Cat Decision - need help (New update - pg 4)

 With the litter box, I'd suggest getting a self cleaning one. They're automated so as soon as the cat is finished their business and leave the box, it cleans it self. That way all you have to do is change the bag each day and there's no "treats" for the dogs to get in to. If you get a GOOD litter, you won't have the smell of gross litter also it depends on the food you feed. Like a dog.

Activities.. Hmmm.. Well you can train a cat. I was teaching Crombie how to fetch before he went missing.  Cat trees are fun and make great hiding places when they've had enough of the dogs. 

A lot of the indoor cat's I've met are very content to be happy inside but if you don't already, I'd recommend putting up screens in the windows. It's just a matter of the cat seeing inside more fun the being outside.

I don't know which one to choose, but if it was me, I'd take them both. Lol

 I had wanted Chester to be an inside cat only. He was tiny, bottlefed and a sweet kittie. After a while he REALLY tried to get outside at all times. We did pretty good keeping him in. Then I'd let him out only when it was cold and rainy, thinking that would change his mind.  But, after a few years he just won. He's inside - outside now and MUCH happier. He spends most of his time out on the deck sunbathing. .

oranges81

With the litter box, I'd suggest getting a self cleaning one. They're automated so as soon as the cat is finished their business and leave the box, it cleans it self. That way all you have to do is change the bag each day and there's no "treats" for the dogs to get in to.

Any suggestions on what are good ones?  And what type/brand of liter do you use with one?  My friend had one before and she complained about it constantly.  Since STBX is out I got left with the cats (which I really didn't want, I'm not much of a cat person) and they're not so bad, but I *HATE* the litterbox.

Luckily, I've always rented houses (albeit small ones) that have unfinished basements, so we've never had an issue about where to keep the cat boxes.  With only one cat though, I don't think it will be a big deal, regardless of where it's placed.  I use "hard clumping" litter so by the time I scoop the box, the cat kaka is already like a block of cement.  If I'm too lazy to scoop it I just dump it all and pour in new stuff.  It's really not any more nasty than scooping dog poop, and you only have to do it once a day or every few days rather than every time the dog goes out (well, *I* have to clean up after my dogs right away).  My friend and a self-cleaning box and I don't think it was worth it.  She had to buy special litter.  She was told not to use it for a kitten b/c their poop is different and gets all clumped in the sweeping mechanism.  Plus, she still had to empty the soiled stuff.  It really wasn't any less work or less gross than just scooping or dumping the litter.

As for things to do, my cats have a tall (like 7";) cat tree on our screened in porch.  They prefer to spend all day out there.  They also play with each other and have a few toys and things that they like. 

I keep them indoors b/c frankly it's just too dangerous for them to be out.  For one, it's illegal here, the leash laws apply to cats.  Two, we live less than a mile off one of the busiest streets in the state and THE busiest intersection in the state.  Three, I have no fence, so I have no way to contain them to MY yard.  My neighbor across the street has cats and they basically live on our property.  They are almost feral, they act nasty and look really unhealthy.  I would not want my cats near them.  Three, the times I do take my cats out, they don't behave any differently than they do indoors.  They simply chase bugs or lay in the sun.  They can do that all day on the porch.  Sometimes they like to much grass, so in the past I've grown little containers of "cat grass" for them indoors.  My female cats are 6 and 7lbs and my male is 12lb.  They have smooth coats, clean ears, and clear eyes.  They are not fat, overfed indoor cats.

Basically I approach cat ownership the same as a dog, or even a child.  I'd never allow my dogs to roam free outdoors just b/c they whined at the door, so I won't allow my cats.  It's just not safe or fair for them and everyone else in the neighborhood.  I have seen too many neglected cats, cats killing native wildlife, or cats that become road paste.  If the cat really *needs* to go outside, I use a figure-eight harness on a tie-out and sit outside with the cat for a while.  Same as my dogs, who are always supervised when outdoors.  I've found that having a screened porch or balcony that they can't escape from is really enough for them.  As long as they can get some fresh air and sun they don't need to be outside. 

 Does this cat look fat?

TheDogHouseBCMPD

oranges81

With the litter box, I'd suggest getting a self cleaning one. They're automated so as soon as the cat is finished their business and leave the box, it cleans it self. That way all you have to do is change the bag each day and there's no "treats" for the dogs to get in to.

Any suggestions on what are good ones?  And what type/brand of liter do you use with one?  My friend had one before and she complained about it constantly.  Since STBX is out I got left with the cats (which I really didn't want, I'm not much of a cat person) and they're not so bad, but I *HATE* the litterbox.

I don't know about brands but your pet store would be able to help choose the litterbox that's right for you. As for litter, I used clumping litter.

tiffy

 Does this cat look fat?

 

Yes.  Very. 

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If I were you, I would get Snowbird.  Apart from anything else, she looks GORGEOUS.

Inside cats can be happy healthy cats too   Maybe it depends somewhat on the temperament of the cat?

I have an male orange tabby like the one in the toilet pic, who, coincidentally, also likes the toilet lol. Mike is a very large cat...not fat, just huge. He's very tall, filled-out, and has huge paws. He's the only cat we haven't had since kittenhood, and he has the best personality of my 3 cats. He puts up with anything, so we were very lucky to adopt such an adaptable animal.

