The Aegean Cat-Stables

[bigscary]

We're really enjoying our guests, now that they've acclimated a bit, but we're having a couple of issues:
1: They scratch their litter very vigorously, more so than any cat I've dealt with before. Sounds like they're running a paper shredder, and it gets everywhere. Were this a permanent or even long-term arrangement, I'd have to get a covered box, and certainly will do so if (as I hope) we do wind up with a cat or cats of our own.
2: I filled the bottle of their water apparatus, and they knocked it over. This wouldn't be SO bad, but I'm keeping all their stuff in one room as it's a temporary arrangement. The water spilled onto spilled litter and, well, even though it wasn't dirty litter, nothing set like concrete to the floor is exactly fun. Again, if this were long-term, as I hope a future kitty to be, this wouldn't be a problem, as a better solution would be found.

Comments

[viridian.livejournal.com]

Their water bottle is not usually in the same room with their litter, so that's never an issue. Also, we do have a bigger litter pan with higher edges - it's just enormous, so we didn't think you'd have a good place to put it.

[bugsybanana.livejournal.com]

Nitpick: Augean.

[stormsweeper.livejournal.com]

Even if in the same room, you should put the food and water as far from the litter box as possible. Litter box placement is one of the black arts of cat ownership.

[bigscary.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, a good placement of either isn't possible right now. But when I am an actual cat owner, I will be able to justify the time investment to really work things out. What I have right now is their portable stuff (their real litterbox is, as noted above, much better, they have spots for their litter and eating that are well separated AND accessible, etc.), and it is obviously a make-do situation.

Similarly, I'm not investing the effort to retrain them not to be meepy at 4am. Exactly how nocturnal ARE you, viridian?

[viridian.livejournal.com]

very. it helps that I could probably sleep through ANYTHING short of my bed burning up with me in it. a cat walking on me and meeping? pffft.

but they never bother me once I've gone to bed. they usually curl up and sleep til it's time to feed them again. maybe feed them just before bed?

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I would jettison any "water apparatus" that isn't at least as heavy again as the cats themselves. My cats used to batter the shit out of even the heavy water dispensers. You'd be better off filling a heavy ceramic bowl with water fresh once a day. Hell, I got a kitty fountain and I still put out a bowl of water.

As regards to kitty litter: covered litter boxes are definitely the way to go. I doubt Data or Callisto are scratching the litter more vigorously than any other kitty. My solution was to put a litter-catching little pad between the openings of the two boxes I have and to put all of it on top of a bit of shaggy carpet. The carpet catches most of the litter that they track out of the boxes, and the covers catch everything else. Just something to save for future cat considerations...

[bigscary.livejournal.com]

thanks for the advice.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Hey, no worries. You have friends with cats who have probably been through every variable on "My cats are a problem because XYZ." The least we can do is try and help you steer clear of those problems in to the new and interesting ones your own kitties will one day discover.

[khab-rmb.livejournal.com]

How long are you keeping these felines?

[bigscary.livejournal.com]

through the 29th or 30th

[khab-rmb.livejournal.com]

I'll miss them, then :(

[bigscary.livejournal.com]

Oh? When are you in?

[khab-rmb.livejournal.com]

Winter break. Assuming I don't have any finals, maybe December 7. (my parents want me to do something about the piles of papers in my room...)