Mandylubug Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 I know you are supposed to have one box per cat. We have two boxes. A new one for our kitten. Our resident kitty has decided she likes kitten's box too and stopped using hers... Can I expect her to resume using her box eventually? Her box is nicely built in a bathroom cabinet with kitty door. It is large. Kitten has a smaller box in kids bathroom out in open. Resident cat is cramped in this box and kicks out a ton of litter because she is accustomed to her large box. I'm considering slowly moving kitten's box down the hallway until in the same room as resident kitty's box. It annoys me to have it in our guest bath room. If they are sharing one now, why not move the fun to the larger built in box? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 The golden rule for cats and litter boxes is one for each cat plus one more. So in a perfect world you'd have three. I don't think that "plus one more" is always necessary, but that's what I always tell people 'cause I've never heard a cat expert who said anything else. It's possible that resident cat prefers the out-in-the-open box. People prefer enclosed litter boxes, but most cat experts believe that cats do NOT prefer them. It could also be a kind of dominance thing going on with resident cat wanting to mark over new kitten scent. You should be fine moving the box, as long as you do it slowly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candicane Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 We have 2 cats and 1 box. At one point we had 3 cats 1 box. I've never seen a need for more than one, and it hasn't been a problem for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 The golden rule for cats and litter boxes is one for each cat plus one more. So in a perfect world you'd have three. I don't think that "plus one more" is always necessary, but that's what I always tell people 'cause I've never heard a cat expert who said anything else. It's possible that resident cat prefers the out-in-the-open box. People prefer enclosed litter boxes, but most cat experts believe that cats do NOT prefer them. It could also be a kind of dominance thing going on with resident cat wanting to mark over new kitten scent. You should be fine moving the box, as long as you do it slowly. It very could be a dominance issue. Resident kitty also prefers kitten's food even though it is the same just in a different location using same dishes as always. So kitten has started eating out of both places. Resident cat has came a long way and they run and play fight a ton! I nearly had both on the sofa with me earlier but kitten caught glimpse of our other cat and thought it was pounce and play time. Poor resident cat is pounced on so much. She plays a ton now though compared to sleeping all day. I think she secretly loves the kitten. She freaked out the other day, meowing all over the house looking for kitten. Kitten had been MIA for five hours and I was starting to panic as well. We found her in the boys pj drawer fast asleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 We have a very small house and have four cats and two litters boxes. Over a period of time, they have gravitated to one to pee in and the other they use to poop. They are indoor/outdoor cats so also go outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camelfeet Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 I had one litter box and three cats but got a second box when I got my foster cat as she was confined to the bathroom. After the meet and greet period was done and the cats all became friends, I attempted to migrate the new box out of the bathroom, but the foster cat started peeing in the bathtub. :/ Now, all the cats prefer using the new litter box. I thought perhaps it was because the old litter box was 2.5 years old and maybe the smells weren't getting washed out... so I went out and replaced the old box. They still prefer to pee/poop in the box in the bathroom. I believe it is a dominance thing, as both boxes are in rooms roughly the same size and equally accessible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 The one box per cat rule is hogwash. Every now and then you get a finicky cat that won't share, but the majority of the time, they learn to share. We have multiple cats, and they all share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 The one box per cat rule is hogwash. Every now and then you get a finicky cat that won't share, but the majority of the time, they learn to share. We have multiple cats, and they all share. That doesn't mean it's hogwash. Just about everybody (animals and people) can and do adapt to less than ideal conditions. But anecdotally (having worked in rescue for many years) -- When we get questions from cat owners whose cats have developed litter box issues, one of the most common reasons is that the owner was trying to get too many cats to use too few litter boxes. It works until it doesn't. Very frequently the solution is simply adding one or more boxes. I think most people prefer to avoid ever having problems develop. And thus the advice of at least one box per cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I have had cats with litter box issues. Having to clean up pee and poop smells much worse than hogwash, I can tell you. As of now we have one brand new cat and two boxes. They are both in the basement but not near each other. She uses both and I am happy she does. When we had two cats we had three boxes. That, and cleaning them every single day, was the only way to get one of my cats to use the box. We use a special litter