Best Litter Box for Two Cats and a Baby?

Updated on September 29, 2008
M.B. asks from Milwaukee, WI
28 answers

Hi everyone! I was wondering, among those of you with babies and cats, what kind of litter box works best? We currently have an open-top box with scoop litter, in the far end of the kitchen, and the litter gets tracked several feet from the box, and sometime the cats "miss" the box. It wasn't an issue for me until my new baby girl arrived six months ago. Now I see how truly filthy that is and want to find a better solution. Do the covered boxes work well? How about the (expensive!) self-cleaning boxes? Any advice is welcome, many thanks! *Peace*! ~M. :)

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So What Happened?

Big THANK YOUS to everyone who wrote with cat-box advice! I got some ideas that I hadn't previously considered, and also lots of good ideas that, unfortunately, I can't implement because my house is too small, we have no closets, our bathroom is too small to keep a litterbox, the cats don't have access to any room in the basement, etc. The Kitchen is L-shaped and the box is at the far end, and if we had room for 2 boxes I'd be doing that. Our house is so small that the box is literally on the opposite end of the house from the baby's room, and I can walk the entire length in 10 paces (our house is TINY!) Some suggested the Clevercat, looks good but our older cat is 14 and soon may not be able to climb, so I'm going to get a tall storage tote and cut a u-shaped opening in the side, and add a mat to the area. That's got to be better than what we've got now. Extra thanks for those who discouraged me from buying an automatic box that I can't afford anyway. Also I'll try Feline Pine litter. Again, many many THANKS to all for your kind replies! *Peace*! ~M. :)
EDIT: today I put out the Rubbermaid tote with doorway cut out, and the cats are *using* it! Still have a jug of Tidy Cats Scoop, will use that up then switch to Feline Pine. Thanks again everyone!!!

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B.H.

answers from St. Cloud on

I love my covered litter box. My cat did track some litter out of it so I bought a litter mat to set right in front of it to catch any stray litter. It works really well. Another thing that I used to do to contain the mess was put the litter box in the spare bathroom that was only used for guests - just a suggestion if you have that option.

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J.M.

answers from Davenport on

The covered boxes work well for when cats cover, it doesn't get thrown out all over the place. The self-cleaning boxes work great and you don't have to scoop, you just have to empty the tray. You can get them at Walmart for around $90.

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R.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

Hi Melissa,

We had the same problem almost exactly until a few months ago we started using those big plastic containers for storage that you can get at Target, etc. It has solved everything. Hope that works for you!

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S.D.

answers from Minneapolis on

Most cats are scared of the self-cleaning ones, so I would not waste my money on one. If your cats are used to an open box, suddenly putting a cover on may keep them away from it. It is recommended to have at least one box per cat. So if you have 2 boxes, I would start by covering one and making sure they accept that - you would not want them to start going elsewhere! As far as the cats missing the box, it is more likely they are going in the box, but then when they are done and they scratch the litter to cover it up, they accidentally kick it out of the box - a top will help with that. Also, I would get the box out of the kitchen, that isn't very sanitary. The laundry room, a bathroom, or a closet may be a better place, and you can probably gate it off. I would be sure the cats know where the box is if you move it. The best way to do that is to add a box to the new location before you remove it from the old location. You can also buy a matt to put at the box that will collect a lot of the tracking dust from the litter. We use Feline Pine, which is supposedly healthier for them. The clumping litter is not good for their lungs - something about the dust from it. Feline Pine is a natural product and helps A LOT with the smell, as well. Good luck.
S., mom of 3, plus 2 cats :)

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J.S.

answers from Green Bay on

We have a covered litter box upstairs in the corner of one of the bathrooms. They still track some litter out since a little sticks to their feet when they jump out. So we keep a little hand broom and pan (something from the dollar store) to sweep it up every few days.

