The Vine: April 16, 2010
Hi Sars,
So, I have a question for you and your readers. Here’s the background:
Last year, during a period of unemployment, I moved back home with my parents.Luckily, I’m employed again and have saved up enough money to move out on my own again — into a tiny NYC apartment with a roommate.
Here’s the problem: while living with my parents, I acquired an adorable little kitten, Bess.She herself is not the problem as she’s a total sweetheart.The problem is moving her from a large suburban house to a small apartment.
My roommate is totally fine with Bess; however, I’d still like to minimize her impact in such a tiny space.I was hoping that you or your readers who have lived in close quarters with a cat could recommend some (cheap) tips and tricks to keeping smells and mess to a minimum. Especially since the bathroom and kitchen are too tiny to keep the food and litterbox so these things might be tucked away in my bedroom.
Thanks very much,
Kitty In The City
Dear Kitty,
I don’t have much advice as far as the transition; neither of my cats required weaning from a bigger space (the one time we moved to a smaller apartment, they got a deck to sun on in exchange).
You might consider taking the doors off the bathroom-sink cabinet and parking the litter under there. It’s how I’ve done it everywhere I’ve lived. You give up some bathroom storage, but a small shelving unit right outside the bathroom usually takes care of it.
Readers?
Sars,
I hope you don’t mind the plea for help, but I have to give this a try. I can’t stand the thought of animals suffering needlessly because of stupid things that people have done or neglected to do.
My friend, who is a great and caring owner of a blind rescue husky named Zeus, is in a panic because her dog is in a great deal of pain due to the neglect he suffered earlier in his life. She tells the story best, so these are the words from her blog:
I met him once when I was adopting my first puppy, but I didn’t know he had to be mine until I read his story. He was rescued when he was three years old, from his owners who had him chained up outside for his entire life. His fur was burned to wire and was severely underweight when he was found wandering the streets, but to add onto that, the sun damage from the lack of protection and complete neglect had left him with cataracts, causing him to be completely blind.
I adopted him two years ago when I was only 21 and everyone I knew thought that I was absolutely crazy to take on a dog with such issues. Zeus was not only completely neglected by his previous owners, but was consistently picked on by the dogs he lived with while in foster care.
This wasn’t an easy fix, and it’s taken a lot of work to get him to trust again, but being the kind of person who always needs to help, I never gave up. It’s been two years and he’s been an absolute angel, but now he’s facing further pain.
I recently found out that his cataracts, that if he was cared for he never would have had to begin with, have given him glaucoma and retinal atrophy. His eyes are swelling, causing him to have a constant migraine. Imagine being in his shoes, it’s a horrible feeling. Now, because of this, Zeus needs to have his eyes removed and unfortunately it’s quite an expensive surgery.
This is Zeus today. His eyes have gotten so swollen from the glaucoma, that it causes him pain to even open them. We’ve been trying homeopathic remedies to try to keep him comfortable until I have raised the money for the surgery.
With the help of family and friends, I’ve managed to raise about $400 but I still have a long way to go, so if you can donate even a dollar, it really does go a long way. Thanks to everyone who has been so amazing through all of this.
Sars, there is still about $1,700 left to raise and I have passed his story through just about every social media network I know over the course of the last month and so has she. It’s only today (4/15/10) that she mentioned his pain was getting worse (to the point mentioned above, that picture makes me so sad).
I fear that my friend’s getting discouraged with how long this has been going on and how long she’s had to watch Zeus deteriorate. I would love to surprise her with a jump in donations. She’s started a blog just for the cause, here, and there’s a donation button there that allows payment through PayPal. Anything anyone can do, even just spreading the story would be appreciated.
Thankful For The Good Pet Owners Out There
Dear Thankful,
It’s been a while since the Underground Nation Cat Railroad swung into action; let’s hope we can help a dog out this time. Times are tough, friends, so if you can’t spare a couple bucks, that’s okay — put the word out on Twitter if you can.
