I.Dup. Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 We have the sweetest cat. He was inside for awhile, but kept escaping (he was a stray, we had him neutered and brought him indoors) so I made him an outside cat since he seemed to want to be out there so badly. Well I think he regrets his decision and realizes how good he had it in here because he is always trying to get back in. ;) With winter coming, I'm thinking I can convince dh to bring him back in as an indoor cat (dh doesn't think cats will freeze in the winter time, but they will, won't they?) Anyway, litter boxes completely gross me out, the thought of the cat doing his business, walking and scratching all over it, and then walking around the house just gives me the willies and I'm always paranoid about fecal matter or cat parasites getting on our pillows or blankets or counters because of the cat. I'm a bit of a germ freak, esp. when it comes to floors- little bits of litter get everywhere, it's just gross. How do I let go of this neurosis so we can bring the cat back in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I don't like cats at all, but if it helps knowing that households with 2 or more pets tend to have less allergy problems, it might help just a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Lol, you sound like my Dh who calls it *hit cat feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 You lucky person. You own a cat? Congratulations. Put the cat box in the garage with a wipey-paw thing around it. Then install a kitty door from the garage into the house. Kitty can come and go and mess stays in garage. And of course Kitty will get cold and miserable. Let him in. We have eight cats. They are worth the trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I've been more grossed out by explosive diapers than cat littler. Maybe because I've had cats since childhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Also cats clean themselves. By the way, my cat never touches his products at all. He is very fastidious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I've had indoor cat(s) for the past 20+ years and have always hated the smell of litter and the litter tracking everywhere. I've found that wood pellets work great for litter - the kind you use for pellet stoves - they control the urine smell very well and don't get tracked around very much at all. If you want less smell and icky-ness with the poo - the best thing is to feed a good quality food (something made with human grade ingredients) or go to a raw diet. If you make sure the cat doesn't have parasites or any health issues when you bring him back in, I think it's improbable that he will pick up parasites, etc., if he stays as an indoor only cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Also cats clean themselves. By the way, my cat never touches his products at all. He is very fastidious. Some cats aren't very good about cleaning themselves :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 If you allow him to be an indoor/outdoor cat, he will likely do most of his "business" outside. Personally, I like the garage arrangement suggested above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Sorry, I'm with you. When we had cats (we had to rehome them because I found out I was highly allergic) it always grossed me out to see them jump on the counter or the table because I knew they had stepped in their littler box. Ick. Yes, we tried to train them to stay down, but that never worked. They got up there ALL THE TIME when we were not home. I could see little kitty prints on the table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 If you allow him to be an indoor/outdoor cat, he will likely do most of his "business" outside. Personally, I like the garage arrangement suggested above. :iagree: When we had a cat, she did most of her business outside. We also used to buy an ultra-clumping cat litter, and changed it very regularly, in order to reduce the amount of icky litter on the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Maybe it's weird but my cats are WAY cleaner than my kids. My cats never left me a "poop print" on the lightswitch. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertDweller Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Could you put in a cat door and allow the cat to be both inside and outside as it chooses? It's possible since he has been outside for awhile he may choose to do his business outside and not use the litter box that often. We had four cats at one point. All of them were indoor/outdoor. The two males never used the litter box and were quite happy to go outside and go to the bathroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stratford Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Potty train your cat. No, seriously, we did that with our cat and it worked great. It took about a week and he could use the toilet. (Couldn't flush, obviously, we had to do that for him.) We did this when he was about 3 years old, so he'd been using the box for a while, and he transitioned without a problem. All you need is a foil roasting pan, flushable litter, and a little time. Google it, it's pretty neat. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Potty train your cat. No, seriously, we did that with our cat and it worked great. It took about a week and he could use the toilet. (Couldn't flush, obviously, we had to do that for him.) We did this when he was about 3 years old, so he'd been using the box for a while, and he transitioned without a problem. All you need is a foil roasting pan, flushable litter, and a little time. Google it, it's pretty neat. :) I totally thought of Meet the Parents when I read this LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I hate having indoor cats, but I'm outnumbered. Litter box - clean it twice a day. Sweep - 15 million times a day because of cat food and litter. Brush the cats - daily or vaccum your furniture daily. You choose. Clothes - wash, fold, and put away immediately OR wash, cat sits on them, wash again. Sink - shove the cat out of the sink every time you need to use it. Clean the sink and then try to brush your teeth before the cat gets back into the sink. I can't imagine the free time I'd have if I didn't have those two cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 our cat is indoor/outdoor, so no cat box. He's very good at letting us ALL know when his highness would like to or needs to go out :tongue_smilie: we have a dog