Where to put kitty's litterbox?

[B_and_D]

There were some threads here a while back (but I can't find them now) asking where to put the litterbox. After spending a couple of weeks with our old cat (she's limited to the floor, can't get up onto anything anymore), and having her constantly underfoot (imagine 4 people and a cat in a 2720), I decided that the best place for her kitty area would be somewhere where she could kind of "hole up" and have her own little space.

We removed the existing panel from under the door side of the bench seat of our 2720, bought a 1/4 " 2' x 4' oak panel, and cut a hole in it for kitty to get in and out of the area under the seat. There is plenty of room for her litterbox under there, and also enough room for her to have her own bed space. We'll eventually stain it and add a door on hinges. Taking the existing panel off was quite a chore because I wanted to keep it intact in case we wanted to put the original panel back on, what with the glue and all. We'll see how she likes it on our next trip.

Thanks for your post. We too have an older, very spoiled, ,Calico. We have been debating where to put her box if we take her with us. Haven't done that yet. Your solution is ideal. thanks.

[B_and_D]

Last night I put a plastic liner around the area where the box will go, "just in case".

I think your Elder kitty is very lucky to have such a caring and dedicated staff (Dogs have owners, cat's have staff). I'm sure she will appreciate this latest improvement that you have made to HER TrailManor.

[fcatwo]

No longer having a cat, we made two cut outs like that on each side, used the cut out plywood pieces and oak picture frames to make doors, added appropriately sized pull-out plastic boxes (WalMart I think) and greatly improved the usefulness of that space. I'm sure we weren't the first to do this but some may not have thought of it. A little alteration and reinforcing of the framing under the seats with 1X2's was necessary but nothing beyoud the capabilities of the avarage handy-man/woman.

Sorry but no pictures. My wife is our photographer and she hasn't accepted digital as her savior yet.

I did something similar, but I used the bottom shelf of the under-bed cabinet that is found on the 27 and 30 floorplans. I removed the existing door and used it as a template to trace a new door on a piece of scrap plywood. I removed the hinges and handle of the original door to use with the new one.

Next, I cut a square hole in the bottom of the new door, just large enough to let my cat walk through. I then covered the new door with scrap carpeting (attached by staple-gun on the back side). I sliced the carpeting to make a flap over the kitty door and then attached the whole works to the cabinet using the original hinges. I did not use the handle, but I could have.

Inside of the cabinet I placed a litter pan made out of two deep 9 x 13 disposable lasagna pans stacked together because a standard litter pan would have been too wide. Now my cat has a secluded litter pan, a "hidey-hole," and a scratching post. We continue to use the upper shelf of that cabinet to store anything but food.

We started with the door flap tacked up to make the opening more obvious. Now that the cat is used to the setup, I am going to let the door flap down because this cat is pretty zealous when he buries things and he has managed to throw some litter out the door.

My cat accepted his new digs quite readily and he uses the carpeting often for scratching. We only had to sacrifice one shelf, and everything can be easily put back to normal if we sell the TM.

B and D, you setup looks great, especially because you can use the type of litter pan your cat is used to (mine will go anywhere he finds litter, and for this I am truly thankful), but I am wondering if she will freak out when the furnace comes on. Our dog hates the furnace and won't go anywhere near it when it is running. My cat doesn't seem to care, though, so yours may be just fine with it.

The best place to put a litter box is outside.............along with the cat!

Originally Posted by [email protected]

The best place to put a litter box is outside.............along with the cat!

Ha! I knew you were lurking, just waiting to throw the cat out

Happy Camping!

[B_and_D]

Our camping kitty died at age 20 last August, but I still love to look at that picture of her in her little kitty hole. She didnt' really like to camp that much, but she loved being with us. Our other cat, who was mostly outdoor, just passed away a couple of weeks ago, also at age 20; that seems to be the magic cat number around here.

We always brought a folding cat carrier with us in the truck and put her in it whenever we got out. She was pretty happy just sitting on the back seat of the truck on a blanket. We carried a litter box on the floor in the back of the truck, and she used it once or twice in transit. She also had a water bowl in the truck. We got her a collar and a tag with her name, our cell phone # and zip code that she wore when she was traveling. I also printed up "Lost Cat" posters and kept them in the trailer "just in case". I also brought along her vaccination records.

When we first took her out camping, I was nervous for weeks before that something would happen to her; that she'd get out and try to run away. So I bought her a harness and leash. She didn't like it much, when I put it on her at first she would just flop down. But after a while she kind of got used to it. I used to try to get her to walk around the campground, but she really didn't like being outside very much and would always try to get back into the trailer right away. I think the great strange outdoors really scared her, although she was always free to roam around outside here. The only time she got weird about being outside was one night at Sam's Family Spa in Desert Hot Springs. She was on her leash, and went up and sniffed the base of a palm tree, and pretty much went berserk. I luckily had a good hold of the leash and got her back inside the trailer. But the other times we could pretty much leave the trailer door open and she'd just sit inside.

I always made sure that the campsite we were in was in the shade; we don't usually camp where it's really hot (and never did with her). She was fine inside the trailer when we left for the day, we left her lots of water and some food and cranked open the rear and front windows so that there was a good air flow. By the time we bought the TM and started taking her camping she was to the point where she couldn't jump up on much of anything so she pretty much could only run around on the floor.

Before we took her out camping the first time, we spent a lot of time out in the trailer with her, letting her check it out and get used to it.

The hardest part of traveling with her was when we wanted to stop and get a quick lunch. We live on the coast of CA, and have to travel through the (hot) central valley to go to our favorite campground in the mountains of N. CA. I used to sit with her (she was in her cat carrier) outside restaurants while the rest of the family ate (I don't like to eat fast food when I'm on vacation, would just as soon skip the meal). If we could find a McDonald's with an outside playground we'd eat there just because there was an outside place to sit in the shade where we could just put her under the table in her carrier.

If you're just going 50 miles or so from home, you should be fine. Just keep an eye on your kitty and find out how kitty reacts to being away from home. They're all different and have different personalities. Our cat was really mellow and laid back, so she was easy to camp with. Except for the part when she always woke up several times at night and started meowing really loudly because ? and I had to get up with her and calm her down, give her a little food, and pet her. I don't miss that part of the kitty camping experience, but I miss that little furball even still.

B & D - Sorry to hear about your loss, they really become part of the family. I'd like to know how you got 2 to live to 20. My last few haven't done so well. All indoor cats, Iams food, all seemed healthy. One boy dropped dead at 4 years old, one girl died from pancreatic cancer at 5 years, and another boy from seizures at 10 years. I'm about to give up. Any tips on food etc. would be appreciated by my next one. Maybe I'll take him/her camping!!