Question:
I'll be alone post-op with my cats. How do I clean the litter box?

I am single, no kids, and live alone. Don't have many friends who live close by. I do have cats though and will need to clean the litter boxes AT LEAST once a day. Has anyone else had to take care of pets post-op? I have no idea how I will be able to do this and I'm worried about them jumping on my stomach after I come home too. Any ideas?    — [Anonymous] (posted on February 15, 2002)

February 15, 2002
I know all the dog lovers will pass by this questions. But I'm a cat lover and have had the same concern. I'm still pre-op myself. I have three options that may help. 1. What I thought I would do is go ahead and invest in the Litter Maid (around $100). I had one of these previously and for one cat it will collect everything for about a week. 2. Check out any "pet sitter" business in the yellow page. You could most likely make a deal for a daily visit. 3. If you have a neighborhood kid (age11-13)you can trust and pay them a minimal fee I'm sure they would be glad to make some money. I hope one of these options will help you out.
   — Cheryl S.

February 15, 2002
Try elevating the litter box to a level you can reach without bending. Of course start this preop so the cats are used to it by the time you come home from surgery. Also, put less litter in the box and throw it out more frequently so you don't have to lift a heavy bag. Kathleen
   — Kathleen C.

February 15, 2002
I hired a "pet sitter" they cost about $5 to $10 a visit and do whatever you need done. It was so worth it not to have to worry about my babies. And my sitter made sure they had fresh water and lots of food as well. You can find a bonded sitter in the yellow pages. Good Luck to you.
   — nkoehler88

February 15, 2002
Hi there, I have 11 kitties myself and I understand about frequent cleanings of the litter box! I am pre-op and luckily there are others in the house to take care of the cats, but I think the best idea would be to elevate the litter box to a level you can reach. If you have older cats who can't make the jump, you can always put a smaller box or two down as a step. It'd probably be best to keep the litter box in the same place as they are used to if possible to ease the transition. You might also want to take a sturdy plastic ruler and duct tape it to a cat scooper to make it reach farther. And if you're not already using scoopable litter, you might want to use that as it makes it easier to clean the box thuroughly without leaving urine-soaked litter behind. It's nice to know you are thinking of you kitties :) If yours are anything like mine, they will pick up on the new routine quickly. Good luck! >^._.^<
   — [Anonymous]

February 16, 2002
I am a dog lover myself, but I though I had some good ideas to help with the litter problem. I see I'm not such a unique genius after all - all my ideas have already been stated. However, no one has addressed the jumping on your stomach part. I have 2 big dogs, 65 and 80 lbs. They are my children. We had to go out of town for a week for my surgery and left them at a relatives house. When we got home and my husband went to get them, he brought me a big king sized pillow. He said, "they are going to be so excited to see I don't think you'll be able to stop them from jumping on you (something they are not normally allowed to do), hold this pillow over your stomach to protect yurself." You know what? It worked. They made me feel so good about missing me with their little whines and they did jump up on me, but the pillow cushioned the blows and since the pillow was so thick, they couldn't really get to close or stay on my lap. I would suggest that you keep a pillow in your lap at all times so your babies can still snuggle you, but still keep you safe. If I can handle 80 lbs. of wiggle jumping on my stomach, I'm sure you will be fine with 15-20 lbs. of fluff. Good Luck to you.
   — Danielle M.

February 17, 2002
Hire a kitty sitter... they will come in once a day and clean the boxes, clean and fill the water dishes and dry food dishes and wash and put out the wet food for the babies. I have seven kitties and the only time I hurt my incisions was to bend down picking up and putting down their dinner dishes. Mine have dry food that is out in bowls but then at 6 they each get a share of wet food in their own little ceramic dish... 5 eat from a Pier One bamboo tray... which was too heavy to lift and it seems that that little bend down manuever gave me that ripping feeling in one of my incisions. I had to call the kitty sitter and have them come in every day so that I would finally heal. Until I stopped bending down I was in pain. I would be good for two days then 'rip' it again... once I got the sitter to do it, I healed within a week. It was worth every penny. I paid $10 a day... but maybe you have a neighborhood teen to do it if you dont have a cat sitting service in your town and get them to run the vacuum around the large areas while they are at it. $10 is a fair price.
   — SusanMaria

February 18, 2002
Hello...fellow kitty lover :) Make sure you wear a binder after surgery to buffer the kitty tummy jumps and/or keep a soft flat pillow on your tummy at all times. If you cant get someone to help you with the litter box, consider putting it up on a table where you will reach it easier for cleaning it. You might want to move it now before surgery to see if the little tikes will get use to it being there. Use a scoop to dump out a little at a time so that you do not strain yourself after surgery. Best of luck to you!
   — SARose61

July 22, 2005
At the petstores (PetCo., Petsmart) you can buy the dog pooper scoopers... the ones at the end of a long stick. That way you don't have to bend over. They're about $20.
   — LawGirl