apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Love love love the third step jeje

great idea, but i think you cropped too much of the photo - they look like little shoe boxes!

I have a similar "non-litter box". when I moved across the country via plane, I arrive at my apartment sans littler box for my kitty. I ran down to the local cvs and picked up a super cheap, clear plastic bin. I thought this would be a temporary fix, but it works quite well. the higher sides keep her from scattering litter (she's a big litter scratcher- she'll spend literally 20 minutes going at it). I also don't need to use a liner because the clumping litter doesn't stick to it at all. I had been looking into fancier systems before I moved, but now have no need to.

Sorry, but that set up would be deemed inappropriate by any feline behaviorist. It's too small and cramped for most cats.

That's a great idea! But my cat is too picky she would never go for it. She only likes one kind of litter box and, unfortunately, it's the messy kind!

Set up depends on the size of the cats. For small cats that would be fine. This can be done with almost any kind of plastic container though. Just find one with sides that aren't too high for the cat to climb over.

One of the best things my dad ever showed me was to put the litter box on a boot tray - the slightly raised sides really keep litter from escaping. This seems like a good idea, but I have a maine coon. He probably couldn't even get his head in the box. I just sprung for an extra tall litter box with a dome. It cuts down on most mess from his digging.

Awesome. Plus her cats are super cute-ola. Nice!

I usually think how stupid it is to buy a giant or very special type of cat litter box. I don't like the obtrusive ones with the cover (have had them - they are just ugly). When I moved to my current apartment and decided where the litter box will go, it's just not wide enough for that, I went small. Too small. I went up to the medium size, it fits between the toilet and the wall - and comes in gray, maroon, and not-quite-midnight blue. It never occurred to me to just use a plastic bin from some other aisle of Target or Staples. I mean, it's just a plastic bin with 4 sides. This wide, that wide, that high, that low, somewhat irrelevant, given the ability and willingness of your cat. What accommodates the cat and the space is not necessarily what they sell in the pet aisle. I can't depend on the offerings there being a scientifically studied ideal size for cats as much as "just what they sell." I certainly could have used this idea in my own head 3 years ago.

We also have an enormous plastic storage bin. Kitty boxes at petstores are just too small! We also have a second slightly smaller one next to it in case one kitty is using the big box and another kitty doesn't want to wait. (3 kitties.)

We've sacrificed a lot of square footage for kittybox, but... it beats the hell out of kittypee where it should not be...

Ouh! The litter box drama. I had it and made one with a cardboard & duct tape. Painted and it was all good. There is no mess now. It didn't cost me a thing I recycled a box from work. I already had the plastic litter. I also had the paint at home so it was really easy to do. Wonder why I didnt do it before.

Here is a look of it

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/35290

Check out the Omega cat box .... once you use one, you'll never want to use anything else.

http://www.amazon.com/Omega-Self-Cleaning-Litter-Large-Green/dp/B0002DK2DU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1235200610&sr=1-1

Our trick to cut down on the mess is to put the litter box in the bathtub. We had to do a little training to get the cat to jump in there to go. But its not a problem.

We just move it when we take a shower. And its still in the bathroom for easy cleaning.

Most importantly, we pull the shower curtain 80% closed and its hidden. And most of the mess is contained within the tub.

Thanks AT!

An update and some clarifications:

Those boxes were a lot bigger than they seem in the picture. At the time of taking it, both cats (then kittens) could comfortably share a single box at once (and often did... yuck).

As they got bigger, I replaced it with a single larger (actually, enormous) plastic bin. I cut a large hole in the lid with a box cutter and sanded the edges smooth. I also added an inexpensive doormat to the setup to help contain litter. At 11 lbs each, both cats can comfortably do their business without bumping their heads. Being able to see through the clear sides lets them watch what's going outside the box, which I understand is a major problem with opaque covered boxes.

Sorry I don't have any pictures of the new box -- the closet is a mess right now, and I didn't think people would want to look at catboxes :)

There were top-entry boxes at Petsmart and such, but they were overpriced, dark and seemed way too small.