Our other litter box is the automatic Littermate that we've had for 4 years. We do keep this one in the basement. They still scatter litter outside of it since there isn't a cover (though at one point I did see a tent they sell for it) so we have a mat under it that we periodically take outside and shake out. Keep in mind, even though it's automatic, it's not totally maintenance free. We can let it go for a week with our two cats, but the bin is usually overflowing by then, so it's emptied twice a week. (And use plastic bags from the grocery store to line the container that comes with it - easier to swap out and cheaper than the plastic boxes. That way you only need to replace the boxes a few times a year.) The tongs don't completely get the very bottom clean, so you do need to scrape it out when cleaning. But at least you don't have to clean it every day. Also, be careful not to put too much litter in, otherwise it will keep running back and forth until it can even out any piles of litter enough to go back into it's holding spot.

We can tell our cats prefer the auto litterbox since that one is always much more full than the other. I'm guessing because the litter is always pretty much clean versus the other one.

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A.H.

answers from Waterloo on

I have three cats and have tried many different types. Without covers, with, semi-automatic and even a $350 box that hooks to the toilet and flushes! My favorite one is the clevercat. My daughter can't get into it easily, and it keeps the pee in from my male cat who tends to pee out the side of a regular cat. Also, on the top when the jump out is a mat that collects the extra litter from their paws. I also use scooping litter from fleet farm. It's cheap, works really well and isn't dusty. Each cat is going to vary with what they like, so good luck with finding what works!

http://www.petsmart.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=28450...

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J.R.

answers from Cedar Rapids on

Just a note- I read your post earlier in the week and ended up gettin the litter box that rolls from petsmart. We love it. I tried the feline pine scoop in there and it is the mesiest most tracking litter ever!!! its basically just sawdust. my cats wouldnt use it at first so i mixed my tidycats scoop litter into it and then they used it. It works great for the smell, but its SOOOO messy, so this may not be the best choice for you. I dont know if i mix way more of the tidy cat with it if it will be better and track less, but i dont know if i will be buying any more. My husband's old roomie used the pellet kind and said it tracked a lot too, and that the pellets HURT when you walk on them barefoot. But i think the envirofriendly pine is worth a shot to try and decide for yourself. I would just advise gettin the smaller bag/box to try first. Good luck!

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R.B.

answers from Duluth on

I have a closed top one and where it connects, the cat urine can still get through it and leak. They do sell little mats that you put outside the box and it is supposed to collect the litter off of their feet. That is on my to-do list. I'm as curious as you are! But yes, the closed top ones still leak.

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E.C.

answers from Iowa City on

When our son was tiny we looked into these: <http://www.pfprivy.com/main.html&gt;

But before we got one, as a temporary measure we had rigged up baby gates around a litter box with a lid and put a mat at the entrance/exit to catch litter. We were also using the pine pellet litter, so no gritty stuff on the floor. We noticed the cats were happy enough jumping over the baby gates to get wherever they wanted to go in the house and took the ones around the litter box in stride (so to speak). Since they seemed happy enough as is, we never changed the arrangement or got that furniture style box.

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J.H.

answers from Appleton on

My vet gave me this idea and I swear by it: plastic storage totes, minus the cover, with a u-shaped hole cut in the side low enough for kitty to get in & out but high enough to hold plenty of litter. Some people have had luck with covered litter boxes, but from what I've learned they're not generally recommended and you do not want to give a cat any reason to dislike his box. A piece of "astro-turf" in front of the box catches a lot of the excess litter from their feet; just shake it outside from time to time. If the cat doesn't like the feeling of the astro-turf, a piece of any indoor/outdoor carpeting would work too.

We have a baby gate with slats just wide enough for the cat to slip through--I'd recommend looking for one like that as opposed to making the cats jump over it...you want to make it as easy as possible for them to get to their box.

And it is important to have enough litter boxes...number of cats PLUS ONE is the rule of thumb. Hope that helps!

