Topic: advise re cat cages , crate etc (Read 4615 times)

Feline Costumier · « **Reply #29 on:** February 17, 2011, 19:23:41 PM »

She did say he's neutered but if he is you shouldn't be able to see his bits, maybe a little protrusion where they used to be (Dave has little fluffs where they used to be).

So we need this clarified before a definitive answer on that front. I would say though, if he was neutered later on then I think he may be more predisposed to inappropriate spraying and marking. It sounds like he's confident in himself but very much wants everyone to know he's boss and this is a behavioural marking. Feliway could definitely help.

Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ · « **Reply #28 on:** February 17, 2011, 19:17:05 PM »

In an earlier post Saffy mentioned that he is neutered, so I am unsure of his actual status...

Pinkbear (Julie) · « **Reply #27 on:** February 17, 2011, 19:10:43 PM »

Heavens!

If he's a full tom then that explains it in a nutshell. I mentioned an undecended testicle because it never occured to me he would be entire.

I would suggest an FIV test as a precaution as well for the sake of your other cats. Full toms of that age are in the highest risk bracket.

Gillian Harvey · « **Reply #26 on:** February 17, 2011, 18:01:26 PM »

Quote from: sassybutterfly on February 17, 2011, 12:49:49 PM

I just think saffy, maybe likes marking his territory, i can see his balls so dont think one is stuck, he does the same wee style thing outside on the wall,

He's not neutered then? prob why he sprays. Neutering may stop the spraying but not always, especially as he's been unneutered for so long (good idea to get him neutered anyway though). One of my foster cats, who is 8+ was neutered last year, but still sprays despite being neutered, doesnt do it as much though.

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #25 on:** February 17, 2011, 12:57:36 PM »

I only have 2 cats so not exactly a multi cat household! but I have 2 trays in 2 locations - one is hooded and the other open

Quote from: sassybutterfly on February 16, 2011, 16:48:19 PM

Do you find with set meal times, the cats use the toilet about an hour later, i only ask as i have food down in the kitchen all day, so they help themselves as and when. I just wondersd if set meal times helped with doing the trays less often and at certain times.

I have set mealtimes and they do use the trays most following eating, although not exclusively. They will use them in the morning before and after mealtimes but once they're both done and scooped, I often come home to unused trays. Then we have an early evening flurry of activity but then usually nothing until bedtime.

sassybutterfly · « **Reply #24 on:** February 17, 2011, 12:49:49 PM »

Im using SMART LITTER the eco freindly wood pellet litter from asda, not really sure what you mean about clumps. Id say the pellets tend to form a mush like sand with the wee, and the scrape it over poos. I guess ive gatherd from this thread, that animal toilet smells just go with the territory of having several cats lol. and cutting down on litter trays isnt an option. Ive discoverd a couple of novel looking hide away litter tray things on ebay, ones a plant pot, and ones a house, bit pricey though, but i thought i might get the plant pot looking one for the bedroom, to cheer hubby up a bit. He isnt to keen on the idea of enclosed lidded litter trays, because he says out of sight out of mind, and they may not get cleaned as often as is needed. hubby does the trays in our house, i do the feeding love and cuddles.

I just think saffy, maybe likes marking his territory, i can see his balls so dont think one is stuck, he does the same wee style thing outside on the wall, i think thats how he goes for a wee, ive never seen him squat ever, in 9 years. Or use a litter tray, but he is a smart cat, and will come into the room r in and miaw, to say i want to go out. and he will take you to the door. Its a thing ive learnt to live with now, and i get my cleaning spray straight away, to reduce odour, and hopefully non of the others will copy.

[/urlhttp://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RASCAL-DOG-LITTER-BOX-/320650972181?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Dogs&hash=item4aa8498c15[/url

i think the doggy litter tray is a brilliant idea if you have a little pooch.

[/urlhttp://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hidden-cat-kitten-litter-tray-/110650103225?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Cats&hash=item19c34295b9#ht_500wt_901[/url

plant pot litter tray
[url]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Cat-kitten-Hidden-Litter-Box-Tray-House-Litterhouse-/360319558296?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Cats&hash=item53e4b82298#ht_4905wt_654[/url
hidden house tray

pic of saffy my old curtain squirter.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #23 on:** February 17, 2011, 00:11:08 AM »

Fire Fox · « **Reply #22 on:** February 16, 2011, 23:31:12 PM »

Quote from: Gill (sneakiefeline) on February 16, 2011, 21:56:49 PM

Is your name Gillian FF lol...........was it you in the Jungle

I seem to recall referring to myself in the third person before ..... Gillian McKatty.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #21 on:** February 16, 2011, 21:56:49 PM »

Is your name Gillian FF lol...........was it you in the Jungle

Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ · « **Reply #20 on:** February 16, 2011, 21:52:56 PM »

Cos you just loves poops FF

P.S. I don't have the door on my hooded tray so the stink can still escape

If I didn't have hooded, the parcels would be too much of a temptation for Esco (the dog) to eat...YUCK!!

