That is what we use in our rehab cages, works good. Think about how many cat boxes you would need to serve sixty or seventy cats. That is why we built the sand box. They all go in the same place and it is easy to clean. Thanks for your comment
Feeding raw almost completely removes the odor, the poop is also smaller and drier. Important to find a recipe that provides complete nutrition if making your own, or you can buy frozen raw cat food from companies.
@@catioLifeI wish I could let my kitty cats out and I have six of them, but my neighbor threatened to kill them after he poisoned my daughter's emotional support puppy with antifreeze 😭😭
Here is how I bleach the sand box. Once or twice a month. You could do it more as needed. Wear old clothes just in case you get bleach on them. When the weather forecast calls for rain, I prepare to bleach the box one hour before the rain starts. I use My Radar app to tell when it is going to rain. 1. lock the cats out of the garden. 2. Remove all poop with Super scooper. 3. Bag and dispose properly. 4. Using a Ortho Dial N Spray Hose-End Sprayer put 2 cups of Clorox bleach in the mixing cup. 5. Adjust the dial to about center. 6. Spray until the sand is well wet. Then turn it up to dump any remaining bleach. 7. Put every thing up. This whole process takes me about 10 minutes. 8. Wait for the rain to wash out the box. After the rain, open the cat door. I replace the sand twice a year at the beginning of each season. In Florida we only have two seasons, summer and not summer. This is the process that works for my situation you should adjust to your specific needs. I hope this helps. To make sure you don’t miss any videos Like, Subscribe, and paw that bell Thanks for watching my videos.
I've read many article on th I s and they tell me not to use beach as it activates the smell and creates a permanent stench. Vinegar is a better nutrilizer. Your thoughts?
@@karenburns1771 always rinse everything thoroughly so there is no residue. Do not rely on rain. Rinse thoroughly then do rain for good measure. Do not use bleach! It takes too long for it to turn back into salt water and cats lick themselves after using the litter box!
I HAVE THE ABSOLUTE BEST METHOD: Purchase a cross shredder. I shred nearly all advertisements, magazines and boxes and use the results as cat litter. I have 10 cats and 6 litter boxes and this method has worked PERFECTLY for years. That’s it…AND IT REALLY WORKS AND SAVES A HECK OF A LOT $$$!
Thank you for the kind comment. Our cats like to go to the Catio and out to their garden. All of them are rescues and some have issues. We try to rehabilitate them so they may be adopted to a forever home. The ones that can't stay with us and the other misfit cats. We love them all.
Brilliant use of plastic patio covers to keep the cats from climbing the fence and much less expensive than other methods I've seen. I really liked your video, thanks for sharing!
I was upset to see they were outside but when watching the full video I think this is awesome. I keep all my cats inside to keep them safe and away from any coyotes predators etc. But this with the plastic on the fence keeps them all safe . God bless you for keeping your inside cat safe, and this little box idea is fabulous . Love your ideas but I will keep mine still inside. Don’t have to worry about ticks❤❤❤ or fleas when they’re inside.
Train your cat to use the toilet and end the dependence on cat litter and cleaning a gross box. It’s ridiculously easy. I am on my 3rd toilet trained cat. They are neat and never miss. The first cat I trained was 12 years old at the time. The others were between 10 months to a 2 year old cat. A cat box is so last century!
@@catioLifeIt’s really true. You are clearly a thinker and an improver. I can appreciate that, *especially* when it’s on behalf of cats. We’re lucky they poop in a box! Clean and convenient! Hassle, yes, but you’ve minimize that as much as possible. 👍
Wow, wish I could use this...we live in a desert area where coyotes roam and routinely jump 6 ft fences, so sadly, I cannot do an outdoor sand area. I am contemplatinging a completely fenced "catio" with a big litter pen, however. Thanks for the idea!
Great idea and when you start to design it your imagine takes off as to what you can do. I read about one once that started from cat flap in an upstairs window to a wired-in platforn linked to a nearby tree and on to a cat play area with a couple garden sheds with sleeping/resting areas - all totally fenced in and linked. The lady dragged huge tree branches into it for the cats to claw and to simply loll about on. It was quite a sight.
That is what we have. The Catio is covered with cage wire on one side and pet restraint mosquito screen on the other. The garden where the sand box is fenced and is climb resistant. We have coyotes, so we put wolf urine out as a deterrent.
