Cat litter monitoring is likely one of the most typical complaints cat homeowners have. Irrespective of the place you retain your cat’s litter field, by some means litter finally ends up in every single place — on the flooring, in your footwear, even in your mattress! There’s nothing fairly like having to brush litter bits off the bottoms of your toes earlier than you set in your socks.
Litter monitoring is attributable to bits of litter sticking to your cat’s paws and fur after she has used the litter field. Many cats additionally prefer to “dig to China” of their bins, kicking and throwing litter all around the ground. Then they stroll by the mess and convey it to each nook of your private home.
So, is there a cat litter that doesn’t observe? How do you retain cat litter off the ground? Is there really one thing like a no-mess litter field? Nicely, you may cut back the quantity of litter monitoring all through your dwelling area with the following tips.
1. Is there a cat litter that doesn’t observe? Rethink the kind of cat litter you’re utilizing.
With regards to cat litter monitoring, take into consideration the kind of litter you’re utilizing. Images ©AH86 | Thinkstock.
Is there a cat litter that doesn’t observe? Nicely, some cat litters observe greater than others. In my (nonscientific) expertise, I’ve discovered light-weight litters observe greater than heavier ones. Additionally, newspaper pellets don’t appear to trace in any respect. However usually we don’t have an entire lot of say within the litter our cat prefers, so let’s transfer on to issues that may assist regardless of which litter you utilize.
2. Find out how to hold cat litter off the ground? Use your broom and vacuum — loads.
It could go with out saying, however retaining on prime of the litter scatter within the quick neighborhood of the field helps management litter monitoring. Sweep a number of instances a day and you should have much less of an issue. I’ve a brush and dustpan subsequent to the litter bins and a vacuum within the closet close by. One lady instructed me her nonelectric curler vacuum does an amazing job as effectively.
three. Is there a no-mess litter field? Comprise your cat’s litter field.
When you’ve got a spare lavatory, the bathtub or bathe stall is a superb place for the field. In case your cat is older and arthritic, or a kitten, the bathtub is probably not an amazing choice, however for others it’s positively value a attempt.
You may additionally take into account investing in a plastic kiddie pool. Put the litter field contained in the pool (no water after all, ha ha) and your cat can kick litter to his coronary heart’s content material and it’ll keep confined within the pool. Then, theoretically, by the point your cat hops out of the pool, a lot of that litter could have fallen off his paws on the best way out.
One other choice to cut back on litter monitoring is to take a big storage tub with excessive sides and reduce an entry/exit gap in a single aspect. Make sure to sand the sides of the outlet so your sweetie doesn’t reduce himself getting out and in. Put the litter field contained in the storage tub so as soon as the cat is completed with the field, he nonetheless has just a few steps to make earlier than he’s out in your flooring.
Trays beneath the litter field can even assist. I’ve used a big plastic washer tray underneath the litter field, which helped hold the scatter from spreading.
If you wish to get fancy, take into account “cat furnishings” choices just like the Kattbank bench. It’s an ornamental bench that homes a litter field and plastic grid that retains litter inside; the cat has to cross the plastic grid to exit the bench, so the scatter is contained.
four. Is there a no-mess litter field? Rethink your cat’s litter field.
A high-sided litter field may assist management cat litter monitoring. Images ©JoSchw10 | Thinkstock.
Excessive-sided litter bins like NVR Miss assist tremendously with the litter scatter situation (and with messy pee-ers, too). For a do-it-yourself choice, you should use the deep, high-sided plastic storage field talked about above and pour litter straight in it to make use of as your litter field.
High-entry litter bins will help remove the scatter drawback in addition to the monitoring situation. The cat can kick up litter after which hop out of the highest, hopefully leaving most of that litter within the field.
5. Find out how to hold cat litter off the ground? Make use of rugs and mats to assist cease litter monitoring.
There are many rugs and mats out there designed particularly to catch the litter caught to your cat’s paws when he exits the litter field. You possibly can select from rubber mats with grooves to sisal rugs and every little thing in between. Even a daily throw rug or piece of carpet remnant works effectively to lure litter bits. Deep, shaggy bathmats are additionally efficient.
When selecting the dimensions of mat or carpet, take into account having your cat “stroll the purple carpet” after he makes use of the field. Lay a carpet runner from the litter field extending out about three toes, so the litter has loads of time to dislodge out of your cat’s paws.
Any one in every of these strategies will assist cut back the quantity of litter scatter and monitoring in your house. However, like litter field scooping and early morning wake ups, a small quantity of litter monitoring is a lifestyle for a cat proprietor. However don’t you suppose it’s value it?
Inform us: What are your tricks to management cat litter monitoring? What kind of litter do you utilize? What kind of litter field?
Thumbnail: Images by Africa Studio / Shutterstock.
This piece was initially printed in 2018.
