| Friday, September 20, 2002 |
 We've been mulling over the idea of a chemical toilet for our babies. We recently saw this new-fangled gadget, LitterFree, at the local PetSmart and were intrigued by the idea. As I said, it's basically a chemical commode for your cats. While we already own TWO LitterMaid Boxes for our children, we're not made of money or easily taken in by gadgets so we've started looking for reviews of the product online to see just how it works.
The most honest, detailed review I've found so far is here. There's another short review available on Wired, and what we've surmissed from these reviews is that we'd probably prefer to wait until LitterFree upgrades the design to (1) an automated flush when the kitty leaves (like the LitterMaid) and (2) hopefully a faster, quieter cycle. [Note to LitterFree manufacturer, if you'd like ME to review your product for my animal-friendly website, please contact me. I don't guarantee a good review, but if you're looking to create synergy...] Now, you may be thinking rhetorically: "how lazy are you?" While I can see your point and can concede that we are, in fact, slaves to modern conveniences (don't get my started again about our cappuccino machine or my chrome beehive blender), you have to understand that I've had indoor cats (and thus litterboxes in some shape or form) almost my entire life including the last ten years of our marriage...we currently have four cats and three litterboxes, two self-cleaning.  Anyone who owns a LitterMaid knows that description is bullshit because they are not without their faults and can require a good deal of cleaning. BUT, what they do is move the majority of the waste away from the scoopable litter surface for our cats whilest we are away at work or otherwise occupied. I don't know about you, but I never want to be in a position to stand in my own waste while I made more, and I don't think my precious ones should either.
Not that you asked, but...the non-self-cleaning box is for the rescued kitten, Scooter, who still has issues and lives primarily in the bedroom--most frequently behind/under the bed. The old-fashioned box was bought especially for her when we first rescued her and had to keep her in the snug bathroom in order to treat her wound--she needed big, chunky litter that wouldn't easily get in her wound, which we irrigated twice daily and treated with an anti-biotic sauve. Eventually it healed properly without requiring surgery and she with her special box moved into the bedroom. The other reason the old-fashioned box is in the bedrooms is--saved for Rusty's scratching and digging noises--it's whisper quiet while we're sleeping. Having presented all the evidence that we have done our duty when it comes to cleaning litterboxes, I submit that we are not just lazy. We are just as tired of stepping on and tracking gray sand around the apartment which, let's face it, can be death to your vacuum cleaner. As it is, I suspect scoopable litter is actually a living organism. I'm pretty sure that whenever those scoopable litter granules hit either carpet, hardwood or tile, they immediately reproduce through some unknown process. Sadly, that reproduction does us no good as it is impossible to reclaim it for the boxes since it can only be vacuumed up. I swear that we spend more on litter than toilet tissues for ourselves, and you can't even use it for dabbing razor nicks or nose blowing. So as I said, we're going to wait a bit for more reviews and to see if LitterFree upgrades to quiet, auto-flush. In the meantime, I've been considering that since we'll have TWO (count 'em, TWO!) bathrooms in our new apartment when we move next month, I've been considering teaching the good kitties (Rusty and Chestnut) to use the toilet. I know what you're thinking, but some people have been successful...Robert DeNiro in "Meet the Parents," for example, and Chris with Casey. Of course, the fussy kitties (Marble and Scooter; remember there are no "bad cats"), may be too reluctant to learn...but anything that reduces the amount of litter brought into the house--even a little--is as Martha Stewart would say, "A good thing."  One last litter bit, or really cat waste-related comment, Marble is ten years old and has some (shall we say) "urine issues" which includes the occasional marking of our mattress. We recently purchased (sad as it sounds) a queen-sized rubber mattress cover to protect that mattress from her "accidents" but last week she tricked us and did a piddle when that particular bed linen was in the laundry. I had finally decided to spend the $6 bucks to try the much hyped OxiClean, and these gave us opporunity to try it out on a real challenge. For once, I was pleased to see it work as promised (though not in the first 3 seconds as it does on the commercial). It completely removed the discoloration and the eliminated, not just covered, the odor. Boy was hubby happy--it was his side of the bed!
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