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Managing Kittie Litter

3K views 21 replies 17 participants last post by  SWFLman 
#1 ·
We are about to move aboard a Catalina 470 with 3 cats. Any tips or suggestions on how to manage the kittie litter situation. What works the best?

Thanks,
 
#2 ·
No idea...

If it were me, I would get an enclosed litter box, and I would secure it to a specific place in the cabin. With 3 cats going in and out while using it, it's going to make a mess though. How do the cats feel about the boat? :confused:

I'm planning to bring my 35' boat to Ft Myers. Any leads on where I could keep it at a slip would be appreciated!
 
#3 ·
The bigger the litter the better. Clay is out. The wood pellets work pretty good and the absorbing synthetic stuff isn't too bad (we had a jug stored as emergency backup). At some point you will lose the leisure to choose so bring plenty. But get used to having bits of it underfoot regardless. You can never seem to sweep enough. And it goes without saying you can't afford to be a lazy scooper.

We used a small open litter box for ease of access and ability to stuff it under the chart table. Not sure if that is recommended with three of the little monsters ;-) Get one of those non-skid mats. The litter box rarely moved an inch even when we were negligent about reefing.

Don't forget the cat amusement systems (although I suppose with three of them they can amuse themselves) and cat scratching posts. We wrapped the compression post with hemp.

Please, please, please, bite the bullet and both rig and actually practice a system for your cats to get back onboard. And consider lifejackets if you ever intend for them to be left alone on deck, even for a just a short while.
 
#4 ·
First off you are either very brave or ........... to be moving onto a boat with three cats. That's a lot of cat .... to get rid of on a weekly basis. Have you thought about retraining them to use the head. Yes I'm serious, a friend of mine bought a system that you put on top of the toilet and train them to go in the toilet. It actually worked. She then got an auto flush timer that would flush every few hrs. Not sure if you can get that for a marine head or not. But it worked great at home.

Peter
 
#5 ·
Three cats on a 47 foot boat? That will smell just lovely in no time!
 
#6 ·
I have one cat and live on the hook. I use a big box with a hole cut in one end, it is kept at the stern end of the cockpit. Cheapest chipped clay litter works fine for me. Sometimes commercial litter is unavailable and I use sand but he does track it around the boat.

I move it down below into a head on passage.

I change it weekly and it goes into the landfill.
 

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#11 ·
The fine folks at Follow the Boat have a (kind of long) video including some experience with their cat going overboard.

There is a quick shot of their cat using the head. Amazing! Wish I'd have taught my cats that trick years ago ...

Because my account is brand new I can't link directly to URLs, boooo.

youtube.
com/watch?v=DmNaFiw1yzk

Stick it back together!
 
#12 ·
We used to go on trips with our cats on our Catalina 309. Space dictated just one litterbox, but we just changed it more often.

We used the biggest enclosed litter box we could find, with a translucent top. I also put extra holes in it with a hole saw, as our cats were used to an unenclosed litter box.

Our biggest trick to control litter was to get one of those collapsible, nylon cat tunnels. They extend to three or four feet, and have about an 8" diameter. We used Velcro to attach the tunnel to the opening on the litter box enclosure. That way, the cats had to travel through the tube on their way out, which allowed much of the litter to fall off their paws before they got to the cabin sole. We just shook the tunnel out when we changed the litter box. This seemed to help a lot.

We had a good safety plan for the cats. Never wanted to lose one overboard.

I can tell you that our first boating cat, Max and now Kit and Kaboodle (Boo) love being on the boat and having lots of experiences. Sometimes it's tough on them (rough seas). But when we're in port, they have a great time. Boo loves the dinghy, and we walk them on their leashes. They quickly learn which slip is their's and turn down the dock when they see it. People on neighboring boats who didn't bring their cats tend to walk over to hold a cat to get their cat fix. After a couple days in a marina, nobody knows our names, but they all know Kit and Boo.

