Cat feeding

Question
I currently have three cats that spend most of their time in my bedroom. They are feed by a feeder for both water and food. However, with having three of them the litter box fills rapidly and often at night and they will start going other places.

My question is
As far as feeding- is there a time ( or at all ) when I should take away the food? I've heard, from a few sorces, I should take away the food around 6. And if I did do this would it limit the promblem with the litter box?

Answer
Well, I think the problem is that you don't have enough litter boxes. My vet (who I think carries these things to extremes) insists that you need one litter box per cat. I think that realistically, one litter box is OK for two cats, but if you have three, you definitely need to either add another litter box or switch to an electric model. Both the LitterMaid and the Purrforma are good -- the LitterMaid is lower-maintainance but messier to clean and change and not as good as the Purrforma for odor control. The Purrforma needs more frequent attention but is quick and easy to clean and provides superior odor control.

When you bring in the new litter box, you should also get some Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract litter and mix it half and half with your regular litter, that is, if you are using clumping litter. This special litter is very attractive to cats and helps discourage inappropriate elimination by luring them back to the box. For this reason it's always good to start a new litter box with some -- especially if you are going to go with an electric. But you don't want to use pure Dr. Elsey's in an electric box.

Given how long it takes for food to pass through a cat's digestive system, I don't think that taking away the food at 6 would have any effect on your cats' box use during the night. It would also probably stress them since they are used to feeding whenever they want. Please consider the litter box option instead; I think you will find it far more effective.

Hope this helps

iris