Now that the long-awaited kitten has already bought all the dowry, all that remains is to deal with the most important thing - this is the cat litter. Today there are a huge variety of them in pet stores and you should not get confused when choosing a container. In our article we will look at the most economical and simple option - a tray with a grid.
How to fill with filler
To understand why litter is needed, you need to know the physiology of cats. In the wild, cats relieve their natural needs in the ground, first digging a hole. Household representatives have no distinctive features and carry out their personal affairs in the same way. The tray filler serves as an analogue of soil, but only adapted to living conditions.
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Inexperienced owners often make mistakes when trying to choose the optimal amount of litter for the tray. Many people prefer not to bother: they use newspapers, leave the tray empty, or retrain the cat to go to the toilet.
So how much filler should you use? It is difficult to unambiguously determine the volume of filler. But there are approximate values. The height of the wood layer should not exceed 2 cm, sand - 1 cm, mixed and silica gel - no more than 2-3 cm.
Warning! The filler should not completely clog the mesh from the tray.
Tray for cats
Why do you need a grille?
This accessory has a practical meaning. The filler is poured strictly under the grate, as it absorbs urine. The excrement will remain on top: the owner only needs to remove the part to rinse it under running water.
Some owners try to avoid mesh, citing the cat's physiology as an excuse. In their opinion, the accessory interferes with burying animal waste products, which means it will certainly cause discomfort. In the future, such a solution creates a whole wave of problems: the pet scatters the litter, dirt quickly accumulates and cleaning turns into a daily chore.
Different types of cat litter
Design of a cat litter box with grate
This tray consists of two elements: a tray and a grid that is placed on top of it. A grate is needed in the cat's litter box so that the cat does not get dirty in his feces. Like the vast majority of cat litter boxes, mesh litter boxes are made from plastic materials. This is because other materials, such as metal, react with the animal's feces and oxidize. This is dangerous due to harmful fumes that the pet and its owner will have to breathe.
How to wash, how to clean
Hygienic procedures are mandatory when using filler and without it. In the second case, you will have to clean the litter box after each time your pet goes to the toilet.
If the attribute is not taken care of, then one of the consequences is an unpleasant odor that will quickly spread throughout the entire apartment.
But the tailed pet will begin to regularly look for new places to relieve its natural needs, since the smell of excrement scares them away.
To clean your cat's litter box, you will need disinfectant (eco-friendly) detergents, a soft brush and paper towels.
Procedure. Everything will take no more than five minutes.
- The used filler is sent in a plastic bag.
- Having unfastened the removable mesh, the base is washed under warm water.
- Apply or spray detergent onto the tray and leave for a few minutes. Then the base is cleaned with a brush.
- The removable grate is cleaned in warm water.
Tray cleaner
Choosing a detergent
The most important criterion is the absence of strong odors. Be careful when using toilet bowl cleaners. Many of them have a pungent “aroma” that can scare away a cat.
As a result, the pet will have no choice but to go looking for a more comfortable place to go to the toilet.
Acid-containing products effectively fight urinary stones, which settle on the surface of the tray over time. An analogue of these is ordinary vinegar, but it only eliminates the smell and is not suitable for regular cleaning.
Eco-friendly disinfectants are the best option. They smell nothing and contain virtually no chemicals.
Varieties
Clumping: what are the features?
Bentonite clay and minerals are used to make these cat litter products. This hygiene product is widely known among cat owners and is often used. With its help, it is easy to absorb excess moisture, which turns into a lump. Using a spatula, the owner can easily remove used lumps of cat urine or feces from the toilet. It is recommended to buy clumping litter for a cat litter box if there is only one animal in the house, since if there are a large number of pets, the owner will have to remove the clumps throughout the day.
How is wood different?
Compressed sawdust granules retain odor well and are hypoallergenic, so they are suitable for both adults and small animals.
It is most profitable to fill a cat's litter box with this type of litter, since it is inexpensive and only a small amount of it needs to be placed on the bottom of the litter box. The product is compressed granules of sawdust, which become soaked upon contact with urine. A special feature of this litter intended for cat litter is its ability to retain odor well. Suitable not only for kittens, but the hygiene product is also used for adult cats. Since wood is a natural component, this filler almost never causes an allergic reaction in a cat.
Silica gel
Although this product is one of the most expensive, it does not require filling the cat's entire litter box. The filler consists of synthetic crystals of a transparent shade that absorb moisture well. The advantage of this product is the possibility of infrequent cleaning. If you fill the tray with a large layer of silica gel, then you will need to dispose of your cat’s litter box no more often than once every 2-3 weeks. The disadvantages of the litter are the sharp edges of the crystals and the loud rustling sound when the cat visits the litter box.
Features of mineral
The Fresh Step filler is a mineral filler, and when moisture gets in, it forms a lump, which makes it easy to clean the tray.
The composition includes clayey bentonite and palygorskite rocks. Popular brands of similar fillers:
- "Fresh step";
- "Murka";
- "Leopard";
- "Katsan";
- Jimpet Biocats;
- Vitacraft Compact Ultra.
After urination, a lump forms in the tray, which can be easily removed with a spatula. The main advantage of the hygiene product is that it is easy to clean, and it does not stick to the animal’s paws and does not spread around the house. It is possible to purchase filler with granules of different sizes. Experts do not recommend buying it for kittens who can swallow it. The disadvantage of mineral hygiene products is that they cannot be disposed of in the sewer.
How often should I change
Even with regular hygiene procedures, the cat litter box does not have an unlimited shelf life. Like other accessories for animals, it also tends to wear out. The pet himself unconsciously makes “efforts”: he scratches his toilet with his claws, and a white coating may appear at the bottom of the base. Sooner or later, the owner must worry about purchasing a new attribute for his ward.
