I'm going through so much litter!!

19 years ago

My youngest cat has dug to the bottom of the litter box since day one, my oldest cat never did, until recently. I can hear them in there for probably a good 10 minutes each time. I never used to even know when my oldest had used the box, but now all I hear is scratching and digging.

They make a HUGE empty space at the bottom of the litter box and do their business, and then cover it with ALL the litter. Since its on a flat, clean surface the urine spreads right out and the bottom of the litter box becomes right caked with wet, soaked litter. It doesn't matter how much litter I put in, or how little. They do it everytime. It's even hard to scoop, because I have to dig to the bottom to get the clumps, and then all the litter gets dirty and I have to chuck it all anyways.

Its really getting expensive to have to change the litter daily, if I want to keep it really clean. It'd be nice if I could go back to scooping and only changing it twice a week. I don't know what else to do though. Should I try a different kind of litter?? should I put something at the bottom of the box so they aren't inclined to dig to the plastic?? Should I put a TON of litter in so they can't easily get to the bottom??

I've always had cats dig little holes then cover them up. But never that dig right to the bottom and urinate on the plastic then make sure every bit of litter gets a little bit of its own urine.

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Comments (11)

sable_ca
19 years ago
My sympathies. Our female spends so much time covering things up that my husband refers to it as doing her interior decorating job.

Anyway, you could try a plastic liner. None of our cats (we have two at a time) ever liked it, so gave up on that. Are you using an actual clumping litter? We are gradually switching our two over to The World's Best Cat Litter. It's heavy, clumps fantastically well, makes much less dust inside the box, and doesn't track around the house nearly as much as others we've used. It also smells okay - we are changing the litter much less frequently now. It is a bit more costly, but it's been worth it for the convenience and long-lasting properties. And we do put quite a lot in the litterbox, as that little girl digs and digs!
acorn
19 years ago
I've been using a pine clumping litter called feline fresh, it can handle the over digging cat.
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michelle_s_phxaz
19 years ago
Tidy Cat Sifting Litter Liners. A God-send.

Here is a link that might be useful: Quick Sifting Litter Liners
coolmama
19 years ago
Do you have more then one box? Maybe getting another box would help. Maybe the two cats are trying to out do each other's scent or something.
My cat doesnt dig to the bottom,but he does dig for a good 10-15 minutes sometimes and it can be annoying (exspecially because his box is kept in the bedroom,and he usually does this when I'm sleeping!)
I only have the one cat now,but when I had more then one I went through alot of litter too...
munkos
Original Author
19 years ago
I just find it odd that my oldest is doing it. We've had two other cats at one point (old roommates boys) and she never started in on that. And she didnt start until recently. The youngest I expect it out of, she's a neat freak. Any litter that makes it out of the box, she cleans up to around the sides of the box. Anything spilled on the floor, she tries to clean. Water, juice, food, whatever. If the dogs throw up, she tries to clean it. So I expect her to try and keep her litter box ultra clean. Maybe I will have to try two. The litter I use does clump really well, and it was fine until they both started doing it. But I might try switching again, just to see. The plastic liners are a big no go, we tried them once with the oldest, and she'd spend her whole time in the litter box shredding the thing, she HATES them.
Roberta_z5
19 years ago
Well, if you want really cheap litter, we buy the stuff in the home improvement stores (or WalMart, Farm/Fleet or any hardware store. It is for soaking up oil on garage floors. We use it for cat litter and also for icy and slick walkways since it isn't dangerous for the chickens to ingest. It is a fraction of the cost of kitty litter and is 100% clay.

Our cats are outdoor pets, but since we have had the below zero temps for the last two weeks, we are allowing them in the guest house. The only time they use the litter box is at night when they are closed in. If they have a choice, they go outdoors and dig a hole in the snow! My first worry when we started shutting them in at night was that they would prefer the litter box to the cold snow. They don't and I'm glad!!!
measure_twice
19 years ago
How about a litter box with a grid bottom? some litter will remain under the grid where the cats cannot dig.
puc13
19 years ago
No solution, just empathy.

One of my boys just clears a spot to go right on the plastic...then covers like a maniac. He has no urinary tract issues - he's always done it - both kids (brothers) are 11.

We have 2 dog-boxes... you know, the ones made for indoor little doggies like mini-chi's and such. They come in different sizes and have lower sides and a "walk-in" section that works well for our diabetic (not so good at negotiating stepping high). We use Cat's Pride clumping litter because they like it (inexpensive too)...I prefer Swheat Scoop - but then again I don't have to use it!

I scrape the darned thing down outside as needed and wash it out... its my job.

Good luck.
munkos
Original Author
19 years ago
Yeah, I clean mine once a week and scrape all the soaked, caked on litter off and wash it out. Maybe I wash it too often and they are doing it to keep their scent on it?? I don't know. I had/have a litter maid but it didnt work well as the comb doesnt reach the bottom where I need it to. Maybe I'll set it up as a second box and see if it indeed does help.
lynn_d
19 years ago
Have you tried using just enough litter to cover the bottom of the box?
munkos
Original Author
19 years ago
Yup, I have, and that equals atleast two changes a day. I think I might just resort to switching to cheaper, non clumping stuff since the clumping doesnt do much in my case, anyways.