Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for March 24, 2014

Cleaning the litter box and something else?

Does this count as a cat cartoon?

After a dump from our bigger cat, it’s only a matter of a few minutes before our entire suite becomes unbearable.

The fumes from my cat’s business will actually sting your eyes and damage the mucus membranes of your nose.

I have been practicing holding my breath, to better endure the bathrooms at my office.

Speaking as a retired zoo keeper, you’re all a bunch of wusses.

Cat boxes are why I don’t have cats.

We use the clumping litter, which really does cut down on the aroma. And, Flossie, I prefer cleaning the cat box to picking up after my dog – and the people who think it’s OK for their dogs to use my lawn as a latrine.

Glad to be back to the regular strip after that completely weird interlude

@riverhawk from yesterday:actually, I just used the word vituperate the other day in conversation, believe it or not.Truth be told, though, usually four letter words are the norm for me for some reason :-)I have fun when I mix profanity and more complex vocabulary together sometimes :-) Makes ’em wonder………

. . . So did I, Janis. So did I.

She would know. She would know.

I’ve had cats AND dogs and I would much rather take a dog for a walk than scoop a cat box.

Time to get a dog, Arlo; they can be trained not to crap in the house! (At least the full-sized, real-dog breeds can).

Two words, Arlo: mouth breathing.

…i had two cats, two litter boxes with nice deep clumping cat litter; I cleaned them out EVERY DAY… no problem at all that way.

Good grief! Take the stupid litter box outside in the breeze and clean it!

Johnson was struggling on this one …

1: Grow a pair. 2: Get better litter. We use the Arm & Hammer multi-cat variety. Yes, it sometimes smells, but the litter eliminates all but the worst of it.

Not always the smell, but the dust!I grew up on a farm too. At least one won’t have to walk in a litter box to clean it.Nice come back zookeeper!

I use Arm & Hammer Multi-Cat clumping litter. I clean (almost) every day and never need to hold my breath… and I have 3 cats (who are never allowed outside)..When I saw this, I wondered just how long he’d waited to clean it! (I also wondered if maybe Ludwig has not been neutered… neutering cuts down a lot on the odor too, especially from male cats.)

I’m lucky. Both my cats prefer to go outside even in the winter….I have no idea why, but I’m not complaining…….. I hardly ever have to clean the litter box….

Nope. shoveling chicken manure in 90 degree weather! Try that! You’ll be glad to get back to a cat box!

Night-Gaunt49: Beat me to it. But on further reflection, I might consider interjections (particularly of pain) and some onomatopoeia (an old spelling list word from junior high school which I have just used for the first time in writing) to be natural rather than manufactured

..unless the dogs get wet…

HAHA! I have 3 cats who all tend to use the corners of the boxes for their number ones. I use clumping wheat litter. Cleaned the boxes last night and oh boy I broke open one of the corner “pee-balls” and my eyes watered! My bad; I’d neglected to sift the litter for 2 days.

But on the other hand, I don’t have a dog to walk in Wisconsin winters or clean up the yard after, and the cats don’t rattle the walls with barking at folks walking by on the trail.

Does this mean he got older with the kids??

If the catbox makes you eyes sting, I am going to offer the opinion that you are not cleaning it often and thoroughly enough so that the urine is collecting and concentrating the ammonia.

The solution? Soap and water more frequently!

If you use the clumping kinds of “litter” the urine is removed in the clumps if serviced daily.

But if you use the not-clumping sort you need to dump the whole shebang out periodically (as often as daily if more that one or two cats use the box).

People walk into our home and are surprised when they see the cats, because there was no cat odor greeting them at the door. We use good quality clumping litter and arm & hammer deodorizer made for the purpose. Also a good quality litter box helps, too, as the clumps don’t stick to the sides and corners. Our cats are all indoor cats, all the time. There are way too many dangers outside for a house cat.

Night-Gaunt49: If it hits a hot surface.

I have two cats and with clumping and cleaning every day or at most every other day not problem. They should get a clue.