Here are several ways to make a great litter box. Those large
under-bed storage boxes for sweaters and such make wonderful
litter boxes. They’re large enough for Kitty to have
ample space and the sides are low enough for easy access.
You can put the lids underneath them to help catch extra litter.
If you have a cat that tends to go over the side of the box,
you can use the large plastic storage boxes and cut out an
entryway. Some cats like the extra privacy provided by an
opaque box that can’t be seen through. Others prefer
a clear box so they can view their environment while in the
box. If unsure, try both. Your cat will show you if she has
a preference.
Covered Litter Boxes:
These, too, are designed for the convenience of humans,
not cats. Though they do help keep odor from permeating
a room, they concentrate odor in the box. Kitty’s sense
of smell is so much keener than yours that the intensified
odors in her box may discourage her from using it.
Some cats do prefer covered boxes because of the privacy.
If you use a covered box, you should scoop it out twice
daily. You should also provide an open box in close proximity.
I have used covered boxes without the lids in areas where
I could not fit a large sweater box. (You might want to
cut an entryway in the front for easy access since the sides
are so high.) It serves as an extra box in a different location.
The high sides help keep litter from flying around when
a cat gets enthusiastic about using the box.
Automatic Litter Boxes:
Those self-cleaning boxes are a great invention for humans.
For cats? Well, it depends. Some cats will appreciate how
clean their box is kept, but others may be downright scared
of this mysterious apparatus and not go anywhere near it.
Automatic boxes have a sensor that indicates when Kitty
has left the box and enough time has elapsed for the cleaning
to begin. But here is the problem: If Kitty is still in
the room when the cleaning begins, the noise and commotion
in the box may startle her into thinking, ”Yikes! Lucky
I wasn’t still in there,” convincing her to never
to take that chance again.
Here is an example with two of my
own cats. Mickey and Suki are siblings rescued from
a late term spay and raised as orphan kittens. They are
extremely loving, well adjusted cats. I thought I would
try one of the new automatic boxes as an alternative box.
Mickey quickly took to it. After his business was complete,
Suki ventured in to use it as well. Just before she was
going to step in the box the cleaning began. Terrified by
the noise and movement, she ran out and used my bathroom
sink instead.
Since the noise is loud enough to hear in other rooms of
the house, I removed the box so it wouldn’t stress
Suki any further. She quickly returned to her normal litter
box habits with her old box and all was well.
On the other hand, self-cleaning litter boxes are great
for finicky cats that won’t use the box if it is at
all soiled, and many cats are not at all disturbed by the
noise. The key is to provide a regular box in addition to
the automatic box in a different location. If you notice
inappropriate elimination or agitation at the noise, I recommend
not using the automatic box.
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