Cajun is a very fussy cat when it comes to litter.

When she first came to my house I gave her a litter box with pelleted pine litter – the same stuff Violet and Clover were using. The carpet got peed on and her bedding got peed on and the litter box was untouched.

Figuring the texture was not right for her, I got a bag of World’s Best Cat Litter. The finer texture was better but still not right, and there was still peeing outside the box, so I got a bag of cheap clay litter, which was what she’d been using at the Humane Society, with plans to transition her off it. Litter box compliance got better again, but still wasn’t 100%, so she stayed in her own room till she was spayed, in hopes that spaying would help resolve the peeing problem. 

Spaying helped a lot of behavioural issues, and I thought the peeing was okay, but apparently not, and we had several incidents in quick succession, culminating with Cajun peeing on my husband while he was asleep in bed at 2am. Not a good night.

I was getting pretty desperate at this point. I couldn’t have a cat that was peeing on us at night, cleaning up cat pee was getting expensive and exhausting, but I also couldn’t keep her isolated in a room for the rest of her life or send her back to the Humane Society. 

Dr. Elsey’s to the rescue!

Despite my concerns about clumping clay litter (which I’ll get into in another post) and the cost ($12 for a small bag) I decided to give Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract litter a try. It guarantees 100% litter box use or your money back, so I was sceptical but I figured I had nothing to lose by giving it a try. It contains a proprietary blend of herbs to attract cats, and a particle size that is supposed to be appealing.

Well, I’m on bag number two, and since switching there has not been a single incident of peeing or pooping outside the box. In fact, the cats absolutely love it, to the point where if the bag is left open they will climb inside and dump litter all over the floor. The box with Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract in it always gets used first and used the most. 

I was pleasantly surprised at how effective this. If you’re having issues with your cat not using the litter box consistently, give it a try – if it works everyone wins and if it doesn’t, you can always get your money back. It’s a premium litter and a little more expensive, but the additional cost balances out – cleaners for cat pee are also expensive and you’ll also be saving yourself a lot of stress and headaches. It’s helped Cajun go from a problem cat to a kitty that I trust around the house. Each bag also comes with a booklet with helpful information such as fixing behavioural litter box problems and cleaning up cat pee. 

Litter box photo by aloha orangeneko.

The Cat Play Cube by Sport Pet was one of the best purchases I ever made for my cats.

At under $4 each at Walmart (in the US – I haven’t seen them in Canadian Walmarts), it’s a great buy for a toy that will provide hours of entertainment and that will never get lost under the fridge or behind the couch.

Product Description

The frame is made from a single piece of flat, sturdy wire. The sides and casing are made from a polyester material. Unfolded, each cube measures 15 inches per side, but can be folded down to fit in a flat packet, roughly 7 inches square, for easy storage and transportation. Each of the three doorways has four soft Velcro tabs which can be used to connect multiple cat cubes into a variety of tunnel configurations. A ribbon is attached to the ceiling of the cube for play.

Why it’s so great

Both the cats and I love this toy. It provides all the joys of a cardboard box (hide inside, wait in ambush, poke your head out the side – or roll it on its side and poke your head out the top) while being soft, flexible and durable.

The three door openings provide plenty of opportunity for hiding, pouncing and stalking – my cats love chasing each other through the cube and play-fighting over who gets to go inside. They greatly enjoy going inside and rolling the cube along the floor; stalking toys (or each other) from inside the cube; pouncing on it and collapsing it or just using it as a safe place to nap.

The first cube we purchased over a year ago is still in use today and has mostly maintained its shape. Despite a lot of clawing and squishing of the cube it’s held up beautifully. Several cat cubes at my mother’s house are also turning out to be quite durable. Another cube we purchased was doing well, until the end of the wire frame started poking through the fabric casing, so it was discarded for safety.

All in all this is a sturdy and affordable toy that my cats love, and I’d recommend it to anyone, whether your cats are young and playful or older and more sedate. I’ll be picking up another cube to add to the collection the next time I’m in an American Walmart.