MAMEWorld Forums - The Loony Bin - Re: Question for cat owners

> All my life my family has either had cats, or my roommates have had cats. Over the
> past three years, I've really missed having a cat, and would like to get a cat.
> However, does anyone have any really good suggestions for how best to deal with the
> smell of the cat's litterbox? Are there any good self-cleaning litterboxes, or are
> they all the same garbage they were ten years ago? What's the best brand of food
> these days?
>
> I really want to get a cat, they're awesome. Problem is, the boyfriend's in Australia
> until the end of February, and getting a pet without him around would be a really
> non-bro move.

For the litterbox you have two good options I know of, but the brands I can't tell. First are the "solidifying" crystal litterbox sands. They become lumps around anything wet, be it pee poo or whatever, and easily removable. They smell of nothing. But they are expensive. The other is the "litter spinner" or "rotating litter box". A coworker in practices had one and two cats and says it's awesome, easy to maintain, no bad smell, and best investiment on a long run.

As far as food goes... Don't go to pet stores. Go to veterinarians and see what do they have there. The problem is, you have to make your cat used to them. We've tried a couple and my cat just likes the same old Royal Canin Exigent for neutered she has been chewing for the past 14 years. I guess it also depends on the cat - other owners have told me they change food without any problem. When I do it my cat just eats a bit less and when I bring back the old food I see she eats it eagerly the first days.

The difference in cat food is the "completeness". For cat food being complete, it needs to have everything a cat needs as obligate carnivores which can't synthetize taurine and such. Veterinarian food (the premium brands usually only distributed at clinics) has the right amount, and high quality brands probably do too. The others probably have the minimum so they get the "complete food" name without being sued.

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