I love house cats, but I'm done!

[eyoungren]

I've had cats since 1982, the first year my dad actually allowed them. But because of the area I lived in until 1997, I never had to deal with cat boxes. You just let the cat out and they meowed or scratched at the door when they wanted back in.

But since 1997 it's been litter boxes. In 2003, with my wife's first pregnancy, the duty to empty the thing became my job in perpetuem. Her second pregnancy made this ironclad. Despite my children now being 18 and a half and almost 14, it is still my job.

I just spent 10 minutes getting cat puke out of the carpet. A regular occurrence because our cat likes to do that I guess. We are down to just the one cat. We got him in around 2010 I think. Some family was moving and they were going door to door trying to get someone to take their cat because they weren't taking him with them. They'd already tried to dump him off in a park and he found his way home.

Due to miscommunication between my wife and I, he became ours. They said he was neutered. My vet bill to get that done said different.

I love cats, always have, always will, especially kittens. But I am done. When this cat finally departs there will be no more. I'm 51 and I refuse to be bending over a litter box when I'm 60, no matter how much I like cats.

Thanks for listening, vent/rant over.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

I trained my cat to use the toilet and I will do so next time, too. It doesn't take all that long and is well worth the effort. Go get another cat!

 

[MBAir2010]

 

[MisterSavage]

I hear you! I had a senior cat that went through a lengthy amount of care needed (worth it because it was a good cat and its quality of life was high). Swore I would never get another cat and was over all of that. Found a starving teenaged cat near some woods. The county animal shelter was overflowing (meaning they probably wouldn't keep it long before ☠️) and all cat rescue organizations were full. I have a cat again. ?

 

[Boyd01]

I had dogs and cats most of my life but decided not to get another dog when the last one died in 2000. The last old cat died in 2008 and although I missed having a pet, I enjoyed no longer having that responsibility (and expense) for many years.

I live in a rather isolated location, surrounded by state forests and in 2020 a hungry feral cat showed up and I couldn't resist the urge to feed her. Since then, I have made big strides domesticating her, a pretty long-haired female who is either neutered or infertile. She spends lots of time inside the house now but also goes out. Still too afraid to allow me to touch her, but I think that is about to change.

About 6 months ago, a cute short-haired female cat started living under my porch. Turned out she was very affectionate, apparently a pet that somebody just "dumped" in the woods around here. Got her spayed and took her in - she's strictly an indoor kitty now. So much for getting free of the responsibility of pet ownership.

So, here I am, cleaning a litter box again at the age of 72 - never say never! How could I resist giving a home to this little cat? But I'll admit that I unsuccessfully tried to pass her off to my daughter. My granddaughter created an instagram account for her and just told me that she now has 151 followers. 🤣

 

[eyoungren]

I should say, I am not actively looking for another cat. But, I'm not inhumane. Should fate decide to drop another one on my doorstep without recourse I cannot in good conscience refuse.

The reguritator in question…hiding of course.

 

[MBAir2010]

I had a cat from 1996 to 2014
then that black cat jumped on my lap in 2017

her and bro just caught a lizard-anole who got away.
i had to put them into a another room
and free the reptile, unharmed.

 

[Boyd01]

Should fate decide to drop another one on my doorstep without recourse I cannot in good conscience refuse.

That was exactly what I said when the last old cat died in 2008. Fate has now made a couple "drops" here.

 

[profcutter]

How about one of those robotic kitty litter things? I’ve never used one, but I also hate doing the cat litter, and I hate being the only one to do it. In our house, it’s either cats or the whole kitchen gets covered in mouse poop, and besides, they’re just such cute killing machines!

 

[MisterSavage]

How about one of those robotic kitty litter things? I’ve never used one, but I also hate doing the cat litter, and I hate being the only one to do it. In our house, it’s either cats or the whole kitchen gets covered in mouse poop, and besides, they’re just such cute killing machines!

They could be much better now but mine was more trouble than in was worth.

 

[Allyance]

At 77 I am still bending over and cleaning the litter box! I have one indoor cat and look after several outdoor cats. The are all different personalities. When I spend to much time on my iPhone Bear lets me know.

 

[JT2002TJ]

How about one of those robotic kitty litter things? I’ve never used one, but I also hate doing the cat litter, and I hate being the only one to do it. In our house, it’s either cats or the whole kitchen gets covered in mouse poop, and besides, they’re just such cute killing machines!

I'm assuming the got better, but my only experience with them has been they are garbage. I have a HUGE igloo kitty litter box and one cat. I clean it out 2 times a week, but can go away for up to a week and she will be fine. It really only takes a couple minutes, I bring the trash bag from the kitchen with me to the basement, clean the kitty litter and then take the garbage to the garage (I put it out in the morning on my way to work).


With one cat this is awesome. I've had it for 12-13 years.

Petmate Booda Clean Step Cat Litter Box Dome (Made in the USA with 95% Recycled Materials)- Pearl White, Made in USA

The Petmate Booda Dome Cleanstep Cat Litter Box helps keep floors less of litter-scatter with grooved steps that gently clean kitty paws. The dome is equipped with a charcoal-filter that traps unwanted smell as they rise from the cat litter pan, allowing confident placement in any room of the hom...

www.amazon.com

 

[glenthompson]

While I like cats, I'm mildly allergic and can't stand the smell of their litter box. As a result I'm dog only.

 

[beach bum]

While I like cats, I'm mildly allergic and can't stand the smell of their litter box. As a result I'm dog only.

I developed severe allergies and had to put my pets up for adoption—2 airedales, a husky, and 3 cats. I miss them like crazy.

