Cats are certainly a very popular choice for a pet, but they are usually a lot pickier than dogs. For instance, you can just throw a dog a chewy treat and he or she will go sit in the corner for hours. Throw a treat to a cat and it’s a toss-up if it will even acknowledge the treat was thrown, let alone go eat it. You can also let a dog outside to use the bathroom, whereas your cat will probably just run away if it gets out. This is why a litter box is so important. Although they are a little more fickle, a couple of extra steps are just fine for the millions of cat lovers around. Many have multiple cats. If this is your situation, how do you go about picking the right litter box for your household? Here are some tips you can use to find the best litter box.
Find the Right Fit
Litter boxes come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, so you need to find the right fit for your cats. This becomes even more important to consider for a household with multiple cats of different sizes. The litter box you go with is going to need to be able to accommodate both the size of the larger cat along with all the other cats that aren’t quite as big. Larger cats are the key consideration when choosing a litter box because while a smaller cat will happily take to a larger litter box, a bigger cat will not do well with a smaller litter box. Even if the cat can technically fit, most cats won’t go into a litter box if they feel it’s too small for them to maneuver around in. You must be getting a box that has more than enough space for your cats.
Height Matters Here
You should also consider the height. Some of the best litter box options on the market are enclosed, and this makes the cat want to use the box. They’ll stay in there and pop their little heads up through the opening. The issue here is that you can find boxes with entry points a lot higher off the ground than some. Even if you don’t have really old cats, you still want to consider that eventually, your cats are going to age. Having to climb and exert themselves just to get into the box might lead to cats not even using the box. Especially in multi-cat homes, going with a box that every cat can easily get into is vital.
Get a Good Surface
The material of the litter box may not seem like an important factor when making your decision, but they play a larger role than one might expect. There are different types of materials used to create different boxes, and the surface might be an issue. Say that you have three cats, and two of them love the soft, pliable box you have, but one cat doesn’t like it at all. Well, this is not going to work. You can’t have a system where one of your cats refuses to use the litter box. You have to find a suitable material that all of your cats will use. Don’t fret too much over this; it is as simple as just selecting a high-quality litter box from a reputable source. Those bargain-brand boxes might not do the trick for all of your cats.
Consider More Than One Box
You might also want to consider more than one box in your home. If you cannot find something that all of your cats can agree on using, then you might have to get a litter box specifically for one of your more finicky cats to use. This is very common, though it’s not too large of a problem because most of these boxes are very affordable. The good part here is that you’ll already have multiple boxes if you decide to get more cats, so the other cats will more easily fall in line and pick a box that they like. Also, make sure you’re using the right kitty litter. This is very important as it’s actually recommended to have one litter box per cat in the house. While this may not be feasible for everyone, it’s good to invest in at least two litter boxes for any home with multiple sets of paws running around.
In Conclusion
Picking the right litter box is a crucial step and can seem like a bigger undertaking than it ends up being. You just need to take your cats’ ages and sizes into consideration and get a high-quality litter box (or boxes) that works for all of your cats. The good news is that quality boxes are very easy to find.
