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OP
OP
Weltall Zero

Weltall Zero

Game Developer
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
19,343
Madrid
She's a red point, yeah! My gf found her as a kitten in a shoebox; she had been abandoned by mom so she was taken in by the family and nursed back to health. :)

Poor thing!


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Ezra

Member
Nov 14, 2017
499
I've never had a cat before and I have some questions (google wasn't very helpful), I'd appreciated if ERA helped me.

So, litter boxes:
1. How much litter do I have to put in the box?

2. I take the mess out 2 times at day, but how often do I have to wash the box?

3. And when I wash it, do I have to throw all of the litter out or I just put it in again with new litter?

I'm a bit of a germophobe, so litter boxes are freaking me out, but I'll get used to it.

Thanks!
 

THEVOID

Prophet of Regret
Member
Oct 27, 2017
22,841
I've never had a cat before and I have some questions (google wasn't very helpful), I'd appreciated if ERA helped me.

So, litter boxes:
1. How much litter do I have to put in the box?

2. I take the mess out 2 times at day, but how often do I have to wash the box?

3. And when I wash it, do I have to throw all of the litter out or I just put it in again with new litter?

I'm a bit of a germophobe, so litter boxes are freaking me out, but I'll get used to it.

Thanks!

1. Cover the bottom of the box
with litter, then give it a layer or two more.

2. Yes, at least 2 times a day. I personally remove it every time he goes.

3. I wash mine 2-3 times a week. Basically when the litter is getting dirty. You'll be able to tell.
Yes, I toss the litter before cleaning.

This is really all common sense stuff you are asking. Once you start, you'll be able to figure it out.
 

Sheepinator

Member
Jul 25, 2018
27,956
I've never had a cat before and I have some questions (google wasn't very helpful), I'd appreciated if ERA helped me.

So, litter boxes:
1. How much litter do I have to put in the box?

2. I take the mess out 2 times at day, but how often do I have to wash the box?

3. And when I wash it, do I have to throw all of the litter out or I just put it in again with new litter?

I'm a bit of a germophobe, so litter boxes are freaking me out, but I'll get used to it.

Thanks!
About half full. Enough that when they dig they aren't hitting plastic, but not so much that every time they dig it's flying everywhere out of the box. Scooping out the mess once a day is fine for one cat. Add a fresh scoop of litter when you do, and add some baking soda every so often to absorb odors. For a full wash, absolutely toss it all. You'll know by looking at it that it needs done, and you should be fine for 4-6 weeks. I'd also recommend you get a little grate to place in front of the box, or a specific mat, to catch most of the litter that's in their paws when they exit. And get biodegradable bags for the scooping. Also re the scoop, get one with a very solid handle. Last thing, if you don't have the cat yet, when you first get it (ask here for more advice) it will no doubt find a safe room where it feels comfortable, and that's where you should initially set up the food and litter (in opposite corners).
 

Sheepinator

Member
Jul 25, 2018
27,956
You wash yours every two or three months?
Thinking about it more, I changed the number (and I'm sure I never wrote three months). I can't fathom doing it two or three times a week as you do. Especially if you're talking a full cleaning not just empty it all out and refill. A quick Google found this Humane Society link suggesting 2-3 weeks for a cleaning, and also suggesting you go by how it looks.

 
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Ezra

Member
Nov 14, 2017
499
1. Cover the bottom of the box
with litter, then give it a layer or two more.

2. Yes, at least 2 times a day. I personally remove it every time he goes.

3. I wash mine 2-3 times a week. Basically when the litter is getting dirty. You'll be able to tell.
Yes, I toss the litter before cleaning.

This is really all common sense stuff you are asking. Once you start, you'll be able to figure it out.
About half full. Enough that when they dig they aren't hitting plastic, but not so much that every time they dig it's flying everywhere out of the box. Scooping out the mess once a day is fine for one cat. Add a fresh scoop of litter when you do, and add some baking soda every so often to absorb odors. For a full wash, absolutely toss it all. You'll know by looking at it that it needs done, and you should be fine for 4-6 weeks. I'd also recommend you get a little grate to place in front of the box, or a specific mat, to catch most of the litter that's in their paws when they exit. And get biodegradable bags for the scooping. Also re the scoop, get one with a very solid handle. Last thing, if you don't have the cat yet, when you first get it (ask here for more advice) it will no doubt find a safe room where it feels comfortable, and that's where you should initially set up the food and litter (in opposite corners).
Thanks, you two! I'm learning that everyone is very particular abou how to deal with litter boxes!