 

[AlumaMac]

I just spent 10 minutes getting cat puke out of the carpet. A regular occurrence because our cat likes to do that I guess. We are down to just the one cat.

Lol, I feel your pain. Somehow my wife nominated me for puke patrol. I thought moving to a house with hardwood floors would make life easier, but 9 times outta 10 they hit one of the rugs. ?‍

How about one of those robotic kitty litter things? I’ve never used one, but I also hate doing the cat litter, and I hate being the only one to do it. In our house, it’s either cats or the whole kitchen gets covered in mouse poop, and besides, they’re just such cute killing machines!

Everytime I have tried one of those I end up cleaning crap out of some crevice or gear or scooper thingy and I wonder if they actually tested the darn thing. All have ended up in the trash.

One of the accused and one of the rugs I’ve scrubbed a 100 times:

 

[profcutter]

There used to be one that connected to the toilet water supply, it claimed to recycle the pellets, rinse them for reuse. The poops and pees I think got flushed with the waste water. I haven’t seen anything about it in a long time, and I think it was crazy expensive.

 

[AlumaMac]

There used to be one that connected to the toilet water supply, it claimed to recycle the pellets, rinse them for reuse. The poops and pees I think got flushed with the waste water. I haven’t seen anything about it in a long time, and I think it was crazy expensive.

I almost bought one of those but there were a lot of reviews that said the provided water line splitter would break and flood the bathroom/house.

 

[eyoungren]

Re: the automatic litter boxes. We had one from 1998 to around 2007 I think. As another user mentioned, you end up cleaning the machine itself rather than the box. So, essentially same difference.

I know they've got new product now, but we only have the one cat. Also, some of those devices are HUGE. The box is in the upstairs laundry room and takes enough space as it is.

I'd be willing to try one of these new units but I'm not willing to fork over $200 or so just to find out it's the same deal.

 

[JamesMike]

For cat litter box users I highly recommend 'Pretty Litter' it reduces litter box maintenance. There is no urine clumping to remove, but it is a bit expensive, American price at Walmart is about $25 for a bag, one bag lasts a month for a single cat.

 

[Huntn]

The wife and I had a single cat, (1990ish) although we loved her, she did not like it when we left her home by herself and possibly to punish us, she stopped using the litter box for her dumps, (still used it for her pees thank goodness). We tried to rehabilitate her but no go. We were thrilled the vet took her as a clinic cat.

Then we got 3 more cats and had them for about 17 years. 3 was not much more work than one, plus they kept themselves company so no protest dumps on the carpet when we left. But one more thing, we had an unfinished walk out basement, with a concrete floor and I never worried about cat pee where it should not be, because when we left, they went to the basement. These days we have no unfinished basement, so an unhappy cat would be a real concern to me.

 

[Richard8655]

I hear you re: bending over a litter box at age 60. I've had cats in my household all my life, and find they add a certain quality of warmth that otherwise would make the place feeling cold and empty. Our cat has 4 litter boxes he uses randomly. Yes, cleaning them is a pain in the a**, but then the surreal company of a cat is more than worth it for us. Plus there are so many that desperately need homes.

 

[monokakata]

There's a kind of litter that's called "Pretty Litter," and it's just amazing. The smells are almost non-existent, it's easy to clean, and so on. It's expensive, though.

 

[eyoungren]

Our cat, JJ, is good about the box. He's our only cat. The box is upstairs and he doesn't have any issues or problems getting there so I'm grateful for that.

The problem is that your standard cat litter gets everywhere. The laundry room is the one out of the way place in the house, but it's small and everyone goes in there to wash clothes. The litter tends to scatter and it does smell. I may try this 'Pretty Litter' mentioned. I only mind expensive when stuff doesn't do the job. It can't be worse than the brand I'm using now (Fresh Step) which is better than the rest of the stuff.

Part of the puking problem is that he does this whenever we change cat food brands and part because of houseplants. I can't control the global supply chain so sometimes the brand changes. He got really sick around Christmas because he wouldn't stop eating the houseplants. Eventually I guess, he figured it out because that stopped and he's okay again.

It's just always a gross-out when you come into the hallway in the morning (before turning on the light) to find out he's left puke down the hallway, or that you've stepped in it.

 

[eyoungren]

The wife and I had a single cat, (1990ish) although we loved her, she did not like it when we left her home by herself and possibly to punish us, she stopped using the litter box for her dumps, (still used it for her pees thank goodness). We tried to rehabilitate her but no go. We were thrilled the vet took her as a clinic cat.

Then we got 3 more cats and had them for about 17 years. 3 was not much more work than one, plus they kept themselves company so no protest dumps on the carpet when we left. But one more thing, we had an unfinished walk out basement, with a concrete floor and I never worried about cat pee where it should not be, because when we left, they went to the basement. These days we have no unfinished basement, so an unhappy cat would be a real concern to me.

I've been working from home since May 2020 (and continue to do so). Other than a couple hours each day to drop family off and pick them up, he's got me in the house all day. We do know he has abandonment issues though. He was abandoned in a park before he came to us and when we moved we were sure he thought he was going to be left behind (the last abandonment happened because of a house move).

We have left him alone a couple of times for a week or so (with sufficient cat food and water) because the entire family needed to go somewhere. Last time was over Christmas, the first time for my dad's funeral. He was just pissed off when we got back the last time.

So no issues there.

We did have one cat though that was making protests. He knew where the box was, I guess he just didn't want to go out to the garage. The other three cats in the house with him didn't have an issue though so we never figured out what his problem was.

 

[Richard8655]

This is an interesting thread (especially for cat owners!). As far as types of litter, we find pine litter works best over clay-type or sand. Not as messy and easy to manage.