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Topic: Need litter box solutions for cat (Read 1047 times) previous topic - next topic

Need litter box solutions for cat

What have you done with the litter box on your rig?  We've been keeping it in the cabinet under the fridge with one door removed so they have access.  Not ideal, but it's been working so far.  Curious to hear any other solutions and what folks might have done to minimize liter tracking etc? 

James


(changed title to be more descriptive - Michelle)
James & Susan
Alex & Elizabeth
Tortie and Gigi ( the "Bird TV" cats )
1998 U320 42' Build 5298

Re: Calling all cat owners! Or those owned BY cats...

Reply #1 –
James!  We have another project to add to your FOT To-Do List!  :))

What Douglas masterminded was a cat condo....in the bay.  We didn't want to deal with the cat litter being trompsed all through the house, and since space is at a premium, the further away the litter box, the better. 

Douglas utilized the space underneath our fridge:  MOT cut a hole in the floor that drops down to a cat condo that Douglas built out of with plywood, linoleum, and carpet.  The cat's have a place to go that is private, and we never see litter and there is hardly any smell, if ever.  It makes cleaning the litter box a breeze.  Go outside, open bay door, open cat door, slide out box, clean box, slide box back in, close cat door, close bay door....out of sight, out of mind.  ^.^d  We keep our cat litter in the smaller bay right next to it, so we don't ever have to lug that up the steps, either. 

The only tricky part to it was that we had two huge storage drawers, and a slide-out Joey bed with which to contend.  We took the drawers out and put them in storage, and Douglas had to build up a base so that the cat condo floor could sit above the slide-out Joey bed.  A few 2x10's and some angle iron later, we had a pretty good solid base.  Plywood walls with carpet where the cats can scratch and rub, and linoleum everywhere else so that it can easily be wiped up.  Lots and lots and lots and lots of measuring, and a a full tank of gas are required for the numerous trips to and from Home Depot/Lowes.  ;)

The kitties go under the fridge and hop down, go into their kitty bathroom, and everyone is happy.  We originally fashioned a ramp, but that was just in vain; cat's don't need ramps.  haha....their food and water sit under the fridge, too, next to the hole, so they know that is their domain. 

If we had to do it over again, we would have made it smaller.  The cat's don't utilize the cubby spaces we created for them.  That space could be better used to hold the litter and scoop, etc....and it would have saved us hours on labor (measuring, cutting, carpeting).  It is important, however, for it to be big enough that the cat's are forced to walk down there and knock the litter off of their paws before hopping up under the fridge.  I suggest the separate cat box partition that we built, making them jump in and out of the litter box through a hole, and into the rest of the cat condo where we have placed a litter catching mat.     

Since you guys are doing such a beautiful renovation for your family, might as well do a little project for the furry kids as well.  :giggle: 
The selected media item is not currently available.Amanda and Douglas
Lily *meow* (RIP 7/19/23) and B.T. *meow* (RIP 9/12/18)
1997 U320 40' - "Brawley"
Motorcade #17266
Escapee #113692

Re: Calling all cat owners! Or those owned BY cats...

Reply #2 –
Here are a few more pictures of the finished product.  We have a lot more photos of the actual process, and how we put it all together, but we'll spare everyone the boredom. 

Also, check out this thread...you'll find it a fun read. 
ForeForum Topic: Cats and our Foretraveling
The selected media item is not currently available.Amanda and Douglas
Lily *meow* (RIP 7/19/23) and B.T. *meow* (RIP 9/12/18)
1997 U320 40' - "Brawley"
Motorcade #17266
Escapee #113692

Re: Calling all cat owners! Or those owned BY cats...

Reply #3 –
That is a marvelous kitty condo!!! Our cat (Fu, about 11 years old) went with us for the first time in the motorhome the last trip from WA to SoCal and back (over 2,000 miles). On short trips (up to four days) we'd leave him home with the kids and grandkids checking on him every day but his obvious joy when we returned was enough to make us think that he would rather be with us. And also that our absence was traumatic for him. He's a rescue kitty and who knows what memories of abandonment he has...

So we took him and 2 dogs and put his food, water and kitty litter box in the shower with the door to the bathroom kept slightly ajar so he could get in there but the dogs could not. We were a little concerned that he'd find some cubby hole to hide in and get stuck somewhere (one of our farm kitties got stuck inside and died there; luckily while the 5th wheel we had then was just parked).

We were amazed to find that the only thing he didn't like was the actual traveling. We kept him in his carrier up with us while driving and that was ok but when we were parked he immediately made himself at home. He slept with us on the bed (and sometimes under the covers which he'd never do at the SnB) and snoozed happily next to one of us while we watched tv. Used his litter box, ate in the bathroom with no issues and was happy to be with us. The only issue was making sure he could not get out the door when we went in or out (often with the dogs for a walk). He wasn't bad about trying to get out but he was curious and we couldn't take any chances.