door now, but he only uses it to come inside, never out. (don't blame him, the dog thinks it's a game of chase when he hears the door shut) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Potty train your cat. No, seriously, we did that with our cat and it worked great. It took about a week and he could use the toilet. (Couldn't flush, obviously, we had to do that for him.) We did this when he was about 3 years old, so he'd been using the box for a while, and he transitioned without a problem. All you need is a foil roasting pan, flushable litter, and a little time. Google it, it's pretty neat. :) We tired to toilet train our two cats. One of them mostly got it, the other was hopeless. So we had to go back to the kitty litter. The one who was toilet trained stopped using the toilet when the kitty litter option was available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I had an outdoor cat as a child and she used one spot outside as her litter box. I think that is typical of cats. So, maybe it will gross you out less (or more) if you see it not as a choice of litter box or no litter box, but of inside box or outside box. Either way, the cat will most likely be going, walking around, and doing his business in the same spot and covering it with dirt. I don't see much difference as far as the ick factor with that. My cats are indoor cats and they are very neat. If you clean the box daily, their paws should not get any funk on them. Actually, who is cleaning kitty's favorite spot outside? Nobody. It just piles up and decomposes gradually but Kitty will still be going to that area. Maybe inside box is less gross because it gets cleaned and the clumps and poo removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 NM. Saw you tried to potty training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbkaren Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 ...Put the cat box in the garage with a wipey-paw thing around it. Then install a kitty door from the garage into the house. Kitty can come and go and mess stays in garage. And of course Kitty will get cold and miserable. Let him in. We have eight cats. They are worth the trouble. We did this in our basement; the cats come and go when we open the door outside normally. If they're inside and need to use the litter box, they go down to the basement through the cat door. (Or sometimes they'll meow to be let out.) Works great! I'm glad you decided to let him come and go; cats who are used to being outdoors tend to be not-very-pleased when their person decides they should be confined to the house. And that can get gross (they pee on things when they're upset). Congrats, a cat is a great companion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 We bought a nice, thick sort of door mat to help catch his litter. I spray around the area regularly with Lysol. We have moved our litter box to the basement so we rarely have to see it during a regular day. We buy a good, clumping litter and change it regularly. Cats wash themselves almost constantly, so I don't really worry too much about spreading germs. If you're bringing in a cat that has been outside, I would take him to the Vet and get him checked for worms, etc. before keeping him back in the house. If he jumps on the counters, I'd get a spray bottle and squirt him with water to teach him not to do that.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 Thank you all for the tips. We do not have a garage, but we do have a covered back porch and our laundry room has a door that leads out there. I'm not sure if I could convince dh to put a kitty door on that door (he doesn't want the cat back inside at all) but that could be a good option to keep the litter box out there on the porch. Maybe he'll use it, maybe he'll go outside, but at least it won't be in the house. :glare: If we bring the cat in, put the litter box outside, and install a kitty door, how long before the cat figures out he needs to use the kitty door to go use the litter box? And if it's really cold outside, won't he resist going out to use the litter box? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbkaren Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 ...If we bring the cat in, put the litter box outside, and install a kitty door, how long before the cat figures out he needs to use the kitty door to go use the litter box? And if it's really cold outside, won't he resist going out to use the litter box? I wouldn't worry about that. Cats don't mind the cold that much; and the litter box is still indoors, right? Even a screened-in porch is warmer than the unsheltered outdoors. Cats are neat; unless they're sick, angry, or stressed out, they won't generally mess in the house unless they're unable to access a "bathroom". As soon as the cat learns where the litter box is (I'd put him in there maybe two or three times), he'll go there. You'll need to give him unobstructed access for a while, though. The cat door takes a little time for them to get used to; many have a magnet that requires a bit of a shove to open them. We propped the flap open for a while and called the cats through to get them used to it, then half-closed it, then covered the magnet so the door would swing freely open, then once they were using it regularly, removed the magnet cover allowing the magnet to snap the door shut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 All our cats figured out the kitty door quickly. We put all their food in the garage too, so the incentive to use the door was there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbkaren Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 All our cats figured out the kitty door quickly. We put all their food in the garage too, so the incentive to use the door was there. You know what, so did we! lol You've got a point there; that may be why they learned so quickly :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmiraGulch Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 You lucky person. You own a cat? Congratulations. Put the cat box in the garage with a wipey-paw thing around it. Then install a kitty door from the garage into the house. Kitty can come and go and mess stays in garage. And of course Kitty will get cold and miserable. Let him in. We have eight cats. They are worth the trouble. :iagree: This is exactly how it's set up in my house. No odor, all the yuckiness stays in the garage, and the litter is the kids' job! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.