How To Pick the Purrfect Litter Box

by Courtney Mroch | More from this Blogger

18 Oct 2007 03:14 PM

I guess I've got a bit of a poop theme going this week. Earlier I wrote about the different kind of pooper scoopers, which applied more to the dog walking set of Families.com readers.

But what if you belong to the cat crowd? Well, I also recently had to buy a new litter box for Tabby. The experience made me realize not all litter boxes are created equal.

Your Cat's Needs

Obviously your cat needs a place to "go" when the urge hits, but which box will suit your cat best? Here are some things to consider for their comfort:

• Size of the box: Some boxes are bigger than others. How big is your cat? Larger cats need larger boxes.

• Covered or open: Some litter boxes come with "hoods," which I have found come in handy for my needs. (I'll get to that.) But some cats don't like stepping into a closed-in space. The good news, even if you buy a box with a hood, they're usually removable if you find your cat doesn't like them.

• Number of cats in your home: If you have more than one cat, it's wise to provide a box for each of them. They may end up sharing, but they might prefer their own dooty domain. (Which is smart to give them because otherwise they find a place to go you'd rather they not.)

Your Needs

They may use the litter box, but you have to deal with it too. Here's some things to keep in mind to make your life easier:

• Space: Where are you going to put it? Do you have room to stow a full-sized litter box somewhere? Or do you live in tight quarters and need a space-saving kind?

• Clean-up -Part I: How messy is your cat? When both Mr. Meow and Tabby came into my life I started them with the basic no-frills litter box. No hood, just a pan. I quickly learned that unless I wanted to spend 10 minutes every morning sweeping up all the litter they kicked out each day, a hooded litter box was in my best interest.

• Clean-up -Part II: Kicking litter out of her box isn't the only thing Tab's notorious for. She also tends to "leak." (She pees high up on the box and it spills out through the crack between the hood and the pan.) This is what sent me in search of a new box, a high-back kind. It's so far eliminated the need for me to mop the floor almost every day.

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Learn more about Courtney Mroch

Courtney Mroch is a wife, a proud pet parent, and a writer. She's been with her husband, high school sweetheart Wayne Pryor, over 20 years, married 11 of those. She's "mom" to Mr. Meow, a.k.

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