Hi. My Coco likes to eat at 10AM and 10PM. Everyone else eats at normal times. Mine also each have their own food and bowl. She sits by her bowl until I feed her. Gosh we sound pretty regimented but we have some special needs kitties and so need to feed special foods to some....
I am not saying they LIKE to be confined. I have to place a dog gate in front of the bedroom door so Coco and Cooper don't scratch at the door to get out. It seems to be working. Mine are also ages almost 7-11 so not babies who expect to play during the night~!! ----- Original Message ----- From: Melissa Lind To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 11:22 AM Subject: RE: OT litter box issue Wow! 3 times a day-if only my kitties were so lucky! Once a day is all I do for scooping. Now I feel guilty. We change litter every 2 weeks (and wash out the boxes). I would love to change the litter once a week, but it's so darn expensive! We use the crystal litter which is more expensive. I know that clay is cheaper, but we just don't like how it smells, clumps, and such. We tried the blend for a while, but still didn't like it. So, we're spending like $90 a month in litter. Yikes. We only have the 3 boxes in the basement, and thus far with full reign of the house, we've had no problems (except the pee in the heat vent last winter, but that's resolved). My husband would freak if we had litter boxes in our bathroom, but ours is very small-very little room to turn around, let alone put boxes in. Someday with a bigger house, we'll have a special kitty bathroom. But, I think I'll pick up a couple more boxes today to put one on the main floor and an additional one downstairs separate from the others. I'm amazed that your kitties let you keep them in the bedroom at night! Ours would positively scratch the carpet away from the door to get out. But, I suppose once you get on a schedule with them, it would work. Our Angel the Aristocat only eats at night (she would rather die than dine with the pack-they're all so proletarian), so she'd be furious if she was shut in, and the younger ones play what we call "rodeo" at night (lots of galloping, chasing, etc.). Isn't it funny how each house is different? I love learning their personalities, quirks, preferences, and distastes. I can't imagine a house without cats-how lonely! Melissa ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of laurieskatz Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 11:55 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: OT litter box issue Me again. I have 5 cats. Had 6 until Keisha died in July. I have 3 boxes in my master bath (second floor) and 3 in my office (first floor). Had 4 on main level when Keisha was still alive. I used to have more in laundry room (lower level) and only one in master bath ~ but have shut them off from that level now. I think they had too much space. They do better about the box when they don't have access to the entire house. Go figure.They also do better when I keep them in my bedroom/dressing/bath at night instead of giving them access to the entire house. Since I am with them, I don't feel bad about confining them! When I had 7 cats, I had 9 boxes because Teddy (now deceased) had IBD and splattered on the sides of the box. No one wanted to use a box he had used.... another thing, mine won't use covered boxes. I use the high back boxes from DrsFosterSmith. They are around $9 each. I scoop 3 times a day. Each box gets dumped and washed and refilled once a week. I completely replace all boxes once a year (they get bacteria build up). I started using plastic liners in some of the boxes. (4 of 6) and some of those silly kitties prefer that. The only time we have a problem is with something new in the house or when workers have been here and things don't smell like they "should". A little marking behavior and everything smells cat-proper. Annoying but manageable. Visitors are always amazed I have as many cats as I do as there is no telltale odor! L