called "cat attract' that has pheromones that attract cats and makes them want to use it. It is a clumping litter and works very well. I was told you can buy regular clumping litter and add in a couple cups of the Cat Attracts. The Cat Attract litter is more expensive so mixing it with cheaper litter can be a good solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate in Arabia Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I had never known anyone irl who used two litter boxes, including myself growing up with cats. Even with our prior cat. With our present cat, adopted a couple of months ago, he has a litter box on the main floor of the house but continually found a spot in the basement to use as well. I tried several methods to discourage it, but in the end the easiest thing to do was to put a second box down there. He uses both somewhat equally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 We have 2 boxes for 6 cats. Our boy cat prefers to go outside, one of our girls is starting to pee in the toilet (and last week in the shared water dish), the rest all share the 2 boxes and girl kitty using potty still poops in the shared boxes. Our biggest issue right now is rescue cat has discovered a section of dirt in the basement under the house where I can't get to that she has started using. It will be getting sprayed with natures miracle and I have to find a way to get cayenne pepper under there and will likely have to set up a 3rd box in the basement now. I by multicat cat litter, if I use regular they won't share the box. The multicat stuff helps neutralize the scents faster I think. Plus I have to scoop daily. If I don't none of them will use any boxes and that just gets gross fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 I'm so glad we don't have litter issues currently. I just hate seeing the litter box in our kids bathroom. It's literally in front of the tub amd toilet. No escaping it so if we ever have guests, I'm sure it'd be a "gross factor" I think I'll slowly move it down our hallway till in my master bathroom. I don't mind looking at it. Kitten and Resident kitty were snuggling and napping together today. Only took 3 weeks to become pretty decent friends! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 We have one cat, two kittens. Right now the kittens are in lockdown because they haven't been introduced to the cat we already had and one of the kittens developed an eye infection late last week. So, right now the cat has her one box in it's usual location and the kittens are sharing a box in their room. When we introduce them all, I will move that box to the room where the cat has her box. Hopefully they will make the move with it. I'm a little worried now, though, because they will have been using it in their room for four weeks when we can introduce them. Previously, when we had two cats, we had two boxes in the same room and it worked fine. When one of them got sick and was having trouble getting in & out of the cat box, I got him a lower box and kept the lid off and they both used that and ignored the two boxes that were already out. I went from having and cleaning two litter boxes to having three and cleaning one. It was strange, but not a big deal. When the sick cat died, I reduced it to one litter box because that's all that was getting used and she hasn't had a problem with it at all. I'm hoping to have two litter boxes with my three cats - I"m sure they will let me know if they don't approve of my plans, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 We have 2 indoor cats and 2 litter boxes. They use one for pee and the other for poop. It's funny how they decided that. ETA: Oops, forgot to answer your question. Yes, I think it's likely that she will go back to her own box as well as using the other. That's what happened when we got our second indoor cat. The first cat only used the kitten's box and now they both use both Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 The one box per cat rule is hogwash. Every now and then you get a finicky cat that won't share, but the majority of the time, they learn to share. We have multiple cats, and they all share.I agree. We have 5 cats and 1 indoor litter box. There is a second box in the garage that one of the males asks to use, but they still all share the one indoor box just fine. We've had multiple cats for 15 + yrs and the only issue we ever had was when one older cat (she was 12) got a UTI. For awhile we tried multiple boxes and everyone just ended up using the same one so we got rid of the others. It probably helps that I scoop anywhere from 3 to 5 times a day though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 3 indoor only cats, 2 litter boxes, one is used more than the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I would migrate to 2 large covered boxes as kitten has more independence and grows. That's what we have for our 2 cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 We have one box cleaned daily, changed weekly for 2 cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 We have 2 boxes in the same area and one elsewhere. The cats use one for a while, then switch to preferring the other. I have no clue what's up with that. I've heard that the biggest reason cats are dumped/abandoned is litter of issues. And one of the simplest ways to avoid issues is to have enough boxes (and to have open boxes). So it isn't hogwash to suggest multiple boxes for multi-cat households. