Dear Cathy,
I read your column where Rich from New York wrote about his 17-year-old cat pooping outside his litter box. You suggested the cat could be arthritic. My mom experienced this problem with her cat, and found that a Rubbermaid container lid turned upside down with litter in it worked wonders. Her cat could easily get in and out of the litter with minimal discomfort. To address the extra litter outside of the lid, she used a throw rug underneath it. Hope this tip helps others too!
— Deb, Chicago, Illinois
Dear Deb,
Basically, your mom created a low-profile litter box for her arthritic cat. The rug captures a lot of the litter, which probably requires only a broom for quick clean-up and daily maintenance. Thanks for sharing. Hopefully, it helps another arthritic cat.
Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, children’s author, syndicated pet columnist, and pet expert with more than 30 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to moc.tidnuptep@yhtac. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal