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Kitty Washroom

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Feline Furniture. We see a lot of Good Questions concerning cats and the art of disguising their litter boxes. While we've seen a number of solutions, including some good D.I.Y options, we're digging the Kitty Washroom from SkyMall...

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Kitty Washroom is $99.95

19"W x 20 1/2"D x 25"H

Via Shelterrific.

My Design's Dreamy!: Apartment Therapy Litter Solutions
The Kattbank
Hidden Litter Box
Pets

Comments (30)

I'm not a cat person. I'm allergic and I think that for some people they can be kind of an unfortunate substitute for having people in your life. They are pretty, though, and if my place had that cottage kind of bead-board style I wouldn't put it past me to get a cat (and some shots) if the litter box could be that discreetly tucked away.

posted by Curtis on 2007-09-25 10:09:37
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They have this at Solutions.com, too. It's one of the more attractive ways to hide the litterbox. Ikea Hacker had some interesting litterbox covers recently, too: http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/2007/08/simple-ideas-for-cat-litter-boxes.html

posted by Erin K. on 2007-09-25 10:15:09
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and I think that for some people they can be kind of an unfortunate substitute for having people in your life

you mean, like, the cat lady from The Simpsons? because honestly...i prefer my cats to most of you humans! i'm trying not to get upset at your comment :)



as to this cottage-y litter house, my mom would love it!

me, though...i don't know many people that have room, especially in their bathroom, for more furniture, or for such "single use" furniture. and seriously, i would not hang my pooper scooper all cute-like on the towel bar. no way! icky.

posted by kdkaboom on 2007-09-25 10:18:50
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this seems rather unpleasant for the cat. locking him into tiny a closet with a small opening, quickly filling with ammonia fumes?

posted by vinegar on 2007-09-25 10:36:29
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I agree with vinegar.

In addition, if my cats had to go through the effort to leap into the litter box through the elevated door, chances are they would just as likely not use the litter box at all. But maybe my cats are lazier than most?

posted by kmswann on 2007-09-25 10:42:36
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...and nothing says "good morning" like stepping on cat litter when you get out of the shower!

Ugh!

posted by AlmostAD on 2007-09-25 10:50:22
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It's not a bad idea for the right cat...

... the problem is asking the cat's opinion before buying.

Our small, aggressive cat would think it hilarious to lurk outside the opening and pounce on the large, timid cat as she exits the box.

Apartments should just be built with litter box nooks, the way they used to have phone nooks. If you don't need a litter box, you can store something else there.

posted by wende in phoenix on 2007-09-25 10:53:00
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I wish there were a sleek modern wood alternative to this beadboard box that did not cost 2,000 bucks a la Kattbank.

My 15 year old 15-pounder has no problem using an enclosed box as long as it's cleaned as it should be every day (they don't mind the scent of their own pee, you know), and the opening on this one appears to be a high step, not a leap.

Actually, this box appears to have a lot more airspace that even an extra large enclosed litter box, so it looks pretty cat-friendly to me. My old boy would probably be able to turn around in it quite comfortably.

But I agree-- hide the scooper! not something I want to display to the world!

posted by 212gretchen on 2007-09-25 10:54:29
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yeah, i agree, it looks roomier than the enclosed box i have from petco/petsmart/whatever.

while it is very fugly, it is better than the flower pot/planter litter box thing....which, er, my mom also has.

poor mom, she has a kitty with horrible stomach issues, so she has 7 litter boxes and does them all twice a day!

she's bought every hidden-litter-box contraption known to man.

posted by kdkaboom on 2007-09-25 10:58:55
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What if you have 3 cats? You need more than one litter box, certainly. Eventually I may downsize to a condo apartment so I'm always keeping an eye out for litter box solutions.

I have two big litter boxes in my basement, and I'm getting into the habit of going down there once or even twice a day to clean the litter. It keeps the cats happy and the place definitely smells less. I also use a biodegradable clumping litter to keep things that much tidier. It's a little more expensive than normal clay but it's worth it to the air quality of my house and the rest of the environment.

posted by blackdaisies on 2007-09-25 11:06:46
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I am not a fan of cats but this is cute idea :)

posted by Tyson Williams on 2007-09-25 11:21:52
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blackdaisies,

i'm not going to help advertise the kattbank because it's horribly overpriced, but they do have that double-litter-box bench.

SO, if you ever find a bench that has a flip top and proper dimensions, cut out cat-doors on either end and fit two boxes in there. easy, eh? or buy the kattbank.

posted by kdkaboom on 2007-09-25 11:40:20
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I have the Kattbank. When I bought it everyone said, I can't believe you are spending $2000 on your cats. And I said, I am not spending $2000 on my cats, I am spending it on me. I could have diy-ed my own ala Ikea Hacker but to be honest I work crazy hours and don't have the time or the patience (or the skills). I don't have room in my bathroom to tuck away even a basic litter pan without and didn't want one front and center for all to see, not to mention stepping around it and the stray litter that has been sprayed onto the floor so I needed a discreet, attractive solution for my bedroom. The Kattbank filled the bill and it was totally worth it.

kdkaboom- one of my kittens has a sensitive stomach. I tried every premium brand of canned cat food on the market and none of them worked. Tell your mom to try Nature's Variety (formerly Prairie) frozen raw food. It straightened my kitty right out and it's nutritionally complete, human grade and a very natural diet for cats.

posted by meeva on 2007-09-25 11:55:33
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I think HGTV's Decorating Cents did this a while back. They did 2 versions both with beat up thrift store finds. One version they used a jigsaw to cute a hole in the door for the cat to go through. In the other they just took off the door and put some funky fabric on a dowel across the opening and then painted the piece a bright color that picked up the color from the fabric.

If I got another cat I would definitely do this.

posted by Trumystique on 2007-09-25 12:14:36
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The photos on the Kattbank website are HILARIOUS. Especially the crazy lady with the yarn and the bored-looking model type sitting on the box during a party. Excellent.

The IKEA Hol box hack Erin K. linked to is great! IKEA sells a lot of things that could be easily made into a kitty washroom, like the APA box or the HEMNES bench.

I'm a small dog person, myself (though I grew up with cats, and respect them still), and I'm still waiting for someone to come up with a way to hide the wee-wee pad. Something tells me that's not happening! Oh well.

posted by Anna at D16 on 2007-09-25 12:26:21
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we have three cats, and i have a tiny closet off our kitchen that i built a double decker cat box for. we just made a sturdy shelf above the box on the floor and put the second box on it.

mixed reviews -- i just did this, and i can't tell if they are jumping up the second box, but hopefully they'll get the hang of it.

a bigger prob. for me is the litter. i can't stand it everwhere. ifi put a litter mat in front of the box, they'll just jump over it when exiting.

any solutions for that?

posted by jamie* on 2007-09-25 12:27:24
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Jamie* -- They clench their little paws to hold in the litter until they can drop it three feet away. The low-tech solution is to store the vacuum or broom or even a dust pan and brush near the litter box, so you don't feel like you're dragging all over the place in order to clean up.

posted by wende in phoenix on 2007-09-25 12:31:57
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I actually bought this litterbox from Skymall and really like it. When I lived in NY, there's no way I would have had the space for it, but my bathroom in DC is nice and roomy and there is plenty of space. Sure beats the purple plastic dome we were using before from PetSmart.

posted by peripatetic19 on 2007-09-25 12:37:48
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peripatetic19 -- i love my purple plastic dome. i call it "the spaceship." but it's definitely an acquired taste, aesthetically!

posted by biskinikill on 2007-09-25 12:49:49
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You know, I saw this the last time I was on a plane to Miami. I also noticed the other versions (one was a bedside table!) I was more okay with this one rather than having a litter box right next to my bed or as a side table next to the couch.

I don't care what kind of litter you use, you'll smell it if it's right under your nose.

I think that they are over all funny in general, but having it in the bathroom makes more sense than as a night stand. haha.

posted by Chad on 2007-09-25 12:53:31
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curtis and kdkaboom,

the same can be said for dogs.

I'm always amazed at the people who seem to think they are doing dogs some huge favor by locking them in an apartment or a house - for 23 hours a day.

posted by clickchick on 2007-09-25 14:10:21
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I love that kitty has a little shelf there for his books in case he needs to do some reading while doing his business...

posted by Desk on 2007-09-25 14:42:33
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I have gone through so many litter box solutions, stopping just short of the Kattbank. My solution is this: 2 litter mats cut to fit my narrow back hallway, and 2 Clevercat litter boxes. The litter stays contained and that is all i care about!

posted by jenniejen on 2007-09-25 15:13:46
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Try toilet training; it really does works. Took 7 weeks to train both my cats and now the only thing I have to do is flush(often). I do keep a bag of feline pine around for emergencies.

The only down side is if you have only one toilet, but more than one cat (my case). If toilet stinks, they might go elsewhere.

Anyone have DIY ideas for automatically flushing a toilet?

posted by GZgoingMod aka Geraldine on 2007-09-25 17:37:25
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How do you toilet train a cat??

posted by ChloeSF on 2007-09-25 17:55:08
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www.citikitty.com

CZ is right toilet training does work.

My cat took right to it.

posted by Ana on 2007-09-25 18:27:51
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My cat at first was okay with being toilet-trained, but towards the end of the training he decided he was done with it. Caused me a lot more headache to clean up after him than it would have to clean a litterbox. He's 14 and set in his ways though. It's probably a lot more successful if you start training a kitten.

posted by bubble on 2007-09-25 18:47:25
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Citikitty worked great for me for a long time, until all of a sudden there was a revolt. You can imagine how pleasant that was.

posted by carrier on 2007-09-26 01:22:08
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Who wants to step on cat litter in the bathroom? And the clay-clumping stuff will turn to mush if it mixes with water. Do like I did. Get a Litter Robot, hide it in a closet, and check on it once a week. As nerdy as it sounds, the thing has changed my life.

litter-robot.com

posted by Rick Roberts on 2008-01-03 14:46:32
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@jamie - One word: Roomba

posted by Rick Roberts on 2008-01-03 14:54:18
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