I’ve just made a bit of a move to a new city, new apartment, and new job. As a result, I no longer have the convenience of a basement to stick the kitty’s box in. (Nor even a bathroom; mine’s too small to site a litterbox in.) So, with the box now in a corner of the living room, I’d hoped to switch my kitty over to the Clevercat top-entry box, so that I could minimize litter tracking. I gave her a few weeks to use it back home, replacing one of the two boxes in the basement with it; while she never seemed to prefer it, she did use it occasionally. When I got to my new place, my stuff lagged behind by a few days, so I had to get a basic box to cover the transition period.
Now, I’ve got the Clevercat box set up right next to the ‘temporary’ box, with a few things in it to let my kitty know what it’s for. But she completely disdains it, and just keeps to the plain box, spreading litter all over my nice floor. I’m afraid to take away the plain box, lest she continue to ignore the Clevercat and just go right for the floor–not a problem she’s ever had in the past, but you never know.
So–has anyone else had any experience with switching an older kitty (she’s 13, though still quite active and healthy) over to this type of box? Or should I just resign myself to sweeping litter daily, or perhaps try a Booda Dome instead?
If the cat also moved to a new apartment, everything is new to her. I would say it is best to give her plenty of time to get used to the new litter box. Just make sure it is nice and clean all the time, while the other litter box is just a little more dirty. That might tempt her.
I would try taking the lid off the clevercat box for awhile, see if she likes that better. I’d also take the plain catbox away too. She sounds fairly fastidious and is unlikely to start peeing in anger now if she’s never done it before.
There’s other litters you can try too. I know they make this stuff that’s made of those dessicating silicone packets that are excellent for litter control.
Quick question, since she’s elderly: is she physically capable of getting into the box? If she’s arthritic or otherwise creaky or weak, it may hurt for her to climb into something so tall. So it would come as no surprise that she doesn’t want to.
Well, the OP said that the cat used the Clevercat box a few times in the home they just moved from, so I’m guessing the cat can get in and out.
This sounds like a great idea. If the OP will do this, and put brand new, unscented litter in the regular pan, the cat might learn to prefer the new box.
I like the Ikea hacks, too. I’m thinking how I can get some of this Ikea stuff without paying a ton for shipping and doing something like this in my apartment!
My kitty doesn’t show too many signs of creakiness–an occasional awkward jump or stumble, but she’s a very young thirteen. I don’t think that’s keeping her out of the new box. And I’ve had the lid off for several days now, but she’s not shown any interest at all. Last night, I put the lid on, just to see if it might incite some feline curiosity and interest, but I don’t think she’s went for it yet.
I’ll try switching the used litter over to it–that’s actually what I did back home, now that I think of it. I’ll keep the normal box filled with clean in the meanwhile. Fingers crossed!
