House Cats

[Tripnologist]

Catsan cat litter is what we use, I big pack is £8.99 and lasts 4x weeks, the paper based stuff is a waste of money and it stinks. Catsan, changed once a week = the way forward for an indoor cat.

I used to use Catsan, but this stuff is so much better.
You scoop it out once a day (takes like 2 mins), and then completely empty it once every month or two. No smell at all ever.

 

[Gixer]

I recently adopted my brothers two cats and I have to say they are the biggest pussies ever, literally! and I mean that in the sense they are complete wimps. I now live in a house with a lovely garden but we have a problem, that is a big black fluffy cat that takes no mercy. You'd think being brothers they'd gang up on it and sort it out but no instead they just prefer to hide inside. If I go out in the garden they will follow me and quickly do their business but then run straight back in.

So all through their own choice they pretty much love being indoors. Lucky for me I have an outhouse with a catpflap in the door through to it so I keep their litter tray out there so don't have to worry about the smell they make.

 

[platypus]

Can I hijack slightly and ask if 'House cats' have any issues with going outside? We're thinking of replacing Jasper now after a month of grieving, and she has her heart set on a ragdoll. We don't want a cat that needs a litter tray, why do some breeders list them as 'house cat only'?

 

[platypus]

-Generally a collar on an outdoor (well any really) cat is a bad idea, they're more likely to get stuck somewhere and hurt themselves trying to get free; the wife used to work in vet practice, had some horrible stories of cats getting their bag leg caught in the collar and tearing their skin open.

Most collars these days have built in elastic so that they can get them off if stuck.

 

[bledd]

Most collars these days have built in elastic so that they can get them off if stuck.

I see, they do look cooler without though , had him chipped, just in case

 

[knip]

-Generally a collar on an outdoor (well any really) cat is a bad idea, they're more likely to get stuck somewhere and hurt themselves trying to get free; the wife used to work in vet practice, had some horrible stories of cats getting their bag leg caught in the collar and tearing their skin open.

Mine have quick release clips on them. Which means if they do get it stuck on anything, it just breaks the clasp and falls off.

I know it works because one of my cats has now gone through 3 collars in 3 weeks, managed to find the most recent one hooked on a jumper in the wardrobe where she likes to sleep, but now it's gone outside somewhere.

Other cat still has the original collar I put on him when I brought him home (have just extended it as he's got bigger)

Another vote for catsan as well. I have no sense of smell, but live in a small one bed flat, paranoid about the place smelling, so always ask visitors if they can smell anything. Unless they've just had a poo, the answer is always no. Mine do go outside, but have the litter trays as mine get shut in at night, so it's just in case.

 

[Tripnologist]

Can I hijack slightly and ask if 'House cats' have any issues with going outside? We're thinking of replacing Jasper now after a month of grieving, and she has her heart set on a ragdoll. We don't want a cat that needs a litter tray, why do some breeders list them as 'house cat only'?

Ragdolls should never be outdoor cats as they are very trusting and friendly to a fault.
They also lack outdoor skills that come naturally to most breeds of cat. ie: If attacked by another cat, a dog or even a human, they won't defend themselves.
Their fur is also not suited to the outdoors and will quickly become matted.

Edit: Information about Ragdolls - http://www.ukrcc.co.uk/right.shtml (serious points are at the bottom of the page)

Why don't you want a litter tray btw? If you purchase decent quality CLUMPING cat litter and scoop it out once a day, there is no smell at all.

 

[krooton]

We have had Winston for 6 months now (9 month old indoor British Shorthair).

He has a covered litter tray right next to our toilet, though we don't even have the door attached.

Why?

Because we feed him raw food, so his poop doesn't smell at all, and use expensive litter which traps any pee smells, clumps amazingly well, and can be flushed, so dirty litter doesn't hang about.

Yes, feeding commercial complete raw is more expensive than feeding normal wet/dry food, and the litter seems exceedingly pricey at first glance, but as this means our flat doesn't smell AT ALL (and that the litter goes much further than you would think due to the great clumping nature) it is worth it imo.

Food: http://www.naturalinstinct.com/categories/Cat-Food/
Litter: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/...t_cat_litter?gclid=CNL2hvjf7LQCFQ3nnAod2zEADA

 

[pastymuncher]

Hi Krooton, how do you keep that natural instinct? My two would be fed up eating the same flavour over and over so would have to swap for other flavours. 500g is a lot of food per pack. Can it be broken down into smaller portions and frozen so that you can just take it out the night before?

 

[Tripnologist]

...the litter seems exceedingly pricey at first glance, but as this means our flat doesn't smell AT ALL (and that the litter goes much further than you would think due to the great clumping nature) it is worth it imo.

I have a theory that nearly every complaint about smelly litter trays is down to the use of cheap non clumping litter.

I use Classy Cat myself, and a bag lasts close to 2 months.

I was put off by the cost at first because it seemed to be a fair bit more expensive than the Catsan Clumping litter I was using, but it's actually not.
If I buy 2 bags at a time (for the discount), it works out to £5/month, which is not only cheaper than the Catsan, but isn't much more than the cheapest crappy smartprice stuff either.