Thankful, please keep us posted!
Tags: Ask The Readers cats shut up crappy pet owners
I live in a miniscule apartment, and the key is to empty the litter box at least once, and preferably twice a day. If you are feeding wet food, only set out the amount that your cat will eat in one sitting and if there is leftover, put it in the fridge.
Thanks for posting Zeus’s story. What a lover he is! I just donated and I hope he gets the surgery he needs. Please post updates!
Thankful – done and done… I wasn’t able to give a lot, but I’m sending out good thoughts for Zeus to get his surgery and have a speedy recovery! :)
Kitty – my cats gained weight once moving to a smaller place with no stairs. I’d say keep her active with toys and attention. There’s no way to keep the smell down other than to change the litter frequently. I’ve heard that the CleverCat top-entry boxes cut down on mess, you could probably make your own for cheap with one of those rubbermaid plastic totes.
I live in a decently sized apartment, but because of the layout, the only reasonable place for the litterbox is my bedroom. My bathroom is tiny (pedestal sink, so no space there) and my best tip is to scoop scoop scoop! I scoop daily, sometimes twice a day if I think about it. I got a Litter Locker (think Diaper Genie for cat litter) and it makes things so much easier – no need to tote a bag of litter to the trash every time I scoop.
My cats are finicky, but I’m trying to find a decent cover so the box isn’t so very obvious, but hey, I’ll put up with the obvious if it means they continue to use the box.
(And yes, I realize two cats should mean three litterboxes, but it ain’t happening)
Using pine shaving litter instead of clay or crystals helps with the smell. A litter box with a lid is a must. Also, try turning the litter box so that the opening faces the wall. They can still squeeze in but it cuts down on the odor and minimizes the amount of litter they can kick out.
I just moved my two cats back in with me, to a tiny apartment (actually long-term hotel living, but it’s basically a small one-bedroom). I mean JUST – as in, they have been here less than 24 hours. My biggest concern, since they are good little meows, is the litter smell, and the hair situation. My solution, as I was planning this was thus:
Natural litter, instead of whatever-the-hell is in that cement-colored stuff. I’ve used both a pine variety, and now a corn husk variety. it is light, smells MUCH better, lasts forever, and is easy to clean. As part of my routine in the morning, I will clean their litter box. Also, when I get home.
Fur: I bought a small vacuum – yes, even though I’m in a hotel (moving in a month!), and plan on becoming close and personal friends with it. So far, I am in love with it and want to marry it, and it was not very expensive. It is a small upright by Eureka that has a “pet paw” thingy attachment with rubbery nubs (hee) for grabbing hair out of soft surfaces.
I also have one of those cardboard scratchers, and in the next couple of days will be getting a tall cat scratcher. there is probably ample vertical space in your home for your kitty, and cats like to climb more than prowl around. Give her some height, keep the litter cleaned out, and brush that kitty often – you’re set.
Zeus Caboose on the cat railroad! Consider yourself donated to.
The Zeus fund is already up to 27%! Nice!
I vote in favor of the clever cat box (and I have one to give if you so desire, I’m sure Sars will pass on my contact info). My cat has used it for the last year and I think its amazing at handling the litter tracking issue. Also, I think (sadly) more expensive litter works better at handling the smell issue. I like EverClean.
I wish I could give to Zeus right now! Thoughts and prayers for him!
The boyfriend and I just added to the Zeus fund. Sweet puppy. Aww.
So, the BF and I moved from a 2000 sf house to a 1000 sf house to a 39′ Winnebago, taking our Chihuahua and two cats with us. (Big Country, Big ‘bago, North American Tour)
In the houses we had a fan system that the BF built that pulled the air out of the box area and vented out a window. (The BF is totally crafty that way and if you want the specs on building it I’ll be happy to get them to you.)
