DEAR MISS MANNERS: We have two cats, a Siamese and an orange tabby, both about 2 years old. When the orange tabby uses her litter box, well, it's just pungent and disgustingly smelly. My husband just sits there and says when you have pets they come with smells.
I beg to differ, and what if we had company over? What's the proper etiquette in these matters? I await your reply because I think leaving it, even after one use with fresh litter, is one too many. I think he's trying to gaslight me and he's just being lazy.
GENTLE READER: Your husband's observation that pets come with smells is accurate but lazy -- by which Miss Manners means unhelpful. So do people, but we do not therefore conclude that all activities are open to public viewing.
Bathroom facilities for the pets should be kept out of range of visitors, meaning nowhere the two will come into close or sustained contact, olfactory or otherwise. Within the family, agreement must be reached, with understanding and preference given to more sensitive members.