Got home, back in the SnB and all back to normal. He might even get used to traveling...

Not enough basement to make a kitty condo that good... but I am thinking seriously about an outdoor condo accessible from an open window for him. He loved laying on the bed and looking out the window at the birds. :P

Thanks for the pics!!!

Craig
1993 U225 36' Unihome GV with PACBRAKE exhaust retarder, Banks Stinger and Solar Panels.
Toad: 1999 Jeep Wrangler 2-door soft-top.

"No one has ever had to evacuate a city because the solar panels broke."

Re: Need litter box solutions for cat

Reply #4 –
Space is at a premium in our '89 GV as the compartments are small. So the litter box/tote container is under the harvest table in the kitchen dining area. The DW cleans the box daily and has experimented with many different kinds of cat litter and now uses the stuff from Sam's Club that comes in the large green pail. The litter box sits on rugs on the parquet floor and we vacuum every other day.
Rocket is considerate in that if he senses a really, smelly dump he will carry on and indicate he wants us to take him out. If we ignore his antics it is at our peril!! THEN IT IS: "OH MY GOD!! ROCKET, WHAT DID YOU DO!! TURN ON THE EXHAUST FANS!! SPRAY THE DEODORANT!!  IS IT SAFE TO BREATHE NOW?? CAT, I'M GOING TO TIE A ROOM DEODORANT SCENTWICK UNDER YOUR TAIL!!
Nitehawk,  Demolition Lady, & our NEW master, Zippy the speeding BB cat.
1989 Grand Villa 36' ORED
Oshkosh chassis, 8.2 DD V8
2006 Saturn Vue AWD

Re: Need litter box solutions for cat

Reply #5 –
There are pictures or descriptions of kitty condo attachments (I have seen on other RV forums) that are fit in the windows and allow them to almost feel like they're outside, kind of like a bay window effect, sticks out into the surrounding area & allows a wrap around view.  This would be kitty bird-watching heaven! 

Siren, you all can never sell that coach now, always gonna be your kitty coach!  ^.^d  Gosh what a lot of work but worth it in the end!

Re: Need litter box solutions for cat

Reply #6 –
Quote from: Miz Dani –
There are pictures or descriptions of kitty condo attachments (I have seen on other RV forums) that are fit in the windows and allow them to almost feel like they're outside, kind of like a bay window effect, sticks out into the surrounding area & allows a wrap around view.  This would be kitty bird-watching heaven!
I've seen those, too.  We briefly thought about it, but decided that opening the windows and letting them sniff the air and watch birds from inside the screen (i.e. no kitty bay window) would be best for our kids.  I might be overly paranoid, but with both of them being former strays/feral, I don't want to encourage or remind them on how great "outdoors" is.  Also, I'm afraid it would attract more stray cats and dog visitors if they are lofted in the air outside, with their keen sense of smell.  So far, visiting/strolling neighbor cats have proven to be rather chaotic.   

Quote from: Miz Dani –
Siren, you all can never sell that coach now, always gonna be your kitty coach!  ^.^d  Gosh what a lot of work but worth it in the end!
We have surrendered the idea of ever having a residential size refrigerator, that's for sure.  But it's a fair trade-off.    ;)
The selected media item is not currently available.Amanda and Douglas
Lily *meow* (RIP 7/19/23) and B.T. *meow* (RIP 9/12/18)
1997 U320 40' - "Brawley"
Motorcade #17266
Escapee #113692

Re: Need litter box solutions for cat

Reply #7 –
That is fabulous!  Not sure if we'll have the space for it, but it's absolutely something we need to look at and see if we can modify the idea a bit to work in our space.  We have the exact same fridge from what I can see (Dometic 7832) and storage bay setup.  The cats have been quite happy using the cat box under the fridge as is, so the height seems to work for them.  Maybe we could do a much smaller version that uses the space from the edge of the rig towards the centerline rather than so much front to back and top to bottom.

Love the idea of shopping the box down in the bay though.  What a fantastic idea.  Thanks!  We'll certainly update with what we do decide to do and how it turns out.  A big part of my concern would be figuring out where we can cut into the flooring without hitting something...