This idea is genius and the hacks you displayed here are worth a try. My cat is in the South and I will get my builder guy to make her one. Thnx 4 sharing. Btw, your lovely cats are absolutely adorable.👍🏾💕😊
Thanks for the comment. Remember to only put 2 or 3 inches of sand. If you put too much it makes it hard to clean. also use Play sand which is actually crushed rock.
Great idea! Lol, thats how cat litter started out. They used sand. One day a lady ran out of sand for her litter box. She called a neighbor who was a mechanic? He said no, dont have any sand, but i have this. It was the clay used to soak up oil, etc around the shop. The rest is history.
I use scoop away only. Have 6 indoors. I will go to Costco … glad good for you. I use3 boxes and clean throughout the day. I can keep up with any having any problems that might need me to get one to the vet. Whatever works.. I did math in my cat’s litter bill…just under $385/year. Gladly paid
At present, I have around 12-14 "Community Cats" I feed and care for daily... A friend and I go into TNVR mode when any new cats show up in our neighborhood... Our local gov't team up with the local vets and regularly hold FREE Spay, Neuter, and Vaccinate events, then we release them back into their colony... So as you can probably guess, how much your "system" could help me (and others) out... For me, it would keep them from pooping in the "Jungle Garden" I made for them to hide and play in -- not POOP!! It's an aggravation when they could go in the woods/swamp, but most are fearful of going into it due to the deadly swamp critters... Financially it would help out as well... I would only need to purchase litter when they need to spend time indoors due to really bad weather, like Hurricane Idalia recently... Also, any pregnant Moms, I befriend and when the time is close, move them inside to the safety of my home to give birth and raise them until it's time they move to their Loving Furrreva Homes -- instead of the woods/swamp next to me (there's nothing worse than hearing kittens screaming for their lives as they're being predated upon in the middle of the swamp by racoons or other predators -- and not being able to do anything about it to rescue them)... In conclusion, THANK YOU for taking the time out to make this video and, I look forward to seeing other videos on your channel!! You've got yourself a new subscriber!!
Thank you so much for you kind comment. It is hart warming to know that there are others out there that care for feral and abandoned cats. God bless you.
Cats will poop in shredded cardboard/ newspaper strips combined with dry yard leaves. Line the box first with cardboard and glossy paper. Every few days, roll the whole thing up like a nasty burrito and toss it. Save money to use for food.
I have indoor cats & switched to pine pellets $5 for 40# bag at local stores like Tractor Supply Company. They would not be a good fit outside as the pellets turn to dust when wet - but the odor is gone & poop is easy to scoop. Once the pellets have mostly turned to dust (which usually takes about a week) on trash day, I clean out the whole litter box & put in new pellets. Only need about an 1/2 - 1 in of pellets to line the bottom - they do expand quite a bit, but what a huge difference in odor - no sifting is really required unless your into that😉 But I wanted to Thank You @catioLife for ideas on how to make my yard a safe space too😮 Although my yard is fenced it's not flush with the ground in some places - your techniques have given me great ideas💡 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾Paws Up for all your doing🙋🏾♀️ new subscriber❤🐾🐾🤗🤗
I USE THE PELLETS MADE FOR HORSE BEDDING AND IT IS JUST AS EXPENSICE AS CLAY LITTER. I am fencing in the back of my house making a catio. I have big plans for it and you just gave me some great ideas for it. Thank you!
Just remembered. As a kid in Sarasota where we lived at the beach and we buried ourselves in beautiful white Sarasota sand. In apx 1950’s. Two weeks later I had welts and rashes and doc said it the worms and crap from cat per..which was in the sand. I had to get medicinal baths everyday and covered in some purple goo…there I was, in our garage a naked kid in purple..all I can say is be careful. I am SO glad we didn’t photos constantly like people do to their kids now. Lordy.l
@@catioLifeSo then it’s really good that you disinfect once or twice a month if using sand, even if its crushed rock sand. I didn’t realize beach sand could be a carrier of so many parasites. So to your point and effort it’s very important to keep on top of disinfection of litter boxes.
If your cat insists on scoopable litter, the best bargains I can find on that are at Dollar General, when they have the 36 lb box of Scoop Away for about $12. Even better, is if you have an Ollie’s in town, it’s 20lb for just under $6 a bag. Litter can be ridiculous, even the clay litter is getting expensive. My Grandma used to use sand in the litter boxes. It will work in a pinch. Other alternatives are pine or cedar wood shavings, or even garden soil. Most cats aren’t too picky if it’s in their box.
