How to choose a cat litter box

For new cat owners, the cat litter box is the best and easiest choice. Most pooper scoopers struggle with choosing the right cat litter box, the small ones, and big ones, the options are too many. Even choosing between a closed one and an open one can be challenging not to mention the choice between a smart and traditional one. This article will help you get answers to your questions and we hope you will choose the cat litter box.

1.Choosing the right cat litter size

You should choose a cat litter box that fits your cat’s requirements, size, and favorites. If you just got a new cat, it may be afraid to be in a new environment. To make the cat feel safe, you have to build it a safe space or buy a small cat house. We recommend a fully open box for easy access for small kittens and a litter box with lower sides is the best choice.

Different litter boxes for different ages.
Generally, most litter boxes are suitable for adult cats, it depends on the mood of the owner, after all, it is the litter box they use. There are exceptions like real big cats who might need bigger boxes to be able to move around as they like, the size of the litter box should be 1.5 times the cat's body length.

2.Does the cat litter box need to be cleaned?

It is absolutely necessary to clean the litter on a regular basis. If you don’t wash it for a long time, bacteria and parasites will develop and they can make the cat sick. In addition, cats who love clean spaces will not use the litter box if it’s not clean to their liking, they will poop in the house. To reduce these situations, the litter box should preferably be washed once a week or once a month. We recommend washing the litter box by hand when changing the litter. First, pour the waste into a plastic bag. Even with flushable corn litter, you should put the waste in a bag to avoid clogging. Then flush the litter with a showerhead and hot water to kill as much of the bacteria as possible. Then carefully wash the litter box with a non-irritating detergent plus a small brush. Finally, wipe off the excess water and put it in a dry place to dry, preferably in the sun.

3.Different pros and cons of various cat litter boxes

①Semi-enclosed

The semi-enclosed litter box is suitable for kittens and senior cats. Its advantages are that it’s easy to clean, easy to put in the car and they can fit in the cat’s small house. They are very convenient for daily movement and any size of the apartment.

They have some disadvantages as well. The smell of the cat’s poop will fill the air making it hard for cohabitation. They have no smell isolation feature and they are very light. When the cat tries to hide or bury the poop, it can kick hard and the box will fall. It is recommended that every family with a cat at home always has an entry-type semi-closed litter box, which is very versatile.

②Fully enclosed - Side entry type

Side-entry litter boxes are suitable for a wide range of applications, they are basically for all ages. The side entry litter box so far has been the best seller in the market. Its advantage is that the smell is easy to eliminate by using the right products and methods and the box is closed so the bad smell stays inside. It also makes it easy for the cat to go in and out. It ‘s however inconvenient to scoop and clean the litter on a regular basis but now there are improved side-entry litter boxes, such as top lift lid type, drawer type, and side entry litter box with long passage design.

③Fully enclosed - Top-in/bottom-in/top-out
The to-entry litter box is designed to solve the problem of moving it. The cover is a barrier, it doesn’t make it easy for the cat to go in and out. The cover does a great job of covering the smell from the litter box but that means that the smell will be very intense when you go to scoop it up.
Plus, the relatively high basin shoveling is very difficult, you need to find a good angle, and most of the top entry types need to take the lid down to shovel the poop. To address the shortcomings of the top entry type, there is a modified version of the bottom entry and top exit, kittens and older cats can enter from the side and come out from the top, and the addition of a drawer-type litter box, convenient for the pooper scooper to scoop, but we think this improvement is still not very friendly for older cats. They still have to jump up to get out, and the problem of odor volatilization has not been solved.

④Automatic litter box

The automatic litter box has been more popular recently because it can automatically scoop poop. We believe that this article alone is the litter box that all pooper scoopers dream of, but the price is much more expensive than ordinary litter boxes. It is ideal for people who are very busy at work, travel a lot, or just have no time. There are functions such as "multi-cat identification" "remote control" "weight test" "toileting data analysis" "litter balance monitoring" that can help detect the cat's health. A disadvantage can be when there is a malfunction that can hurt the cat.

The original smart litter box had safety issues, but the new generation of smart litter box [iPet smart litter box] currently being launched is equipped with eight safety systems that can accurately sense when a cat is approaching and leaving, ensuring the cat's safety."

4.Which type of cat litter box does your cat prefer

Researchers at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine had published a study on cat litter box preferences in the April 2013 issue of the Journal of Feline Surgery.

The researchers evaluated 28 cats that had not urinated and pooped indiscriminately in the past year. The cats ranged from 3 months to 15 years old, with an average age of 3.1 years. Fifty-six percent of the cats were female and 44 percent were male. During the two-week study period, each cat had access to two large litter boxes containing the same litter, which were cleaned daily by the owner using the same method.

The final evaluation showed that 70% of the cats had no specific preference, they used both litter boxes equally often, of the remaining 30%, 15% preferred the closed litter box and the remaining 15% preferred the open litter box, and the cats that chose the open litter box were mostly larger adult cats. The results of this study indicate that most cats do not have a preference for open/closed litter boxes.

So, does this mean that you don't have to worry about what litter box to buy, just close your eyes and buy the cheapest one and be done with it?"

① Select a large enough litter box
In the above experiment, there are two prerequisites: a large litter box and daily cleaning. That is, the size and cleanliness of the litter box will have a greater impact than whether the litter box is open or closed!
Sometimes we tell pooper scoopers, "Your cat's messy pooping problem is probably because the litter box is small." But they often don’t believe it, “the litter box we bought is obviously a large size!” they say.

So, what kind of litter box is really big enough?
A litter box that is truly large enough. Choosing a litter box requires an overall assessment of your own cat. A litter box that is large enough should have 2 elements such as
1. The length is more than 1.5 times the cat's body length so that the cat can easily turn around.
2. The height of the space should be higher than the length of the cat to avoid the cat's head from being cramped when pooping in a squatting position.

② Don’t ignore your cat's growth
When you start out with a kitten, most sizes of litter boxes on the market are large enough. But don't forget that kittens grow up, and some are bigger than others. Therefore, what was once suitable for it, may no longer be a good fit.

③ Assess the physical condition of the cat
If the cat is obese, old, or weak, it should choose a litter box that is easier to get in and out of, and a litter box like the one shown below that requires jumping up is not very suitable for them.

④Let the cat make the choice
If you still can't figure out what your cat likes, you can choose a larger semi-enclosed litter box in the beginning, which can be closed and open to switch freely and let your cat choose for itself."

We usually like a clean, fresh toilet environment, and this is especially true for cats who have a much sharper sense of smell than we do. Cats do not want to get into a dirty litter box just as we do not want to go to a smelly, dirty toilet.

So, make sure you buy the right litter box and keep it clean!