 

[platypus]

Why don't you want a litter tray btw? If you purchase decent quality CLUMPING cat litter and scoop it out once a day, there is no smell at all.

I think its the idea that we've a perfectly good garden that they can use as a litter tray, why have one indoors? And they will at some point smell! Jasper never used a litter tray.

 

[krooton]

Hi Krooton, how do you keep that natural instinct? My two would be fed up eating the same flavour over and over so would have to swap for other flavours. 500g is a lot of food per pack. Can it be broken down into smaller portions and frozen so that you can just take it out the night before?

Most of the freezer space is devoted to it, haha.

I'll partially defrost a 500g tub in the fridge, then cut in to 6 equal chunks.
2 chunks go in to individual sealable freezer bags, then other 4 go back in the tub, and they all then go back in the freezer.

Winston eats 2-3 chunks a day (170-250g) depending on if gets any supplements (raw chicken wing tip, chunks of heart/liver, tuna, etc).

 

[krooton]

And they will at some point smell!.

Not if you get decent clumps. Poor quality litter means bits of soiled litter remain in the tray, the good stuff doesn't leave anything behind, it all goes down our loo and there is no smell at all.

Not all litters are flushable, clay-based one especially so unless you want expensive plumbers bills. Clay also isn't good for the cats.

 

[Tripnologist]

I think its the idea that we've a perfectly good garden that they can use as a litter tray, why have one indoors? And they will at some point smell! Jasper never used a litter tray.

Fair point, but as a couple of us have mentioned, there is no smell at all if you use a high quality clumping cat litter. There is really just the slight annoyance of having to scoop it out once a day and dumping/cleaning it out once every couple months.

You're either going to have to put up with a litter tray, or choose a different breed of cat. To allow a Ragdoll outside would be cruel and drastically reduce it's lifespan.

 

[UncleRuckus]

I think its the idea that we've a perfectly good garden that they can use as a litter tray, why have one indoors? And they will at some point smell! Jasper never used a litter tray.

Hah, yeah my cats use the garden, the little buggers especially like it when the soil has been turned, they will go out of their way to bury turds where I'm about to plant something.

 

[platypus]

Fair point, but as a couple of us have mentioned, there is no smell at all if you use a high quality clumping cat litter. There is really just the slight annoyance of having to scoop it out once a day and dumping/cleaning it out once every couple months.

You're either going to have to put up with a litter tray, or choose a different breed of cat. To allow a Ragdoll outside would be cruel and drastically reduce it's lifespan.

Yeah I want a cat with a bit more independence. The commander in chief though..

 

[oulton]

My lady and I really wanted a housecat. As beautiful, fun and loving as she was and as much as we loved her, after turning our once clean, smell free and peaceful-at-night 4th floor inner city appartment into a gritty (litter tray), smelly (litter tray) 24 hour miewwww zone we decided she would be better off in a house with a garden. We were buying the expensive litter and my misses was cleaning the litter tray daily.

When we move into a house we will definately get a cat and dog but I think unless they can go outside life can be miserable for them, and you.

 

[iamtheoneneo]

I personally disagree with the idea of a house cat, mainly bc cats should have the right to explore and hunt and by independent, that's what their about and we shouldnt take that right away from them . (Cat Rights are important too! )

I have two of my own and to be honest they only go out for a few hours a day max, the rest of the time their in the house sleeping - so its not as if there 24/7 outside destroying the place like many NON-cat owners seem to believe.

 

[HummuH1]

Care to explain why?

Sure.

It's so horrifically unfair to confine a cat to a house. They are meant for being independent, exploring, going outside. It would be better not to have one at all rather than imprison them indoors. As someone who has lived with eight cats, I don't think a cat can have a truly happy life if it has never ventured outside. Think about the animal rather than yourself.

There is no evidence to suggest cats are "happier" being allowed to roam freely rather than being confined to indoors only. Cats have personalities too, and as has been demonstrated in this thread, some like to go outdoors, some don't.

Whilst your post is very matter of fact, there are no facts in it. One fact that has been proven time and time again is that when cats are allowed outdoors, their life expectancy drops dramatically through increased exposure to risks such as injury, illness and infection.

These are domesticated animals and we take on the responsibility for their health and welfare by keeping them as pets. One of the most important ways of monitoring your cats health is by regularly observing them and their toilet habits. Not much fun, but important. Not really possible to do when they go outside all the time.

There is no right or wrong answer to the question, it depends on the cat in question but to suggest keeping cats indoors is in some way cruel and they cannot be happy is just plain wrong.

But hey, you think the moon could be an alien spaceship so you go on thinking what you want to think.

 

[Russinating]

Anyone who says cats shouldn't be kept indoors has no idea about breeding.

Cats which are considered 'house cats', ie Ragdolls, Persians etc have been bred for centuries to live indoors.

I agree that yes you shouldn't really be keeping a sand cat or similar indoors because it's in their genes to be outdoors, enjoy hunting, exploring etc. House cats genuinely hate it.