Cat litter problem

The Dude With Herpes · May 2015

This should be pretty simple, I think?

I've recently got a rescue dog and my cats aren't terribly thrilled. They're adjusting better than I expected for the most part, but a side effect of this is that they've both started peeing off the side of the cat litter box. I've moved it away from the walls so it doesn't mess up the baseboards (any more), but cleaning it from the tile grout in the laundry room is getting frustrating, and I'm pretty sure the smell is just embedded there now.

We've got a second litter box we put in our master bathroom so that they have another place to go that they can feel safe with, without needing to hope the dog is in his crate or outside at night.

So, ultimately I'm hoping the peeing outside the box is resolved by a combination of the extra litter box and them just adjusting better.

However, until then, I'm looking for a solution to keep the pee off the floor. I had previously bought a larger litter mat, which catches some of the pee, but given its for catching litter and not pee, it's very porous and even after soaking it in urine destroyer still stinks. So, I thought an alternative would be to get a lipped rubber mat to put down under the litter box and that would be substantially larger than it to ensure any errant pee is caught on the mat and not the floor.

Basically what I'm looking for is a large equivalent to a generic pet food mat. Anything that simple. I'm just struggling to find anything that is larger than a small food mat, but isn't also just an auto trunk/bed liner. Which, I mean, hey, if that worked, that's fine too. It's just that those tend to be contoured for vehicles, and I'd prefer something flat and nondescript.

Any suggestions?

mts · May 2015

if its one of the stereotypical rectangle boxes you can probably use an boot tray or something like this
http://www.amazon.com/Bayhead-Polyethylene-Rotationally-Molded-Surface/dp/B009SQ24CE

i have some big plastic thing that i have no idea what its from, but it is big enough so the cats step down into it so it serves as a litter tray too.

Great Scott · May 2015

Sure. One thing that I've used in the past is a plastic auto floor mat from the local auto shop. Tough, flexible, cheap. Just make sure to get the kind that doesn't have any carpet on it.

bowen · May 2015

Covers on the litter box so they need to be inside it to use it?

The Dude With Herpes · May 2015

bowen wrote: »

Covers on the litter box so they need to be inside it to use it?

I wish. One of the cats came from a literal dumpster and is super skittish. I've tried several covered boxes and she refuses to even go in, for any reason. She just finds other places to relieve herself. I mean, we did have a covered box way back when (she's 10, other cat is 11), but for reasons I can no longer recall, we replaced it with an uncovered box and since then she won't go in covered boxes.

Here's the litter box I have, to get an idea of what size mat I'd be looking for (21.2"L x 18.2"W x 10"H). Ideally the mat would go 6-8in past the box on the back and sides. If it was just a square I could always cut the lip off the front to put a litter mat over it, they're not peeing out the front, just the sides and back.

I Zimbra · May 2015

Something like a rubber scraper mat might work. It's large and has a lip around it at least. Although the texture on them will trap litter and might get hard to clean.

Orogogus · May 2015

I have a similar problem with my tom who likes to pee out the sides of the box. I bought some plastic sheeting from Home Depot and attached it to the walls, going down about 3 feet into the sides of the box. I don't know how thick it is; it's opaque white and significantly thicker than Saran Wrap, but still floppy enough to be rolled around the corners of the box.

If there are no walls nearby then maybe a thicker grade of plastic would be rigid enough to stand up on its own.

Cat pic: Link

This is an old pic, from when he weighed like 20 lbs, he's a svelte 12 now.

The Dude With Herpes · May 2015

This might work http://www.qcsupply.com/farm-livestock/mats-flooring/rubber-mats/253848-dura-mat-with-lip.html

Livestock. Who knew? I'll have to go measure the laundry room, that might be a bit large, but looks like it'd be easy enough to just take out and hose off periodically.

Jasconius · May 2015

this might not be ideal, but if you have a spare bathtub, move it into the bathtub so that even if they miss, you can just turn on the shower and scrub it out. easier to clean than grout.

Rayze · May 2015

If you want a quick disposal thing, puppy training pads work. My 17 year cat pretty much can't use the litter box anymore due to severe joint pain so my mom has resorted to using training pads to let her do her business. It's surprisingly absorbent and if you get fed up of cleaning up the mess, it's not a bad option

BouwsT · May 2015

The Dude With Herpes wrote: »

This might work http://www.qcsupply.com/farm-livestock/mats-flooring/rubber-mats/253848-dura-mat-with-lip.html

Livestock. Who knew? I'll have to go measure the laundry room, that might be a bit large, but looks like it'd be easy enough to just take out and hose off periodically.

