I hate cat litter - check out my home DIY project

[iacas]

Easiest solution: get rid of the cats.

I don't hate cats, but I don't really like them at all. I'm not sure what people get out of cat ownership. Most cats seem to almost despise their humans.

Anyway, that's  and to each their own. I'm sure people out there can't fathom dog ownership, or not having any pets at all, too.

[nevets88]

12 minutes ago, jsgolfer said:

Now that is a Man with some time on his hands.  

I hate cat pee/poo smells. I can see it driving someone to this extent. And fido eating cat turds. Just eeeewwww. Eagle for the DIY.

[David in FL]

The litter box is removed completely and the cat is shown this as their new box.  Basically it's a litter box that sits on top of the toilet and litter is placed in it.  They get to recognize it and use it as such, almost immediately.  Then, every 2 weeks or so you cut a predetermined piece out of the middle, making a hole that gets progressively bigger and bigger with litter around the outer edge.  They naturally tend to learn to aim for the hole.  Eventually you have nothing but the toilet, and you're done.

As I said, it takes some time and yep, there are some misses along the way.  There's also a bit of a mess as they kick litter from the toilet seat area around the toilet as they go through their routine.  Trying to go from one level to the next too quickly was our biggest issue.  I'm also not sure how it would work with multiple cats.  Well worth the effort when all was said and done for us though.

[nevets88]

6 minutes ago, David in FL said:

The litter box is removed completely and the cat is shown this as their new box.  Basically it's a litter box that sits on top of the toilet and litter is placed in it.  They get to recognize it and use it as such, almost immediately.  Then, every 2 weeks or so you cut a predetermined piece out of the middle, making a hole that gets progressively bigger and bigger with litter around the outer edge.  They naturally tend to learn to aim for the hole.  Eventually you have nothing but the toilet, and you're done.

As I said, it takes some time and yep, there are some misses along the way.  There's also a bit of a mess as they kick litter from the toilet seat area around the toilet as they go through their routine.  Trying to go from one level to the next too quickly was our biggest issue.  I'm also not sure how it would work with multiple cats.  Well worth the effort when all was said and done for us though.

Does it matter the age of the cat? Now I'm thinking of trying this with the low traffic bathroom.

How do you cat owners deal with cat hair? It's a pain using rollers all the time.

[David in FL]

5 minutes ago, iacas said:

Easiest solution: get rid of the cats.

I don't hate cats, but I don't really like them at all. I'm not sure what people get out of cat ownership. Most cats seem to almost despise their humans.

Anyway, that's  and to each their own. I'm sure people out there can't fathom dog ownership, or not having any pets at all, too.

Yeah, I'm a dog person and we only have the cat to appease our daughter....go figure that daddy would cave.  

I couldn't stand the litter mess and smell, so we tried thi out of a sort of desperation.  I'm glad we did.  

1 minute ago, nevets88 said:

Does it matter the age of the cat? Now I'm thinking of trying this with the low traffic bathroom.

I can't answer that.  Ours was about 2 years old when we did it.

[jkelley9]

6 minutes ago, iacas said:

Easiest solution: get rid of the cats.

I don't hate cats, but I don't really like them at all. I'm not sure what people get out of cat ownership. Most cats seem to almost despise their humans.

Anyway, that's  and to each their own. I'm sure people out there can't fathom dog ownership, or not having any pets at all, too.

Lots of people hate cats. When I ask them why, it's always this exact same reason. Which I can't understand, because in my entire life of cats we've had in the home (my parents had a cat while I was growing up, and now we have 2 of our own cats) ours have always been SUPER friendly. They are JUST like dogs when it comes to companionship, playfulness, friendly, wanting attention, etc. Just the bathroom situation is the only difference (and our cats won't fetch, lol). So it's odd that people feel this way, to me. But I guess I've just had different cats than those folks.

15 minutes ago, jsgolfer said:

Now that is a Man with some time on his hands.  

Lol, yea we don't have kids yet and last weekend was lousy weather and I had nothing better to do. I always fill my time gaps with DIY stuff though. I really enjoy it. So whenever I get the chance, I'm working on something! I never really just sit around and watch TV and veg. I will during the week after work, but certainly not on the weekend! That's project time (and wife time lol).

[CarlSpackler]

My wife and I are allergic to cats. I had one growing up and it couldn't hit a litter box to save it's life. I was the one put in charge of cleaning the litter which is probably why I never wanted a cat as an adult.

[jsgolfer]

21 minutes ago, nevets88 said:

How do you cat owners deal with cat hair? It's a pain using rollers all the time.

