why do housecats need to "spring forth" from the litterbox?

[vash]

i am building a pro/con list for housecat ownership.

add to the "con" list. i have to sweep cat litter from the house daily. i hate it. i watched the cat last night. she took a leak (or a dump) and then rocketed out like a top fuel funny drag-car..dragging out an easy teaspoon of litter.

between the spontaneous vomiting and the cat litter, i am thinking i now own my last two cats.

(i have a separate dog pro/con list )

not to say i havent ever sprung forth from the bathroom, but it isnt all the time

[widebody911]

My wife's cats do the same damn thing. No idea why.

[pwd72s]

To get away from the scent...it's a survival genetic thing.

Tip...buy a long handled dustpan/broom combo...eliminates a lot of bending over while sweeping.

[lane912]

... plus i think they feel lighter-

[crustychief]

Our cat comes out of the box like Leroy Jenkins. we put a carpet at the opening to catch most of the litter.

[crustychief]

double post deleted.

[Erakad]

It stays confined to the laundry room, mostly on the rug and ramp in front of the box....but then, I do find granules occasionally elsewhere! Yea, that kinda does bug me, must be sticking to their feet. Gotta teach them to wipe their feet when they leave the box.

[s_morrison57]

Con - the house always smells like cat sheet/liter box, at least mine did with the first wifes cats, she seemed immune to it but it drove me crazy, the day she left, with her effin cats was one of the happiest of my life.
I'm a dog guy and am biased but for the life of me I can't think of 1 pro for cats. Someone will say for mice but I don't have them and if I did I'd get traps before a cat.
Finn

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Erakad

It stays confined to the laundry room, mostly on the rug and ramp in front of the box....but then, I do find granules occasionally elsewhere! Yea, that kinda does bug me, must be sticking to their feet. Gotta teach them to wipe their feet when they leave the box.

I find the stuff that tracks the least puts the most dust in the air.

I have yet to find a happy medium.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by s_morrison57

Con - the house always smells like cat sheet/liter box, at least mine did with the first wifes cats, she seemed immune to it but it drove me crazy, the day she left, with her effin cats was one of the happiest of my life.
I'm a dog guy and am biased but for the life of me I can't think of 1 pro for cats. Someone will say for mice but I don't have them and if I did I'd get traps before a cat.
Finn

I'm recently down to 3 cats from 4.

No more than 2 cats per litter box.

Must be cleaned at least once a day.

Limit the amount of wet food, that's what makes their crap really stink.

I've always had dogs and cats at the same time.

Dogs always leave an oily feel and odor on my hands which makes me nuts.

[nostatic]

I can leave town for a long weekend and the cats can stay home with no problem. Can't do that with a dog.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

I'm recently down to 3 cats from 4.

No more than 2 cats per litter box.

Must be cleaned at least once a day.

Limit the amount of wet food, that's what makes their crap really stink.

I've always had dogs and cats at the same time.

Dogs always leave an oily feel and odor on my hands which makes me nuts.

Also, avoid fish in the soft food, really does make a difference..

[BE911SC]

Anyone read the article on the possible link between cat feces and brain parasites in the recent Atlantic Monthly? Makes me want to toss our two beasts out for good. (Article says house cats do not have said parasites--after several on-edge pages.)

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

Also, avoid fish in the soft food, really does make a difference..

We stopped with the fish products all together.

Diet is a big deal in my house.

One had diabetes (RIP), another hyper thyroid, the youngest is just fat and the fourth was overweight when we got her but now she's perfect.

They are all on a high quality Senior dry diet and each gets a tablespoon of wet in the morning.

They'll get the occasional treat of the packing juice from a can of tuna when I make tuna salad but that's about it.

Boxes are cleaned daily, litter replaced as needed and boxes washed monthly.

No odor issues in my house.

Vash, do you put at least 4 inches of litter in your boxes? If you have too little litter it will start to clump and stick to them. I find the more fresh litter that is in the box the less they track.

I

[GH85Carrera]

Interesting!

[uncle_scott]

We were a two cat family, and then another little one was foun by the side of the road...4 months later we are a three cat family who also have two dogs. I sweep litter every single day, an rarely does very much time pass between nasty clean-ups of throw up, pee, or some other bodily fluid.

My only saving grace has been to lock all animals out of the bedrooms, and our new house has hard surface floors everywhere.

I would never have cats again, but I do find enjoyment in them once in a while. Buy a lazer pointer and just laugh while not thinking of the mess they make in your home, haha.

[Jim727]

Originally Posted by nostatic

I can leave town for a long weekend and the cats can stay home with no problem. Can't do that with a dog.

Absolutely!

We had three cats - alas, all RIP. Now we have a dog. I'll take cats any day, but the dog is a rescue and is a fabulous critter; I just don't like being tethered to someone so dependent and who controls our life schedule.

Anyway.... For those of you who have litter box problems I highly recommend a litter called "Worlds Best Cat Litter". It really is. Organic, clumpable, flushable, and no dust. Don't know how it suppresses odors, but it does. One of the rare occasions where the product is worthy of the promotion. Highly recommended (and, no, I don't work for or invest in them).

[Brando]

On the 'Con' list, don't forget destruction of furniture (they have an instinct of knowing to destroy the nicest stuff first), that lovely "BLOOK BLOOK BLOOK" sound (and subsequent prizes) and keeping them indoors. If they are outdoor cats their lifespan diminishes greatly.

[Evans, Marv]

Stomachmonkey's comments are very valid. This isn't a scientifically proven thing, but just my impression. I've seen cats take dumps outdoors. They just turn around, sniff, cover it up, and walk away. I think cats jump out of the box for a couple of reasons: first, the box has sides sticking up which the cat has to go over anyway, second, I actually don't think they are that comfortable in cat litter. It's granular & not like dirt, and it gets between their toes. It could be part of jumping out is to try to get the litter out from between their toes. This is just a guess as I said.

[legion]

My cat doesn't do the "spring forth" thing. He just walks in and out of his litter box casually.

Now, while he's in their, he essentially moves all of the litter from one side to the other to bury his crap, and through this process manages to get litter everywhere.

But no, my cat doesn't "spring forth".