If cleaning is done on a regular basis, the toilet area can last for several years. However, ignoring the basic rules of care, the stench and particles of waste “eat” into the surface of the tray so that no cleaning products can help. And you can make purchases almost every year.
The tray is placed in a place convenient for the cat
Terms of use
In order for your pet to use such a tray, you need to prepare it. Since it consists of two main parts, everything is done very simply.
- Place filler at the bottom of a dry and clean plastic container.
- A mesh or lattice is placed on the top of the cat litter box. It is advisable to leave space between the tray and the grid so that cat urine gets inside, onto the litter. If the pet poops, the feces remain on the grill, which is then removed and thoroughly washed under the tap and dried.
- It is necessary to periodically wash the cat litter so that nothing stagnates, and then put in new litter.
Where to put it in the apartment
This issue should be resolved on the first day the cat is in the house. The pet must be accustomed to one place for excrement, so that later the owner does not find “surprises” throughout the apartment.
Ideal areas are those that have low traffic and those that have virtually no noise. These are the most comfortable conditions under which the pet will agree to relieve itself and feel safe. Otherwise, “there will be trouble.”
If the choice falls on the toilet, make sure that the ward always has access to it. Residents will have to put up with an open door, or constantly come running when their pet calls.
Advice! Do not change the location of the tray. Cats are very conservative creatures and cannot tolerate any changes in their lives without stress. More temperamental individuals will declare “war” and continue to go where they went before.
Video “The Right Choice”
In this video you will learn how to choose a toilet for your pet.
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Discuss the article:
Can several individuals use one toilet?
Our smaller whiskered brothers are naturally territorial animals. As in the wild, in the house they distribute among themselves places that they will consider their personal possessions. Therefore, the toilet will have to be divided: acquire several attributes and even choose a filler that every cat will like.
But the owner cannot always afford such innovations. Living in a small apartment, a person does not have the opportunity to provide each furry guest with an individual restroom. You will have to train all your pets to relieve themselves in one place.
When training several cats to defecate in the same litter box, be prepared to clean the litter box several times more often. Otherwise, pets will choose their own personal bathroom.
What folk remedies will help wash
To clean your cat's litter box, you don't have to buy expensive store-bought chemicals. The funds available in every home will come to the rescue. The main thing is to know the rules for their use and cleaning methods.
Table vinegar
To clean with table vinegar, you need to heat the substance to forty °C and fill the tray so that all the plaque is in the liquid. In this state, the container should stand for a certain time. If the contamination is shallow, then one hour will be enough. In case of heavy contamination, you must wait at least three hours. As time passes, you need to drain the vinegar and clean the pot with a brush and abrasives. Clean until the surface of the tray becomes smooth. Then rinse it with warm water and wipe dry.
Baking soda
It is used for mechanical stone removal and disinfection. You need to start by washing the tray. Next, dry soda must be poured onto the rough surface and rubbed into the urinary stone with a brush until it is removed. After the procedure, the cat litter box is rinsed again with warm water and dried outside.
Laundry soap
Soap must be dissolved in hot water. A soap solution is poured into a large container and parts of the tray containing urinary stone are placed in it. Next, the tray soaks for 24 hours. After this, the stone is removed with a stiff brush, and the pot is rinsed with water and vinegar.
Mustard powder
Mustard powder is applied to the wet surface of the tray and rubbed with a stiff brush into the surface damaged by the urinary stone. After cleaning, rinse the container with water. This cleaning will not only get rid of the stone, but will also help get rid of animal marks on different surfaces.
How many accessories do you need for one cat?
One tray is enough for an adult. Let us remember that cats are conservative by nature and, as a rule, defecate in only one place. But under certain circumstances, the number of bathrooms can be increased.
- When accustoming a kitten to relieve its natural needs, the owner must determine which location will be preferable for his ward. To do this, you need to put several trays in the apartment where a new member of the household has already visited with certain intentions.
- When a cat changes its place of residence, its litter box also changes. To help the client choose, the owner can also place several trays in different areas of the apartment. And only when the cat decides, leave one attribute.
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Advantages and disadvantages
Let's start with the pleasant things.
- It becomes clear that the obvious advantage is maintaining cleanliness. The cat relieves itself directly on the grate and does not touch the inside of the tray with the grate.
- Of course, the cat will not get the filler with its teeth and will not be able to taste it.
- It is worth noting that the advantage of this design is that the cat easily gets used to it and no longer does his “business” in another place.
- Manufacturers made sure that your apartment remains not only clean, but also aesthetically attractive, so they produced trays of various colors. You can choose the one that will be most in harmony with the overall decor in the room and will not be conspicuous by its inappropriate appearance and color.
One of the disadvantages is, perhaps, the fact that you will have to wash the grill every time after the cat poops. Feces left on the grate for a long time can cause an unpleasant odor and, of course, your pet is unlikely to want to go to that toilet again. Meanwhile, even this drawback is covered by the obvious “spoon of honey”: the grille is very easy to clean. It is enough to throw away the feces after the animal poops, and then place the grate under running water. This way it cleans perfectly and there are no problems with cleaning the cat litter.
A cat litter box with a mesh has similar properties. In this case, we can safely say that it is available to any owner, since it is inexpensive. In addition, the kitten will easily get used to it. The mesh will be safe for the baby, providing him with comfort.
As in the case of the grate, it is advisable to wash this structure after each visit by the cat to the toilet, so that the room always remains clean and fresh.
