Do you have a leaking tray?
Most commonly, this is due to a cat who is a "side
pee-er"..............!
Sorry....I just couldn't figure out a more delicate way to
describe this situation -- but if you have a male cat in your house who prefers to urinate on the side of
your box instead of into the litter.......well...you've got a side pee-er!
More than a few folks have contacted me with this experience --
whether it's with the Forever Litter Tray or with one of the cardboard
cartridges.
What happens when a cat urinates on the side is that the urine
tracks down and manages to seep between the very small gap between the top of the tray (or cartridge) and the
litterbox. The result is a puddle of urine underneath -- very annoying!
Well, Stan has decided to offer his help in this research by
becoming a side pee-er (thanks buddy). So now I've had a very "real world" way to test this and develop
something to help others solve this problem.
The solutions are quite easy, inexpensive, permanent, and (most
importantly) they work! And it virtually becomes a part of the
Scoop Free -- so is no hassle to clean at each litter change.
Step 1 The first step is to ensure the Scoop Free unit is resting
squarely on top of the top edges of the tray or cardridge. If your unit is on an uneven surface (carpet
for example, or as one person had it with part of the unit inside a closet with one edge resting on the
tracks) you will get small gaps which will allow urine to leak around and under the tray if your cat pees on
the sides.
Step
2 If you're still getting puddles, the next step is to go
to your local hardware store and purchase a piece of thin clear plastic corner protector. (Make sure to get
the thin stuff -- it works better). It usually comes in an 8 foot length, and is 3/4" per
side. Cost at my local Ace Hardware was $3.49. The angle on it is 90 degrees (to protect corners,
of course) so you want to lay it on a flat surface and push it apart to about 120 degrees. (This
is why you want the thin stuff). What I do is to lay it flat on a table, and then pull it down towards
me across the edge of the table to spread the angle out.
Any glue will work, but I've found a really great glue that will
work for other things than this as well -- called GOOP -- available at Home Depot and most hardware
stores. Cut your pieces to length for each side (they don't need to go the whole length due to the door
at one end) and glue in. I put a small bead of sealer along the top edge to prevent urine and crystals
from clinging there.
And you're done!
Now when your favorite friend pees on the side, it will now just
drip right down into the litter instead of tracking back under the tray.
Here's a photo to give you a better idea:
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