My kittens got home 2 days ago, I just want to make sure I'm doing my best for them to feel happy. I'll continue to clean the stuff 2 times at day and start to clean the box every two weeks, if I feel I need to clean it more often I will.
 

EssBeeVee

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,751
have to pick deshedding brush. chonky has thicker and longer fur compared to his brother and i just gave him a quick brush and theres fur coming off. also hes been rubbing or something because he got some static charge or maybe its me rubbing his fur and somehow give him the shock.
 

Ezra

Member
Nov 14, 2017
499
Pics or it didn't happen.

(Please no collars with bells... and even better, no collars.)
I posted their photos here yesterday, you missed it! They're such good cats, earlier today I was trimming their claws and they just fell asleep.

(And yeah, no bells!)

I've just adopted two of the most social cats I've ever seen. Haru and Nemu arrived yesterday at 11am already purring, playing with the toys we put in the living room and wanting to sit on our laps at all times.

Haru had a very strong pooppy smell, so I had to give her a bath and... she just let me. With lots of purrs and no fighting.

At night, we had a party at home with 10 people and Haru and Nemu just loved everyone.They are both so special I've already cried 4 times.

This is Haru:
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And this is Nemu:
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85-CBFB86-F3-F1-4-EA2-8425-F5482-EF1-C202.jpg
 

Rory

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,159
I've never had a cat before and I have some questions (google wasn't very helpful), I'd appreciated if ERA helped me.

So, litter boxes:
1. How much litter do I have to put in the box?

2. I take the mess out 2 times at day, but how often do I have to wash the box?

3. And when I wash it, do I have to throw all of the litter out or I just put it in again with new litter?

I'm a bit of a germophobe, so litter boxes are freaking me out, but I'll get used to it.

Thanks!
What kind of litter will you use? The litter really makes the difference. We have had betonit litter, we had to change every week. And then we got our current brand. It lasts up to 6 month for some.

7-8 cm deep.
Clean the box 2-3 times a day.

It depends on litter and cat. Our litter (Premiere, bentonite) lasts 1-2 month. We could make it 3 but I'd rather exchange it entirely instead of step by step.

Shiro pees against the litter box walls (kitten that grow up without mom tend to do so), that's why we clean it every month throughly and take the litter out, wash the entire box with pee removal then put the old litter in.
Every other month we change the old litter and clean the box again. Sometimes I need to clean the visible parts of the box in between.

Get pet pee removal spray. Make sure you get litter that soaks up everything. (Except if you get a kitten.)

Also: (Amount of cats)+1 litter boxes are needed!!
 
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THEVOID

Prophet of Regret
Member
Oct 27, 2017
22,841
What kind of litter will you use? The litter really makes the difference. We have had betonit litter, we had to change every week. And then we got our current brand. It lasts up to 6 month for some.

7-8 cm deep.
Clean the box 2-3 times a day.

It depends on litter and cat. Our litter (Premiere, betonit) lasts 1-2 month. We could make it 3 but I'd rather exchange it entirely instead of step by step.

Shiro pees against the litter box walls (kitten that grow up without mom tend to do so), that's why we clean it every month throughly and take the litter out, wash the entire box with pee removal then put the old litter in.
Every other month we change the old litter and clean the box again. Sometimes I need to clean the visible parts of the box in between.

Get pet pee removal spray. Make sure you get litter that soaks up everything. (Except if you get a kitten.)

Also: (Amount of cats)+1 litter boxes are needed!!

What kind of litter is that? It's called Premiere Betonit?
 

Rory

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,159
What kind of litter is that? It's called Premiere Betonit?
Bentonite is just the kind of material. You need to choose wisely here. Natural materials are nice, but may hide poison (pine litter), bentonite is horrible for the environment and lumping litter is for older cats only (9+ month should be fine). None lumpy litter needs to be exchanged and cleaned more often.

Litter shouldnt dust, be free of oil (for natural ones) and not be carried around easily.