The venting thingie isn’t an option in the Chieftain so we use Feline Pine Pellets (the clumpy stuff doesn’t work nearly as well) mixed with crystals. (It doesn’t matter the brand of crystals, just the size of the crystals; you want the stuff that doesn’t track as much.) The pellets, along with the crystals really keep the smell away. And we keep Oust next to the box. The pine pellets break down into sawdust and until that happens there isn’t much litter scatter.
There is no odor, except for right after a cat bomb, which really? How great does your bathroom smell right after, you know? And provided you clean the box a couple of times a day and directly after a cat bomb, if possible, and use the Oust, you should be fine.
I haven’t got much money these days, but in memory/honor of my cat Cloudy, I’ll be stopping by the site for Zeus. He’s a beauty.
I donated to Zeus and see that the totals have jumped already!
I use a horribly expensive litter and it’s way better than the clay clumping litters. Smells almost pleasant and no kitty litter dust on everything!
GO ZEUS GO. Thanks for posting this, Sars – that surgery bill is toast, I tell you.
I’ve done the whole litter-box-and-food-in-the-bedroom dance and it is not the most fun you can have, for sure. I love the natural/flushable litter no matter what size space you are in – I use Swheat Scoop, and I know Nature’s Miracle is good too, though it has a heavyish pine scent I don’t love – and the keys are definitely frequent scooping and frequent vacuuming or sweeping. If you have hardwood or whatever, kibble and litter are going to kind of be everywhere no matter what you do (…or maybe I’m just really bad at this) but if you make sweeping and scooping part of your daily thing it’ll be fine.
If you’re worried about behavioral reactions to being in a new place, you might try something like Feliway, which diffuses cats’ familiarization pheromone (I think?) and can help calm them down in a new place (or with new cats, which is what I’ve used it for in the past).
Oh man, I’m all hormonal this morning, and that Zeus picture made me cry. What a sweet face on that boy. Heading to the website now to donate…
@Kitty – we live in a 2 bedroom, six room apartment with FIVE cats. I use a natural clumping pine litter, which cuts down on the smell a lot – unless someone has just pooped and then done then victory lap. Then it stinks for a bit. But you can always cover it up, if the cat hasn’t done so. Just like the janitors in elementary school threw down sawdust where some kid had barfed!
Also, I agree with feeding twice a day (whether it’s dry or wet) and putting the food bowl away the rest of the time. (That’s a best practice thing that vets recommend anywqy – helps prevent weight problems further down the line.) Water always needs to be available, of course, though currently my cats prefer to drink the broth from my tropical fish aquarium rather than the clean stuff I refill their bowls with every day. The toilet is also more interesting to them than you know, water. And any kind of spilled water is always delicious …
As for space – cats are hugely adaptable. As long as she gets lots of love and you play with her a lot, it shouldn’t be a problem.
I’ve dealt with more health problems and surgeries than I care to think about for my own motley crew of dogs over the years, and I cannot stand to see a rescue dog with such a tragic (if, sadly, not atypical) story suffer like that. Since I’m lucky enough to be in a financial position where I generally don’t have to blink when faced with vet bills, I am definitely happy to pay that forward. Good luck to Zeus!
36%!
My donation is in honor of the puggle I saw outside of Brooklyn Mercantile earlier this week, rockin’ the eye-patch.
ETA: Um. 42%. Also, I can never get over how expensive the anesthetic is.
The best thing to do for the smell is to feed the highest possible quality food. Feed no-grain, high-end wet food at the very least (should be mostly meat, no grains, maybe a few veggies). The no grains will make the poop smell less – everything gets digested and used by the cat, and the poop will also greatly reduce in volume since there is less waste. The wet will keep the volume of pee up so that it is less concentrated and smells less pungent (and is also critical for your kitty’s urinary health, since cats traditionally got their water from their prey and are not naturally big drinkers). You can also wet down a grain-free kibble as long as your cat eats it promptly.
