(Part 2) Top products from r/catcare

3 inches depth is a good rule. I scoop the box completely every couple of days, and replace the litter completely every month-ish or if I notice that odors are lingering. I found that getting a good litter scoop took away any reluctance to clean the box I might have had; it just makes the task a lot easier.

Late to the party, but I think you may be buying unnecessarily expensive litter. Pet products are like anything else; the sky's the limit on what you can spend and there will always be a brand ready to sell to high rollers, but unless you're spending that much on a large (25lb+) bags then you can probably look for new litter.

I've been using Swheat Scoop and World's Best Cat Litter for ten years and have consistently found them to be affordable, high quality and low-maintenance. They are plant-based (wheat and corn, respectively), so if opened and then left unattended in a pantry they can attract critters, but they clump well, they don't have any sort of chemical odor that might turn your cat off, and best of all they're flushable—I'm an apartment dweller so being able to scoop the litter whenever I want to without the chore of taking it downstairs to the garbage each time is a great incentive to change it as regularly as my cats need.

Anyway, hope that's helpful! $30/bag if your cat doesn't explicitly need something special that's in that litter is way too much.

My suggestions would be Feliway Diffusers and Nature’s Miracle Calming Spray, which calm your cat down and ease anxiety and their overall mood and behaviors. This might ease him upstairs, or at the very least make him calmer. He might be in your basement simply because he likes it there, not that he’s scared. If you adjust the upstairs into something that he would like better, maybe he will spend more time up there. Or maybe he just likes the cool, quiet atmosphere of the basement. Does he come upstairs to eat or play?

One thing about the diffusers is that they do heat up a lot, so keep them away from things that are very flammable!

If he's slowly warming up to you and improving as time passes, he will hopefully continue this trend. It's only been three weeks. If he starts biting you just say "no" and stop petting him or walk away. Maybe try just sitting next to him for a while without petting him and see if he will come to you. I know you said you play with him, but make sure you are tiring him out during each play session. Wand toys are great for this because your hand is nowhere near the toy part so he will eventually associate the toy with biting and not your hand. This is the absolute best wand toy in my experience.

I've had 2 auto feeders for my cat.

The first one was similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/Petmate-Portion-Automatic-Feeder-brushed/dp/B005O324ACand my cat broke into it on the 2nd day. The bowl detaches from the feeder part for easy cleaning which is nice, but the part where the food comes out is not covered by anything, which is how my cat managed to break in. He stuck his paw up the chute where the food came from and was able to wiggle his paw around to get all the food out.

The second and current one is similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/Crown-Majestic-Diamond-Automatic-Feeder/dp/B00JIWW3VUand it's been fantastic for the 2 or so years we've used it. The one I have doesn't have the water attachment, so I think they've upgraded models or something. For this one, the bowl doesn't detach, so it's not as easy and convenient to clean but still doable. This one does have a little plastic guard where the food goes into the bowl which prevents my cat from breaking in. The lid that covers the food reservoir latches nicely and can't be broken into unless your cats have opposable thumbs ;) unfortunately I don't remember how the lid on the first one attaches

One concern I have for you and your cats is that they might not be happy to share food from the same bowl, but if your cats are ok with that then you should be fine. Hope this is helpful, let me know if you need more!

Cat tax (including auto feeders): https://imgur.com/a/bGpI4NQ

Some cats are CRAZY food-driven. I've got 4 cats, and 2-3 of them (depending on their mood at the time) are food-mad. And all but one definitely prefer their super expensive prescription dry food over wet food.

To make it less of a food-panic and introduce play, our vet recommended these to stop the scarfing. They work beautifully!!

That, and slo-bowls

And Puzzle Bowls

Keeps them all from scarfing it down so they eat slower, don't "scarf & barf", and it reduces desperation at the next meal time.

Good luck!

My first cat has been a journey and a great learning experience.

My most important piece of advice is to be consistently patient. Young cats are wild af. Stay calm. Don't cuddle or put your hands on your cat too often. Practice this for YEARS. Seriously... Patience.

Giving the cat space, a scratch pad, and some time outside sniffing around in the grass, chasing birds, talking shit to squirrels... This and plenty of patience, time and being gentle with the cat—I used to pet her more like a dog but kitties are fragile!—has turned our Kitty into the sweetest little cat.

Kitties are magical. Treat your cat with respect, listen to what he has to say, and take your time!

Best,

My cat isn't interested in matatabi sticks but loves matatabi powder! Worth a try :) Good luck!

Definitely ask the cat sitter to hang out for at least half an hour - even if they're just watching TV it's good for the babies ot have them there (but if you're paying them they should be happy to actually play with the cats). In terms of interactive toys, my cats LOVE this. Even my grumpiest cat goes wild for that guy.

try to get a free sample of this from a vet

Hill's Prescription Diet y/d Feline Thyroid Health - 4lb

http://www.amazon.com/Hills-Prescription-Feline-Thyroid-Health/dp/B007M5WEYQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452266786&sr=8-1&keywords=science+diet+y%2Fd

Hill's Diet y/d Feline Thyroid Health Canned Cat Food (24 -5.5oz cans)

http://www.amazon.com/Feline-Thyroid-Health-Canned-5-5oz/dp/B00FAX5YVM/ref=pd_sim_199_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=51jGiSScxHL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1MRP27MFCHMCDNV7F75D

Example

http://www.amazon.com/Catgrass-Sweet-Oats-Cats-Seeds/dp/B0035XQ7D8

What are you feeding them? That will really cause their shit to stink.

Also, the best cat litter i've ever used is
http://www.amazon.com/Precious-Cat-Premium-Clumping-Litter/dp/B0009X29WK/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1422476523&sr=1-1&keywords=cat+litter

I wouldn't do it. Declaw can cause pain, behavioral problems, aversion to the litterbox, and the claws can grow back which causes pain.

I would counter condition your cat using positive reinforcement to either touching her paws and clipping them, and/or to the car so you can transport her. You can also buy a restraint bag for grooming (like this) if counter conditioning fails.