Our cat sadly choose ours. That's why we are stuck with Bentonite. Even among bentonite there is differences between litters. Such as how fast it absorbs, how small the pearls of the litter itself are, is it perfumed

PREMIERE Excellent Klumpstreu - https://www.fressnapf.de/p/premiere-excellent-xl-klumpstreu#12kg
PREMIERE Sensitive Klumpstreu
PREMIERE Multi-Cat XL Klumpstreu

In general: Always take unperfumed litter, the rest is up to the cat, not you to decide. Our cat likes it with small pearls. Absorbing or not depends on cats age. If the cat eats some of it, you do not want absorbing litter. Else you will see the vet often, regularly and it will be expensive.

Brands that are supposed to be similar are:
Intersand Classic -https://www.zooplus.de/shop/katzen/katzenstreu/extreme_classic/207547

A good litter might be expensive, but you exchange it less often so it comes out the same price.
 

EssBeeVee

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,751
How fast do teeth come in. It's like theirs came overnight. Last time I saw when they meow it was barely there. Now I open their mouth and Bam.
 
Oct 28, 2017
13,691
So my cat has really bad ears. Like really bad. She scratches the shit out of them to the point of hurting herself. Her ears were kinda bad when I adopted her from the shelter. She's just such a pain in the ass to take to the vet. Gets sooo upset and is not easy to pick up and put in the crate. She seems quite happy otherwise. Think she had really bad ear mites when they found her.. she was neglected in a hoarder home. Any over the counter remedies people could recommend?
 
OP
OP
Weltall Zero

Weltall Zero

Game Developer
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
19,343
Madrid
So my cat has really bad ears. Like really bad. She scratches the shit out of them to the point of hurting herself. Her ears were kinda bad when I adopted her from the shelter. She's just such a pain in the ass to take to the vet. Gets sooo upset and is not easy to pick up and put in the crate. She seems quite happy otherwise. Think she had really bad ear mites when they found her.. she was neglected in a hoarder home. Any over the counter remedies people could recommend?

I asked my SO and she has this to say, but the problem is that the brands are Spanish, you'll have to look for local equivalents. Assuming is an adult and has a lot of them (seems to be your case):
- First use an ear cleaner like Epi-Otic, five drops on each ear, then massage them from the outside; leave for ten minutes, and clean with a gauze.
- Then, to kill the mites, use five drops of Canaural on each ear; this doesn't need to be cleaned / dried afterwards.

Use Epi-Otic once a day for the first days, and Canaural every 12 hours for three weeks to kill off all the successive generations of eggs as they hatch.

If this doesn't work, or your cat doesn't seem like she wants to cooperate, there's other, stronger solutions, but I'd try this first.
 
Oct 26, 2017
8,206
So I have to visit my family in Toronto since my dad is in the hospital. I think she realized I was leaving for a while because she was being super friendly and following me everywhere.

Also for those worried, I have one of my best friends who came with me to the SPCA to adopt Oceane house sitting for me while I'm gone.

nd8z4BA.jpg
 

Zen

The Wise Ones
Member
Nov 1, 2017
9,657
So yesterday one of my cats shat in my bed. I washed all the sheets and put them back on the bed. Fast forward to tonight. I wake up to the smell of fresh shit and sit up to see my youngest cat scurrying away. There is shit right next to my face. All litter boxes are clean. I am absolutely livid. I've put him in his kennel and I'm getting him neutered asap. Is the fact that he was brazen enough to shit right in front of me a sign of aggression? He has been getting more and more troublesome as he's reached adolescence.
 

MrT

Member
Oct 27, 2017
347
So yesterday one of my cats shat in my bed. I washed all the sheets and put them back on the bed. Fast forward to tonight. I wake up to the smell of fresh shit and sit up to see my youngest cat scurrying away. There is shit right next to my face. All litter boxes are clean. I am absolutely livid. I've put him in his kennel and I'm getting him neutered asap. Is the fact that he was brazen enough to shit right in front of me a sign of aggression? He has been getting more and more troublesome as he's reached adolescence.
There's a bunch of reasons why he might have done it, but I'd say it's pretty unlikely to be agression related. It's usually a sign of stress or illness, so "punishment" is unlikely to help. A clean litter tray is important, but so is the location and size of the tray, as well as whether it is enclosed or not and the type of litter used. if he's not had issues with the tray etc before then a change of circumstances could have stressed him out, even a new outdoor cat in the neighbourhood might have upset the balance. First stop for me would be a trip to the vet to rule out anything medical, then start looking at any changes etc that may have happened recently that might have stressed him out.
 
OP
OP
Weltall Zero

Weltall Zero

Game Developer
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
19,343
Madrid
So yesterday one of my cats shat in my bed. I washed all the sheets and put them back on the bed. Fast forward to tonight. I wake up to the smell of fresh shit and sit up to see my youngest cat scurrying away. There is shit right next to my face. All litter boxes are clean. I am absolutely livid. I've put him in his kennel and I'm getting him neutered asap. Is the fact that he was brazen enough to shit right in front of me a sign of aggression? He has been getting more and more troublesome as he's reached adolescence.

Cats don't relieve themselves near others as an offense or aggression (except involuntarily out of fear, but that's normally pee at most); quite the opposite since they're most vulnerable when they're using the litter boxes. Does your cat normally sleep with you? If so it just seems he couldn't reach the litter box in time, which in turn might be due to disease like MrT pointed out.

Since you're getting him spayed, tell this to the vet as well and have them perform a full checkup.
 

Rory

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,159
So my cat has really bad ears. Like really bad. She scratches the shit out of them to the point of hurting herself. Her ears were kinda bad when I adopted her from the shelter. She's just such a pain in the ass to take to the vet. Gets sooo upset and is not easy to pick up and put in the crate. She seems quite happy otherwise. Think she had really bad ear mites when they found her.. she was neglected in a hoarder home. Any over the counter remedies people could recommend?
Get your cat used to the transporter.

The ears need to be looked at by a vet.
 

Zen

The Wise Ones
Member
Nov 1, 2017
9,657
Yeah I'm gonna have him checked out. Hoping it's stress related, I'll make sure to give him a lot of attention to calm him down.
 

Shaneus

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,896
So I have to visit my family in Toronto since my dad is in the hospital. I think she realized I was leaving for a while because she was being super friendly and following me everywhere.

Also for those worried, I have one of my best friends who came with me to the SPCA to adopt Oceane house sitting for me while I'm gone.

nd8z4BA.jpg
I fucking love cats that have black noses:
tN1ynSXl.jpg


I also love this cheeky (not so) little fucker:
4JRJlq8l.jpg
 

EssBeeVee

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,751
Rip grasshopper. Kitty thought it was a cute jumping toy. he was slapping him a bit. would place it in its mouth but at some point he killed him and just had a taste of it in its mouth and starts to eat it.
 

Sheepinator

Member
Jul 25, 2018
27,956
written and directed by kitten tarantino
Oh no, don't remind me. I just saw that movie last week. Utter garbage. Pretentious crap. One of the worst movies I've ever seen, and all that feet stuff, what the hell...

Dead Prince One of mine will take care of any moths that get into the house that are too dumb to leave through a window when I give them a chance. It's almost strange to see him snack them up because he's soooo picky with his food, has zero interest in almost all cat treats, zero interest in any human food, but a moth is delicious apparently. I have to wait for him to see it by himself though because he still does not understand the concept of pointing. I'll move my arm to point to something and he just stares at my arm or hand wondering what the hell I'm doing.
 

Deleted member 28461

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 31, 2017
4,830
I have a unique problem that I can't find any advice for online, and I feel like I've exhausted my ideas on how to handle it.

Jonesy sometimes loses his balance when he's peeing (maybe once a week). This leads to him having litter stuck to his backside, which then gets all over my apartment. This morning he made a beeline for our bed right afterwards, so I had to get up a bit early and wash all the sheets as well as vacuum the trail he left on the way. I'm not mad because I know he can't help it, but I would really like to find a solution.

We have a low-rise box as well as a tall, top-entry one. Issue seems to happen with both, as I've seen him exit both of them with litter on him. He uses both, but does seem to prefer the top-entry. We scoop both twice a day, and change litter regularly. We have tried clumping clay, non-clumping, crystals, and now World's Greatest litter. The crystals stick the least, but neither of the cats seem to like them. They looked uncomfortable when using it. We have mats in front of both boxes, which doesn't really have any impact on the issue. When he has litter on him, he races around the apartment.

