The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[Outdoor Girl]

I agree; check the information on the litter packaging.  If it doesn't clump, it is likely suitable for municipal sewers but I'm not sure about septic systems.  If it is a clumping style, I've been told you shouldn't put it down the toilet.

I have a litter locker.  It is like an old style diaper genie.  It has a bag inside.  You scoop the litter box contents into the top of the container and pull the slide to drop it into the bottom.  When it's full, you just lift the whole top of the genie, cut off the plastic, tie it shut and toss.  You could do this every garbage day, although with two cats, mine seems to last for more than a week before I have to empty it.

[Virg]

The simple answer for cat litter is not to put it in a septic system.  Cat litter is mostly undigestible (and for your particular choice of sawdust pellets, it's completely so) for a septic system and it's got a lot of volume, so it'll fill the tank in a hurry and that's bad news.  To keep it from reeking, one way I've seen is to get a sealing plastic can to hold it.  It won't help when you need to open it to put more in, but it'll keep it from smelling badly once you do.  You'll have to train yourself to draw a deep breath and hold it while you deposit new bags (and while you reclose it and walk away from it) but that's not too hard to do.

Virg

[Slartibartfast]

Putting some baking soda in the bottom of the can is a start, but really the best way to make it not stink is to take it out to the outside trash can frequently.

[KenveeB]

Crystal cat litter is also another option. It drastically cuts down on the smell. I discovered it when I had my first cat in a tiny studio apartment, and I've never looked back!

[afbluebelle]

What do firefighters do? I mean, obviously they fight fires. But stuff isn't always on fire! And you can't train 24/7, can you?


We had an in-flight emergency the other day, and firefighters are required to respond. While we were waiting for the all clear, all of us in the end of runway group realized that we don't know what firefighters do when not responding to ground emergencies/fires.

[Shoo]

What do firefighters do? I mean, obviously they fight fires. But stuff isn't always on fire! And you can't train 24/7, can you?


We had an in-flight emergency the other day, and firefighters are required to respond. While we were waiting for the all clear, all of us in the end of runway group realized that we don't know what firefighters do when not responding to ground emergencies/fires.

I'm not totally up on what firefighters do 24/7, but I know they respond to car accidents, other kinds of accidents, and sometimes medical emergencies, not just fires.  Other than that, I think just being ready to go at all times is what they do. 

[Mental Magpie]

How does one "shop" for a financial adviser?  I always thought I could save without help, but I could really use some help in figuring out how to budget things.  How can you tell a good one from a bad one?  What are important things for which to look?

[Dazi]

This completely seem like a stupid question, but I can't decide if it's stupid because 'of course' or 'NO!'

Can I just scoop from the cat pan into the toilet (that is right next to it, and has been for a year. And this is the first time this has occurred to me)?

I use Feline Pine litter (compressed sawdust pellets).

I have a septic tank (not sewer)

If the answer is 'no', anyone have advice for keeping the poo from stinking until garbage day? 1) I have an over active gag trigger 2) Florida is having a rather warm winter, and the rest of the year is warm anyway...anywhere I put the little bags, it stews and marinates, and the smell expands to fill all available space....

Eta septic info

#1   Do not under any circumstances flush kitty litter down the toilet with a septic system.  It's a quick way to fill up and ruin your tank and drain field.

#2   I don't know about others, but I've always found the pine, cedar, corn and newspaper kitty litters to exacerbate the ammonia smell from cats urine.

#3   It is a really BAD idea to put a litter box in a bathroom as the moisture pretty much makes the litter useless in absorbing the odor it is supposed to as it is absorbing the excess moisture from the shower steam.  This is even a worse problem in states that already have humid climates.

#4   The best kitty litter I've found that actually controls odors is Tidy Cats 24/7 clumping.  I scoop daily into a double bagged plastic grocery bag and store it in the garage in an empty Tidy Cats 35 lb. resealable tub until trash day.  Works like a charm.

[JoW]

New topic:

Tonight it is supposed to get well below freezing which is essentially the first time this winter.  I currently have a 12 pack of diet sodas in my car which will be parked in the garage.  I want to take them to work tomorrow.

Do you think I need to bring the sodas inside or will the car/garage keep them safe from freezing?  It will be around 16 degrees tonight.  Will the car and garage provide that much protection?

(16 degrees DOES seem awful cold!)

Bring them in.  Put them on top of your purse so you won't forget them tomorrow.  I've had soda cans freeze and rupture in my attached garage. 

[Virg]

afbluebelle wrote:

"What do firefighters do? I mean, obviously they fight fires. But stuff isn't always on fire! And you can't train 24/7, can you?"