James
James & Susan
Alex & Elizabeth
Tortie and Gigi ( the "Bird TV" cats )
1998 U320 42' Build 5298

Re: Need litter box solutions for cat

Reply #8 –
BTW, anyone have a specific litter that tracks less? :-)

James
James & Susan
Alex & Elizabeth
Tortie and Gigi ( the "Bird TV" cats )
1998 U320 42' Build 5298

Re: Need litter box solutions for cat

Reply #9 –
As I posted earlier, Sam's Club carries Simply Right clumpable cat litter. The DW says it seems to be the best "so far".
It comes in a lime green plastic rectangular pail that weighs about 42#.
Nitehawk,  Demolition Lady, & our NEW master, Zippy the speeding BB cat.
1989 Grand Villa 36' ORED
Oshkosh chassis, 8.2 DD V8
2006 Saturn Vue AWD

Re: Need litter box solutions for cat

Reply #10 –
Miss Mestopheles has her food and water between the toilet and the bathroom sink. Her litter box is next to the shower. We have some small carpets there that she has to walk on to leave the area, so no litter elsewhere. When we wish to shower it is easy to fold up the carpets, thus trapping the little bits of litter inside and away from our feet.

Re: Need litter box solutions for cat

Reply #11 –
Try putting the litter box and the cat outside!!!!  ----  Fritz
Fritz & Kathy Johnson
1991 36'

Re: Need litter box solutions for cat

Reply #12 –
Heh.  Sorry, I missed the Sam's club mention. Is it a store brand or regularly available?  We've always had a Costco membership vs. Sam's, tried both but didn't see the need to maintain both memberships. 

I don't think I've ever had a cat that was considerate enough to give those sorts of warning... Heck, if we could get Gigi the cross-dressing cat-dog to simply BURY on a regular basis that would be a major improvement.  He scratches a lot, but we're pretty sure he doesn't understand the POINT.  ::)

We'd love to let them out instead, but they are ex-ferals that haz no outdoor skilz.  When Gigi was an adolescent he fell out of a tree.  He dislocated his jaw, broke a tooth and damaged the radial nerve in one of his forelegs.  We thought it was broken the way he was dragging it around.  The Vet was fairly sure they were going to have to amputate it (our then 7 year old daughter gave us years of horrified humor by asking the vet if she could have the leg if they DID amputate it), but he slowly regained use of the leg.  His sister Tortie is possibly the clumsiest cat I've ever known (used to stand up for petting and fall over backward) and frequently misjudges jumps.  Suffice to say: They are no longer indoor/outdoor cats. :p

James
James & Susan
Alex & Elizabeth
Tortie and Gigi ( the "Bird TV" cats )
1998 U320 42' Build 5298

Re: Need litter box solutions for cat

Reply #13 –
The litter seems to be a standard at Sam's. I don't know if it is a house brand only.
HMMM, can't post a picture. Can't find anything that says attach pic like old format.
Have a picture of Rocket on the short wall next to the door, waiting for us to take him out. He understands that if he doesn't have his harness on (always hangs on the keyrack by the door) he is not to go out. BUT, sometimes a brainfa*t hits him and away he goes!
Nitehawk,  Demolition Lady, & our NEW master, Zippy the speeding BB cat.
1989 Grand Villa 36' ORED
Oshkosh chassis, 8.2 DD V8
2006 Saturn Vue AWD

Re: Need litter box solutions for cat

Reply #14 –
Quote from: Tigratrus –
A big part of my concern would be figuring out where we can cut into the flooring without hitting something...

James
I would think FOT knows for sure where everything is but to get a general idea just use a strong magnet.  MOT used a magnet to find the structure in the floor and then we decided where the hole should go to avoid hitting anything.  Do check inside and out.  Also make sure you know where the propane for the fridge runs. 
The selected media item is not currently available.
Douglas and Amanda
1997 40' U320 "Brawley"
2007 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer
Motorcade #17266 Escapee #113692

Re: Need litter box solutions for cat

Reply #15 –
We may end up doing something similar eventually, but other aspects of the overall project have pre-empted the space under the fridge.  Specifically, the 250lb 750 amp hr Lithium battery is probably going to need to be installed under the fridge and it's going to take up almost all the floor space.  As an alternative, we're currently planning to modify the desk being installed under our daughter's new flip down loft bed to incorporate the cat box in there.  We're planning on having the cats enter via a passage up against the wall that opens at the front go the desk behind the passenger chair.  The actual box will be concealed behind a flip up door that can be opened for scooping etc.  Susan re-drew the plans:
James & Susan
Alex & Elizabeth
Tortie and Gigi ( the "Bird TV" cats )
1998 U320 42' Build 5298

Re: Need litter box solutions for cat

Reply #16 –
That is a great build Douglas, I like it and it is a great use of space for cats.
2025 Wanderbox Outpost 32 on F600 Expedition Motorhome
2015 Born Free Royal Splendor on Ford 550 nonslide version  for sale
Former Coaches  covering. 360,000 miles
1999 34 U270
2000 36 U320
2001 42' double slide U320
2018 Jeep Rubicon