I am a big proponent of raw diets for cats (you can buy these frozen, and for a cat it’s really not terribly expensive since they don’t eat much). My two eat a homemade raw diet and we keep the litter box in our bedroom. They can take a poo with us in the room and you honestly cannot smell it. Because the get their calcium from actual bone, their poo is almost chalky and slightly crumbly.
I also agree with scooping frequently and using a litter tracking mat to help contain litter. You can also experiment with the litter itself – I use World’s Best, which has a definite scent and might be overpowering in a small space (it’s not necessarily a BAD smell, but I can often smell the litter itself even if I can’t smell any poo or pee). Keeping a good handheld vac with a beater bar or brush near the box might also be a good idea so you can easily vacuum up any tracked litter. We use the Omega Paw box, which you simply roll over to clean (clean litter goes through a screen into a side area and clumps go into a little drawer – it’s clever and works really well) – having it be so easy makes me more likely to clean it very frequently. Downside, though – it has a huge footprint, since about 1/3 of the box is the side area/drawer thingy.
My cats are total turds about ignoring their toys, but the two they really, really like are the turbo track (round plastic track with ball in it and scratching pad in middle) and those toys that hang from the door or door frame on a string and they bat around. Having enough toys and exercise will be key to her not destroying your place, especially as a younger cat. The laser pointer is also good for wearing them out.
@Kitty – ditto on all the other advisors re keep scooping the box; having the stankies gone means they don’t fume the place up. I also have one tip to add: Ever since a ghastly UTI episode, I keep my cat’s litter box on a rubber-bottomed bathmat, one that can be tossed in the washing machine(I have 2 mats, so there is always a clean one in rotation each week). They were there to deal with UTI-induced aiming errors, but also catch any loose litter before it gets tracked all over the place.
@Thankful + Zeus’s mom + not-so-hateful Buntsy + all the others here helping Zeus out – maybe I’m just overly sentimental today, but you guys exemplify what I love about TN: fun, smart, possibly crazy, animal-loving people who love to find a problem & make it go away with collective effort. Nowhere else will you find people who debate/nitpick baseball, grammar, & Maltesers vs. Whoppers with equal seriousness, then go out & raise almost $400 grand in just a month during a bloody recession or find a home for an abandoned cat in mere days. I feel bad that I can only manage a few bucks for Zeus, but I know the Nation will take care of him. I’m always in awe of y’all.
I donated this morning and have been periodically refreshing throughout the day, and now I have cried twice. Once at the story of Zeus and once at how awesome all you TN readers are. And I don’t even know Zeus! I’m just so happy to see so many wonderful people out there.
Also, I am intrigued by this pine litter thing. I might have to try it out. Conveniently, when the cats don’t feel like using the litter box (when I have not been as meticulous about cleaning it), they use my shower, so it’s not the end of the world to clean up (and sometimes, I think it’s easier than dealing with the litter box to be honest).
We do what Sars does with the litterboxes under the bathroom sink, and it’s worked wonders. I even got tiny little curtain rods and tiny curtains (to go in place of the cabinet doors) so that they have some privacy and you don’t see the boxes when you enter the bathroom.
Also, my cats really like Feline Pine and Yesterday’s News. Both are really good at keeping the smell down, and both are flushable! My cats seem to like YN better than FP, but they have the same texture. Good luck!
55%.
Also, I just checked out the Zeus fund, and it’s up to 55%! TN is awesome.
Thanks so much for posting about Zeus. What a sweetheart, I’m glad to contribute my tiny bit.
The posts about cat litter are great too. I’m getting my first cat this summer so this is really helpful! Will definitely have to check out Nature’s Miracle, I like the smell of pine.
Go go go Zeus! I donated instead of buying that thing I was going to buy today.
I just made a contribution in honor of my wonderful dog, Madison, who is unfortunately in what seems to be the final weeks of a terminal illness. It’s nice to be able to spend some money in a case where it will do some good, so thanks for bringing this opportunity to my attention. Go Zeus!
