Help needed please. Do i need a litter tray for each cat?

[neverontime]

Hi, I'm getting another cat tomorrow and i could do with some advice please. Do i need a litter tray for each of the cats and also where is the best place to put the trays? My current cats litter tray is in an alove in the kitch, but there is not enough room for both there.

[Yoghurty]

I was always told the rule is 1 litter tray per cat, plus 1 more.

Somewhere private or closed off for the tray is preferable but not anywhere enclosed where the smell will build up- otherwise they are unlikely to use them and will go in your pot plants instead

[neverontime]

So i need to buy 2 more. Is upstairs near the bathroom a good idea? Do i put them near each other?

[RubyFruit]

I agree with Yogurty. A tray for each cat and one more, if you can.

I have 2 6month old kittens and I just have 2 trays and that mostly seems ok with them.

The main thing is for the trays not to be anywhere near their food.

Apart from that, I tend to keep the trays apart so if they are on one floor and they "get caught short" they don't have far to go! Because I have kittens,not cats, they don't really seem to plan ahead and want to go whatever floor they're on!

[neverontime]

am i better off keeping their food seperate too?

[OneForTheRoadThen]

I think if you are introducing a new cat it is best to give them their own litter tray and food bowls as apparently it reduces terriotorial aggression from the resident cat, as there is no 'competition' for existing resources.

However, I recently brought home a new kitten, tried this advice and older evilkitten ran straight to new kittens bowl, ate his food and shat in his tray

[neverontime]

that is so funny!
Not for the new kitten though, obviously (heehee)

[issey6cats]

ive got 4 cats and one huge litter tray uin the bathroom cos couldnt stand an extra one in the kitchen and all of mine use the same one but that dosent work for everyone so if you have one in the kitchen an extra one in the bathroom isnt going to be that much extra work and as others have said gives each cat thier own tray, sorry but i dont understand this extra tray thing just more work and expense and yes to start with feed the new kitten seperately to the resident cat

[neverontime]

issey6cats - do you mean feed them at seperate times or seperate areas or both.
i've got my old cat eating in the kitchen area and was thinking i could feed the new one in the dining area.

[OneForTheRoadThen]

I'd go for feeding at the same time, but separate areas. Then you won't have any problems of one cat desperately trying to get to the other ones food!

Also, you might want to monitor the new cat for a bit to check it is eating well and settling in so a different set of bowls will help this :)

What age is your current cat? And how old will the new one be?

[neverontime]

Oscar, my current cat is 10 months and our new cat, Tinky, is 2.

Are there any other potential problems i havnt thought of yet that i need to be aware of?

[neverontime]

I meant Tinky is 2 years.

[OneForTheRoadThen]

Oh that's interesting! I don't know much about introducing an older cat to a kitten. I'm currently introducing trying to stop death fights between my 4.5 month female kitten and my 9 week old male kitten and it is quite a difficult process. I hope you have much better luck :)

Have they both been spayed / neutered? I have heard this makes it easier.

[RubyFruit]

I have an older cat (13 years old) and the boy kitten immediately fell in love with her and follows her around everywhere.

not everyone's tales are the same though so, I think with all these questions, you'll have to see what the unique dynamics are

I agree with the idea of feeding them all in different places but at the same time, initially, so that they all get into the same routine. Initially, my older cat was put off her food because of the new arrivals but she's fine now and has a better appetite than ever

[issey6cats]

sorry meant to say same time seperate places mine range from 5yrs old to 2 yrs old and over time i have trained mine to all eat in a line from thier own dishes, mind you the tiddly little girl cat will push the great big hairy ginger and white hooligan out of the way to get extra food and he lets her hes daft as a brush and she is craftier than a barrell full of monkeys

[TimrousBeastie]

i have a 9 month old kitten and just got a 5 month old at the weekend. so far its gone well , they both have separate trays but they both tend to use both. They have separate feeding areas but the little one tends to eat everything he/she sees (was told its a female, but my partner thinks its a male, and my neck and arms are covered in scratches from trying to figure it out so i never got a good look).

I'm now feeding them at the same time and keeping an eye on the older one to make sure she's actually getting some food- a couple of times I've closed the door so she gets to eat in peace aswell.

good luck with new cat, hope it all goes well

[neverontime]

Thanks everyone for your advice, its been really useful.
Our new cat has arrived and she is absolutely tiny and beautiful!
Oscar and the new cat have been hissing at each other and Oscar cornered her at first, but so far they are staying out of each others way.
The new cat is now hiding behing the sofa

I say new cat because i really dont know what to call her, she was called Beena, but i preferred the name Tinky until she arrived, i'm not sure she suits it now.

[RubyFruit]

Beena's a lovely name:) Does it suit her?

[neverontime]

I cant really tell if it suits her because shes still behind the sofa

[Aquilla]

We had two trays for a while (those huge, indoor covered cat toilets) and then I went overseas for a few weeks leaving my DP in charge of our two cats. When I came home they had been downgraded to sharing one loo and we've just gone from there! They are both male and neutered btw. They get cleaned out every night and a complete litter change every week (Sainsbury's Clumping £1.99). So don't rule it out! But maybe start with 2...