Dear Sinéad, Siouxsie and Thomas:
I have three cats. One of the cats throws MUCH of the litter OUTSIDE of the box almost every time she goes! Is there anything I can do to prevent this?? Also, how many times a day should a cat be using the cat box? It seems EVERY time I clean it, one of them goes RIGHT BACK in it. It really is a daily chore! Also, I think our cats are overweight. Should I cut back on the dry food that is always out for them? How much should they be eating? It seems like they are bored and always decide to eat! I appreciate your help and suggestions.

Thanks,
A Cat Owner

Sinéad: Well, Cat Owner, different cats have different styles when it comes to the Cat Box Ballet. Some cats quietly do their business and cover it with just a couple of swishes of the paw.

Siouxsie: And some cats don't bother to cover their waste at all! Of course, Sinéad wouldn't know anything about that...!

Sinéad: Well, of course I don't want to touch my poo! It's nasty! Besides, it's Mama's job to clean the poo out of the box, and I'm just trying to make it easier for her.

Thomas: And then, there are some cats who like to cover their waste, and everything else in sight, with kitty litter. I'm a champion of that particular form of the Cat Box Ballet myself!

Sinéad: So, basically, the amount of litter tossing is really dependent on the cat and his or her own idea of how the litter should be covered.

Siouxsie: Mama has some friends whose cats were major litter-tossers--even more so than Thomas--and since their house was carpeted all over, this was a problem for them.

Thomas: The way they took care of the problem was to buy a large, high-sided, clear plastic storage tote (something like this one) and put a 2-inch-deep layer of cat litter inside that. By doing this, the cats had plenty of room to move around, and they could shovel and toss litter to their hearts' content without getting it all over the carpet.

Sinéad: If any of your cats have mobility problems because of old age or other bone or joint conditions, you might consider a different alternative. Purchase a wide, flat pan or under-bed storage tote (without wheels, please) with sides that are no taller than the litterbox you're currently using, and place the litterbox inside that.

Siouxsie: Another option is to buy a heavy-duty plastic chair mat (commonly available at office supply stores) and place it under the litterbox.

Thomas: We can't tell you how to stop your cat from chucking litter everywhere. But we think the solutions we mentioned will make cleanup easier.

Sinéad: Your next question was about how often cats should use the box. Again, this varies from cat to cat, but generally a healthy cat should have 1-2 bowel movements per day and urinate 2-4 times per day.

Siouxsie: Since you have three cats in your household, that means you've got a lot of litterbox cleaning to do. We recommend that people have one litterbox for every two cats in their household; it reduces the stress on the cats and means you don't have to scoop every 10 minutes. Hee hee hee!

Thomas: There are three of us living in our house, and we have two litterboxes... and we like it that way.

Sinéad: It's also quite common for a cat to do her business in the box as soon as it's cleaned out. For one thing, we cats like to do our business in clean litterboxes, and for another thing, we appreciate having some of our own scent in our box.

Siouxsie: If it's a real problem for you to be able to clean your litterbox (or litterboxes, as we recommend) as often as you'd like--an automated litterbox might be a solution. One brand of automated litterbox is LitterMaid. You've probably seen TV commercials for it.

Thomas: Some people swear by automated litterboxes and think they're a total godsend. But we do have a couple of cautions about using them. First of all, if one or more of your cats is nervous or high-strung, and he happens to be in the box when the automated cleaner starts going, he might be scared away from the box and begin doing his business in other, less acceptable locations.

Sinéad: Another issue is that often, the only way you can tell if a cat is having health problems is by a change in their urinary or fecal output. If your litterbox does all the cleaning for you, you won't be able to tell if your cat is having diarrhea, or if there's blood in his urine, etc. So if you go with an automated litterbox, you'll need to be extra-vigilant about monitoring your cats' health.

Siouxsie: You mentioned that you believe your cats might be overweight. Cats usually range from 7 to 12 pounds in weight, with Maine Coon cats weighing up to 20 pounds and small breeds weighing in below that. The best way to determine if your cats are overweight is by looking and feeling. The Purina Body Condition chart for cats is a good visual reference tool, and it also gives you indications of what your cats should feel like at a healthy weight.

Thomas: If you think your cats are obese, you might want to cut back on the "free feeding" (leaving food out all the time). And remember that if your cats are sedentary indoor cats, they need less food than active, outdoor cats. The feeding guidelines on cat food bags are a good start, but do err on the lower side if your cats are indoors.

Sinéad: For example, on a bag of Nutro Natural Senior Formula cat food, which is what Mama feeds us, the manufacturer recommends that cats ranging in weight from 6 to 10 pounds (that's us) be fed 1/2 to 7/8 cup of food per day.

Siouxsie: Because we're indoor kitties and not all that active, Mama feeds us each 1/2 cup of food per day, divided into a morning and evening meal.

Thomas: If you feed other food, such as canned food or table scraps (tsk, tsk!) on a regular basis, you'll want to reduce the amount of kibble you feed by a bit to adjust for the extra calories in the other stuff.

Sinéad: Cats that are bored often do resort to eating. This is another good reason to avoid "free feeding" and to provide a more stimulating environment for your cats. If you take a look at last week's column, you'll find some suggestions for toys that provide excitement for cats and will help them be less bored and get more exercise.

Siouxsie: The rolling treat ball is fun for cats that are really food-motivated. Mama got one of those for us, and I play with it until I shake out every last treat!

Thomas: And that's one reason why Mama doesn't fill it all the way up! One time she overfilled it and you ate up all the treats and threw up pink yogurt gunk everywhere! Eeeew!

Siouxsie: Grrrrrrrrrrrr! Don't make me come over there and discipline you.

Sinéad: Anyway, we hope we've been able to help you solve your litterbox woes and give you some insight into how to keep your cats happy and healthy. Good luck, Cat Owner.

Got a question? Need some advice? E-mail Sinéad and Siouxsie at advice@paws-and-effect.com. None of the advice in this column is meant to be a substitute for regular veterinary care.