I think this is a great idea for summertime use. Just worried that any stray can use it as well and pass on worms or anything like that. In the winter, I keep my cats indoors because I live in PA. where it snows. But I think this is an idea for the books. Cat litter is over the top pricy. Another idea is to use shredded paper that would otherwise go in the fecycling.
@@catioLife There is a flushable cat toilet already. It's called the Cat Genie. It doesn't work as well as it should according to some of the reviews. I have a clowder of 9 indoor cats (we did have 10 but lost one to old age and illness 2 weeks ago - he was 18). We have two automatic litter boxes - the Litter Robot 3 and a Pura Max. Both are really good and have cut down the amount of cat litter we use as it sifts out the dirty litter and returns the clean litter. Has to be clumping litter. They are expensive initially but we reckon they've paid themselves back with the cat litter we've saved - and our cats love them.
Amazing!!! Ans they really love some nature and no smell inside hime and they are way healthier by being in contact with fresh air , note, I did similar in a much smaller space using garden dance etc I rent so I go the cheap west way , I actually first did because I had 8 months in tx, it was are just woods near the river and so much dangers and one cat w diabetes needed to go back be outdoor cat somehow , anyway now I’m in apartamnt , temporary so let them balcony and I place lots nature stuff there and they love be there at night time the most . Thank you so much , you are bringing way bigger inspirations then mine in first place, I got automatic litter to pot one and still , orhing liek then be outdoor for it. Make us all happy
I joined the lottery where you order stuff and get a😊😊lot of mail. That mail ended up in my cats litter box, he folded the piece of mail when he was done pooping. From then on my cat got his own mail.😊
@@catioLifeyou could make a plastic sheeting Top cover screwed in to Wood around the sides or just on top put over the sand pit like a short green house with an entrance both ends that lift up can stay on or off when you please, removable lid cover like litter boxes 😺😸😼
@@sylvieboucher9266 he lives in Florida, so that would be a hard "no". I have been using wood pellets (typically used for horse stalls) I get them from Tractor Supply. They are about 5 or 6 dollars for a 40 pound bag. I only go through, at the most, 3 bags a year for 2 cats. Scoop daily to keep kitty happy 😸 💕
Well that's very interesting I thought about putting a additional litter boxes outside in the catio which it looks like you kind of have a patio of sorts currently on the inside I use the pelletized horse bedding I suppose that's an option to you could always have backup litter box inside in case it happens pelletized bedding seems to work well from Tractor Supply
I think he put a plastic structure on top of his fence. He said the cats jump up, but are then hindered because their paws slip. And they’ll eventually give up trying. I hope that helps.
Wood pellets are super inexpensive and can hold a lot of urine. My only issue is I live in the city and wood pellets aren't sold in my county. However, I discovered that wood pellets for BBQs are sold the next county over. Litter boxes are lighter and last longer. My cats adapted quickly to the pellets. That is now my go to.
Check out your local version of Brit-Pet boxes. They're Australian so will have an option near you. Basically solid bottom tray with a sieve tray above. I buy one pallet of wood pellets per year. I have 14 cats.
Can you explain more about how you clean it once a year and replace the sand. U also mentioned some thing about bleaching it? Bleach? I also live in Florida, and when I clean my cats’ litter boxes, towers and beds, I put them in the Florida sunshine to bleach them out… But I would never use actual chlorine bleach… just wondering what you meant by that.
Same here, didn't catch what you do once a month for cleaning. I want to use sand when I build our catio. I would imagine the cardboard needs replacing routinely. Also great tip on the material to keep them from jumping over a fence! Subscribed!
Here is how I bleach the sand box. Once or twice a month. You could do it more as needed. Wear old clothes just in case you get bleach on them. When the weather forecast calls for rain, I prepare to bleach the box one hour before the rain starts. I use My Radar app to tell when it is going to rain. 1. lock the cats out of the garden. 2. Remove all poop with Super scooper. 3. Bag and dispose properly. 4. Using a Ortho Dial N Spray Hose-End Sprayer put 2 cups of Clorox bleach in the mixing cup. 5. Adjust the dial to about center. 6. Spray until the sand is well wet. Then turn it up to dump any remaining bleach. 7. Put every thing up. This whole process takes me about 10 minutes. 8. Wait for the rain to wash out the box. After the rain, open the cat door. I replace the sand twice a year at the beginning of each season. In Florida we only have two seasons, summer and not summer. This is the process that works for my situation you should adjust to your specific needs. I hope this helps. To make sure you don’t miss any videos Like, Subscribe, and paw that bell Thanks for watching my videos.