A.H.

answers from Des Moines on

I have two different solutions for you, of which i have used both, and love both. one option is of course the self cleaning ones. (roughly $80) I have recently bought one, and i love it. i dont have to worry about cleaning it out. we have ours in the livingroom behind the couch (so as not to be seen) and you cant smell it hardly at all. and it's kindof easy to use, you just replace the disposable pack thing and you are done.
another thing is something we just replaced when we got the self cleaning one is a "booda-dome" litter box (roughly $30-$40).

http://www.amazon.com/Dome-Cleanstep-Cat-Box-Iris/dp/B000...

It is a covered litter box with a "stairwell" to the litter area. it's neat, convenient, and there is only one way out of it. just put a mat down below the open area and the litter tracks are minimized greatly!

Hope this helps!

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S.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

Melissa,

Another option is to put the litter box in the laundry room and put up a baby gate. Cats can jump them, you can step over them, but it keeps baby out of the litter and the cat food. If your cat is old and can't jump, leave a little space under the gate - big enough for the cat and too small for the child.

Good luck,
S.

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J.S.

answers from Davenport on

Hi Melissa,
I have the self cleaning cat box and love it! I had two kittens where I lived before and I kept the box in the laundry room. My husband said if we were getting cats - we had to have the self cleaning box. It came with a mat to help clean their feet- and I don't remeber it being tracked out of the laundry room. Due to a move we had to get rid of those two, and we are in a new house now - with two children under 2, and two cats. We are using the self cleaning box again, and we have it in the basement with a cat door in our door. I don't see any liter up stairs.
But as for the post before about cats being scared - I have had a total of 4 cats using the self cleaning and they have always used it just fine. And the plastic trays that it goes into - they say to throw them away - but we reuse them a couple of times. (I am not sure how many as my husband is in charge of taking care of that! :) We are still using the same self cleaning box that we got over 3 years ago with no problems! Good Luck!

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J.O.

answers from Wausau on

I have 3 cats (!) and a toddler.
My cats also sometimes miss the box.
I found the best solution was to completely remove the litter boxes from the main living areas and put them somewhere baby couldn't reach. I couldn't do this with a baby gate, so I ended up putting them in the basement and installing a hook and eye latch on the door so the cats could get down there but the baby and the dogs couldn't.

For missing, the covered boxes work pretty well, but I had one cat who refused to use it with a cover, so one of our boxes is just a larger higher-sided one.

For litter-tracking, the cover will help some, and if you put a boot tray or a non-skid rug half under the box in front of it that will help keep the litter in a smaller area. The igloo style box (one of the more expensive ones) is round and has a curved ramp that seems to really amazingly keep the litter from getting tracked out. (There is one at my local animal shelter at the moment).

The best thing is to just get the box somewhere where the baby can't get at it. If you have to keep it out in the open, try getting a larger pet carrier, put the box inside, then rig the door with string or something so it can only open wide enough to let your cat through. Make sure the carrier is long enough so that when you slide the litter pan back it is far enough back your baby can't reach it through the door. I would recommend a dog carrier, since it will have a taller base and would help with the "missing." You can get carriers at garage sales and thrift shops if you don't want to buy new. Or ask at your local animal shelter (ours here gives them out to people who need them if they have extras on hand).

Good luck!

A.S.

answers from Davenport on

I'm a dog person. My husband has two cats. His mom got him a self-cleaning litter box in the hopes of appeasing me (I hate the smell of cats). The stupid thing constantly has to be fixed. As you know, it has a rake and the rake constantly tries to rake the litter. All the time. We keep it in the basement and I can hear the thing just running and running some days. I don't recommend it. Prior to the self-cleaning we had a covered box and that obviously prevents the "missing" issue. It requires more effort on your part but this is the way I would go.

