I was just curious. Do any of you cat lovers use cat liners for your cats litter box?
I was using the plastic cat liners. But with Boots claws, every single time I went to change his box ( I scoop daily & change weekly)
There were holes in the litter liner thus making a huge mess!!!!
I discovered by accident that I ran out of liners.
So I just poured his litter in without one.
And I am amazed with this litter that I use. There is no real mess so far. Nothing icky is stuck to the bottom of his box, as I had thought it would.
But that might not always be the case.
It has not been a week yet. The real proof for me will be by next Wed. If the box is easy to clean. I may not bother with the liners ever again. I see no difference in litter being poured out into the trash or having a plastic bag with holes in it pouring out all over into the bag. LOL.
The only difference will be the smell factor.
BUT, I CAN contain the smell, since I chose WED, which is Trash to be taken to the curb day, for his box to be changed. So,the smell in the house won't be a factor anyway.
I just want to see if his box will be a PITA to clean.
If it IS, then I will have to buy some more liners!
How about you?
Do you line your litter box with those plastic liners?
Or do you go au'natural, lol
All feedback is welcomed.
I did until I got Zory, she's a clawer as well. I'd much prefer to use liners, and started again about a year ago. However I also got different types of boxes that are too large to accommodate the liners. I found over time that the box does get gross(I use pretty much the same schedule as you), so I buy a new box every few months. People have told me I'm oversensitive however, so it could be just me.
I tried them, but the cats clawed right through them. It defeated the whole purpose.
I have a large box and fill it with a lot of litter. I would say that it is at least six inches deep, and preferably as deep as you can make it.
The key is to ensure that Boots doesn't dig so far that he scratches too close to the bottom. If he is too far down and he goes pee then the litter climps to the inside of the box. When my cats use the box they end up with clumps that don't stick to anything and are easy to take out. I have found a good litter that clumps well, and so I hardly get any smell. The other important thing if you can manage it is to get a box with a lid. The smell is contained better, and they are also deeper and easier to fill.
I have only ever noticed big problems with people who fill their box with only a few inches and then wonder why they can't get the smell out. Trust me, you have to fill it much more deeply than you would normally want to, but try it once and see if it works.
If you are worried about wasting litter then consider that I hardly ever need to change all the litter. I just keep removing the clumps and adding more, but not dumping everything. I'm sensitive about smell too, so it isn't just me.
Smell is NOT an issue with Boots box.. I have been doing a pretty damn good job in keeping it clean.
Bob is in & out of the house every day. So he would tell me if he noticed any smells. And so far he has not said a word.
And he is not doing it to be sweet about it either. Cause I gave him strict orders to TELL me if he notices a smell.
And so far its been great no stinkies at all.
As for the deep deep litter??? I have to say I think that is not a good idea at all.
I remember a long time ago. Our very first cat Kitty.
He was a male and we use to pour a shit load of litter in his box.
Later on he developed problems with his Urniary tract
and I remember this, as if it was yesterday. The vet telling my mother and me that the litter should not be more then a few inches deep.
Cause the litter tends to collect in the males pee-pee area
and cause problems. And that was the reason why Kitty got sick, cause his litter was too deep.
Now granted that was decades ago, maybe Vet tech, has changed over the years.
So, until I hear it from a Vet, I am not making his box that deep.
He has enough to sharr around with, lol
Thanks anyway, Ziggy
I do. Well, I used to use ones specifically made for the brand of box I got her. Then one day I ran out, and saw that large, thick garbage bags were about the same size. So now those are the norm - and so much cheaper! Ihu has her claws too, but my secret is putting a few layers of newspaper in the bottom of the liner. Hardly ever have holes or leaks -- just remove the bag, throw the empty new litter sack in it, tie it up and out to the trash with it!
I use liners for both boxes. One of the cats is a bit of a clawer with his back paws, but it's only a problem when the litter gets down to less than 2-3 inches. He prefers to have several inches to use for burying. We scoop regularly and he gets a regular bath and keeps himself fairly clean so the urinary issues with him have never been a problem. The female has urinary problems now, but the vet said it's not related to the litter or anything we're doing.
Liners also keep the smell from seeping into the plastic as much which can cause a litter box aversion. But like with everything in life it depends entirely on the cat.
I used to, but now find the kitties really don't need them at all. I found this out by accident, as I ran out of them one day. So I decided to try it out for a while, and have not bought liners since. And it's cheaper too!
