apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I feel like the edges might be scary and cat-unfriendly though. Someone somewhere on Apartment Therapy became my personal hero when they suggested using the Hol storage cube from Ikea to house a litter box. Assuming you can fit a litter pan in it, it would be easier to remove a side since it's just wood. If I ever finish the other 935 projects I have going, I'm trying it.

As someone who is not a cat person, but got one to deal with the mice in my NYC apt, the litter box was driving me NUTS! I found this litter box cover which does a great job of hiding the box and provides easy access for cleaning.

http://catsplay.com/rflbox1.php3

Someone in the pet design contest removed the end of a wooden trunk and put the litter box inside. Very sneaky, looked great.

I'm a member of the staff for two cats. Whatever solution you come up with, have at least two trays for the litter, which allows you to give one a good scrubbing while the other is in use. I don't know if my cleaning products are toxic to cats and I don't want to harm them; any residue will have worn off (I hope) by the time the clean box rotates in.

we have a mudroom closet, and at the bottom we cut a cat hole and have the litterbox inside. Inside the rest of the closet I keep my painting supplies and cleaning supplies so it doesn't affect those. I never see the litter box and never smell it.

Wasnt there someone on AT who had removed the front doors on a cabinet under the bathroom sink, installed a litterbox in there, and then hung a curtain to hide it?

It looked a lot like the typical renter bathroom sink set up..
I think it was during pet month? Not sure if you might consider that as an option.....Good luck!

Instead of scrubbing your litterboxes, line them. I place one box inside of a couple of tall kitchen garbage bags. squish the air out, then I fill it with litter. I set that inside a second box, to help hold the bags in place. Unless your cat is absolutely dig-crazy, the two bags should hold up until the box is ready to be changed. When it's time to change, just lift the top box out and turn the bags inside out. The litter should be contained, and the boxes should both stay clean. And the bags are ready to toss, no dust, no mess.

This is New York, people! Just tell the lady where she can take her door to have it cut! Hardware stores? Carpenters? She ain't gonna cut it herself, so let's throw her a bone and tell her where to get a quick and easy square cut in a flat piece of wood.

www.citikitty.com

worked for me

I hade plywood cut to the size I needed at the lumber store on Spring between Thompson & W. Broadway. I hear that the Lumber Store on 8th Avenue also cuts to size. I think they would only make a straight cut for you, however.

Oh, yeah, and you can get thin, iron-on wood veneer to finish the cut edge nicely. Kinda weird, but it can be painted.

I used to use the litterbox liners, but my cat scratched right through them instantly.

You might find some inspiration at http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/search/label/pet%20furniture

The male cat shreds liners zipzap. He's a digger. The little girl is daintier. But they both use the cat box so...he wins. In this one thing only.

I used to use the litterbox liners, but my cat scratched right through them instantly.

The liners are worthless, and expensive. Try tall kitchen garbage bags, the toughest name-brand ones you can buy. Use two.

You could also try placing something between the two bags that cats can't dig thru. A thin sheet of clear plastic would probably do the trick. Buy it from a craft store and just cut a bunch to fit the bottom of the box. Slip one between the two bags every time you change out. Still a lot less trouble (and mess!) than cleaning out the disgusting bottom of a litterbox.

Use a reverse jigsaw blade, so the teeth cut into the face of the laminate. The "rough" side of the cut will then be on the back. If edges are rough, smooth them down with sandpaper. It's actually pretty easy (once you get the hang of it). Practice on scraps first.

If you are making a square opening, use a cirscular saw. In my experience you should do it with the finished exposed side facing down. This accomplishes two important things: 1) You wont have to worry about maring the eposed side. And 2)You will have a nice clean cut. Also you will have to finish cutting the corners with a jigsaw,because the circular saw's blade is round and will not cut to the corner of your intended cut. You will most likely have to round over the SHARP edges with a file or sand paper. Did I mention that the cut edges will be sharp?

As far a cutting out a round opening, you will have to use a jigsaw. Use the advice posted first and you should be fine. Anywho, good luck.

THis advice is assuming that you are pretty handy, so if you are not then maybe have someone else who has some experience do it.

My female kitty is the digger. Male just plops and goes (making the humans scream in disgust from the smell)

But even with the holes in the liner, the routine cleaning of the box itself is still much easier than if I didn't have them. When I remove the liner with the used litter in it, I just place it inside another clean garbage bag and transport it to the trash can.

There IS the matter that these bags don't break down in the landfill and some experts even suggest replacing the plastic tub once a year because the urine impregnantes the plastic after a certain point. And I am not sure if my recycler will take a urine soaked plastic tub. They should, but I won't bet on it. Perhaps I should get a metal pan, put it would have to be large enough for my 18 lb Maine Coon!

One way to keep wood or laminate from splitting is to put masking tape over the cut line before you start. That should do it.

Also--here is a somewhat less expensive alternative to the high-end kitty furniture--a nice man-made wicker from gardinroad, with a bonus of a little cat bed on top.

Not exactly high design, but attractive.

http://www.grandinroad.com/jump.jsp?item=29018&maincatcode=null&subcatco
de=null&itemID=5123&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C464%2C470&iProductID=5
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