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K.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

i also have 2 cats-i have 2 litter boxes for them-i put mine in my office closet-put a couple of old throw rugs under them-ive also found that scoopable is more messy than regular-

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S.S.

answers from Omaha on

Melissa,
I am a fan of the old fashioned litter, my cat, however, is not. And she is VERY finicky in her old age as well- if there is ANYwaste in the box at all she will poo over the edge. So, I have opted to go back to clumping litter and I have to clean the box every day- my vet suggested 2 boxes for 1 cat as wellsone box per cat plus one extra( I had never heard of that) there are mats that you can put on the edge of the box for them to wipe their feet- but I see that mine jump right over the top of it anyway so was a waste of money. Using the boxes that are covered help limit the scatter, but if you don't stay on top of it the stench inside will make kitty mad.

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E.I.

answers from Duluth on

my best advice is that the 2 cats need 2 separate litter boxes. i know in my house that would never be very good because we have a small house, but ive read that this is a must for a home with 2 cats, the outside the box accidents might stop if they have their own boxes, or a free box when one is in use...

ive never used a "self cleaning" box, they seem .. too good to be true... and ive noticed that the peed on litter just squashes back up, so its no substitute for regular cleaning.
i have a litter box that comes with 2 bottom buckets, a strainer type bottom, and a top with a door. i found the door would trap my cat in the box because of the 2 part bottom... but i think if you had only one bottom, it should be fine, but our litter box is in our laundry room, where our son is never allowed (via a gate)

besides, its very unhygenic to have a litter box in your food prep area .... ewe. even ... just for airborn issues. LOL

what i would recommend is that everyone has a bathroom, or at the least, a tub. put the litter box in the tub or bathroom... so its out of the way, and the bathroom isnt a spot people normally let their children play.... so its safe from little hands.

they do sell mats to put right outside the litter box door, and it collects most of the runaway litter. the cover will protect litter on 3 sides from getting out... but the front will still have litter coming out from cats feet.... so those mats are a good idea.

another best bet is to just keep cleaning it, removing chunks once a day even. then it doesnt get to be such a big hassle when you do have to clean it. also, cats will tend to poo anywhere when the litter box isnt cleaned often enough! so... the pooing outside the box might also stop if you clean the box more often...

anyway, good luck with this. i hate the litter box. even though my husband wanted this cat just as much as i did, he "blames" us having the cat on me so that i have to clean it... and i know if i wait for him to do it it will never happen.... so i guess it dosent matter who does it as long as someone dose it. see if you can recruit some help from your teenage son, even if its just for a while... while your daughter is so young. but anyway..

again, 2 litter boxes, and frequent cleaning, covered but not self cleaning litter box... and remove the door most probably as it might trap your cat in as it did to mine...

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B.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

I also have two cats. I have a covered litter box and it works well for us. I received the automatic one as a gift when I was pregnant with my first son. I returned it after a week because my cats wouldn't use it. At the time I worked for a Vet. office so I asked the Dr. what went wrong. He said alot of older cats are not willing to make a change and the noise may have also scared them. He said if I was stuck on the new box that I should have both set up and let the cats eaze into it.
I have also seen pet adoption places use the rubber storage bins. I think that may be a better option because it's what your cats are used to just bigger. Good luck with what you decide.

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D.S.

answers from Grand Rapids on

melissa, um the baby dont need a litter box, ahhaah they use diapers, they work well, it just sounded funny , i need advice on cats and baby litter box, aahha any way , i use the covered one, but not had it with a young one around, we kept the box in the bathroom, where the child was not, any way , just have fun and enjoy life, D. s just had to throw that pun in there, hhahahahha D. s

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C.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

Hi Melissa,

I have a covered box and it works great. I also have a little plastic mat that sits in front of the box, so when the cat exits, she steps on it, and the loose litter ends up on the mat. I have used an open-top box in the past, I think using a covered one makes all the difference in the world. The little litter box mats are sold at Petco, right by the litter boxes.

good luck!

