Litter boxes—Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em 

One of the more practical reasons why some people prefer cats to other pets (who shall remain nameless) is the use of the litter box. Cats who live indoors are safer from disease, parasites, accidents, and injury, but, being fastidious creatures, they require a toilet of their own. 

But what kind of litter box should you get, and what kind of litter to go in it? How do you convince the kitty to use it? What stories does the litter tell you about your cat’s health? Here are some answers. 

Please note that, due to problems with my affilliate membership at PETsMART, the direct links on this page to that store have been removed. I'm hoping the problem will be resolved quickly, and links to an online retailer will be back in place soon.

The Litter Box

So many options

Those of us who have cats for many years may be amazed at the number of choices facing us at the average pet supply store now. Before, you had open litter boxes or ones with a top, and there weren’t many variations of those basic choices. Now, you’ve got several options, each with its own pluses and minuses. There are even "travel" litter boxes that look ideal for your disaster preparedness kit. A lot of it is your personal choice and a lot of it is your cat's—if he's not happy with the arrangement, you won't be happy.

One of the best tips concerns how many boxes you need to have. The rule of thumb is one per cat plus one; so, if you have two cats, you should have three boxes. Other factors to consider are whether your home has multiple floors (if so, it's really a good idea to have upstairs and downstairs boxes) and the age, size, and gender of your cats and whether they are willing to share.

Here's a description of several types of boxes:

Basic open litter box, with or without a snap-on rim

 
Exquisicat Large Litter Box Starter Kit

Hooded cat box

Booda Dome Covered Litter Box

Pros

Cons

Pans with some kind of built-in sifter

 
Lift N' Sift Litter Box

Pros

Cons

Automated cat boxes

 
LitterMaid Computerized Litter Box & Accessories

Pros

Cons

Others

 
Litter Box Enclosure by Green Duck

Kitty's Wonderbox biodegradable, disposable litter box liners

Now what goes in...

The variety of choices for litter is maybe even more bewildering than the choice of boxes. There's traditional clay, there's crystal, clumping, pine, newspaper, wheat, corn, and more; there's scented or unscented; and so on. All these different litters are marketed at you and me, the feline caretakers, but it's not just about what we like. Some cats are hypersensitive to the smell of some scented litters, and the rough textures of some are tough on their paws. Above all, changing litters can trigger problems, so try mixing the old and the new for a while.

And when it comes time to dispose of the used litter, there's now an interesting new device which I haven't tried yet, although some of my clients have:

 
Litter Locker Plus Litter Disposal System

Litter Box Troubleshooting

If we’re lucky, our cat’s own mother took care of the training for us. If that didn't happen, or if you need to provide a little help, try here for some pointers:

If your cat has used the box properly in the past but suddenly isn't, the first thing you should rule out is a medical problem. Many ailments show early signs in litter box behavior or in the urine or stool. There can also be behavioral or emotional causes for "inappropriate elimination." Try some of these sources for more information:

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Last modified: 9/22/2007