Cat Litter Box 101

If you’re a cat person, you must know the basic to-do’s when it comes to cat litter boxes. Selecting the right kind of box, litter, cleaning schedule and the number required per cat, these are just a few litter box tips you should know to keep your cat happy:

1. Selecting the Right Cat Litter Boxes.

We all know that cats are pretty particular about their things. Eating the right kind of food, having the right toy, cats are even picky when it comes to their litter box. 

You want to select a little box that meets your cat’s needs and not your own. There are many cat litter boxes out there that cater to us humans, but aren’t really the best for our cats.

A litter box should be easy to access, not too high or too to low, should not be scary and should be open for them to do their business. 

At Just Cats, we are fans of the Petmate Cleanstep Dome Litter Box as well as creating your own DIY Rubbermaid totes for those high pee-ers!

Whichever litter box you select, keep your cat’s needs in mind.

2. What Cat Litter is Best?

Two decades ago, the only cat litter on the market was the basic clay litter. Today, there are so many kinds of cat litter to chose from!

At SuperZoo last year, the newest cat litter on the market was made from tofu! Yes, the edible kind. It’ll be very unique to see how popular it becomes, but it makes sense since it acts like a sponge, absorbing all free liquids.

There is recycled newspaper, grain, corn, different types of woods, and even color-changing silica cat litter.

If your cat has respiratory issues or is declawed, get a cat litter that suits them best. I would avoid any fragranced litters. Those litters are made specifically for humans.

3. How Often Should the Litter Box Be Cleaned?

If you want to avoid having your house smell like cat pee, you should clean the cat litter box as much as possible! At least once a day and maybe even twice if you can! This helps keep the smell down. We used a fragrance-free litter and it never smells like cat pee or poop in our house and we don’t even use air fresheners! Having your cat litter box be clean every time your kitty goes is crucial for a happy cat with healthy litter box habits.

Never bleach the box unless your cat is dealing with an intestinal parasite or infection of some sorts. A mild soap or water if it’s filthy, but daily cleaning with the scoop should be sufficient.

Cats feel safe in their litter boxes so any type of disinfectant removes that “safe” smell for them. 

4. How Many Cat Litter Boxes Should I Have?

They say you should have 1.5 litter boxes per cat. If you have a small apartment and one cat, you can probably get away with one box, just make sure it’s clean at all times. Cats don’t like pooping and peeing on top of old pee or poop!

So if you have 2 cats, you should have 3 cat litter boxes. We have 5 cats so you can imagine how many boxes we have.

5. Where Should I Place the Litter Box?

There is really no best answer to this as we all live in different kinds of places (apartments, homes, condos, shared spaces, etc.). The best place to have your cat litter box is what makes sense for you and your kitty. We love placing the cat litter box in the common living areas, the bedrooms and even in the bathroom. Your kitty wants to feel safe in their litter box, so anything that has your scent the most in your home is the best place to store the litter box or boxes.

Jackson Galaxy said it best during one of his book tour talks a few years ago and that is that we should place the cat litter boxes in the places we want them to see them the least. For example, if you do not want to put the cat litter box in your bedroom, that’s where you should put it. Why? Because cats want to be close to us and the places we spend the most time is in the bedroom, family room and/or kitchen! 

These are just a few tips when it comes to basic cat litter etiquette. Have any follow-up cat litter box questions? Comment below and we will do our best to answer them! And be sure to visit our store, Just Cats in Denver, CO, for the best cat supplies in town!