Breakdown of У кошки есть свой лоток, и мы меняем наполнитель каждое утро.
кошка
the cat
каждый
every
и
and
утро
the morning
Questions & Answers about У кошки есть свой лоток, и мы меняем наполнитель каждое утро.
Why does the sentence begin with у кошки instead of using a verb like иметь for the cat has?
Russian very often expresses possession with the pattern:
у + possessor in the genitive + есть + possessed thing
So:
- у кошки есть свой лоток = literally at the cat there is its own litter box
- natural English translation: The cat has its own litter box
This structure is usually more natural in Russian than кошка имеет....
The verb иметь exists, but it is less common in everyday speech for ordinary possession.
So for simple X has Y, Russian often prefers:
- У меня есть книга = I have a book
- У собаки есть мяч = The dog has a ball
- У кошки есть свой лоток = The cat has its own litter box
Why is it кошки and not кошка after у?
Because у in this meaning requires the genitive case.
The base form is:
- кошка = cat
In the genitive singular, it becomes:
- кошки
So:
- у кошки = of the cat / at the cat / the cat has
This is part of the standard possession pattern in Russian:
- у мамы
- у брата
- у кошки