Im thinking of getting a cat and have a few questions. How often do you change the litter box? Do ya have to train them to use it? I live in an apartment and it will be an indoor cat. We always had cats while I was growing up but those were all outdoor cats. Any comments or suggestions greatly apperciated
I have a Litter Maid self-scooping litter box, which has to be changed every couple of days with two cats.
We had to let the Neville kitties get used to the location of their litter box, but they already knew how to use it.
IME, cats generally know how the box works instinctively – one of my cats is bottle raised and knew how to go in the box long before she weaned. You should probably show kitty the location of the box, and if it is a young kitten, maybe put him/her in the box and move their front paws in a digging motion (gently!). You’ll probably only have to show your kitty once.
I’ve always taken mine to the box and put them in it, then let them find their way out and back to the rest of the “world”. That way they know the way back! There are lots of different litters, from plain clay (cheap but not very odor controlling) to scoopable (can be expensive) to weird kinds such as newspaper, wheat and pine pellets. I use the pine pellets and love it - it really controls odor. I buy it in 30 lb bags at the feed n seed (sold as Equine Pine stable bedding) for less than Petsmart sells a 10 lb bag.
Some cats can be picky about litter. Others will use the empty box before you can put in fresh litter. YCMV.
Good luck, and you know you have to post pictures when you get the little darlin’, right?
Unless the cat is sick or really ticked off about something, s/he will find the litter box. One tipoff about when to clean it is if the cat starts going somewhere else. They don’t like ones that smell too much.
My new cat (as mentioned in a different thread) has spent nearly all of his time hiding in my apartment and he’s found the litter box without me showing it to him.
The litter box should really be “scooped” every day. You use a little slotted scoop to fish out feces and clumped urine. The clumping type of litter enables you to do this second task and not have a reeking box. When the level starts to get low you add a bit more. Periodically, say once a week, maybe 2 weeks, you throw out the entire contents and refill. How often depends on the size of the box, the cat, and your tolerance.
A litter box that is not kept reasonably clean can cause the cat to find another location more to his/her liking, which will definitely not be to yours.
As others have said, cats rarely need much training to use the pan. Ideally, the kitten will have been with its mother long enough to be completely weaned; in that case the mother cat will generally teach the kittens the essentials of propriety.
Some little kittens, like little children can’t “hold it” for long. If you have the litter box too far away, a baby can have “accidents” I keep a box in the room where the kitten sleeps until it’s about 3 months old. It probably isn’t necessary for that long, but I take no chances.
Some cats are more fastidious than others, so how often you have to clean the litter could be twice a day or every couple days. Most likely, it will be your nose that demands frequent changes.
Jeffr062, any bookstore sells books like this one. As a new cat owner, it gives you a good overview of all things cat care, including the things we forget to tell you here. 
Once your new cat is “shown” his litter box, he’ll use it. By shown, we mean “placed in it”.
One litter box per cat, and be sure to get one big enough & deep enough. Scoop once or twice daily.
The biggest source of “accidents” is the owner not scooping often enough. Some people very rarely dump the entire box and refresh with all new litter. This is fine if you scoop often & well.
Ditto on the “show them” thing. One visit and they’ve got it knocked. We scoop every day and we have four cats. It’s an oversized pan and we haven’t had any accidents. If you start finding “mystery poo” in corners, you’re probably not scooping often enough.
If you’re going to start this cat off indoors, please don’t give in to the whining and let him or her out “once in a while.” It can only lead to worry, fighting, burrs, and disease and (“dum-de-dum-dum-duuuuuuuuuum”) the occasional death. Our indoor kids like to sit on the sill by an open window and breathe the fresh air. It seems to be enough for them.
There’s still some concern over clumping litter-especially for kittens. There are some studies that have found it can make cats sick if they lick it off of their paws because it expands in their systems.
My indoor cats go to the front door and the sliding glass door to the balcony, but they’ve never been outdoor cats. They’re just curious and friendly, so they like to greet people who come in. Also, the cat treats are kept on a bookshelf in the foyer, so Luna is often over there meowing like she wants out. She doesn’t- she wants a treat.
My first cat was an indoor cat. One day I left the door open and she wandered outside. She stood on the step looked around for a minute or so and walked back in. She saw the outside world and it wasn’t for her.
However, this only applies to clay-based clumping litter. Wheat- and corn-based litters clump just fine, are flushable and biodegradable, and can be eaten with no ill effects.
Ah. I was not aware of this. Thank you.
You might want to keep her confined to a small area for a few days until she’s comfortable. Oh, and be prepared to keep nicknacks and breakables out of the way.
“Mystery poo” hell! My Gypsy has been known to deliberately take a shit right next to the box when she KNOWS someone is watching if the litterbox isn’t clean enough. She also goes in the boxes when she doesn’t have to go and straightens everything up.
Man, that has urban legend written all over it.
I’m not a feline specialist, but I have practiced veterinary medicine for close to 20 years and have NEVER heard such a thing. Any chance you’ve got a cite?
My kitty is maybe the only cat in the history of the universe to not know to use a litter box. She was a stray, maybe 4 months old, and she liked to use our bean bag chair for the first 2 days we had her. Finally, we kept her in the bathroom with the box when we knew she had to go (kittens seem to stay on a schedule), and once she did it right, she never went back.
Well, except during my ill-fated attempts at toilet training. But that’s another thread.
If I hadn’t long since trained my cats to shit in the neighbours’ gardens, then I’d use a clumping litter like unbaked fullers earth. Cats really don’t like a dirty litter tray, and will shit all over the house in protest if it’s not sufficiently clean. Clumping litter enables you to scoop out the soiled sections in handy, solid lumps while leaving the bulk of the clean litter behind.
Non-clumping litters tend to be used with sieve-type scoops, which might be OK for kitty turds, but scatters pissy litter amongst the clean litter, and the whole lot begins to smell quite quickly.
If you’ve an indoor cat, I’d recommend a decent scratching post, and some fresh greens to chew on. Pet shops sell kits of cat grass, which is a pot full of soil and some grass seeds, and you can grow these on and leave lying around for the cat to chew on as and when they feel the need. Despite being carnivores, cats need the occasional bit of greenery to chew to stay in optimum health.