MSI Press Blog

  How many litter boxes should you have? Now, that is an interesting question. The general advice floating around—from cat professionals to the cat-loving masses—is one more litter box than the number of cats you have. That means if you’ve got three cats, you should have four boxes. Five cats? Six boxes. But let’s be real—when you’re living in a multi-cat household, that rule starts to sound less like practical advice and more like a logistical nightmare. If you’ve got a big cat family, are you really supposed to turn half your house into a feline bathroom? Probably not. So, how do you balance feline bathroom etiquette with the realities of space and household harmony? The “One More Than the Cats” Rule: Why It Exists This guideline isn’t just about forcing humans to find space for an ever-growing collection of litter boxes. It’s based on some solid feline logic: Territory & Privacy: Cats can be picky, and some don’t like sharing litter space, especially in a household wit...

  Bear (in litter robot) and Moo (following him in) Precerpt (excerpt prior to publication) from  Raising Happy Cat  families by Luna Norwood.  Welcoming a new cat into an already thriving feline community can feel like adding a wildcard to an otherwise predictable deck. And if there's one thing that can cause drama in the kitty kingdom, it's litter box politics. So, should the new cat get their own litter box? Yes! (At least at first.) Why a Separate Box Matters in the Beginning Territorial Security: Cats are big on personal space, and introducing a newcomer straight into the communal litter box can trigger territorial disputes. The new cat deserves their own spot to settle in, build confidence, and avoid unnecessary confrontations. Familiar Scent Integration: Instead of a brand-new litter box, consider using one that belongs to the existing cats. This helps the new cat absorb the household scent while still having th...

  Learning the Ropes: Kitten Moo following big brother Bear (peek inside) into the litter robot For years, we have had one litter robot per room -- at times four, at times five. They held great promise of reducing the workload. Just plop in a bag, let the robot do its work for a few days, then pull out the drawer, toss the old bag now full of used litter, and plop in a new bag. Every seven minutes after a cat used the robot, the drum would turn and whisk the litter into the drawer with bag. Initially, they did work pretty good, but they quickly broke down. Nearly every day one or another robot has to be cleaned and repaired -- the pincers are not touching, the plates are dirty, litter is in the gears, etc. Sometimes, turning the robot off and then on gets it back on track; other times pressing cycle, reset, or reset & cycle works. Sometimes, a slap works. Other times, though, it is a matter of disassembling and completely cleaning the robot, typically a 20-minute task that cann...