Dyson Upright Vacuum and the tangle free turbine attachment

[Valleygolfer]

On 1/5/2017 at 0:06 PM, David in FL said:

The key is to not rush from one step to the next.  We actually had to back up once or twice, but patience and persistence paid off.  Very cool and absolutely worth the effort!

Ugh I would love this. They have "cat toilets" on the market but I have heard horror stories about the "drying" mode baking cat crap on the side. I guess there is no comparison to the smell of baked cat crap...

On 1/5/2017 at 0:59 PM, iacas said:

Easiest solution: get rid of the cats.

I don't hate cats, but I don't really like them at all. I'm not sure what people get out of cat ownership. Most cats seem to almost despise their humans.

Anyway, that's  and to each their own. I'm sure people out there can't fathom dog ownership, or not having any pets at all, too.

Actually it is the opposite. Cats love their owners and are very loyal to them. A lot of them could care less about other people though. If you get a kitten and leave them at home by themselves all day and don't pay much attention to them while they grow, they are more independent and usually less affectionate. I have always had exceedingly affectionate cats. I am however tired of the responsibility of the litter box and pets in general so when my two cats pass on I am getting nothing for a (long)while (unless my daughter works me over for something). Dogs are more of a pain in the ass imho. I have a black lab by association and you can't do anything away from your house without having it attended to. Plus it eats everything, like your food when you aren't looking, awesome aged eggnog, sticks of butter, tissues, tampons as well as cat stogies. Too much work to keep a dog.

@jkelley9 FWIW I have one big litter box. I don't usually have any problems with peeing outside of it until recently when my oldest cat has had thyroid issues or occasionally my other cat has urinary tract infections.

[Patch]

There are times that we as pet owners need to be gawd damn thankful that are pets allow us to live with them. That it is our privilage to feed, and clean up after them. 

We spend alot of time traveling, and living the full time RV life style. We also have a 8 year old, 140lb American Bull Dog. He has a buddy who he grew up with him that is a 155lb Collie/St Bernard mix. We think the mix has finally stopped growing. Neither one was supposed to get as big as they are. The only problem they create for us except for an occassional accident caused by us, is dog hair. You know, the stuff that sticks to everything but the dog. We go through at least 4 vacuum cleaners a year, due to "hairy" wear and tear. 

They are our buddies, and sometimes protectors. Wouldn't trade them for anything. 

[SavvySwede]

On 1/5/2017 at 1:10 PM, jkelley9 said:

Lots of people hate cats. When I ask them why, it's always this exact same reason. Which I can't understand, because in my entire life of cats we've had in the home (my parents had a cat while I was growing up, and now we have 2 of our own cats) ours have always been SUPER friendly. They are JUST like dogs when it comes to companionship, playfulness, friendly, wanting attention, etc. Just the bathroom situation is the only difference (and our cats won't fetch, lol). So it's odd that people feel this way, to me. But I guess I've just had different cats than those folks.

Lol, yea we don't have kids yet and last weekend was lousy weather and I had nothing better to do. I always fill my time gaps with DIY stuff though. I really enjoy it. So whenever I get the chance, I'm working on something! I never really just sit around and watch TV and veg. I will during the week after work, but certainly not on the weekend! That's project time (and wife time lol).

Same here, always have had cats and they were always friendly. My calico follows me around the house like a baby duck.

[jsgolfer]

9 hours ago, SavvySwede said:

Same here, always have had cats and they were always friendly. My calico follows me around the house like a baby duck.

Our calico acts the same way.  

[RandallT]

http://www.arklatexhomepage.com/news/local-news/deputies-mistake-kitty-litter-for-meth-after-3-days-in-jail-suspect-cleared/637136576

hope none of us get arrested for possession

[jsgolfer]

33 minutes ago, RandallT said:

http://www.arklatexhomepage.com/news/local-news/deputies-mistake-kitty-litter-for-meth-after-3-days-in-jail-suspect-cleared/637136576

hope none of us get arrested for possession

Damn that would suck, never heard of using kitty litter to keep Windows unfogged.

[jkelley9]

On 1/8/2017 at 8:35 AM, jsgolfer said:

Our calico acts the same way.  

Same. It's hilarious, really. My wife knows that I get up early Saturday/Sunday mornings to either play golf or to get started on some whacky house project (like this one!) and as soon as I'm up my calico is glued to me. Follows within 2 ft. of me at ALL times. Will not leave my side. Typically this involves me nearly tripping over her at every step which can be frustrating at times, lol. I'll go up and down the stairs probably 15 times in the morning getting tools or whatever and getting things ready or cleaned and she will still be following me everywhere for hours, begging to be pet.