Nice! So how do you go about bleaching once a month? Concentration of bleach, how wet do you make the sand and how long does it take before they can use it after?
I use a hose end mixer/sprayer I put 2 cups of Clorox. I close the cat door and lock them out of the garden about an hour before a big rain, wet the sand down good and let sit. Then after the rain washes the box out I open the cat door. Hope this helps.
Or, just use pine pellets and a sifting box and buy one bag of pellets a year. Line the bottom pan with an oversized pee pad and toss it and the contaminated sawdust once a week. Add a scoop of pellets to make up what has been used and you are good to go. Oh, scoop the poop during the week, it dries out very fast in the pellets.
It is definitely the thing that irks me the most spending money on is poop pellets-and I just have one cat- she has a little enclosed box with a flap on but it still stinks and I’ve never managed to quite get the rhythm right for how much litter to put in without overdoing it but also making it clean for her and clean enough to manage . Difficulty is I can’t put a catflap in , but we’ll done amazing tenacity ✨
I use a garden hose feeder / sprayer. Put bleach in the sprayer's bottle then set the feed about half way and spray the whole thing till it is wet. I usually do it about 30 to 60 minutes before a rain that way it gets washed out good before I let the cats back in the yard. Also I clean the box out with my scooper real good before I spray it. I am making a bigger scoop out of a bigger shovel I think it will make cleaning the box even easier. I will post a video on it once I have tested it out. Thanks for your question.
If you mix wood pellets with the sand it sucks all the moisture out of the poop. And when they pee it just dry out and turns to dust. My cat died a year ago and that's what I used for her. The pellets only cost like 15 dollars for a 20 or so pond bag.....your welcome
Not at all. Here is how I bleach the sand box. Once or twice a month. You could do it more as needed. Wear old clothes just in case you get bleach on them. When the weather forecast calls for rain, I prepare to bleach the box one hour before the rain starts. I use My Radar app to tell when it is going to rain. 1. lock the cats out of the garden. 2. Remove all poop with Super scooper. 3. Bag and dispose properly. 4. Using a Ortho Dial N Spray Hose-End Sprayer put 2 cups of Clorox bleach in the mixing cup. 5. Adjust the dial to about center. 6. Spray until the sand is well wet. Then turn it up to dump any remaining bleach. 7. Put every thing up. This whole process takes me about 10 minutes. 8. Wait for the rain to wash out the box. After the rain, open the cat door. I replace the sand twice a year at the beginning of each season. In Florida we only have two seasons, summer and not summer. This is the process that works for my situation you should adjust to your specific needs. I hope this helps. To make sure you don’t miss any videos Like, Subscribe, and paw that bell Thanks for watching my videos.
Difficulty thing is theres strays in my backyard, and space above and below the gate/ fence that the cat enters through. I would also be concern of predators in the sky. California has hawks and I think ive heard of some attacks with small pets🥺🥺 i wont let my cat out without supervision.
I know what you mean. We have hawks and eagles. I was thinking about hanging tin plates, like some farmers use in gardens to keep birds out. Nice talking to you.
I would have concerns about coyotes being able to get into the yard even with the plastic on top. Maybe if there was a box that was brought out inside just at night and early morning?
@@UVIcki if you type out Catio, there are owners who build an enclosure large enough for cats to roam while enjoying the outdoors. Those are nice but definitely takes planning
No hawk is going to grab a cat unless it’s newborn. But you shouldn’t let them out. Ask ANY vet and they’ll tell you why immediately. Good on you for caring properly for your cat.
@@catioLife , Maybe you're unaware of this: many cities have ordinances against disposing of cat faeces in the toilet because of parasites they may be carrying. Check with them before toilet training your kitties. 😺 And, definitely, do not dispose directly from litterbox, especially if you use clay litter, or you may end up with a huge plumbing problem! 😛
Do you not need to worry about the cardboard getting soaked and gross from the cats using it or the rain you experience? when you change the sand, do you change the cardboard? what are your thoughts on using tarp on the bottom?
@@catioLife gotcha!! When you change it yearly, what is the cardboard like? Does it hold up well? Does it seem deteriorated? Thanks for the quick reply!
I have 2 indoor cats and 2 litter boxes, cost about $40 per month from Amazon, if that. I scoop 3 - 4 times a day. Where on earth did you get your $400 per month litter from?
