The cat appreciation thread

[cramx3]

Happy thoughts indeed, and the best of luck to your treasure!

+1, sad to read about your cats struggles, but glad to see she's fighting hard

Joe, your cats are adorable

[crystalstars17]

Happy thoughts indeed, and the best of luck to your treasure!

+1, sad to read about your cats struggles, but glad to see she's fighting hard

Thank you! 💙💙💙😽

Fiona
Finley
Padriag

What beautiful babies! 😻😻😻💕

[ReaperKK]

Say hello to our new family members.   From top to bottom.

Fiona
Finley
Padriag

So cute! How old are they now?

I need to try and get a family cat photo.

[King Postwhore]

17 weeks old.

[ReaperKK]

Do you have a littler robot? I bought one once we got our three cats and it's a lot money but what a game changer.

[King Postwhore]

No. We should. I'll look into it. 

[Harmony]

We got a Litter Robot after this past Christmas.  We opted for the LR3 because the reviews were better and it was slightly less expensive.  There are of course pros/cons, just like with anything.

First be aware - they like to sell the feature that you can have the app on your phone that tells you when you need to change the box, add litter, and when your cats do their thing.  But what they don't tell you is that if you have 5G internet service, you cannot connect to the app.  I spent a long time trying to fix this problem before I became aware of this issue and so I just don't use the app at all.

We have 2 adult cats.  I change the box twice a week now.  It is fairly easy and only takes a few minutes.  You don't have to buy the LR collection bags; you can get cheaper substitutes on Amazon.  With the PetSafe Scoop Free litter box we had before, I changed once a week but those litter trays are EXPENSIVE and bulky for your garbage can.

If your cat(s) like to dig, they will kick out litter.  Get the guard.  You will still have litter kicked out but it won't be quite as bad. I vacuum the area every few days.

You have to use a level surface.  Double check your measurements and make sure you have an outlet nearby or plan on using an extension cord.  When we set ours up, the cord they provided was barely long enough to reach the outlet and when we started using is, the cord got caught on the hood at paused the rotation which definitely defeats the purpose.

You should plan on deep cleaning the hood at least every few months outside with a hose.

YouTube has a lot of helpful videos for set up, cleaning, and trouble shooting.

Overall, I'm fairly happy with our purchase.  The cats took to it immediately....like they jumped into it the second I set it up. 

[cramx3]

Those device look cool, and if they work well, are probably great.

When my gf moved in last year, she found pretty litter on tiktok and we started using that.  Gets shipped monthly so I only change the litter once a month, just got to scoop the poop and give the rest of the litter a shake every other day.  It's been super convenient and does better with the smell compared to typical littler.  Plus the color of the urine can show a potential health issue (haven't had an issue with this to say if its legit or not).  Also got simple litter box for it, but bought like a small wooder cave for the litter box so it's not exposed and looks more like a piece of furniture than litter box.  I think this has been great and has made me not really interested in an automatic litter anymore. 

[Harmony]

They do look cool.  I always laugh at the promotional add they use where the Litter Robot is in the family room next to the sofa and kids playing.  You definitely don't want it in your family room.  They are not loud but the sound would definitely wake me up, so that lets out a bedroom.  They are pretty big for a bathroom.  We are lucky to have a laundry room where ours fits under a counter area. 

I've heard good things about the Pretty Litter.  I'm not sure if you can use with LR because they recommend a clumping litter.  But maybe???

I'm definitely of the philosophy that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  So if you are happy with your current set up, why change it?

[cramx3]

Yeah, it works, not looking to change, but if I did, something like a litter robot would be where I'd look.  No idea if it's compatible wiht the pretty litter

Lately my gf has been saying she wants to get a kitten.  She never had pets, and my cat is not the nicest to her.  He's super loving to me, but not so much to her.  It's made her want "her own cat"  Probably not going to get one because I dont think my cat would take well to another cat, but I am happy to see my gf come to actually want one.  And I do feel bad that my cat doesn't treat her similar to me. My guy is getting old, when the time comes, it seems we will adopt two new cats.

[ReaperKK]

We have an older cat that was my wife's before I met her, she is 13 now and she did not, and is still not doing well with our 3 new cats (that we got 2 years ago). It's getting better but I don't think she'll ever warm up to them. Our new cats don't really mess with Lily (our older cat) but Lily spent the first year pretty much never leaving our bedroom.