I…have something in my eye. This is almost like watching Donors Choose totals, but furrier. I love it!
http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/2007/08/simple-ideas-for-cat-litter-boxes.html
Here are some great hacks for containing a litter box. I second @zuhn on the pine litter. We have two cats and when we switched the smell went down dramatically. Good luck!!
I’m heading over to donate for poor Zeus and feeling lucky about the health of my own pets. Hug your cats and dogs! :)
Gave the proverbial mite toward Zeus’ fund and am posting the link on my Facebook to hopefully rally more troops.
hey everyone, i’m zeus’ mom. i’m trying to keep on top of all the donations, but i’m literally a mess. i can’t stop crying over how amazing everyone has been and it looks like a lot of it is because of the stellar people from this site. please keep checking the site for updates on zeus, it looks like his surgery will be a possibility sooner rather than later.
thank you, thank you, thank you.
I’ve resumed the compulsive clicking-to-update behavior that I usually reserve for October. Go Zeus!
@cayenne: That’s exactly how I feel. Thanks for being more articulate about it than I can manage today.
Zeus’ story made me hug my own sweet, crazy, slightly screwed up shelter dog. I’m graduating with my MBA next month and I don’t have a job yet, so I wish I could give more than I did, but I have faith that the Nation will come through as always.
Ok, it’s a good thing that I usually don’t do much work on Friday afternoons anyway, because all I’ve been doing today is obsessively checking the Zeus-o-meter.
71%!!! Dang but my allergies are acting up today…
Here in the wilds of Canada, Arm & Hammer makes a litter box deodorizer that’s baking soda based, and it is excellent. My cat stinks the stinkiest stink, and the Arm & Hammer is excellent for quelling the stench. We also use the World’s Best, and I’d highly recommend it as well.
Think we’ll get the Zeus fund up to 100% by the end of the day? I think so.
Up to 72% – I’m totally not crying at my desk at all. Nope, not a bit.
And…74%. I love this land we call the Tomato Nation.
I chipped in… I think we can easily get it to 100% by EOD. :)
Zeus made me think of my beloved childhood pets — both of whom were abandoned by their original owners, one of whom had severe cataracts in later life (he used to locate my mother by sniffing the ankles of everyone in the room until he got to her). Also, I watched that video of the Maltese that was rescued right before she was euthanized a couple days ago. Shelter dogs have been very much on my mind this week — I was glad to be able to help even just a little bit.
Hi Vivian! You are awesome for being such a loving mommy to Zeus. I hope he gets his surgery and can be pain-free very soon. If the estimate is actually in the mid-$2000 range, you may want to raise the $1700 limit that you set– looks like it might be reached soon!
I’m in awe of the power of Tomato Nation. Zeus’ birthday is coming up this weekend and this is a great present you’ve given to him and his mom. Thank you all!
78%.
where are you guys seeing the percentage? the chipin thing seems to be stuck on 5% for me!
Just boosted the total from 76% to 78%, in honor of my dog Luna. She lost a leg to bone cancer last summer and, at age 12, is still going strong. Hoping that Zeus has a long and happy life!
god, i can’t thank you guys enough. all of this is definitely because of you
City Kitty: To cut down on odor/mess, you might look into a pellet litter. I just discovered the Tidy Cats “Breeze” litter system, and it’s awesome. Pellets let the urine pass through to a pad that needs to be changed once or twice a week (I have to do it about every 5 days with two adult cats). Solids get scooped out once a day and tossed. No smell, no tracking–it’s great. There are other pellet litters out there. I just picked up the “breeze” because it was on sale and handy. Good luck!
I wish I could have given more, but I gave what I could to the Zeus fund. I had a cat when I was younger who also went blind. She was such a sweetheart and I have never cried harder than when we had to put her down.
Tomato Nation and its inhabitants, as always, rule.
95% ?!
Go Nation go!
95%!
95%! I couldn’t give much, but it’s at least a little bit of good karma, should anything ever happen to my own rescue furball.
Donated what little I could! Almost to $1700!!