Being strictly indoors doesn't mean a cat will become overweight. One of mine, Charlie, looks like he's starving. He's never been a big eater, and he's free-fed dry food and given canned daily. Food has never been a big interest for him, and because he's contantly on-the-go, his weight stays down. In addition to energy level, a cats weight also has a lot to do with what it eats and its age.

Re: litter boxes/litter

I've tried a bunch of different litters and boxes. Because Mike is so big, his butt would hang outside the box. So I just gave up on traditional boxes and bought a long storage bin. He never misses now lol.

I hate the smell of kitty litter, especially when ammonia builds up in clay litter. I also hate clay litter because it tracks everywhere. I now use World's Best, which is corn-based. Once you get used to the corn smell, it's a great litter. It clumps very well, and I'd imagine it would work much better in an automatic box than any clumping clay litter. I've had very bad experiences with automatic litter boxes, but that's mostly my cats' fault. Once they realized stuff on the box moved, someone stayed in the box every few minutes. They literally obsessed over the box, so that wore out the motor in no time. Also, at the time, the litter I used was never right, so I gave up and went back to the easier, do-it-yourself method.

I don't think I've met an orange tabby that wasn't big.

As for cats in the house with dogs, provide escape havens for cats. Maybe a room in the house with a cat door so that they can escape. Train the dogs to leave the cats alone with the same method that you are training cats to "watch me."

Be mindful that cats like to start stuff. They play by play-fighting. They don't play tug or fetch like a dog. With another cat, they take turns chasing and attacking each other. It's a different mindset than dogs so your dogs will have to learn or be trained to ignore such overtures from cats.

As for litter, I can't help you. It's never bothered me to have a cat and litterbox in the house. One thing you can do is sprinkle the litterbox with baking soda every once in a while to absorb odors.

Oh, I love the spotted orange tabby!  Yeah I would say that's a fat cat, but I hold my cats and dogs to the same standards.  I like them lean and fit.  I like to see a waist and tuck on my cats, but not ribs, spine, or hips that are too pokey.  My gray male is fat right now.  He weighs 12 lbs.  I've been trying to take weight off him, but he must be stealing food or something.  My young female has always been rail thin and small, the other female was gettng pudgey but now has lost a lot of weight and is probably only 6 or 7 lbs.

As for things to do....depends on the cat.  Posh loves to play with those dead looking fake mice.  Beckham is obsessed with the plastic rings that come off a milk carton.  All of my cats love a "cat dancer".  Beckham can jump over six feet straight up from a stand still so he likes when you hold a toy up against a wall, he jumps for it, and you release it.  I also clicker trained him to follow a target wand.

I think everybody's advice is good!

My cats came before Thor, so Thor actually loves the cats (every cat in the world actually) and he plays with them a lot: always careful since he is 100 lbs bigger than both. I don't have a special scape place for the cats, because Thor is good with them, but I know sometimes that really helps. They are pretty active playing around and also they have sleepy days too, specially when is cold; but they are not overweight we feed them twice a day and in separated places. If they start to get chubby, we reduce the quantities and if they look skinny we will increase... that also changes with the temperature.

My female cat, Zarina, is the sweeetest and she didn't change after she was spayed, so I really wouldn't spect a change of personality. The male cat, Luke, is very active and a little mean, he will play fetch a lot and he always has a "special toy" he will carry around (even to his plate, the water fountain or the litter box) and he wouldn't let Thor or Zarina to mess with it. But nothing serious, sometimes he has to go in his kennel for a while to cool off.

The litter box, for me, it's not a big deal, I think sometimes to pick up Thor's poop is more gross. But is one of those things you are used to do. Automatic litter boxes sound great, but I really recommend for you to investigate and read other people opinions about using them, I only have bad stories about. What we use is a big plastic container, because it gives more room for the cat to move around and not make a mess. We put the lid next to collect the little pebbles they can carry on their paws so the place is not a mess. We clean the box every morning and DH washes it everytime the sand goes low (once a month, maybe) and filled it again. We have it in the laundry room and doesn't stink, only when Luke forgets to cover his poop (let's say once every 6 months). Just because, I put around some construction paper so if they spill a little urine it won't get in the walls or the washing machine. Until now it hasn't happened.

About enrichment, I will recommend you a water fountain. Mine love it!! And sometimes they will sit next to it just to look at the water. Luke was used to ask us to turn the faucet on to drink his water (drink from a bowl no way!!) so we bought the fountain and it was a hit. Also the cat tree it's a great idea, we want one... have to save a little bit to get one! But we manage to make a place for all of them to hang out while I'm working and they seem to enjoy it!

Another important thing is a scratcher, they go all day long for a nice scratch and the furniture doesn't suffer! The rest, a nice cat bed and windows...

I hope this helped you. Sorry it is so long, I got carried away...

I didn't use to be a cat person either...now I have 5.  Obviously, I have learned that cats are actually pretty cool.  ;)  One of mine is very dog-like, and I love that.

I don't really think the litter box is a big deal, especially for only one cat.  If you just scoop it regularly, it doesn't have to be gross -- certainly nothing a dog owner can't handle.  I try to keep mine scooped twice a day.  A couple great links re litter boxes:

http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm

http://www.catnutrition.org/litterbox.php

Any news? Are you getting Snowbird?

We keep our box in the garage...they have a cat door to get to it. Helps minimize dogs eating the poop and the smell both. We have a littermaid that is going on...wow...EIGHT YEARS OLD...holy schnikes!!

I've always preferred male cats...they have more personality and seem more outgoing and confident, and less vocal. That's just me tho.