Litter box questions: What kind of litter box would you recommend, price be damned?

[Stinky The Clown]

What kind of litter box do you use?

Putting price back in the equation, what kind of litter box would you recommend?

[haele]

1. One with high sides and/or covered.

We have diggers and kickers. And one who sneaks any dairy she can get her paws on.

The covered boxes can help cut down on the smell, as well as provide some privacy - especially if you have a multi-cat family. The only downside is the possibility for ambush tactics at the box if there are any kitty territorial wars going on.

Haele

[Vinca]

2. I've never had a cat who would use a covered box, so I've had to improvise

with the current cat since she's a "high pee-er" and apt to land her stream on the floor. I took a Rubbermaid storage container with the really high sides and converted it to a litter box. At a previous house I was able to keep the litter box in the basement and installed it inside a kiddie pool to catch any accidents and keep the litter tracks confined. I swear I'll teach to next cat to use the toilet!

[Warpy]

4. I've always used a covered box

and it does take a cat a little time to warm up to it, but they eventually do.

You've never lived until you've seen a tomcat delicately hang his arse over the edge of the litter box and shit on the floor. Consistently.

And that's why I use the covered boxes.

[badgerpup]

3. A large one with high sides...

and two others with 'borders'.

Uncovered...the hood on the big one doesn't give the bigger cats room to turn around (and around and around) in and they don't like it.

Litter Purrfect (available @ Costco). Clumps well and uses lemongrass instead of strong perfumes.

Only complaints I've had were when Wimsey thought we needed an additional box (finally figured out what he was on about! :banghead: )

Friend of mine with 5 cats has five 'stations'...4 covered boxes and one sort of doggy bathtub thing into which she puts the cat litter. The bathtub is HUGE and it gets the most use...more than the other 4 covered boxes combined.
I say the cats prefer 'big', 'deep' and 'uncovered', just going by this...:shrug:

[BrklynLiberal]

5. Ditto..High sides, uncovered.

Doggie tub, or baby tub is perfect.

I have been using Feline Pine, clumping formula litter.
6 cats. no problem.. - 4 litter boxes, not one.

If cat misses the box, try Cat Attract Litter.

I have not had to use it, but have friends who have had great success with it.

Do not, I repeat, do not waste your time or money on one of those automated litter boxes. TOTAL WASTE>

[haele]

6. A friend in the country who did cat rescue used cement mixing trays -

The big deep black ones for home mixing use. She had a huge enclosed porch along the side of the house with low gutted kitchen cabinets from her husband's remodeling jobs along one side (turned them into a long "window perch" with cat tree parts for the kitties) and hid about five of them spaced out in the cabinets with "kitty flap doors" and large bins filled with a 3 part mix of sand, micro-shred, and johnny-cat for the litter.
Each mixing tray could handle about 30 lbs of litter.

She'd clean the boxes out on a rotating schedule, one every day in mild weather, two every day during hot weather.

Of course, she averaged about twenty-twenty-five cats and kittens at any one time.

[Betty88]

7. I use a 35 gallon storage bin

I cut a door into one end and it works great with scoop litter. You can leave the top off if you want. It gives the cats plenty of space to move around, takes a lot of litter to get it started but its the best cat box I have ever had. Think you can get them for a about $10 and I used a dremel to cut the hole.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. I did the same thing.

Bought a big plastic storage box similar to that one, sawed a round cat-sized hole in it with a saber saw. It works nicely. They can't kick litter all over the place or miss the box when peeing.

[japple]

9. The best one I've ever bought is a large stainless steel pan for a steam table.

I bought it 30 years ago at a restaurant supply store for $30.00 and it's the perfect size. I did have a problem when my 20 yr. old persian could no longer squat to pee and had to make a pee deflector out of plastic for 2 sides of the litterbox. Right now, I'm using the stainless steel pan, plus two other standard plastic litterboxes.

If you want something with high sides, my vet suggested getting a large Rubbermaid plastic container and cutting doorway in it so the cats don't kick litter everywhere. I've never liked covered litterboxes, but you could use the top if you wanted and remove it to clean the box.

[BrklynLiberal]

15. Rubbermaid plastic storage containers with door cut out are the BEST idea.

[Stinky The Clown]

10. Thanks everyone! What do you think about this one?

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754459&utm_source=googleproduct&utm_campaign=1822084&utm_medium=cse&mr:trackingCode=A9C22C64-C881-DE11-B712-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA

[japple]

11. I'm not a fan of covered litterboxes, because I think they hold

the stink inside, which makes some kitties hesitant to use them. They're usually harder to clean, too. Seems to me the easiest thing would be a litterbox with high sides, no top. That and scooping it out at least twice daily.

[BrklynLiberal]

13. i agree with above post. Open with High sides is better than closed.

[RavensChick]

17. I have one just like that for my kitty Raven.

The only thing is, I have to fill it at least twice a week but knowing how much he pees it's worth it. I only paid 12.95 for a big one with good high sides for his size (5 months old, 4.8 pounds so far) at PetSmart and for me, it's a good investment. I had to upgrade when he outgrew a smaller one I had 2 months ago, and so far he hasn't peed on my floor, which is really good! Now if I can get him to stop tracking litter on the floor!

[Warpy]

12. There are automatic litter boxes out there

that comb through the litter once the cat has exited, dumping the feces and cat cookies neatly into a tray in the back. I've never used one but I know people who swear by them, especially night nurses who aren't motivated to clean kitty's latrine after too many shifts in a row.

The cats seem to like them, too.

[BrklynLiberal]

14. I have used them..spent almost $200 and threw it away. Don't waste your money.

[RavensChick]

18. I totally agree!

Simple is best. Open and not closed ones are the best ones, depending on how much they are.

[CountAllVotes]

16. depends on the cat

I have a very old cat (almost 17 years old) that I doubt could jump in/out of a litter box with sides that are high.

I don't think any of my cats would like the covered litter boxes.

I buy the ones they sell at KMART, etc. for about $6 or $7 a piece. I have 3 litter boxes in the garage (one for each cat) and the litter is cleaned out every day.

I have no problems with any of my cats and no "accidents" either.

The automatic cleaning boxes I am certain would frighten my cats and they would probably go elsewhere being they are used to using the litter boxes that you can buy for a few bucks.

It doesn't seem practical to spend $200 for a litter box mentioned in this thread.