Fire Fox · « **Reply #19 on:** February 16, 2011, 21:43:10 PM »

I don't pretend to be an expert on multi-cat households - never lived with more than three plus dogs - but I have read around a little on toileting issues.

Some cats don't like to pee and poop in the same place, others don't like to use the same tray as another cat has, guarding trays can lead to inappropriate toileting by a less dominant cat. Having one area for seven cats seems to be asking for trouble - it is always going to smell to the cats as their noses are super-sensitive. If you add covered trays into that mix you have a recipe for disaster, tho by all means cover your bedroom tray if that helps your DH.

Noah

was a really clean boy but he protest-peed outside the tray twice: adding a second tray and removing the cover from the first worked a charm. Poop stinks were almost eliminated overnight with a change of diet - a godsend as I live in a flat so there's no escape.

AFAIK pelleted litter is not the most absorbent, litter based on straw (Friendly Natural) claims to be but granular wood litter (OkoPlus) is excellent, partly because it clumps so you can remove every last spec of wee. It's also easier for a cat to thoroughly bury a poop with a smaller size of litter - they'd naturally choose sand or soil.

Why do I always end up discussing this subject?

Pinkbear (Julie) · « **Reply #18 on:** February 16, 2011, 21:27:47 PM »

Spraying is projectile urinating. What you describe is spraying. He needs to see a vet as it could have a physical cause such as hormonal issues or stress related. It could even be an undescended testicle.

sassybutterfly · « **Reply #17 on:** February 16, 2011, 21:07:03 PM »

I thought spraying and urinating was the same thing, well what ever it is he has always done it, he just came in her did a croaky miaw and lifted his tail and weed/sprayed on the wall, till i told him off, but then he wanted to go out, so i think ive just got to notice his ques more, i think he must have wanted to go out, so doing it right under my nose lets me know, god he is a character. He doesnt mind other cats, he noses kisses sniffs and looses intrest and goes of and does his own thing, he has seen a few come and go. So i dont think its that. but thanks for all the advise guys.

Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ · « **Reply #16 on:** February 16, 2011, 20:52:02 PM »

Ok, I see

Well I would definitely keep the newbies separate from the rest of the gang for now (just in another room with the door shut and food, litter tray, water, bed etc in there) and I would hold off intros until they have been flead, wormed and vaccinated because they are currently unprotected and at risk from your exisiting cats. Once that is sorted then slowly start with the intros, there is some good advice on purrs but I cannot get the link at the moment.

Reagarding the spraying, is he definitely spraying and not just urinating? Has he been checked by the vet to make sure he doesn't have any underlying health problems (like cystitis)? If not then it may be a behavioural issue; has he always done it? Did it come on with the introduction of other cats? He could be unhappy, he could be marking his territory...if I were you I would probably look at possible behavioural issues online (feline advisory bureau is a good site).

I would highly reccommend a feliway plug in for a multicat household like your own as it helps keep the happy balance. I have one here, as I had past issues with my 3 not getting on.

sassybutterfly · « **Reply #15 on:** February 16, 2011, 20:37:42 PM »

Also ive just realised by typing this, i have no way of knowing for sure how old all the cats are, with the exception of the kitten that was born under my bed. So saffy could be older than 2. The guy who was rescuing him said the owner couldnt cope with him, he was difficult to look after, i never evr really knew what he meant. other than a siamese or oriental is a differant sort of cat to a standard cobby headed moggy. ide say more dog like in character.

anyway im rambling sorry guys

sassybutterfly · « **Reply #14 on:** February 16, 2011, 20:30:56 PM »

Haha sorry if ive caused confusion, no im not a rescue, the 7 cats i have are all mine, that have come from variouse places, when i say rescued, i mean given a home to, when their owner couldnt for what ever reason keep them, my twin siamese,cats i paid £200 for, ther owners were allergic and couldnt keep them and they were looking for a good home for them. Saffy came from a rescue that was shortly to be closing, when he was 2, he is now 11, i donated £20 9 years ago. smokey,s owner had died and she was being looked after by the familly untill a home could be found, i paid £55 for her , she then had kittens, ive still got one. The siamese came from a rescue in shropshire he was quite old, he died last year. and now ive taken on two kittens, just because i liked the look of them, and max my husband brought them for me for my birthday.

