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I empty the box completely once a week usually for my two cats. I used to do that twice a week but it got to be too much. Now I make sure I put more in the box when I start fresh then rarely add a sprinkle to the box after scooping out so it's down low enough but not too low to empty. My one cat got really sick when he was a few months old and I started reading about what makes cats so sick like he was. That's when I read about it bacteria in the litter pan from not keeping the litter pan clean enough for them. I also use litter pan liners which I will never ever go without after having them. I don't have a hose outside and I don't have a basement tub to clean the litter pan in and I refuse to clean a dirty litter pan in my bathtub or kitchen sink just my personal icky.
I just got a cat about a month ago. I used to have an outdoor cat, so having this new indoor cat is quite the experience. I never had to deal with scooping the litter with my old cat (that was years ago). Now my new cat seems to fill the thing up on a daily basis.
I have to scoop it every day (if not twice a day), and I exchange the entire litter about every 6 days. Some people think that's too much, but I like to keep it clean for her. That way I dont have poop in my hallways, and her feet stay clean.
I just adopted my 5 month old fur baby. He came into my life by surprise, I couldn't turn him down. So here I am, not knowing what the heck I'm doing.
First off, I'm finding the arm and hammer cat litter to be pretty good. He won't cover up his own poop, so when he goes I have to go cover it up or the smell is pretty intense lol. I wish I could somehow teach him. Maybe if I got into the litter box and showed him? Just kidding.
I think my question here is, he was eating purina kitten chow, so that is what I went and bought. But he is having some huge poops. Child size in some cases and occasional gas. He was given a clean bill of health, has been dewormed and received vaccinations before I adopted him. Is this normal for a cat his age? Thanks.
I scoop out the litter box twice a day for my 1 cat. I only have to completely change the litter every 2 months because it stays clean with good/tight clumping litter. I use liners to keep the pan from absorbing odors. I add new litter as needed. Has worked very well.
I think my question here is, he was eating purina kitten chow, so that is what I went and bought. But he is having some huge poops. Child size in some cases and occasional gas.
Unfortunately that brand (and type) of food is pretty bad stuff for a cat. It's full of things they don't need (which is why your cat has huge poops). It has corn in it, which causes gas since cats can't digest grains.
For the health & well-being of your cat and to greatly improve your cat's litter box environment, please transition your kitty to a premium no-grain wet food (like Wellness Core). If you must feed dry (which is not optimal for any cat) then at least go for a premium food that is non-grain. (Some options are: Wellness, Taste of the Wild, Nature's Variety Instinct). Basically, your cat needs high quality human-grade protein, no byproducts, no grain (corn, wheat, gluten, soy) to maintain his health. But wet food is really better for cats as they need that moisture and greater % of protein.
I think my question here is, he was eating purina kitten chow, so that is what I went and bought. But he is having some huge poops. Child size in some cases and occasional gas. He was given a clean bill of health, has been dewormed and received vaccinations before I adopted him. Is this normal for a cat his age? Thanks.
Lottamoxie's post basically sums it up... read the ingredients in the food, can you pronounce the ingredients and are they things you recognize? Stay away from by-products and corn and anything that doesn't sound like food you would eat. There are lots of threads on C-D about food; if you do a search it should pull up a lot of info. Make sure when you switch the food you do it gradually, adding more of the new food each time you feed. I feed natural balance and my cats love it. Also wet food is better than dry.
OP: I don't have a set schedule for emptying the boxes completely. I have 2 cats and 3 litter boxes. I use a clumping litter and I scoop twice per day. I usually dump all the litter when I notice there are tiny pieces that slip through the scoop and are difficult to get out. I'm very picky because I don't want to ever have a problem with them going outside the box. Of course immediately after changing out all the litter the kitties rush to get in there and poop
I rotate the litterbox washing. As the boxes get low (scoopable litter) I move the used litter "forward" to the other boxes getting low, scrub the last box in the row and refill it with fresh new litter. The next time another box get's washed until I'm back to box#4. I never throw out scoopable litter. There's no smell from the missed tiny bits and the cats don't seem to mind them.
(Below) Phaedra the day we got her from the shelter in Oct of 2009. The litterpan was slowly moved back, back into the utility area. She was so young we wanted her to have a pan handy where she spent most of her time. She's never had an accident.
I think I messed up. I went to pet smart and spent an hour reading through most ingredients on the food and most everything had cornmeal in it. :/ I ended up leaving with Authority, because I could not afford the wellness. What do you think about this food? I'm hoping he will respond to it better. If not I will have to find a way to get the more expensive brand. I'm having some money issues... so I don't know how well I could keep up with the expense of wellness. Thanks all!
Well you can order just about any kind of food from the Internet, so you're not just limited to your local Petsmart. I'm not familiar with Authority food, have never heard of it.
I've been feeding my cat canned Trader Joe's Turkey & Giblets lately because it doesn't have any byproducts or grains and she seems to like it, after rejecting other foods. I do give her some dry kibble (20% of her diet is dry) and I use Taste of the Wild Feline. I plan to start adding in some canned Wellness Core, which will increase the amount of protein she's getting, percentage-wise.
It's really a tradeoff. If you buy cheap cat food that means it generally doesn't have quality ingredients in it (hence why it's cheap) and often has fillers no cat should have. And over time your cat may suffer because of not getting the best nutrition.
Nutrition is very important for a pet--it forms the foundation of them having a long and healthy life, which is the goal. Good nutrition helps a cat have a good immune system--to fight off disease, so if you think of it that way, you're saving $$$ on vet bills in the future by feeding wholesome food. Wet food is better than dry, and premium wet/canned foods are better than the stuff one sees in the grocery store. There's a lot of websites out there that talk about different cat foods and give some guidance, but as I said, you want wet/canned, high levels of protein, NO grains, NO wheat/corn/soy/gluten, NO by-products, and as few veggies/fruits as possible, though they all have some.
If you can't afford to feed Wellness core canned 100% of the time, then even doing it 50% of the time, and mixing it with something less expensive may work in your sitch. Read the labels to see what's in the food.
BTW, some people make their own cat food (feeding a raw diet, which is considered the best) but it takes time and you have to get the ingredients just right so the kitty gets the proper level of nutrients. There's also premade 'raw' food for cats, but that's more expensive than Wellness, I think.
I'm working my way up the food chain with my cat--getting her on canned/wet has been a challenge, but she's doing pretty well so far.
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Rotated boxes.....
