et al.
    
    The disinfectant ingredient in Lysol is a phenol compound and these
    are very toxic to cats.  If used to clean the box, a reallygood
    rinse is required.  Never use it on the litter.  Some of the"pine"
    cleaners contain phenols.
    
    Frank
    

         Thanks for the suggestions.  I may have to try two litter boxes;
    I've been using Tidy-Cat, so perhaps I'll change to Kleen Kitty
    and see if that helps.  I noticed when I cleaned and put away the
    bathroom rugs, Bigfoot didn't go in the bathroom, but I didn't want
    to try that too long lest he find another place to go; I'd rather
    he go where I know about it, so I can clean up after him.  Could
    it be that he just likes the shaggy texture of the rugs on his paws
    better than litter (he's got extra-big paws - 7 toes front, 5 back)?
    
         I've also tried Four-Paws Cat Repellent on the rugs, which
    turns Loki and Fluffy off completely, but doesn't work with Bigfoot
    unless you spray the rugs 3-4 times per day!  Guess cat repellent
    isn't the way to go with him.
    
         We've been scolding Fluffy when he goes after Loki, but it
    seems that he likes the attention, even if it's negative.  Some
    days we can bring Loki in the living room and he'll be fine; others,
    he'll just shiver until we return him to his room.  Poor little
    guy.  I think we've got a case of Fluffy being very jealous of any
    attention given to the others, but since Bigfoot fights back and
    Loki runs away, Loki becomes the target.  Too bad I can't talk to
    Loki and tell him to stand up for himself - he's half again as big
    as Fluffy!  What's more, he can stand up to Bigfoot (who's bigger
    than him)!  I guess I'll never understand cats!  It's been almost
    six months now; I thought the pecking order would be resolved by
    now.  Guess we have to continue to be patient ...
    
         I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky - Fluff and Bigfoot
    were indoor/outdoor cats who are now indoor cats (Loki was always
    indoor).  Bigfoot has accepted being indoor and never even asks
    to go out; I think his arthritis is better now that he's inside.
    Fluffy still wants out, but the urge is slowly passing.  I've always
    felt that indoor cats last longer than indoor/outdoor ones, thus
    the reason for the conversion.
    
         So I guess two relatively minor problems isn't bad for merging
    two cat households.  Just wish we could resolve those problems ...
    
                                    - Andrea
                     (hoping the kitties will come to some kind of
                      resolution before June of 1997!)
    
    

    Um.  How about cuddling Loki in a really demonstrative manner when
    Fluffy goes after him, and ignoring Fluffy at the same time?  Maybe
    that would work.  Shag rugs are notorious cat litter box substitutes.
    So are bean bag chairs (all those little pellets inside probably feel
    like litter underfoot.)
                          
    

    The best non-toxic repellent I know of is GROUND BLACK PEPPER. Just
    a little bit works wonders.
    
    Deb