Our Ariel is approaching 6 (on 29 Apr), & has developed lymphoma.  She's
on pred, & being a tiny little girl all her life, is looking a bit like
a bowling pin these days, which does make it harder for her to use a
standard litterbox, cos her butt's just so much bigger than what she's
used to dragging around behind her.
 
What we've done is this.  Instead of using a commercial litterbox, we've
gotten some of those clear plastic Sterilite containers, long enough to
go from the front to the back of the cage w/ no gaps on either side.  We
drill 2 sets of 2 holes in the back, so we can wire it to the cage (so it
doesn't get tipped over)Then, we cut down what will be the front entrance
of the box - & we cut it almost *all the way to the bottom of the box*,
so there's virtually nothing to step over.  Don't cut out the entire
front of the box - leave the front corners, but make the entrance plenty
wide enough so they have plenty of room to get in & out.  Then, the
important part - *burn* the edges you've cut, so they melt, & are not
choppy, uneven, or prone to irritating your little one's rear end on the
way out.  We just use one of those Bic candle lighters, running it evenly
across the cut areas, so they melt smoothly.
 
Since the Sterilite boxes are deep enough from front to back, you can
concentrate the litter in the back of the box, so they're not dragging
poop out when they leave the box - they've already had plenty of space
to drag it before they get out of the box.
 
Ariel has always been 100% w/ her litterbox, & this has been frustrating
for her, I should think.  This approach has helped her a lot.  The only
thing we really worry about now is keeping her rear end clean, since it's
harder for her to scoot her fat tush as effectively as before.  A warm
washcloth as soon as we notice she's a little dirty helps.  If we don't
notice it right away, we'll put her in the sink & just shampoo her tail,
butt, & back feet.  Maybe I'm anthropomorphizing here, but it really
seems to make her a lot less edgy when she tries to settle down.  She's
not so worried about licking her butt so much.
 
Just a thought ~
 
Lin, Ariel, Oberon, Max, Puck, & Ivan
To email me back, take out everything from "K" to "2"
[Posted in FML issue 5198]