They do look cool.  I always laugh at the promotional add they use where the Litter Robot is in the family room next to the sofa and kids playing.  You definitely don't want it in your family room.  They are not loud but the sound would definitely wake me up, so that lets out a bedroom.  They are pretty big for a bathroom.  We are lucky to have a laundry room where ours fits under a counter area. 

Yea, my first impression was "wow this is way bigger than I thought" we keep one in the laundry room, and one in the mud room closet.

One other great thing about the litter robot is that with the new firmware updates it'll keep track of each cats weight (and you can now have it on carpet). This is great because our older cat suffers from allergies and needs depo shots once every 1 to 3 months and I can tell when she'll need it because her weight will start to drop. Prior to the robot I only figured it out when she started getting cuts on her face.

[crystalstars17]

Pretty Litter is great! ✨ As my girl has had so many health issues, I'm glad to have one more thing to help monitor her state. And there are a few brands now that make similar products, so it's easy to find and just throw in your grocery cart.

Probably not going to get one because I dont think my cat would take well to another cat, but I am happy to see my gf come to actually want one. 

Jackson Galaxy on YouTube (the behaviorist from "My Cat From Hell") has a lot of good content about integrating new cats with established ones. But of course listen to your boy first and foremost on this if he's sending out those strong "only child" vibes!

Your girlfriend wanting a cat now reminds me of how my husband was always a dog person, until my cat and I ganged up on him and converted him to being a cat guy! 😸 Now she's very much our baby and he loves her as much as I do.

One other great thing about the litter robot is that with the new firmware updates it'll keep track of each cats weight (and you can now have it on carpet). This is great because our older cat suffers from allergies and needs depo shots once every 1 to 3 months and I can tell when she'll need it because her weight will start to drop. Prior to the robot I only figured it out when she started getting cuts on her face.

I'm sorry your cat suffers from allergies. I didn't know the Robot had health tracking features. How do cats react around it, though? I've never had one and would hesitate to spring it on an older cat.

[ReaperKK]

The litter robot? They are fine. The first month with the robots the cats were really curious. I was constantly getting alerts on my phone that the robot has stopped mid-cycle because the cats would be curious why their poop globe was rotating . The novelty has since worn off.

[cramx3]

A funny story with my cat....

We have a cat tree and a large amount of cat toys.  I've had a bunch of the toys on the middle level of the cat tree and my cat had not touched or gone near them for literally years.  THey are mad old toys, so when I was cleaning last weekend with my gf, we decided to just toss some of these old toys that have been ignored.  My cat watched as I picked up the toys and put them in the garbage and he started yelling so loud and getting very emotional.  It was hilarious, like he was saying no to throwing those old toys out like a legit child.  I actually felt bad, but I'm sure he hasn't missed them, just like a child 

[ReaperKK]

that's hilarious. Are there any toys he especially loves or plays with? One of our cats goes crazy for those plastic springs. She will play for 3-4 straight hours with a spring.

[cramx3]

that's hilarious. Are there any toys he especially loves or plays with? One of our cats goes crazy for those plastic springs. She will play for 3-4 straight hours with a spring.

Yeah, he's obsessed with the like fishing poll with a toy at the end type of toy.  He'll just sit next to it when he wants to play and even though he's a big and aging cat, he can still get some air jumping after that toy.

[crystalstars17]

A funny story with my cat....

We have a cat tree and a large amount of cat toys.  I've had a bunch of the toys on the middle level of the cat tree and my cat had not touched or gone near them for literally years.  THey are mad old toys, so when I was cleaning last weekend with my gf, we decided to just toss some of these old toys that have been ignored.  My cat watched as I picked up the toys and put them in the garbage and he started yelling so loud and getting very emotional.  It was hilarious, like he was saying no to throwing those old toys out like a legit child.  I actually felt bad, but I'm sure he hasn't missed them, just like a child 

Aww, I love this! 😍 We had a similar cat tree with her "toy box" in a middle level. She actually knew it was her toy box and would go get toys for herself! Sometimes she would pick one that she hadn't used in ages! I thought I was just buying her too many trinkets because they'd pile up in there sometimes unused, lol. But she remembered each one.

We had to switch her to a shorter cat tree after her surgery but the toy collection is still around!