The crate and cage question came about because i think i need some order or structure to my cat familly and human familly and living arrangements, so i was just after tips really. But i may get some hooded trays and introduce them slowly, and perhaps have set meal times, rather than just leaving food down all the time, so the cats can graze as and when they want.

Any advise on spraying, my old cat sometimes squirts the curtains i call him the curtain squirter, i had the bottom of my curtains in a mop bucket yesterday sluising them to get rid of the smell. he is either a black siamese or oriental cross, very much a male cat, but he is neuterd. I think maybe he just can,t be botherd going out anymore, or miawing to ask to go out, you here this piss noise, and you say hay, and he stopps straight way, and scatters off. cats who.d have them. haha

Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ · « **Reply #13 on:** February 16, 2011, 20:17:53 PM »

Sorry Sassy, I'm a bit confused. Are the current 7 all yours now and your thinking about arrangements for future rescues? Or by rescues do you mean ones you rescue (one way or another), sort out and add to your family?

When you said rescues, I assumed ones you rescue and then rehome to others.

Mine have hooded trays and my rescues have open trays in their shed (as they were feral kittens) but I will be looking to introduce hooded trays to them too now.

If you do opt for hooded trays, I would sugggest swapping over one tray at a time so the cats can gradually get used to them. I'd also mix some dirty litter in the new trays so the cats recognise the scent.

I use a wood based litter (cats best oko plus) and find wood based do tend to be good with smells and the litter itself smells nice. I've found clay and paper based not so good.

I would say maybe get some extra trays if you have 6 cats using them. Some people have trays in their bathroom/toilet. Hallways/landings are quite good places because they are mostly unused areas in the home. As I mentioned, hooded a quite good in more public areas because they hide the contents from plain view.

sassybutterfly · « **Reply #12 on:** February 16, 2011, 20:12:59 PM »

I suppose it is a bit of a lottery taking on cats that you don,t know much about the history on, and over the years , ive learnt so much by doing that. The thing i enjoy is the place that you start out from, to in most ocasions the place you end up with, with the personality of the cat. Although ther has been 2 occasions were i just couldnt turn the cat around, and one was a lovely fluffy tailed cat called charlie, he had the sweetest miaw you ever heard like butter wouldnt melt, and he would come to you for a fuss, he would enjoy being stroked and then without any warning he would lash out, and he nearly had my eye out once. There was no look from him, or growl, or funny toned miaw, just from one mood to another in a split second. another one was soo timid, she wouldnt respond to adult humans, but would respond to my children, yet i could never get her to trust me.

but ive had all sorts of characters over the last 25 years. I only experienced a cat having kittens last year, my cat smokey, who is now spayed, had them under my bed, and it was a wonderful experience, whatching her give birth, and clean them up, and mother them.

sassybutterfly · « **Reply #11 on:** February 16, 2011, 20:01:13 PM »

I use wood pellets style litter, it smells quite fresh, and i find it quite absorbent. No i don,t have enclosed litter trays, although ive been looking at them on ebay. A couple of my cats go out, my old cat saffy asks to go out, he doesnt use the trays. the rest do use trays, and a couple of the older ones will come in to use the trays if they are outside. I keep all my cats in at night. and they usually all sleep upstairs in one of the occupied bedrooms, they pick a bed and get comfy with the humans. My cat familly has gone up and down a bit over the last years. I had 4 last year, then moved house and just when we moved in my female cat got out in heat, and became preganat, she had a litter of four kittens, i rehomed 2, kept 2. One died of a lung and chest disorder that he had been born with, he was the small runt of the litter and was,nt growing with the others at the same rate. I also lost an old siamese last year. so i went from 4, to 8, then down to 6, then down to 5, and now im back up to 7. So im having to adjust and rejig things asim going along.

Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ · « **Reply #10 on:** February 16, 2011, 18:51:00 PM »

Hi, the general rule is a tray per cat plus one extra. Do you use hooded trays? If not, they are a little better as they help contain the smell and also hide the contents until emptying out time. Also, what litter do you use?