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I I recently saw some rubbery(?) litter mats at Dollar General. I was wondering if they would work or not, since they have little holes in the pattern and I can't tell if it will tear easily with kitty's claws. It says can be used as a food mat or litter mat. I bought one but haven't used it yet. I tried these but I didn't like them. At the time I had a cat that occasionally stuck his tuches out the opening of the litter box to urinate and the mat was hard to clean. Now, the one I had had ridges and in the depressions between the ridges were the holes. If yours doesn't have ridges it might be easier to clean. I got mine at Target. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmaluv+2more Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I don't think it's hogwash either. We have a 15 yr old cat who has never had litter issues. About 6 yrs ago we adopted a kitten. I was unaware of the 1 box per cat rule and assumed they would share (cleaned daily). It didn't take long for the new kitten to develop litter box aversions and she began peeing everywhere but the box. At that point we tried adding more litter boxes, litter attractant, different litter, etc, etc to correct her issues. It never worked (tried fir 2 yrs) and we had to give her away. I do believe that she would have been fine if she'd had her own box from the very beginning. A vet friend of mine said you should have 1 box per cat per floor plus 1 more in order to completely avoid potential problems. If I were to get another cat I would totally follow that advice. Prevention is key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerka528 Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Including fosters, we currently have 11 cats and 5 litter boxes. My non foster cats love to use the new kittens boxes, marking territory I suppose, and also probably just for variety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I don't have 2 cats and I haven't read every reply so take my advice with a grain of salt but when I was frequenting the cat forums and reading websites about cat care I read that cats do not like hoods and such. That's really more a design for the owner's preference. Perhaps 2 identical boxes, in 2 locations, both out in the open would be best. If you don't want to purchase a different box and you think the sizes are adequate for your cats' sizes, then I would just move the box(es). The one cat is cramped, so give that one the bigger box. You can buy boxes with tall sides which may help with the litter issue. I'm still trying to master that. I have a box with tall sides and kitty ruined the first litter mat (it took me forever to decide on one since some look painful to walk on and/or cost a lot) and now just have a door mat by the entrance to catch the litter. I recently saw some rubbery(?) litter mats at Dollar General. I was wondering if they would work or not, since they have little holes in the pattern and I can't tell if it will tear easily with kitty's claws. It says can be used as a food mat or litter mat. I bought one but haven't used it yet. Kind of off topic but my friend recently introduced me to a show on Netflix (and Animal Planet) called My Cat From Hell. I've found it informative though it's more a show about behavior. I tried these but I didn't like them. At the time I had a cat that occasionally stuck his tuches out the opening of the litter box to urinate and the mat was hard to clean. Now, the one I had had ridges and in the depressions between the ridges were the holes. If yours doesn't have ridges it might be easier to clean. I got mine at Target. Use caution with litter mats. I think they're another thing that people like but many cats don't. It seems to me the texture of some of them could be downright tortuous to cats' paws. I use a cheap rag rug from WalMart in front of our litter boxes. It's easy to pick up and shake the litter back into the boxes. It doesn't catch all of it, but probably about 80 - 90 percent. The ones I use cost about $4 each, so not a huge expense. I keep at least one extra, so if one gets soiled (rarely) I just toss it and put down a new one. And if I replace any of the rugs in our house I keep the old ones to use in front of the litter boxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 We have 2 cats, 1 box. We tried 2 boxes, but the second went unused. Since space is an issue here, we tried eliminating the one they DID use to force them to the unused one, which was in a more convenient location for us. They decided to use the floor where the box they preferred had been. :cursing: So now I'm constantly cleaning a box that is practically right smack in the middle of our common area. I wish I hated cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 when we moved to our new house, dh said that he wanted all litter boxes contained in one room so I bought the biggest litter boxes I could find and I have 4 in the laundry room. Seems to be working fine. I have 8 cats but 3 of them spend a large part of the day outside and they go potty outside. They are in at night and every morning when I first get up, all 4 litter boxes are VERY full. It seems like all the cats do all night is pee and poop lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted June 30, 2014 Author Share Posted June 30, 2014 well, a slight update. I have successfully moved the litter box into my bathroom. There is way more space there and thankfully it is now out of the kids bathroom and the hallway. It is in the same bathroom as the other box built in under my cabinet... and they are both still using this one. I am supposing the older cat likes it because it isn't covered. :/ slightly irritating to me but happy cats are more important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Glad