Why am I lining the litter tray with newspaper?

[Dilbertian]

MrCat prefers to toilet outside, but he's had to be indoors since before Christmas, so he's been obliged to use the litter tray. Frankly, neither of us are delighted by this.

I automatically line the tray with newspaper. Why? What purpose does the newspaper serve, other than to make more mess and more cleaning up? If I'm scooping every day plus whenever MrCat poos, and doing a full change and sanitise every week, is there any reason to line the tray at all?

It makes no sense, stop!

I've never heard of doing this, seems completely unnecessary.

I don't. Well I say I, it's usually DH who does the litter tray. We don't buy any newspapers anyway.

I use biodegradable liners, then cat litter. change every 3-4 days. really easy and much easier than trying to clean litter tray.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Enviropaws-Biodegradable-Compostable-Drawstrings-Resistant/dp/B0CGFVZ1LV/ref=asc_df_B0CGFVZ1LV?mcid=bce7fb030cce3cd7b813debf47ce165c&hvocijid=3550681657002813498-B0CGFVZ1LV-&hvexpln=74&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=696285193871&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3550681657002813498&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045882&hvtargid=pla-2281435178858&psc=1&gad_source=1

Line with puppy pads

I also don't understand the sanatising tbh. He's just going to immediately shit in it again.

Newspaper doesn’t make sense, when I used it it didn’t help at all it mostly just got scratched and torn up by the cats. I line with litterbox plastic bags which I know is not great environmentally but it makes it so much easier to literally just take out the bag of used litter at the end of the week and not have to mess around cleaning and sanitising the tray, I used to hate scraping off the used litter that was inevitably stuck to the plastic. Now I just take out the used bag, put on a new one and add clean litter, no need to do any cleaning or sanitising of the tray.

We did with our previous cat, but she only used the tray once in a blue moon (usually went outside). When we had to have her pts and adopted our boy I did it automatically, only to find he digs like he’s seeking treasure, and the newspaper was immediately shredded into a million pieces.

I now do deep Catsan and turn over immediately after a wee, scoop poos. No newspaper. Annoyingly he had started to poo outside just the last few weeks (eight months in) and now won’t out because we have had snow since Thursday!

I do a scrub with washing up liquid every Saturday, complete change of litter.

Clumping cat litter, scooped multiple times a day to remove faeces or urine clumps, top up as needed. I give a spray with cat safe anti bac / disinfectant when I change it. Washing up liquids not going to do anything.

How can anyone get away with only clearing the litter tray once a week? MrCat stinks the house out with his doings!

I sanitise the tray to reduce stinkiness.

I think the paper would absorb the urine and smell even more surely? I wouldn’t line it, I also wouldn’t use the plastic liners, mine just tore them apart and it resulted in mess and disappointment.

Litter will stink less if you use a plant fibre based one. Easier to clean. Can be composted and the poop can be flushed.

I get odour control clumping litter from Morrisons, so far it's my cats preferred brand. With Catsan they wanted it changed after each use and refused any repeat performances even if the offending lumps and damp bits were removed.

Cat litter tray is kept in a well ventilated space so doesn't smell unless just been used.

@101Kittens do not flush cat faeces they carry microbes and pathogens that are not destroyed by our sewage water purification systems

Look at his food!

We adopted a half Maine Coon/half Ragdoll boy (a year ago today!!) He had the stinkiest poos ever! He has his litter tray in the same room where I WFH and the little git used to shit when I was in a meeting, when I couldn't do anything about it, and my eyes would be watering!!

He prefers dry food so I put him on Scrumbles (Tesco/Sainsburys) and it was a gamechanger!! I'm also careful about his treats - I think it's MrPickles he gets - Dreamies were a no-go too!

I've never put anything in the litter trays but litter.

My last cat was on a special diet and his shit stunk like God knows what. Even the cat used to sprint away like his arse was on fire to get away from it.

(Then proceeded to act all innocent as it obviously wasn't him that caused the stink)

Anyway, I used to line the tray with proper liners that could quickly be tied up to help with the quick grab and go to get it outside and in the bin ASAP.

Tobias tends to sort of go into a digging trance in the tray, and keep scrabbling at the litter for AGES both before and after using the tray. There are rather distinct gouges on the bottom of the tray from when he gets even more enthusiastic than usual. So any kind of liner would be shredded first time he went!

I remove all cat deposits from the litter tray daily (or immediately if I'm around when one of the cats has done something really toxic - thanks Lenny this morning during breakfast 🤮).
We use clumping litter so I only wash the tray once in a blue moon, and would never use a liner.

I had assumed that people put newspaper in litter trays to give the Cat something to read whilst going to the toilet.

Do you never clean your own toilet?

Our cats are much more refined & just like to read the papers during breakfast. 🤣

I’ve never lined the tray. My cats like to do a lot of deep digging so they would just scratch a hole in the liner, making it a high stakes roulette game as to whether you end up with a trail of dirty litter when you empty the tray. When a full change is needed it takes seconds to pull a bag over the tray and tip everything in.

Plant based clumping litter. Scoop poo and clumps twice daily and keep litter deep so urine doesn’t soak through to the bottom. The tray doesn’t need a full clear out all that often.