His missing hind leg is the reason for the issue, so I know it's something I'm probably stuck with. I guess the only advice I'm looking for is regarding litter. We clean the boxes enough that I'm not really worried about smell, I just need something that won't stick while also not being uncomfortable for my boys. If anyone has any recommendations they can vouch for, I'm looking to try more options.
 

shinobi602

Verified
Oct 24, 2017
8,330
We took in this Bengal from a family friend who could no longer care for him. This is our good lil' boy, Leo!

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4r0jlc.jpg
 

shinobi602

Verified
Oct 24, 2017
8,330
Holy crap. All cats have beautiful eyes but these are something else. :O
He's beautiful. Look at those big ears!
Thank you! I love playing with his ears lol. And yeah his eyes continue to amaze me every day. I swear they change from green to a bluish aqua. Never seen anything like it O_O

Absolutely GORGEOUS cat. How old is he?
Thanks! He's just about 5 months. Huge ball of energy and he's huge for his age I think. I've had cats in the past when I was younger and he's almost as big as some full grown cats I've seen lol. Big boy.
 
OP
OP
Weltall Zero

Weltall Zero

Game Developer
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
19,343
Madrid
Thank you! I love playing with his ears lol. And yeah his eyes continue to amaze me every day. I swear they change from green to a bluish aqua. Never seen anything like it O_O

Thanks! He's just about 5 months. Huge ball of energy and he's huge for his age I think. I've had cats in the past when I was younger and he's almost as big as some full grown cats I've seen lol. Big boy.

Bengals are HUGE. We fostered one for a while and it towered over any of our other cats. Be ready for a veritable leopard in your house. :)
 

shinobi602

Verified
Oct 24, 2017
8,330
Bengals are HUGE. We fostered one for a while and it towered over any of our other cats. Be ready for a veritable leopard in your house. :)
giphy.gif


We did some research before taking him in but yeah, that's also what she said too. He is extremely active too, we have a 5 bedroom home and I mean sprinting randomly around the whole thing sometimes lol. I also don't think we were prepared for how LOUD they are either haha. He'll just be walking around the house and meow so loudly, even after playing with him and making sure he has food, water, clean litter, etc. Just random huge meows.
 

Deleted member 28461

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 31, 2017
4,830
giphy.gif


We did some research before taking him in but yeah, that's also what she said too. He is extremely active too, we have a 5 bedroom home and I mean sprinting randomly around the whole thing sometimes lol. I also don't think we were prepared for how LOUD they are either haha. He'll just be walking around the house and meow so loudly, even after playing with him and making sure he has food, water, clean litter, etc. Just random huge meows.
Bengals require a lot of play. Make sure you're getting that energy out.
 

Shaneus

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,896
giphy.gif


We did some research before taking him in but yeah, that's also what she said too. He is extremely active too, we have a 5 bedroom home and I mean sprinting randomly around the whole thing sometimes lol. I also don't think we were prepared for how LOUD they are either haha. He'll just be walking around the house and meow so loudly, even after playing with him and making sure he has food, water, clean litter, etc. Just random huge meows.
RIP all your curtains, sheets and maybe flesh

He is fucking gorgeous though! Good luck, I expect lots of updates.
 

Deleted member 3010

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
10,974
Little update on Shadow, she's doing great as always.

I was playing some Sonic Adventure on Dolphin and she brought my training bag next to me to accompany me along.

k06RiB8.jpg


And then she thought that she wasn't getting enough attention, so she accompanied me harder.

vxozrWK.jpg


How can I not stop everything I'm doing to pet you, you fucking beautiful creature? :D
 
OP
OP
Weltall Zero

Weltall Zero

Game Developer
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
19,343
Madrid
Little update on Shadow, she's doing great as always.

I was playing some Sonic Adventure on Dolphin and she brought my training bag next to me to accompany me along.

k06RiB8.jpg


And then she thought that she wasn't getting enough attention, so she accompanied me harder.

vxozrWK.jpg


How can I not stop everything I'm doing to pet you, you fucking beautiful creature? :D

I feel you, hahah. If there was ever a convincing argument to genetically modify humans to have four arms, this is it. :)