Litter Box Crunchies

**JasminesDad** · 05-02-2012, 08:10 PM

My wife and I rehomed Jasmine about a week ago from an elderly man who could no longer take care of her. She's a year old and she has NEVER been around cats at all. We have an older cat named Claire who's 13. The two of them are "adjusting" fine - Jasmine has agreed not to eat Claire and Claire has in turn agreed to ignore Jasmine.

What is not fine is that suddenly tonight, Jasmine has decided that her favorite snack is "Litter Box Crunchies." Claire get's scared when there's a lid on the box, so we keep it open - but we scoop it 3-4 times a day and our other dog, Peanut (a rat terrier), has no interest in the crunchies. What makes matters worse is that Jasmine dove right in to the box immediately after Claire had made a deposit. I didn't even have a chance to scoop box before it was gone.

Any thoughts on how to fix this OTHER then purchasing a self-scooping litter box? Thoughts?

**Canula2000** · 05-02-2012, 08:45 PM

I feel your pain. We finally put our cat's litter box in a big rubbermaid tub with a hole cut out of the lid. But since your cat is too timid for a lid I don't know how to help. Maybe cut a cat door into the door of the room that her litter box is in? My labrador leaves the cat litter alone, it is my little dog that is crazy for it.

**bigbrownsmom** · 05-02-2012, 08:48 PM

It's a battle

Maybe a baby gate? Can you move the litter box to somewhere Jasmine can't get to it? Or atleast not as easily? I used a litter box from Petsmart that has the opening on the top rather than the side. Doesn't fix the problem 100%, but helps a lot.

**MyGoldenBoy** · 05-02-2012, 09:20 PM

With my first golden, we built an enclosure for the litter box in the basement. It was 3 walls of particle board about 3-4 feet high and gave about a cat to a cat-and-a-half length of free space around the box and there was a little cut-out where the cats could walk in but the dog couldn't get through. It was heavy enough that he couldn't move it much or break it down either. The top was open but covered in chicken wire with a hinged area where we could lift it and scoop leaning over the enclosure. It was 3 walls because we pushed it up against a corner and we could push it out to sweep.

My brother had a different way to deal with his standard poodle getting to the box. He didn't have a basement so he knocked a hole in the wall about a third of the way up and built a tunnel through to the garage where he put the litter box at the end of it. And he made a door for easy access of scooping and cleaning.

**tammyhuffman** · 05-02-2012, 10:32 PM

I have a gate to the utility room where the litter boxes are, it has a door that opens to walk through and in the bottom of the door it has a "cat size" door that stays open for my 2 kitties. That has solved the problem in my house.

**Carolinagirl** · 05-02-2012, 10:58 PM

Oh no. I hope you can find a place that Claire will be OK going to - and Jasmine can't get to!

**Sams Mom** · 05-02-2012, 11:48 PM

Get baby gate. Cut cat sized hole in baby gate. Put gate across entrance to room with litter-box. Sam also love litter-box crunchies. The gate works for us and the cats.

**nellies mom** · 05-03-2012, 09:47 AM

I had this problem years ago and put the litter box in the laundry room with a baby gate at the door. Worked wonders.

**JasminesDad** · 05-04-2012, 07:04 PM

Thank you so much for all your advice. Since she had not been exposed to a cat before and since it's fairly apparent that she has not been disciplined but wants desperately to please, I decided to try a different approach. I watched her go to the litter box and waited until she came out with litter on her nose. I immediately in a very loud and stern voice scolded her while holding onto her muzzle. This was the first time that I had ever spoke to her that sternly and it looks like she definitely got the message. So far she has not even looked at the litter box since I've done that. Maybe it'll hold - if not - the baby gate idea will be my next step. Thanks again for the advice!w

**2LabsMom** · 05-04-2012, 07:11 PM

Yeah about that...it's like a sickness..once they get the taste they ALWAYS go back. All 3 of my dogs loved them...my Jake who is passed on now went 5 years no taste brought in Bailey..whamo Jake ate them. Bailey is better now...but he showed Jasmin and well we keep the litter in the office and a bathroom and have a hook thing rigged where you have enough space for cats but not dogs to squeeze in the room and the humans can unhook at door handle height! The lengths we go through!