

Some cats don’t mind sharing, while others won’t even urinate and defecate in the same box. It will depend on the personalities of the cats within a household whether you really need that many boxes, but too many is always better than too few.
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The rule of thumb has always been that the number of litter boxes in a home should equal the number of cats, plus one. Cats tend to view that as one large box, and if they don’t like to share a litter box, you loose the advantage you’re trying to gain by having multiple boxes in the first place. Cats don’t like to eliminate where they eat.ĭon’t locate litter boxes right next to each other. Don’t place litter boxes near feeding and watering stations. This becomes especially important if you have senior cats who may have trouble getting up and down stairs quickly enough to reach a box. In a multi-level home, you should have at least one box on each level. If the box is hard to get to, your cat may not use it. Don’t place litter boxes near in basements near noisy appliances such as washers, dryers, or furnaces. If the mechanism malfunctions while your cat is using the box, or even if the box goes into its cleaning action while your cat is anywhere near it, she may never use the box again.ĭon’t put the litter box in out of the way places. I do not recommend automatic or “self-cleaning” litter boxes. They’re designed to trap dust and odors inside the box, which may be nice for the humans, but not for the cat (see my port-a-potty analogy above.)

If you absolutely must use a covered box, at the very least, remove the filters provided by some manufacturers. The bottom line: in most cases, covered boxes are for humans, not cats. A cat who is straining in the litter box may be on the verge of being blocked, which is a life-threatening emergency. Knowing what’s normal for your cat and being able to detect any changes in litter box behaviors can help detect health problems early. What’s worse is that they can trap odors inside, making them very unpleasant for the cat to use (the equivalent of a human port-a-potty!) Dust can also be a bigger problem in a covered box, as it becomes more concentrated when cats dig.Ī covered box prevents guardians from seeing how the cat acts while in the box. While some cats seem to like the privacy they provide, these boxes are often too small for the cat to comfortably turn around in and do their business. I don’t recommend hooded or covered litter boxes, and most cats don’t like them, either. uncovered boxes Image Credit: Yuliya Alekseeva, Shutterstock Alternative boxes such as sweater storage or under-the-bed storage containers can make great litter boxes.Ģ. For some really large cats, even the largest litter boxes may not be big enough. A good rule of thumb is that the box should be at least 1.5 times the length of the cat from the nose to the base of the tail. You want your cat to be able to comfortably turn around in the box. Keep the following in mind when choosing a litter box: The 6 Tips to Choose Your Cat’s Litter Box 1. Choosing the wrong litter box can have dire consequences for cats: litter box avoidance is one of the main reasons why many cats are surrendered to shelters. Unfortunately, cat guardians often select a litter box for all the wrong reasons – or at least for the wrong reasons from the cat’s perspective. It would make sense that something that is used so frequently on a daily basis requires that we humans put a lot of thought into it. The average cat uses the litter box three to five times a day.