You guys are joking about the sides of a plastic bin being too high for a cat to get over, right? I've known any number of cats that could leap from the floor to the top of a door...admittedly with a bit of scrambling at the top, but that's -- what? -- 7 feet. What cat can't get over the side of a plastic bin?

well, my senior citizen cat enjoys a leap to a window sill sometimes but one thing he doesnt like to do is jump into a litter box.
Your boxes are a great idea and I could try cutting down the entrance for Mr. S., I like that they are clear as that is one reason he didnt like the opaque covered ones.
The pics of your kitties are lovely, wonderful markings and great colors!

I'm right there with you on the Omega Paw. It changed my relationship with cat litter.

Self cleaning is a bit of a misnomer. You do have to rock it to one side and empty the litter drawer; but no more scooping; no more litter dust; no more odor, etc. Makes frequent changes a breeze. We put a cute little shag bath mat in front of it to catch the litter that invariably stick to their paws, no matter what type of box you have.

We're much happier cat owner and our cat is happier too.

Go here for video: http://www.omegapaw.com/RollAwayAd.html

http://www.omegapaw.com/RollnCleanReg.html

We had rolling litter boxes and they tended to leak urine. Close but didn't work for us.

Our biggest problem is after combining households, my cat doesn't get along with her cats and we have territorial marking (they are all females and it is really really nasty).

Basically, I am just waiting for my 10 year old cat to die at this point. It's a losing battle.

Jason, I have the same problem. Cats dont get along, making litter trouble just that much worse with a cat 14 years old. I just keep them seperated when we're not in the same room.

If your cat cant jump, needs the extra space, etc. My BEST litter box is an under the bead GIANT ikea bin. It's huge so he cannot miss, it has low sides, and it was around 5 dollars.

I did something similar to this. I took two big rubermaid bins and cut a hole in the lid of each. for my three cats this is the cleanest litter box I've ever had. My oldest cat loves to throw the litter around so the side entry ones were a disaster

For those with urine marking issues, try Feliway plug-ins. They worked for us.

Aren't dryer sheets extremely toxic to cats? I'm a big fan of the original Feline Pine cat litter. It's cheap (no more than $5 for a seven pound bag), all natural, and completely absorbs odors. I've converted many, so I highly recommend trying it at least once.

Hey, can we see a picture of the whole thing? I am very familiar with regular cat boxes, I can't figure out what is going on in the picture. The cat only uses half? do they crawl under the other half? Dumb it down for me.

I think it's a clever idea if it works for your cat. My large male cat does not believe in stepping out of the box, he leaps out tossing litter everywhere. I've tried regular boxes, tall rubbermaid bins, Litter Maid Deluxe, and even each in a custom made litterbox cabinet, which works well if you have the room. My cats tend to prefer the 15-16" tall rubbermaid bins. They currently have a Litter Maid in a custom cabinet that's way to big for my new condo. My husband and I have decided to convert our coat closet to a litterbox closet, which will also have shelves to house the vacuum, cat supplies, and cleaning supplies. This will also free up some cabinets elsewhere. We plan to install a kitty door through the wall leading into the closet. There's a gap under the door, so hopefully there's enough ventilation. We'll see how it works out!

Yes, the picture definitely plays with the scale of these. I think this is something I need to try with my kitties! They tend to miss in a normal litterbox, and the little one digs for what seems like HOURS.

hmm... feliway plug-ins. I'm intrigued. Do they smell okay?

Unfortunately, the only effective way to keep the litter box area clean in my apartment is to empty it and sweep the area every day. I'm not usually disciplined enough to keep up with it daily.

Leak urine? Were you using clumping litter? I've never seen liquid urine in my cat's litter box.

Jason, waiting for your 10 year old cat to die because it doesn't get along with the newly introduced cats is disturbing. Find her a new home--she'll be a lot happier with someone that doesn't harbor such negative feelings towards her.