Back to your original question about cages for fosters/rescues. Personally I would (and do) keep my rescues separate from my own cats. If they are all mixing and all the cats aren't fully vaccinated (inc luekimia), wormed & flead then there is risk of things being passed from cat to cat. Plus there are other bugs and parasites that can't be protected against but can be passed in multicat households and this would be more likely to occur if you are rescuing cats and don't have any background on them.

Its great that your helping to rescue cats but maybe rethink your arrangements a little so that everyone is safe

Dawn F · « **Reply #9 on:** February 16, 2011, 18:35:12 PM »

three plus outside access, I use cats best litter, I find it keeps in smells better than anything else I've tried

sassybutterfly · « **Reply #8 on:** February 16, 2011, 18:28:15 PM »

We scoop daily, i couldnt not, they get full, how many trays do you have, i dont have a tray per cat. i have 7 cats now.

Dawn F · « **Reply #7 on:** February 16, 2011, 17:30:35 PM »

how many cats have you got sassy - I've got four and they don't tend to smell I scoop my trays daily and use clumping litter

Gillian Harvey · « **Reply #6 on:** February 16, 2011, 17:02:53 PM »

I think mine tend to use the trays just before mealtimes

- so I'll start dishing up and that seems to be the signal for them all to start traipsing to the trays lol!

sassybutterfly · « **Reply #5 on:** February 16, 2011, 16:48:19 PM »

Do you find with set meal times, the cats use the toilet about an hour later, i only ask as i have food down in the kitchen all day, so they help themselves as and when. I just wondersd if set meal times helped with doing the trays less often and at certain times.

Gillian Harvey · « **Reply #4 on:** February 16, 2011, 16:31:30 PM »

My own 9 cats have trays in several different locations, a couple in the hall, one in the bathroom upstairs, one in the dining room and 3 in the garage.

Like Ellen, my foster cats don't mix with my own cats and I've got pens in the garden for the fosters, but do also have some in separate rooms in the house (closed off from my cats) when I've run out of space outside, and obviously they have their own litter trays in those rooms. I've only used crates for very young kittens (I've got a crate thats large enough for a bed and litter tray).

All my own cats plus foster cats have set (ish!) mealtimes, I don't leave food down at all. So mine will all have their meal, then I'll go round and feed any fosters that are indoors, then go outside and feed the ones in the pens.

Fire Fox · « **Reply #3 on:** February 16, 2011, 02:14:26 AM »

If you have trays in only one location you are at higher risk of someone doing their business elsewhere if the tray isn't 100% clean or they can't access the area for any reason. I have a tray in my bedroom and the in kitchen-diner but Noah prefers to use the one in the room I am in.

Changing Noah's diet decreased (virtually eliminated) smells and I know others have had similar experiences. For Noah the trigger seemed to be all cereals and some fish (tuna

), IIRC Mark has had excellent results with Alice's toxic poops just by removing wheat. You might also try a course of probiotic bacteria (e.g. LactoB) as it's the bad guys that cause smelly wind.

Ellen2010 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 16, 2011, 01:04:20 AM »

Firstly the only cats that have free reign in my house are my own cats, but will accommodate fosters in seperate rooms such as spare bedrooms and dining room. Generally if they have not come from the same place they are kept in seperate rooms to prevent bullying and also the risk of diseases such as FIV and FeLV and also if one gets a bout of cat flu then it is easier to contain and does not spread to others in the house.

My cats have a litter tray in the bedroom due to me having one over 17 years old and another that has had some nerve damage due to him pulling a catheter out when he had a blockage himself whilst in the vets. Up until the latter my cats never had one in the bedroom or living room which they now have.

Crates or cages I think should only be reserved for animals that are on cage rest because of Veterinary advice.

sassybutterfly · « **Reply #1 on:** February 15, 2011, 23:04:58 PM »

Hi guys

Ive been taking in rescue cats for years now, and i need to get a bit more organised with them. Instead of having litter trays in the bedrooms and in the kitchen, i want to try and contain the smells to perhaps one place in the house. I was wondering how people who foster or have multiple cat households do it. do you have cages or crates for the cats for example at bedtime, were you would put a small litter tray in it and a bed and a bowl of water. Do you have set meal times for them. If you use crates or cages or sheds or out buildings whats your routine, thought id ask for some ideas, as my husband isnt keen on the litter trays in the bedroom. The kitten particularly likes the one at the side of our bed (hubbys side, and he does the stinkiest poos imaginable and usually at night bless him. at the moment the cats have free rain of anywere in the house.

thanks for any advise
sassy x

Author Topic: advise re cat cages , crate etc (Read 4615 times)