So you’ve just brought your new kitty home (or you’re about to get one) and you need to find an appropriate cat litter box for it. Or perhaps you’ve already got cats, but you need to find another box for your new kitty. Which is the right one to choose?
Well, you’ve got just about as many different types of litter boxes on the market as you can think of. There are boxes that are simple, open pans, boxes that are covered, ones that have second “bottoms” where you can shake out soiled clumps so that you don’t have to scoop, electronic litter boxes, and the list goes on.
First and foremost, it should be easy to clean. That’s probably the most important consideration long-term. Of course, if your kitten is very tiny, you’re going to want to get something at least temporarily that’s either very small or has custom candy packaging a cut down side so that even the smallest of kittens can get in. This, of course, will change as your kitten grows, since almost every full-grown cat can jump in a standard litter box, but it’s going to be something you need at least at the start.
Remember, cats by their very nature are very clean creatures and need an excruciatingly clean box at all times. But it’s not only good for the cat, it’s good for you as well. Not only does this help you with odor control in your own home, but it will help keep kitties “faithful” to their box so that you’re not cleaning up messes elsewhere.
The most inexpensive and yet practical way to keep your cat box clean at all times is probably to use scoopable litter. There are many different varieties of scoopable clumping litter on the market, many very reasonably priced. What makes scoopable litter a good choice for most cats is that it can be poured to a depth of several inches in the box, but the litter itself never gets “dirty.” Instead, waste is instantly encapsulated in hard clumps, so that they can be easily scooped out. This means that your entire box stays endlessly clean for the most part, saving you the chore of having to scrub out your litter box more than a few times a year as long as you’re faithful about scooping it several times a day.
Just about any cat box will do for a scoopable litter, but for both anesthetic purposes and because cats like privacy, a hooded box is probably the best option for most cats. This means that the sights of the litter box itself are kept out of view, and it can help reduce litter scatter as well. The box itself should be at least 6 to 8 inches deep to help contain litter, more if you have multiple cats or if your cat is very large. This type of box comes in both regular and extra-large sizes.
Some of these boxes come with a second “bottom” that is actually a grate you can pull up and sift clumps out with, but oftentimes, these are more trouble than they’re worth because they can be messy to use. Simply getting a good heavy-duty scoop (made of metal instead of plastic) is a better option for most people.