There's a price break at 50 units. :biggrin:

bowen · May 2015

The Dude With Herpes wrote: »

This might work http://www.qcsupply.com/farm-livestock/mats-flooring/rubber-mats/253848-dura-mat-with-lip.html

Livestock. Who knew? I'll have to go measure the laundry room, that might be a bit large, but looks like it'd be easy enough to just take out and hose off periodically.

... I'm going to have to look into this too. Thanks!

baudattitude · May 2015

Rayze wrote: »

If you want a quick disposal thing, puppy training pads work. My 17 year cat pretty much can't use the litter box anymore due to severe joint pain so my mom has resorted to using training pads to let her do her business. It's surprisingly absorbent and if you get fed up of cleaning up the mess, it's not a bad option

We use these for an older cat with aim issues as well.

The Dude With Herpes · May 2015

baudattitude wrote: »

Rayze wrote: »

If you want a quick disposal thing, puppy training pads work. My 17 year cat pretty much can't use the litter box anymore due to severe joint pain so my mom has resorted to using training pads to let her do her business. It's surprisingly absorbent and if you get fed up of cleaning up the mess, it's not a bad option

We use these for an older cat with aim issues as well.

A concern I have about pads is that I'm afraid they'd just encourage the behavior, since the cats, while getting a bit on in years, are both quite healthy. I mean, a liner isn't going to discourage it really, it'd just be easier for me to deal with. I guess I'd be worried that how obvious the pads would be might indicate to them that they have more freedom as to where they put their piss.

Probably not a valid concern.

A bigger one would just be the ongoing cost of it, and increasing the volume of trash we have. I think that livestock liner I linked should work great, it would fit fine where I want it.

I probably don't need 50 though. :P

But either way, I think I've got this figured out. Thanks for the tips folks.

dispatch.o · May 2015

Rubbermade tote like such http://www.usplastic.com/mobile/item.aspx?sku=56966&gclid=cjwkeajw96aqbrdnhm6mtjfe-wysjadimfgg6rgf2tytbethlxwpaffpccjmkxnzqta28wqh_p8kqbocdnzw_wcb

Cut a hole in the side big enough for a cat. Leave the lid off. Eventually you can probably put the lid back on once they're used to it. Super cheap and easy to clean. The nice thing is they can see out the top and won't feel trapped.

I had to use totes when my male cat started standing at the end of peeing because he was trying to mark a bit.

For the smell order some Fizzion. It gets cat pee out. Its enzymatic so its not a matter of scrubbing.

The Dude With Herpes · May 2015

dispatch.o wrote: »

Rubbermade tote like such http://www.usplastic.com/mobile/item.aspx?sku=56966&gclid=cjwkeajw96aqbrdnhm6mtjfe-wysjadimfgg6rgf2tytbethlxwpaffpccjmkxnzqta28wqh_p8kqbocdnzw_wcb

Cut a hole in the side big enough for a cat. Leave the lid off. Eventually you can probably put the lid back on once they're used to it. Super cheap and easy to clean. The nice thing is they can see out the top and won't feel trapped.

I had to use totes when my male cat started standing at the end of peeing because he was trying to mark a bit.

For the smell order some Fizzion. It gets cat pee out. Its enzymatic so its not a matter of scrubbing.

That might be worth trying. I have a few in the garage already. The question would be whether or not the cat would be ok even going through the hole but...I don't see why not? I've got a gate on my office with a pet door on it, to keep the kids/dog out while letting the cats in, and she goes through it fine...

Thanks, worth a shot, and 'free' since I have spares already!

The Dude With Herpes · July 2015

Figured I'd just check back in and update.

I ended up going with the Rubbermaid route and it is fantastic.

I'm sure my wife would prefer the litter box to not be bright orange, but that's what we had on a shelf in the garage so it's what I went with (free!).

The cats didn't even hesitate to use it. I just cut a hole in one side the same height as a normal litter box. Not the slightest problem, and not a single instance of pee outside the box since I set it up.

I may or may not eventually try to put the lid on it (didn't make the hole go all the way up, left the rim and latch for a lid), but for now, this is far better than any store bought litter box. Super easy to clean and honestly a lot cheaper for something just as functional (if not more).

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