Where is your cats litter box
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Anonymous
| We are thinking of getting a cat and are in research and planning mode. I understand there should be at least one more litter box than cat. Upstairs we can put a litter box in one of the bathrooms but downstairs I can’t think of a good more hidden spot. The downstairs powder room is too tiny and there is no mud room or similar out of the way place. If your litter box is in a more open living area what do you do? Top entry? The ones hidden in furniture? |
Anonymous
| We have the same problem. Ours is in the downstairs podwer room. The bathroom isnt tiny but it’s not big. We keep the door open so she has access. The litter box is covered and we clean it frequently. We dont have another box upstairs. I think poop belongs in the bathroom, so wouldnt do the furniture ones. |
Anonymous
| I have thought of taking a door off the bathroom sink cabinet and putting it under there with a curtain or cutting a cat size circle door in the cabinet for her to access the litter box, but my husband wont go for it. |
Anonymous
| We have one cat and the litterbox is in a bathroom. We scoop it every day and there are no problems with this. Dcat is cleaner than ds. |
Anonymous
|
Laundry room.
In past small homes, I had it tucked in a closet in a spare room (put a mat down through the whole closet) and a coat closet (that we didnt use for coats, just non-porous storage). There are some nice cat doors. A few other random tips for you: - Love the Litter Robot if you can swing the $500 price tag. I made fun of it for so long... once we got 2 cats, I tried it and only regret not getting it sooner. - For one cat, or if you can't swing the Litter Robot, Tidy Cats Breeze is amazing. Get the XL box. I know space is already at a premium but the standard size box really is too small for any cat over 9 lbs. - I had one cat for 16 years, then have had 2 for the last 10 months. Two cats is SO MUCH BETTER. We adopted them as a bonded pair (not siblings though, they were 1 and 2 years old, must have bonded at a shelter). I have zero regrets about having 2, they play with each other snuggle, make it easier when we go on vacation (have a petsitter come), it is just awesome having 2. People always said that and I didn't get it. If you are going to adopt only one, pick an adult cat who prefers to be on their own. - I am a HUGE fan of adopting adult cats, at least 9 months old. You can tell their personality so much more. Cats are who they are, and you can't tell what that is when they are kittens. Now, some scared Cats really warm up and become friendly at home (one of ours is that way), but they will always be more timid, hide when there is a lot for noise or new people type of Cats. If you are getting kittens under 6 months, 2 are really a must. - microchip feeders are awesome for 2 cats. I really like the Petkit automatic feeder (for 1 cat) and the water fountain they make. It lifts off the base so you don't have to deal with a power cord, and the inside is stainless steel. It makes refilling and cleaning much easier. - our cat-only vet advised they should have outdoors time to enrich their mental well-being. We don't have a solid fence though (and would watch them the whole time), so it makes us really nervous. These harnesses are the BEST. Very different than anything you can buy in stores. https://crazy-k-farm.myshopify.com/collections/cats - Best toys I've found are cat dancer and SmartyKat brand. You'll figure out fast what yours likes. Plan at least 2 20-minute interactive play sessions per day (more if possible, especially if young or only a single cat). Tired and mentally stimulated cats make for a happy home. Our cats really thrive watching Cat TV (birds) on YouTube cast to our TV. We have perches in windows, and they like watching birds through the window... but the YouTube videos really hold their attention longer! I researched it and it is not detrimental to their mental health. Do make sure they have a toy they can grab and "kill" afterwards. Laser toys are frustrating for cats since they can never catch it, so combine with a real toy if you want to use a laser toy. Good luck! I love having cats! They add a lot to our lives. |
Anonymous
| One cat, basement bathroom. Clean it out every single day - sometimes twice. |
Anonymous
| Great advice from PP. We have 2 cats and just keep 2 litter boxes in the basement. |
Anonymous
|
Basically the "landing" of the stairs on the floor that has the bedrooms (our house is an upside down house - you walk in on the main floor with the living room/kitchen, and then go down the steps to the lower level which has the bedrooms). They're kinda tucked away off to the side by a little under-the-stairs closet. Two litter boxes, three cats.
The other thing I'll throw out there - every vet always says "number of cats plus one" for the number of litter boxes, but I've had cats my whole life, and that seems like a REALLY high bar to me, especially with city living. We always had two cats and one litter box growing up, never had a problem. I had two cats with one litter box (though they were littermates and best friends, and it was a small apartment). My husband had one cat with one litter box. When we moved in together we kept both litter boxes, hence two now. Two other people I know who have three cats each have two litter boxes. That isn't a standard that most people are reaching. So honestly, if you are just getting one cat, and your house isn't enormous, I would bet good money you'll be just fine with one litter box. |
Anonymous
PP here to add - it's MUCH more important that you clean it very frequently. |
Anonymous
|
We have one cat, but two litter boxes. One on each floor.
- outside master bathroom/tiled area, but still around the corner from the master bedroom. - one hidden in the living room corner. It's in plant stand. He rarely uses it, and people have told me they don't notice it. |
Anonymous
This one https://www.chewy.com/good-pet-stuff-hidden-cat-litter/dp/149991?gclid=Cj0KCQjw6NmHBhD2ARIsAI3hrM08-f77xZEZ2h2vYBqIcS9R8RBZ1_ae53Noe0tD27sar4_DuenML9saAm3CEALw_wcB I have the entrance turned away from the line of sight, so you can't see it, but he still can slip in and out with ease. |
Anonymous
We have this one in our living room! Unfortunately out two cats use it the most because we are most often on the first floor and they like to stay near us. We have two boxes upstairs, too, but I think we might get rid of one of them since they don't use them often. I agree, OP, that if your house isn't huge then you might be fine with one box for one cat. We did that for years. |
Anonymous
| Thanks everyone! So much great advice. We are so excited! |
Anonymous
| I think you would be OK with just one box. We had two, one on each level, when we first brought our kitten home. We moved a year later to a one level house and had space in a large walk-in pantry for one. Had no problem going from two boxes down to one. I would rather tuck one in an out-of-the-way room where it makes sense then have it out in the open in the living room “hidden” if you can help it. |
Anonymous
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We keep ours in the corner of the bedroom. This way we are sure to be reminded to clean it (twice a day). It’s in a corner and surrounded by pads because our senior cat sometimes has trouble squatting to pee in the box. I’m sure to most people this sounds like a nightmare, but we live in an apartment and this works for us because the box is out of view of guests and because we clean it basically as soon as the cat uses it, there’s no smell.
I’ve had cats my whole life and two boxes for one cat has been necessary only with older cats and/or a large home. |