Cats vs. Dogs? Which is easier for you to have as a pet?

[yoko]

Originally Posted by sassafras

I hope this doesn't change anyone's opinion of me, but... I just pooped in the house.

Depends was it in a toilet or a box of sand?

[sassafras]

Originally Posted by yoko

Depends was it in a toilet or a box of sand?

I'LL NEVER TELL.

But I'm with PW. I honestly never notice the litter boxes stinking, and I have 4 cats. My nose is much more offended by a stinky used bathroom (of the "you DO NOT want to go in there!" variety) than the litterboxes. Apparently my cats poop roses.

[JustaLilBitaLuck]

Originally Posted by PWCorgi

I smell the litter, but I honestly do not smell his feces. I smell his urine because he has not been neutered yet, but it's not overpowering and I doubt I will smell it once he loses the boys.

So does it have an odor? Yes, it smells like clay, lol. But it doesn't smell like poop. The rats are a hundred times worse than the cat.

This.

I am constantly talking to customers at work about why their litterbox smells so bad, and I've narrowed it down to a couple factors.

1. The litterbox. You should have multiple litterboxes if you have multiple cats (one cat per litterbox at the very least). The litterbox should be cleaned/scooped every single day. Do a complete litter change once a month or so, and bleach/clean the box.

2. The litter. Use a good, quality, scoopable litter (I really like Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat). Some control odor much better than others!

3. The cat. Unneutered cat pee reeks. So neuter your cat. Feeding a high quality, moisture-rich diet will help immensely. The urine will be more diluted, so it will smell less. The poop will be smaller, less frequent, and less smelly. We all talk about how our dogs poop is so much smaller on raw than on kibble - its the same for cats!

I understand that for some people, the thought of a litterbox grosses them out, and that's fine. There are many (some unreasonable) things that gross me out too. But, if you do things right, the litterbox doesn't have to be this gross, smelly, stinky thing.

*stepping off soapbox now*

[PWCorgi]

Another is that a lot of times people don't put enough litter in the boxes. I empty 18 pounds of litter into the box. There is probably 3-4 inches of litter at least. That way he has more than enough to cover it up and he never gets to the bottom of the pan so it can't stick to the pan and I can get it in one swoop. If the pee...clod breaks up when you are scooping it SUCKS! Little clods everywhere! Yucky.


I got a free 5# bag of corn litter from work...yeah. It wasn't nearly enough and for about a week the litter reeked all the time, male unneutered car urine, ugh! Megan can attest as she was over during this time. Got paid, bought 18 pounds of Dr. Elsey's and no more smell, yay!

[PWCorgi]

1. The litterbox. You should have multiple litterboxes if you have multiple cats (one cat per litterbox at the very least). The litterbox should be cleaned/scooped every single day. Do a complete litter change once a month or so, and bleach/clean the box.

I had a customer come in, bring a bag of litter up to the counter and proclaim "This is the best litter ever, I can go a whole extra week without scooping!" GROSSS!

This has got to be one of my biggest pet peeves. The cat has to pee/poo in the litter box every day, when you haven't cleaned it in a week+ I can only imagine how nasty it smells to the cat, and how horrid it is to run into your own feces/urine when you are working to cover up your fresh deposit.

Poor cats! It's like being forced to use a porta potty every time you need to go to the bathroom!

[Romy]

Originally Posted by PWCorgi

So does it have an odor? Yes, it smells like clay, lol. But it doesn't smell like poop. The rats are a hundred times worse than the cat.

If you add a little vanilla extract to their water bottle it really helps with their urine smell. It did when I had mice anyway. Supposedly it works on rats too.

My nose is just pretty sensitive to odors. I can tell when a cat somewhere in the house is going to the bathroom because, euargh. My aunt has a litterbox in her upstairs and even when it's totally scooped out and clean I can't stand it (I house sit for her). And the door has to stay open so the cats can access it.

If I ever get a cat again, it'll be an indoor cat. But I'm going to try REALLLY REALLY HARD to toilet train it. Then I can just flush the grossness and it will be amazing. I wish my dogs could use the toilet too. That would make things a lot more convenient. lol

Don't click this link unless you want to witness the amazingness of a cat pooping in a toilet... and flushing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvyjZIDuzEM

[PWCorgi]

I've never heard that Romy but I might try it!

Whiskey flushed the toilet when I was in the shower the other day, he didn't poop in it beforehand though

[kady05]

Originally Posted by PWCorgi

I had a customer come in, bring a bag of litter up to the counter and proclaim "This is the best litter ever, I can go a whole extra week without scooping!" GROSSS!

This has got to be one of my biggest pet peeves. The cat has to pee/poo in the litter box every day, when you haven't cleaned it in a week+ I can only imagine how nasty it smells to the cat, and how horrid it is to run into your own feces/urine when you are working to cover up your fresh deposit.

Poor cats! It's like being forced to use a porta potty every time you need to go to the bathroom!

Oh I have totally been there.. I've talked to people before who have said they clean their cats litter box once a week.. OMG. And yeah, they wonder why when people walk into their house they say it stinks.

I have had people walk into my house and question if I even had animals.. that's one thing I am proud of, I must say. Not that I want to hide my pets from people.. but I don't want to be someone who is known as "that girl with a bunch of pets whose house stinks".

And really, it's not that hard to be clean and tidy.

Like I said, I scoop twice daily, when I'm upstairs feeding them (so I'm already up there, might as well scoop). It literally takes a minute to do. I just can't fathom people who only do it once a week, or even every other day. I do have two cats and one litterbox, but it's never been an issue here. I switched to the Worlds Best litter a couple months ago and LOVE it!

[Doberluv]

Originally Posted by Barbara!

If I tried to crate my cats... Omg... LOL. I spanked one of my cats once. It did nothing. Cats are such buttholes, lol.

So you don't like animals. You made that perfectly clear in the other thread.

Or is it possible you just like stirring things up?

[JessLough]

Originally Posted by ACooper

Don't get me started on people who let their cats roam in town Your pet should stay with YOU or on your property. Dog, cat, hamster, goldfish, I don't care what it is.

Not safe for kitty, destructive to other people's hard earned personal property, destructive to the neighborhood, and probably a bunch of other things I'm not even thinking of right now!

Those darn feral/stray goldfish are such a nuisance.