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My Grandloves are everything to me.
They are my three little heartbeats.
Several months ago, my son asked if I would consider keeping
my “fourth” and rarely mentioned Grandson, of the furry variety.
I reluctantly agreed, not because I don’t love their dog, but
because I knew without a doubt that my other furry babies,
our four cats would NOT love his dog. Boy was I ever right.
I have a funny story to share.
DIY Mess Free Kitty Litter Box
I prepared our home as best as I could for the weekend “visit.”
I knew there was no way I could prepare the cats. I mean, what
do I do? Gather them all into the family room and say,
“okay guys, we have company coming and you need to be
on your best behavior.”
I am pretty sure THIS is the look I would get.
Friday afternoon comes around, and we have prepared the
house as much as we could. We changed out and added two
more kitty litter boxes so the cats would have ample access
to their boxes no matter where they were in the house.
The Hubbs had gone out and purchased one of the new
42-lb Bag sizes of the new Fresh Step with the Power of
Febreze Kitty Litter at Sam’s Club. My son arrives with
Cronos. Keep in mind Cronos isn’t a “lap dog.”
Well, he thinks he is, but he is a mixed Lab and weighs
around 80 pounds. Let’s just say, the initial meeting
between dog and cat went about as well as you would
expect. Hissing. Barking. Meowing. Loudly. Pulling
on the leash. Cats scattering. You get the picture.
That night wasn’t so bad. The cats pretty much made
their way to sights unknown under beds or other
safe spaces. Whereas, this 80-pound dog seemed to
fill up the whole house. 🙂
Saturday morning started out well enough. The dog was
let out into our fenced back yard so he could do his
“business” and it also allowed the kitties to come out
from hiding to also do their business and to eat.
Later on is when things got a little strange.
As I was feeding ALL the babies, to include the three
at the breakfast table and the four looking up at me
expectedly… The Hubbs came in and asked…
“did you clean out the litter boxes?”
“Of course not,” I replied. (That’s HIS job by the way. 😀 )
Perplexed he said…”then the cats have hardly pooped at all.”
Our day proceeded, which meant the cats went back into hiding
and Cronos was let back in. We were in the middle of a Disney
movie, when my oldest Grandson said, “Grammy did you give
Cronos some of his yummies?”
“What are yummies?” I asked.
“His doggy treats,” my grandson replied.
Thinking, I said, “no, there weren’t any yummies in the bag your
Mama and Daddy brought for him.”
“Then what is he crunching on?” asked The Hubbs.
Upon further inspection, I noticed what looked to be something
strangely resembling kitty litter all around Cronos’s mouth, and
sure enough he was crunch, crunch, crunching away.
Suddenly, everything was perfectly clear to me…
- Why the litter box appeared to have been “unused.”
2. Why Cronos kept disappearing and returning from the direction
of the laundry room where the litter boxes were kept.
3. Why my grandson thought the dog was chewing on one of his “doggy treats.”
4. Why there was, what appeared to be, kitty litter all around the dog’s mouth.
It was because those “doggy treats” he was crunching on so happily, happened
to be what we refer to as “kitty crunchies” or “poop bombs.” Cronos was
earning his keep by assisting us with cleaning out the litter box for us, one
“poop” at a time. :-O
And with FOUR cats, it was an endless supply of “snacks.”
😛
That is the same weekend we knew we had to have a better solution for the kitty
litter. We were also very aware this was an unhealthy thing for the dog so we needed
a quick solution. Plus, we were tired of the mess, and tired of always having litter kicked
everywhere. After a quick trip for supplies, and a little bit of cutting and crafting, and we
were able to create a DIY No-Mess Litter Box in about 10 minutes.
Here is what you will need:
(1) Large plastic storage bin. You want it to be large enough for your kitties
to have room to move around inside.
(2-3) smaller plastic pans. (these will be used as an easy clean-up system)
(1) small bath mat
(1) Knife or way to cut entrance out of bin
(1) Motion sensor light (opt)
Fresh Step Total Control with the power of Febreze
- ) Cut a hole into the end of the bin. Large enough for a kitty to enter, but small
enough for a “Cronos” not to get inside to his “snack buffet.”
You want to leave the lip of the box to help hold in any litter kicked out of the inside litter box.
2. ) Place a bath mat or piece of carpeting on floor and cut to size if needed. This will help with
cleaning paws off before kitties exit box. Fill one of the smaller plastic bins with litter.
*(affiliate link)
3. ) Finally, you can attach the motion sensor light. (hey do YOU like doing
your business in the dark?) 😀 I ordered a pack of three from Amazon *HERE.
The litter is now easier than ever to change. I think my babies like it, too.
The back-up smaller pans are at the ready and we can scoop the litter out and replace
with a clean plastic bin in minutes.
We survived the Great Cronos Dogsitting Weekend, as did my kitties.
But, they were mighty content and happy the night he went home and they
could come out of hiding, and poop in peace. 😀
By the way, we are absolutely in love with the newest
Fresh Step Total Control with the power of Febreze Borate Technology for
superior ammonia control. Borate Technology for superior ammonia control.
This technology acts as an antimicrobial agent which inhibits the growth of
odor-causing bacteria. This new litter has a great Lemongrass citrus
for a “fresher” aroma, and although Febreze is not the scent, the litter
has the “odor controlling” power of Febreze. It’s available in a 42 lb bag
and is easy to reseal. It’s only available at Sam’s Club.
Now for Member’s only, you can save $3.50 on your next purchase between 5/11-6/5. This product
includes a money back guarantee.
Just for the record, did you know there were more uses
for kitty litter other than your cat’s poop box or your dog’s snack pack?
(haha)
1.) Deodorizes more than your litter box! A small container in a fridge, closet, old shoes,
or bottom of trashcans absorbs odors).
2.) Clean up oil leaks or spills from the garage floor.
3.) Mix with soil to keep plants happily moist with less watering.
4.) Mix with soil to keep plants happily moist with less watering.
For even more Kitty Litter ideas and stories, look for the hashtag
#YouGottaBeKittenMe
Oh yea, one of the things I think we can ALL agree on about the best part
of this new packaging…
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I would love for you to Share & Pin this easy DIY Kitty Litter Box
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Thank you for spending a few
minutes of your day here with me.
You can follow along with
The Everyday Home here….
Here are some of the Link Parties I may be sharing this post with.
You can find more parties on my Linky Party Page.
” Make Yourself at Home ! “
Great idea. Now if they only made trackless litter, I would be one happy cat owner.
View CommentLOL, you got that right. I will say though, they don’t track out near as much as before. I am going to pick up a cocoa door mat and cut it to size I think. That should help removing most of the paw litter. Thanks for stopping by. ~barb
View CommentI love the idea, I have 25 cats and 1 rescue dog that also like the “crunchy stuff”. I will probably need to get 2 or 3 sets of the boxes..Lol
View CommentGreat idea! We call them cat tootsie rolls and dogs do love them for some unknown reason. I hope your kitties don’t have to put up with doggie anymore.
View CommentI really enjoyed your story about Cronos and his ‘snacks’. I read it out loud to the whole family. We have this situation on a daily basis as Remy, our version of Cronos, helps to take care of his brother and sister. Thank you for your blog, it’s a bright spot in my day.
View CommentI bought a large plasric bin with wheels on one end. left the bin upright so it will roll. I cut a hole in the end. I put a cat bos inside. I leave the lid off. The box is on my lanai. When I have company I can put the lid on and roll the box out of sight on another side of the lanai. The litter stays inside the bin The litter is easy to scoop. This arrangement has worked well for ears.
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