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S.A.

answers from Omaha on

Have you seen the "clevercat" litter box? It looks like a plastic tub with a lid, only the lid has a corrugated surface and there's a round hole in it.
We bought it a few months ago (2 cats and a 9 month old) and LOVE it. I wish we'd found it sooner. Our cats don't track litter now, and had no problems adjusting to the new box. We bought ours at Petco, but you can also find them other places. It runs about $35 I think. If you do buy it, you might want to consider skipping the liners.

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T.M.

answers from Madison on

We also have 2 cats and a 28 month old. We keep one litter box in the laundry room and two litter boxes under the stairs in the basement (we were told there should always be 1 more litter box then cats - we had a cat with a peeing problem so we had to seek professional help cause I was not willing to get rid of her, shes all better now - 1.5 years no accidents). We used to have selfcleaning boxes and the cats liked them just fine - I think they liked them better because the boxes were always clean, but they kept breaking and we were always exchanging them, so now we use the rubbermaid storage container with tall sides so they don't pee outside the box anymore, they do still track litter, but we have a mini vac to clean tht up (we replace the rubbermaid containers every 3-6 months to keep them fresh). We also keep them extremelly clean, we clean them as soon as we see the cats have used them to avaoid our son from getting into them. Hope this helps, Good Luck!

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J.B.

answers from Sioux Falls on

I've had cats for many years and loved every one. However, there are not many things more disgusting than dealing with litter boxes when the cat "misses" the box. One of the best "gifts" my husband brought me was a covered litter box. I use the "scoopable" litter, too. I've never tried the automatic ones. I suggest moving the box to your laundry room if you have one. I use two small bathtub mats in front of the litter box so my cat lands on them instead of the floor. They are easy to clean up with my mini broom/dustpan. Good luck.

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K.C.

answers from Janesville-Beloit on

Hi,
I used to work in a pet store that sold one of the self-cleaning litter boxes. I did not hear good things about it. We also have a litter box in the kitchen and have the same issues you have with tracking and missing. We have a covered litter box and it doesn't seem to matter. We have tried to move the box to the basement but the cat refused to urinate in it down there. So we are stuck with frequent sweeping and occasional washing the floor. We just try to keep our 3 year-old away from that area so he doesn't get into the litter. I tried a small carpet square in front of the box and it seemed to help the tracking a little but unfortunately, I have not found a perfect solution.

K.B.

answers from Milwaukee on

Hi Melissa,

We have 2 cats and we have an open and covered litter box. We have ours in the basement (I know not everyone has the option) and the litter gets tracked up the stairs but at least it stops at the top were I have the baby gate. I also have a cat mat that helps get some of the littler off their feet (can find in the cat box areas).

We use the clumping litter too... I have been thinking of getting one of the more costly self clean boxes too (just so it is quicker for me to clean everyday). But my hubby is not sure we should spend the money on it (but of course he does none of the clean of the box, except when I was pregnant).

I am sure safety wise you know to keep the little one far away from the littler box. Guess this post is not of much help... just to let you know that it is a struggle for others too.

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L.A.

answers from Lincoln on

We have a covered litter box in the laundry room. To cut down on tracking and our frisky kitten scratching litter out the entry of the covered box, we set the covered litter box toward the back of a larger cardboard box lined with newspaper and cut a half circle in the side of the cardboard box in front of the entry to the litter box. This also prevents any leaks between the bottom of the litter box and the latched top from ending up on the floor. Then we occasionally shake the cardboard box outside and replace the newspaper lining.

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M.M.

answers from Milwaukee on

I would probably get a covered litter box. Once your little one really gets going the litter box will be exciting to look through. I would probably try to put it somewhere out of sight for the most part. My parents always had it in a closet and the closet door partly open and one in the basement. try to keep it out of eye sight. I would probably get a mat to take off as much of the litter as possible, you'll always have some that gets tracked just try to limit the amount. Things will be fine, good luck.

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