Choosing a Cat Litter Box

Taking a kitten or an adult cat from the street into your home is an important and responsible step.

You need to provide everything the cat needs: a bowl for their food, buy or make him toys and find a place for the litter tray, where the animal will do its natural needs. Now all that’s left is to choose a litter box.

Cat Litter Box Models

For the cat to start using the litter box, it must like it. There are the following types of toilets for cats:

Classic Model – a small plastic tray with low sides, with or without a removable grid.

The litter tray’s simple design makes it easy to tame a small kitten to the litter box.
The low-edged, rectangular shape is the lowest-cost option you can find in many pet supply shops.

The litter box is easy to clean (you just need to remove the used filler with a special scoop). The compact toilet does not take up much space in the room.

It is impossible not to note the significant disadvantages: a bigger adult cat can knock over a lightweight tray, the filler is scattered around the room when the pet begins to “do the cleaning”, and from the cat’s toilet spreads an unpleasant smell.

Tray with High Sides – this model is good for an adult cat, but not good for a small kitten, which is difficult to get into the tray. The design is quite stable, high sides (15 cm and above) do not allow the litter box to fly out, and the smell is reliably masked. If there is a grid (lattice), the tray can be used without filling.

Toilet with Removable Bags – this model is similar to a household dust bin. Used filler is removed along with the bag.

The disadvantage of this model is the need to frequently replace the bags, which quickly become unusable from the sharp claws of the cat.

The litter box is a closed model designed for shy cats. The design in the form of a house with a door allows the animal to hide from prying eyes and do its business in a quiet environment. Toilet-house looks spectacular in any corner of the home, blocking the unpleasant smell.

Alas, not every cat can learn to use the litter box for its intended purpose, and its price is much higher than the above-described open models.

The cat owner will have to clean this toilet themselves, and doing it will not be easy, because of the peculiarities of construction.

Bio-Toilet for Cats – a closed litter box with a removable charcoal filter that absorbs odours. The filter can be replaced after 6 months. At the bottom of the toilet, there is an antibacterial cloth that does not allow the spread of germs. Under the cloth, there is a filler that absorbs moisture.
Disadvantages of bio-toilets: high price, the need to constantly remove the solid faeces of the cat, and periodically buy new filters and wipes.

Automatic Litter Box – an expensive enclosed model of the cat’s toilet with sensors that can detect when the pet has left the toilet. The construction is powered by the mains. The system is connected to the water supply and cleans the toilet by itself.
In addition to purchasing an expensive model, you will also have to periodically buy cleaning agent cartridges.

The cat may be scared off by the noise the automatic toilet makes during cleaning. It takes 30 minutes to clean the toilet!

You can’t move the toilet to another place, because of its connection to the sewage system.

Toilet attachments are devices for gradually accustoming the cat to the human toilet. The kit usually includes 4 nozzles of different colours and sizes.

To Sum Up

So, for open litter trays, any fillers will do – mineral, wood, and lumpy. You will also need detergents, cleaning spatulas, bags, and sprays for odour removal. For enclosed expensive models, you will have to purchase filters and cartridges.

After studying all the information about the available models, you can safely buy a cat litter box and accessories to take care of it. It is important that the litter box was comfortable for the cat, because the model attracted to the owner for some reason may not be liked by the cat.