Most "firefighters" are really emergency response people, and they handle stuff that requires heavy equipment in most towns.  So, they not only respond to fires, they respond to other stuff like car or boating accidents, natural disasters like mudslides or flooding, non-fire emergencies like someone trapped in a drain/stuck on a roof/caught in a structure collapse and lots of other stuff of that nature.  That said, training does take up a reasonably large amount of their time because they're not just training to put out fires.  Learning how to cut a car open with the Jaws of Life takes time, for example.  Maintaining their equipment also takes up a lot of time.  They don't "wash the fire truck" every week just because they like it shiny, it's also to test all of the pumps and safety systems and make sure the truck runs and the hoses work and the gear is sorted and the oxygen tanks are filled and prepped and so on.  When they're not doing the job or training (or dealing with the upkeep of the job like paperwork or keeping the station), they do whatever they care to do while being ready to drop it all and respond to a call.

Virg

[squeakers]

New topic:

Tonight it is supposed to get well below freezing which is essentially the first time this winter.  I currently have a 12 pack of diet sodas in my car which will be parked in the garage.  I want to take them to work tomorrow.

Do you think I need to bring the sodas inside or will the car/garage keep them safe from freezing?  It will be around 16 degrees tonight.  Will the car and garage provide that much protection?

(16 degrees DOES seem awful cold!)

We're at 5 degrees with a -15 wind chill.  Under 32 degrees liquids freeze. Diet soda is very similar to water so will freeze near the same temp (30-32 degrees).. regular soda can stand temps a bit chillier but at 16 degrees will probably freeze too. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_freezing_temperature_of_soda

[sevenday]

What I do with my cats... I have 3 cats, 3 litter boxes.  One box is pine pellets (the kind you get at the feed store), one is a mix of both, and one is clumping litter - since I discovered the hard way (Thank you, mystery pee-er) that at least one cat objects to pellets-only and prefers clumping.  Fine.  It's still cheaper than using clumping litter in all three boxes.  Some time back I bought some litter in one of those square plastic buckets with a reclosable lid and a handle.  Since then I've bought the kind that's bagged inside a cardboard box.  I recycle the cardboard boxes and use the plastic bag that the litter came in as a liner for the big bucket - open it up, put the plastic around the edge of the bucket, slap lid on.  Scoop directly into that, close lid, then at the end of the week I take the whole bucket outside, take off the lid, peel off the plastic around the rim, close it with the plastic tab that it originally was closed with, and dispose into the trash bin outside.  Upon coming back in, I sprinkle a bit of baking soda in the bottom and tuck a new bag in, carry on.  Once in a while I'll run out of the bags that came with the litter and use a bathroom-size trash bag.   Sure, you still have to smell it when you're scooping and for a few seconds as you're disposing, but it's probably less than what you're doing now.

Also, I agree with others - bathroom is a bad place, unless it's a bathroom that you do not use the shower in.   I ended up using my front hallway as the cat area.  (It's a long story, some interesting home reno that a previous resident did... ended up being beneficial for us in the end.)

[ScubaGirl]

How does one "shop" for a financial adviser?  I always thought I could save without help, but I could really use some help in figuring out how to budget things.  How can you tell a good one from a bad one?  What are important things for which to look?

We went with a personal recommendation and we love the guy.  He is also younger than us so we figure he'll handle our money until we die. 

[Rohanna]

afbluebelle wrote:

"What do firefighters do? I mean, obviously they fight fires. But stuff isn't always on fire! And you can't train 24/7, can you?"

Most "firefighters" are really emergency response people, and they handle stuff that requires heavy equipment in most towns.  So, they not only respond to fires, they respond to other stuff like car or boating accidents, natural disasters like mudslides or flooding, non-fire emergencies like someone trapped in a drain/stuck on a roof/caught in a structure collapse and lots of other stuff of that nature.  That said, training does take up a reasonably large amount of their time because they're not just training to put out fires.  Learning how to cut a car open with the Jaws of Life takes time, for example.  Maintaining their equipment also takes up a lot of time.  They don't "wash the fire truck" every week just because they like it shiny, it's also to test all of the pumps and safety systems and make sure the truck runs and the hoses work and the gear is sorted and the oxygen tanks are filled and prepped and so on.  When they're not doing the job or training (or dealing with the upkeep of the job like paperwork or keeping the station), they do whatever they care to do while being ready to drop it all and respond to a call.

Virg

In a great many jurisdictions in Canada, Firefighters first respond to medical scenes to help the ambulance. Patients can be heavy, or require difficult extrications. Sometimes you just need an extra set of hands to do CPR or hold pressure on a wound. Sometimes it's for crowd control. They will sometimes also drive the ambulance for a crew, so that both medics can attend a patient/patients in the back. As there are always more fire crew than paramedics, they may also serve as "first on scene" to a call until an ambulance clears and responds- in my city they carry a heart monitor and oxygen, as well as some basic bandage and compress first aid supplies. They do not transport patients or administer any medications, but they can help with breathing, CPR and blood loss control until the medics arrive and take over.

[GreenHall]

Thanks for the info on the kitty poo issue.   I won't put it in my septic system. 
The bathroom is unused 99% of the time (except by the cat).
The house came with a doggy door, and the cat got the hang of that easily, so she had in/out access as she wished.   Recently, the neighbors cat ALSO figured out the doggy door, and not only harasses my cat and ears her foods, but also 'lays claim' to anything thats around.  So in the morning my cat now has the option of being in all day or being out all day...