the move was successful. I think the sharing thing depends on personality and circumstances. Some cats will share. Some won't. We used to have a cat that couldn't stand the idea of new cats. But he was subtle and very clever. Even though we got a new litter box for our new kitten, he was quietly blocking her from using it. She kept going potty on the carpet unless we sat with her while she went potty and we couldn't figure out why. Then one day I heard her crying. I went to check on her and our male cat was putting his big snow shoe paw on her head and gently but firmly pushing her away every time she tried to get to her litter box. :glare: :lol: We have 3 permanently indoor cats that all share one litter box, but it is a mom and her two children so they are used to sharing. It is an automatic box hooked up to our sewer system, which is great, but the biggest of the three hated it until we took the hood off. He is a big cat (15 lbs), not fat but tall, and was really cramped with the hood on. He and the other cats hate hoods. I keep a regular, also uncovered, litter box in the bathroom on the main floor for any of our cats that come in from outside so the indoor cats don't have to share with the outdoor cats but as soon as the outdoor cats are outside again the indoor cats come in and use the other litter box. I'm sure it is territory based. I have to keep the one in the bathroom cleaned out or the outdoor cats tend to go elsewhere. As long as it is pretty clean, though, they don't mind sharing, I guess since it isn't all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 The one box per cat rule is hogwash. Every now and then you get a finicky cat that won't share, but the majority of the time, they learn to share. We have multiple cats, and they all share. I agree. I've had a lot of cats since I was a child. I think the least cats we ever had at one time was 4. I have five now and we have two litter boxes because the ones they like are small and I had space. If I had a litter box for each and an extra, we'd also have to use them as beds for humans because of space. I have a feeling my cats like having a home more than they're own separate box. It isn't an issue for any of them. Some like covered boxes and some don't, too. A big rubbermaid with a lid and hole in the side for privacy has worked well for the ones that like it. We don't have one now, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Use caution with litter mats. I think they're another thing that people like but many cats don't. It seems to me the texture of some of them could be downright tortuous to cats' paws. I use a cheap rag rug from WalMart in front of our litter boxes. It's easy to pick up and shake the litter back into the boxes. It doesn't catch all of it, but probably about 80 - 90 percent. The ones I use cost about $4 each, so not a huge expense. I keep at least one extra, so if one gets soiled (rarely) I just toss it and put down a new one. And if I replace any of the rugs in our house I keep the old ones to use in front of the litter boxes. I might try that. I've been using the blue underpads from the incontinence section for the past couple of years - it catches any box leaks and gives the cat a couple of steps to get the litter out from between her paws. The underpass aren't terribly expensive, but a rag rug would sure be cheaper in the long run. Thanks for the idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I might try that. I've been using the blue underpads from the incontinence section for the past couple of years - it catches any box leaks and gives the cat a couple of steps to get the litter out from between her paws. The underpass aren't terribly expensive, but a rag rug would sure be cheaper in the long run. Thanks for the idea. I'll warn you if you have any exuberant scratchers, those rag rugs easily end up buried in the box. ;) Those grass-like mats or even textured front door mats work well and aren't easily pulled in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I'll warn you if you have any exuberant scratchers, those rag rugs easily end up buried in the box. ;) Those grass-like mats or even textured front door mats work well and aren't easily pulled in. I've never had any problem with that, and my male cat in particular is a scratcher/re-arranger. The rag rugs I use are pretty heavy, and I tuck a bit under the boxes. Mine are also on carpet, so that probably makes a difference. They'd likely be a lot easier to move around on hard flooring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I've never had any problem with that, and my male cat in particular is a scratcher/re-arranger. The rag rugs I use are pretty heavy, and I tuck a bit under the boxes. Mine are also on carpet, so that probably makes a difference. They'd likely be a lot easier to move around on hard flooring. We have tile. I also have to hide the scooper or they'll drag it in. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Two cats, one box here. But it's a huge box! Not a litter box at all. It's actually a plastic storage box. It's 22" x 5" x 15". Usually with about 3-5 inches of litter in the bottom. But one of my cats is 24 lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2jjka Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 We have 2 cats and 2 boxes, and it's funny because they usually choose to use one box for #1, and the other for #2. Cats are weird. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 2 cats, 1 box. And the cats don't get along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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