We tried them for awhile, but they were more trouble than they're worth. I can't tell that much difference in smell or cleaning, so we stopped using them.
I've never tried them. Both my boxes have lids and get scooped daily so they aren't so bad.
Kawi Wrote:I used to, but now find the kitties really don't need them at all. I found this out by accident, as I ran out of them one day. So I decided to try it out for a while, and have not bought liners since. And it's cheaper too!
LOL Hey Kawi, that is exactly what happened to me I ran out, lol.
But the funny thing was, I could have sworn I bought a box of liners. But, I could not find them anywhere.
So, I just did without for a week. And it seems to be working out.
BUT guess what??? Bob found the box of liners I was looking for!
So "waste not want not" I will use the last of the liners for now.
But after that Boots is going to go liner FREE
Thanks to all
for your comments about this topic!
It really helped me big time
I tried when I first brought Mollie home, but she would shred what was hanging over the sides. So, I just gave up on that idea. We now use a
Breeze system.
I am glad I found theis thread. I wanted to bump it up to say after a few weeks of a trial effort. I discovered that not using liners is the way to go.
I got so sick of picking up little pieces of shredded plastic all over the floor.
and in the box. And with todays little of its clumping abilities nothing much really sticks to the bottom of the box anymore. At least not like it did in the old days when I was a kid, lol.
So, no more liners for me.
O.T I noticed a lot that Boots hangs out of his box and sharr's around
Does your cat do this too? Or is he the only one?
Half of him is in the box the other half is out of the box and he paws at the litter to of course bury his work.
But I was wondering maybe he does this cause the Box is too small for him?
Would buying a bigger box help? Or do you think that is just his style like daddys say's it is, lol
His Birthday is coming up. His currant box is 17 inches long But he has the space to go 10 more inches. If I found a bigger box then maybe all of him would stay in it!
If his being outside the box bothers you, then you can try what I did (based on a suggestion that I read here somewhere)...
Buy a large plastic container - one with a snapping lid on the top. I bought mine for $10 at what is equivalent to your KMart. Then cut a hole in the top, and put lots of litter on the bottom. That way, he cannot hang out the sides of it, and he has to jump in and out of the box. It has to be tall enough, and wider than his current box (although I suppose you don't have to put the lid on there). Something to think about... and it's cheap to try! The hardest part is cutting a hole in the plastic.
Technically no, I don't use litter box liners persay. I use pieces of newspaper for my kitties. I usually line the bottom of the box with about 4 sheets of newspaper and put the litter on top. It's good because sometimes my cats will urinate towards the edges of the box and the clumps become really sticky and with the newspaper, they stick right to the paper for easier cleanup.
I have also had a litter box without anything and I find that it's easiest with clumping litter and a full box of litter.
No, we don't use liners. And we use Yesterday's News litter.
(04-04-2010 09:49 PM)Ziggy Wrote: [ -> ]If his being outside the box bothers you, then you can try what I did (based on a suggestion that I read here somewhere)...
Buy a large plastic container - one with a snapping lid on the top. I bought mine for $10 at what is equivalent to your KMart. Then cut a hole in the top, and put lots of litter on the bottom. That way, he cannot hang out the sides of it, and he has to jump in and out of the box. It has to be tall enough, and wider than his current box (although I suppose you don't have to put the lid on there). Something to think about... and it's cheap to try! The hardest part is cutting a hole in the plastic.
Thanks for the idea Ziggy. But no, it does not bother me at all. I was just curious. if this was a normal thing? Or if It was anything to be concerned about. But FYI, I did go to the store just to see if they had bigger cat boxes. And it seems that the Box I have is the biggest one, lol. What can I say I got a big ass cat, lol.
I have never used liners. My Leo's box is pretty darn big, and I just didn't want to spend the money on them because I'm a cheap-ass. Haha. BUT I've been having problems with him peeing near the edge of the box, and pee clumps absolutely glued to the bottom of the box. I use about 3 or so inches of litter, so I maybe try an inch more. And I think I'll try your newspaper idea, Water Lily ~ anything to make scooping an easier job!
Tried them, but the cats always clawed through them and it made a gigantic mess.
The smell factor for me usually is due to the type of litter that I use. The cats now use clumping FreshStep and love it (I love it, too, lol-I don't have to listen to DH bitching about any smell).
I also clean the litter daily.
We never used liners. We use MAXX Scoop litter and when we have odor problems, it's because we need to add more litter to the box.