Cleaning out the cat litter is a thankless chore. Nobody wants to do it, but it needs to be done. If the litter box isn’t cleaned every day, your cat won’t want to use the litter box.
And a dirty litter box could lead to expensive health problems for both your cat and your family.
So, can I just flush the cat litter down the toilet then?
Lets find out.
Think of your cat as a high-maintenance roommate. Your cat is notoriously finicky about its bathroom preferences and will only use a specific type of kitty litter.
Cats prefer soft, odorless litter under their feet as they use the bathroom. Cats also like the litter they used as a kitten.
Cat’s have a particular taste in kitty litter, so disposing of dirty litter can be challenging.
Non-bio-degradable types of cat litter can, at most, be put in the green recycling bin after you cleaned the litter box. Bio-degradable litters have more options, but they require a lot of research before you do anything more than scoop them.
For disabled people, pregnant women, or people that work long hours, taking the time to scoop kitty litter could be a hassle. Some people could flush the litter box, but that risks destroying your septic system.
There are solutions to this problem. For some, the answer is to get a self-cleaning litter box.
Others go farther and get a cat litter box that flushes like a real toilet! The box hooks up to your toilet or your washing machine and flushes like a real toilet.
Can I flush cat poop from the litter box?
No matter how many sites and kitty litter brands tell you it’s okay, you don’t want to flush the kitty litter down the toilet.
The money you need to spend repairing your septic tank isn’t worth it.
Lots of types of kitty litter claim that they are flushable, but state laws are requiring litter box brands to put a warning label against flushing down the toilet.
Do self cleaning cat litter boxes work?
For the cat parents that don’t want to risk destroying their septic tanks, there are self-cleaning cat litter boxes.
When your cat needs to use the bathroom, they jump in, do what they need, and get out.
After the cat leaves the litter box, the self-cleaning box scoops out the poop and puts it on a tray.
Later that day, you take the poop and throw it away.
It sure does reduce the labor involved in keeping the litter box clean.
Self cleaning litter box for people who work long hours.
People with a busy work schedule would want to have this kind of litter box. All they have to do is throw the poop out before they go to work or after they come home.
There is little mess for the cat parents to clean up. However, the busy cat parents would need to make sure the litter box itself stays clean. The litter would also need to be still changed over time.
Can a kitten use a self cleaning litter box?
If you’re in a multi-cat household, or you have small kittens, you’ll want to research your cat litter box before you buy it.
Most self-cleaning litter boxes recommend waiting until the cat is over six months old. Any younger and the cat could be too small for the motion sensors to work in the box.
If you can’t flush kitty litter down the toilet, how do self-flushing kitty litters work?
Self-flushing litter boxes are a complex machine. Instead of using the traditional kitty litter a person would use, the litter is made from synthetic and biodegradable material.
When the cat uses the litter box, they’ll still be able to dig around as they like to do instinctively. The material is also washable, and they will never need to be replaced.
After the cat leaves the litter box, it scoops up the poop, liquefies it, and flushes it out of the home. The machine hooks up to your toilet or your washing machine.
Once the device is hooked up to your water line, you plug it in, and any waste the machine scoops up is flushed down in your water line like an actual toilet for your cat.
A self flushing cat litter box for pregnant cat parents!
This machine would be perfect for the pregnant cat parent and the cat parent with the weakened immune system.
These people should not be scooping out the kitty litter. Cat poop has the potential to carry a disease called Toxoplasmosis; the could bring serious problems for people with weak immune systems.
Pregnant women could suffer from miscarriages, stillbirth, or severe congenital disabilities. Having the self-flushing litter box will keep a cat in the cat parent’s home.
Changing to a self cleaning cat litter box from a normal litter box.
No matter what you decide for your cat, you need to understand it’s going to take time for your cat to get used to the self-cleaning litter box.
If you have a more skittish cat, you’ll want to start with the power off so your cat can get used to using it before the power goes on.
Some cats will adapt quickly, especially if the new litter box is significantly cleaner than the old one.
How does a self cleaning cat litter box work.
Cat parents will also have a bit of a transition period. Some self-cleaning litter boxes state they don’t need as much litter as regular litter boxes, so cat parents would need time to figure out the right amount of litter to use and how long to go before it’s time to clean the litter box.
Self-flushing litter boxes won’t ever need the materials used to be replaced. The transition period for the cat parents will be how long the materials can go before you need to put it in self-cleaning mode. The materials will wash for about thirty minutes before your cat can use them again.
Conclusion.
When making litter box cleaning a more manageable task, there are different options to consider based on your situation.
Under no circumstances should you flush kitty litter down the toilet. However, you can hook up a special litter box to your water line to flush down the toilet.
Cleaning the kitty litter is a thankless job. No matter how you clean out the litter box, your cat will appreciate your efforts.