Cat Litter And Cat Litter Boxes

There are an ever increasing number of choices for both cat litter and cat litter boxes.

And you can spend a small fortune trying to figure out which one is the best for your home. Sure cats are, for the most part, clean animals. But unless your cat is basically an outdoor pet, you will always have to deal with some mess and odor. This is without a doubt the biggest problem for cat owners. It's the problem they spend more time and money on than anything else. That and keeping them from clawing the furniture.

Out of the many cat litters available (and we'll look at some more closely on other pages), scoop cat litter seems to be a favorite among the majority of people for keeping the litter box relatively clean. Ideally, you would scoop the cat litter several times a day and odor will not be a problem in your home. At least it won't be if you dispose of the scooped litter right away. But as good as this sounds, it is oftentimes impractical. Especially if you will be gone for extended periods of time. Nobody hangs around the house all day waiting to scoop litter. So it is important to use a brand that battles odors when you can't scoop as often as you might want to. There is a definite difference among brands when considering odor control.

Some people prefer to go a little more high tech. You can purchase a cat litter box that actually does the scooping for you. If you live in a busy household and can't scoop as often as you want to, this is a great alternative, although a bit more expensive. Plug it in, and a simple arm attachment pushes the litter clumps out of the box and into a tray after your pet makes use of his box. If you hate scooping, this is for you. Your job is simply to empty the tray which is very easy to do. The litter will always be clean, but if you don't empty the tray frequently enough, you'll still have to deal with the smell.

Some things to keep in mind when choosing cat litter and a litter box. How many cats do you own, how big are they and how big is your home? If you have several cats, be sure you have several litter boxes. And if you live in a two story home, make sure you have a cat litter box on each story.

If your cat is big, a small enclosed cat litter box will not make him happy. If he has a tough time fitting in the box, it will be tough for your cat to keep himself clean. As we mentioned, a cat is basically a clean animal, and if he has trouble squeezing in and out of his box, it will be hard for him to clean. The end result is that he may stop using the box altogether. This will be a major problem because the smell and stain of cat urine is extremely difficult to clean. And most people find that their pets will happily make uses of a pile of clothes in the laundry room or elsewhere is the litter box is not to his liking. More often than not this results in good clothes going to the dumpster.

Your cat may also avoid the litter box if it is placed in a location he will not like to go. In addition to being clean, cats are also private. Do not place the cat litter where there is a lot of people, traffic or noise, he may decide there are more comfortable places for him to go, like in your laundry basket! Try to place the cat litter box in a more quiet and secluded area, but one that is easy to get to. He'll be more than happy to use it if it meets these simple requirements.

Finally, it's a good idea to choose a box that is not so unsightly. This obviously is for your benefit and not the cat's. Putting a litter box in the corner of a room is just ugly. The good news is that you can easily find boxes that look like a piece of furniture. No one except you and the cat has to know there is cat litter inside. Besides the benefit of looking good, these are also great for keeping the litter in the box. No more cleaning up stray litter from your carpet or floor. Less vacuuming and work for you.

Cats are very easy to train, they basically train themselves to use a litter box. Just make sure it is the right size and placed in an area that is both quiet and easy to get to. Do this and he will use it regularly, as long as you take the time to keep it clean.

Throughout the rest of this website we'll look more closely at the different types of cat litter available as well as some of the more popular litter boxes. We'll examine pine cat litter, clumping cat litter, silica litter, flushable litter and more. We'll look at cat litter trays and mats. And we'll look at litter boxes including self cleaning and disposable boxes. This should help you in picking the right products for you and your pet.