If they have claws, don't forget the scratching post. We wrapped sisal rope around the mast support, and they quickly learned to use it.
 
#13 ·
....
Our biggest trick to control litter was to get one of those collapsible, nylon cat tunnels. They extend to three or four feet, and have about an 8" diameter. We used Velcro to attach the tunnel to the opening on the litter box enclosure. That way, the cats had to travel through the tube on their way out, which allowed much of the litter to fall off their paws before they got to the cabin sole. We just shook the tunnel out when we changed the litter box.......
Makes sense.
Thankx
 
#15 ·
Marbles. Regular old marbles, like we played with as kids, to replace the littler. Have a second set and when they get dirty and you change them out and just wash them off, even in salt water. No mess, no fuss, no tracking. Easy.
 
#16 ·
Our two former house cats live with us onboard, and before doing so we moved them over to the TidyCats Breeze litter system.

Ceramic pellets and absorbent pads eliminate the usual grit, dust, and odor issues associated with felines in a small space.

We provide much more detail and links to related information on our page on this topic if you are interested.

Best wishes finding what works best for your feline crew...

Cheers! Bill
 
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#17 · (Edited)
bubba daboatkat has used clumping litter since 5.5 weeks of age (2006) when he was introduced to life on board an ericson 35mII. as bubba is a maine **** mix, we soon had to move up to a boat in which he could eat his foods without being constantly stepped on. ouch. was distressing, so this boat is puuuurfect.
all floor coverings are bubbas. he has control of all of em. if he needs to hockahairball, on those-- perfect!!! goood boy.
sleeping on cushions, i use a cheapo purple blankie--he knows those are all his as well. he sleeps on them and grooms self on them and sleeps on htem. goood boy.
i keep his litter box inside--close to engine doghouse--on a rug. he uses rug as communication device--dissatisfied with condition of litter--more on rug. no problem. he has special scratching zones--with 8 plait knots--i used 9/16 line, black. those are HIS. he shows me how goooood he is by scratching on those. goooood boy.
as bubba is not a small kitty, but a huge 8 kg maine coonie mix cat, i use a washpan (for clothing , round)as a litter pan. he doesnot get as much outside box as with a standard sized litter pan which is way too small for bubbas 8 kg of awesomeness.
when we are under way i put it under my bed and he has a master cabin in which to survive the insult to his ears and nerves of being underway, and he comes out when he feels like coming out. he used to watch momma steer from the companionway ladder, but a pooping sea cured him of that in gom on a friends boat. oops poor wet cat.
 
#18 · (Edited)
There are a bunch of videos on Youtube under the title "Potty training a cat". Most approaches involve placing a tub under the toilet seat that is just the right size to hang down in the toilet bowl without falling in the water. Fill the tub with litter and show the cat where their new litter box is. When they get used to using it, remove the litter. Then, in a few days, remove the tub and the cat will perch on the toilet seat and go in the toilet.

Just for fun, there are also a number of videos of cats falling in residential toilets and climbing out wet and looking pissed or embarrassed, or both.

I think I would also add a second litter box on deck for times at anchor or when docked to reduce the mess and odor inside. It could be a covered one to keep rain out of it. I hate the mess of the little bit of litter that gets on the floor at home. Our home cat is an outdoor/indoor cat. She does 60 percent of her business outside, more when she has easy access. In the summer time, when we can place the cat door insert in a basement window, she will go weeks without using the litter box, preferring to go outside.
 
#20 ·
Ditto on the marbles concept. Litter is messy and can get into your bilge which can cause problems w/ your pump. We simply drilled holes in the bottom of a plastic mixing bowl that fit into the head filled it part way w/ pea rock. Cat took to it immediately. Urine drains to head and w/ shower hose we rinsed the rocks daily. No fuss, no muss. Added benefit to this is that you can find pea rock on almost any shore excursion. We kept a small spare bag to replenish what was lost to scooping but rarely had to do so.
 
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