Dog/cat owners--is there any way to keep the dogs

LauraMax

LauraMax

Cathlete
from the litter box?

It's just so disgusting--there's nothing worse than a dog eating cat poop & then wanting to lick your face. x( Plus they're tracking litter & other "stuff" all over the place. It's totally grossing me out. Any suggestions?
 
The only way to do it is to make sure the litter box is in a location the dogs can't get to because of their size (vs the size of the cat) don't know if that will work for your smaller dog, though).

If you have a utility room, you might be able to keep the litter box there and put a cat door in the door.

Some people use litter boxes with covers, but quite a few cats don't like them (they keep odor down for humans, but it can easily build up inside, then kitty doesn't want to use the box because it smells too stong, and out-of-box problems develop).

A friend of mine keeps her multiple dogs out of her cats' food by putting the food up on an elevated surface. It would be tough for a litter box, but you might have some space where that's doable.


How are Minnie and Cosmo doing?
 
I remember those days--LMAO!!

What I ended up having to do was put up a child gate. It was low enough that the cats could jump over it and high enough that the dogs couldn't. My neighbor keeps the litter box in her laundry room--she leaves the door closed and installed a cat door. The opening is small enough that a dog, unless it's a very small dog, can't get through it.
 
Well I have the gate over it but it's too large for the corner so it's just kind of propped there & naturally the monsters keep knocking it over. Cosmo is very determined (I think it's the prednizone--it makes her want to eat anything & everything) & right now I have the gate plus one of my DR chairs plus my garbage can propped against it. Which of course is making me crazy b/c I hate not having everything just so in my house. And Cosmo will spend hours moving this stuff inch by inch until she gets to the box.

I really don't have any elevated surfaces other than my kitchen counter (eeeewww!!). I did think about the covered box but I'm afraid Cosmo would get her nose into it & overturn it. But I guess I'll try it--I don't see how I have a choice.

Kathryn, Minnie is in love with Cosmo. Cosmo just kind of ignores her. The poor old girl is not doing well--her limp is much more pronounced & we've had some incidents with her incontinence--like over the w/e she lost control of her bladder while I was in the shower so she ended up lying in a lake of her own pee for lord knows how long. The floor was a mess, she was soaked, it was so sad. I think most of her quality of life is still there, but I'm afraid we're getting closer. I don't want her to lose her dignity, she's been such a great dog & I want to remember her that way.
 
I went through this with my old dog and there was no place to hide the litter box. The best I could do was load her up with chew toys to distract her from the poop fetish, particularly a peanut butter filled kong. It was like living a TV Funhouse Special.....
 
Laura, there are other gating options. Do a search for Drs. Foster and Smith - they sell gates in every kind of configuration, including tall ones with a little door for the tiny creatures. (You know I have a pug, but these are the gates we have to use! He climbs over the regular ones.) I personally prefer the litterbox to be out of sight and mind, so I put ours in the basement and installed a cat door, which you can get for about $20 and it's very easy to install.

Good luck. The dogs just can't understand what's wrong with eating the tootsie rolls... :)

Marie

PS: So sorry about Cosmo. That's so sad. Poor thing.
 
>The only way to do it is to make sure the litter box is in a
>location the dogs can't get to because of their size (vs the
>size of the cat) don't know if that will work for your smaller
>dog, though).

yeppers... that's the only solution! we put our cat box in the bathtub of the hallway bathroom.... (now dubbed the cat's bathroom).... even then brie (dog) will mange to get in there and help us "clean" the box out... ICK! our box is covered and usually the open door and shower curtain are enough deterrernt to keep brie out..... but sometimes we catch her.... nasty little gurl!!!!!!!


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cute work out clothes are good for AT LEAST an additional 10-15 calories burned!
 
There is a product that you can put in your kitties food that makes her poop taste bad to dogs. I think most pet supply stores carry it. I think it's called 'forbid' or something like that.
 
Put the litter box higher than your dog can reach. The cats can still get to the box, they jump up high so easily. I have to do this for the same reason, but my dog is very little, so it isn't too high. Something to think about.

Janie

The idea is to die young as late as possible.

http://www.picturetrail.com/janiejoey
 
Hi Lauramax,

I just point the opening to the corner, only the cat can fit in there to climb in and out. But, my lab is too fat to even try squeezing in there.

I actually like the top opening litter box ...linked on this thread, it looks easier to clean too.

Amber
 
This may be unnecessarily expensive, but if you have invisible fence for your dog, you can get an indoor transmitter to keep them out of the cat's litter box area. That way, you wouldn't need any gates, strange configuations, etc.
 
Our dog does this, too. Grosses my husband out, but I read in a dog book that this is normal and harmless. How? I don't know, but they say it's natural for a dog to do this. Whatever!

The only thing we can do to keep doggie out of the doody is to scoop the doody daily.
 
>I read
>in a dog book that this is normal and harmless.

Dogs eating poop might be normal and harmless, but I would be concerned about the litter that the dog is ingesting as well. That clumping stuff seems like it could cause some sort of intestinal compaction. And the non-clumping could cause irritation.
 
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