Cat And Kitten BootCamp

4 Types Of Cat Litter Boxes You Can Choose From

The pet industry is enormous and because of that there are more litter box choices on the market than ever before. Stocked in stores are some very cheap solutions that you can buy, ranging from using old dishpans to cutting up some used cardboard, as well is some very expensive products that may interest you as well.

Below are a few litter box solutions that you can choose from:

1. Throw-away or “disposable” cardboard boxes: Although using disposable pans or boxes may seem ideal and inexpensive, it is probably not a sound long-term solution. Using cardboard boxes and similar such items for your cats disposable wastes is very popular with pet stores, animal shelters, and even some breeders, but you may want to choose something a little more sturdy that will last.

2. Plastic pans: You can find a huge variety of plastic pans that come in all shapes and sizes which will be perfect as a litter box for your cat. They are relatively inexpensive and can be found in most household supply stores. Some are shallow and some are deep which will cater to your needs. However, be sure that you choose one which will scrub easily. If you find that you are throwing away plastic pans often because of the cat’s wastes, then cardboard boxes may be a more suitable solution

3. Covered Litter Box Pans: This can be another option for you but may not be the best of choices. Advertisers of covered pans will claim that having a cover keeps the pet odors down and will also prevent children and other small pets from getting into the litter box. While this may be true, many pet owners tend to forget to clean the box often enough because they cannot smell it - due to the cover ironically. Ignorance may be bliss to us, but for a cat, having to use the bathroom in a dirty smelly litter box is quite the opposite. So if you choose to purchase and use a cover pan from a pet manufacturer, be sure to keep it clean more often than you would a non-covered litter box.

4. Self-cleaning litter box pans: Cleaning a litter box is not the most enjoyable of activities for animal lovers, however there is a such thing as a “self-cleaning” litter box. In recent years many pet product manufacturers have come up with a solution that is almost hands-free. Some of these self-cleaning boxes have inserts in which you remove and dump in the trash so that you can replace it with another insert. Some have a rollover collector that catches the cat poop and leaves the clean granules. You just remove the collector when you’re finished, dump it in the trash, and add more granules when needed.

3 Non - Violent Ways to Discipline Your Cat

You should never hit or smack your cat! And never give your cat the idea that discipline is coming directly from you. That may sound like a strange request but it is quite fitting, especially since your goal is to create a strong bond with your little feline friend.

If your cat relates discipline, anger, and pain with you, then all you will do is create fear in your cat’s mind anytime you approach him. In other words, disciplining your cat should be done in a way so that he directly relates the action with whatever is he was doing “wrong” - not you.

This is indeed the best way to train cats. This system of making them believe that whatever it is that they are doing wrong will trigger an automatic response that they do not like, but has nothing to do with you, is the only way to teach your cat right from wrong, while at the same time developing a loving and strong relationship with your pet.

For example, if your cat has enjoyed clawing and scratching at your expensive sofa, and you start to yell, discipline, and express anger towards him – this will do nothing more than show that your cat that you are to be avoided, but your sofa is still his scratching post. That situation sounds frustrating, doesn’t it?

Now imagine that instead of using all of your anger toward your cat and letting him know it, you use some sort of “booby-trap” that the cat experiences whenever he approaches the couch. This experience should be agitating, but not painful. Many cat owners use a specific type of sticky coating that will produce static electricity when rubbed by cat’s paw. This creates a small shock and the cat is on his way away from the couch. And as you may understand by now, he will start to directly relate the couch to an experience that he does not want to feel again. And the good news is that it has nothing to do with you!

Below is a list of some discipline tools that you can use to divert your cat’s attention:

1. Use loud noises. Cats cannot stand the sound of loud banging noises. In fact, they hate it and will run for cover as if being sprayed by bullets. A very simple solution would be having a tin cans full of rocks or pennies that you can shake every time you see your cat doing something.

2. Use spray water bottles: This is my personal favorite technique. However, do not get too trigger-happy. Your only goal is to give a light squirt to your cat whenever you see him doing something wrong. Although you are the one shooting the water, he doesn’t realize that. All your cat knows is that whenever he approaches the couch he feels shocking spurts of water hit the side of his head or body.

3. Try placing some sort of liquid that cats dislike on the surface areas that he is destroying: A good example of this would be some Tabasco sauce or vinegar. Cats despise the bitterness of the substances and it tastes terrible to them.