I've tried pine. The tracking is awful. The larger pine litter came with sawdust chips which created a huge additional mess. I have hardwood and tile floors that at times need vacuumed twice a day. My stick vacuum which wasn't cheap can't pickup the pine pieces and when it does it instead smashes them into smaller pieces. I've already ruined a vacuum because of constant tacking! Help!
Fleas don't like this sand it is bleached regularly and the garden is treated for fleas. Their garden is a small space that is fairly easy to keep clean.
Sounds like such a good idea even for North Central FL where I live but I wouldn't dream of letting cats use toxic chlorine bleached sand which simply was washed through by the rain???!!!! Chlorine is something health experts say to avoid at all costs on the skin and to breathe in, so I want to look into the actual chemistry that needs to take place to safely dissipate the fumes and left behind substance Working with bleach makes my eyes water and my throat raw and I know first hand about toxicity from lots of health studies of all kinds. Would love your feedback on any research you have done, this is no lightweight matter, kitties are super sensitive to everything and some metals and chemical toxins store in the body until damage is done unwittingly and then get attributed to some disease! Even dust from litter is toxic to the kitty lungs. Right now my 2 kitties are elderly so lots of concern of toxic overload no matter the monetary savings.
thanx problems with toxicity are cumulative meaning they build and show up later when its too late ... that is my concern, even breathing in kitty litter dust is also bad for the kitty lungs ... this is a toxic world in so many ways across the board, especially cat and dog food, so I am attentive and concerned. Putting it out here for consideration. I don't know the answers but I do know when something should not be taken lightly. And btw medical doctors and vets included have a lot to learn and keep up with, so we need to also educate ourselves to protect those in our care. I appreciate your comments. @@catioLife
We do not have a flea problem. The only outside part is the Catio garden where the sand box is. It gets treated for fleas regularly. Thanks for asking.
You are right sir. It does get cold sometimes. That is why I am installing a wood burning stove on the Catio. Working on the video now. Thanks for the comment.
Cats will poop in shredded cardboard/ newspaper combined with dry yard leaves. Line the box first with cardboard and glossy paper. Every few days, roll the whole thing up like a nasty burrito and toss it.
Great idea. Probably works for 1 to 3 cats. if you have say sixty cats that would be a big stinky burrito. I can see it working for cats confine in a cage or small room. I will give it a try
@@catioLife Just go with multiple boxes, roll and toss as needed. Cardboard, junk mail and newspaper are free. Tear them into strips while you watch TV. You can add dry leaves and dry citrus peels cut into strips to reduce odor. Save single use grocery bags (also free) to put the waste in. You can also save little plastic food bags like chip bags. Stash a bunch under a plant pot in your yard so they're handy when you need to pick up poops from outside animals.
@@catioLife You have a nice system for the outside cats but some of the finicky cats won't like the sand if it gets wet. Or they just won't go there because someone else did. Or they nap in the box and go just outside it! They're hard headed little guys.
@@3namechangezalowdevry90day7 , Not sure if this is something you've done but I do know cats have an aversion to citrus oils in the peels, that's why many products for keeping them from scratching on walls/furniture, etc. contain orange oil, and such. 😺
@@debracisneroshhp2827 The dry cut up peels don't bother cats. They're supposed to deter fleas some but I wouldn't rely on them. Maybe a concentrated citrus oil would deter cats?
Did you cover the cardboard with plastic? It seems like it would soak up pee and smell bad retaining it. Also this is a beautiful cat at 2:15... is that a Turkish Van?
I did not use plastic. I was trying to only use recycled supplies that I could pick up on my property. All my cats are rescues. The white cat with black ears name is Champ he came from a broken home and was discarded. He is such a good boy he loves people.
@@catioLife My cat is a rescue too, and she was pregnant when she decided to move in. One of her kittens is a Turkish Van and a very sweet boy. He is adopted out now but the markings on your cat look similar so I thought he might also be a Turkish.
I thought about you could put a metal roof over it. But I have zero experience with snow and cold. Here in the winter we can still go around in shorts and just a hoodie.
I am sure wood pellets work good indoors but I don't think they would hold up with the amount of rain we get. I'll have to run some test. Thank you for the input.
I used to live in a house with a garden once. All my cats went out to do their business and we had no litter boxes. Now I have one cat and I live in a condo so having my cat do its business outside is not an option.
Yes, we get a lot rain. I love it. Just before a rain I lock the cat door, clean the box real good then bleach the sand. The cats stay in the Catio and use the 4 by 8 cat toilet. After the rain rinses out the bleach I open the cat door to the garden.
