Let’s face it, living with cats means living with litter. I’m often asked the question “How can I hide the litter box in a cool looking way?” Well, there are a few options, so I thought I’d round them all up here for easy reference.
First, consider a covered litter box. There are several available with modern, stylish designs that you wouldn’t have to hide away in a closet or utility room. Remember, you need one litter box per cat, plus one more, in order to keep everyone happy, and it’s best to place them far away from each other. Also, keep in mind your cat’s particular needs when choosing a litter box. Top entry boxes maybe good for some cats, but not for senior cats or cats with mobility issues. Also, consider the size of an enclosed litter box and make sure your cat has plenty of room to turn around inside. Finally, make sure to keep the litter box clean, including the inside of the cover and sides, which may require a regular deep cleaning.
Here are some of my favorite covered litter boxes:
- Mox Tower Litter Box
- Modkat Top-entry Litter Box
- Litter Robot Automatic Self-Cleaning Litter Box
- Litter Spinner Quick Clean Litter Box
- Flip Seamless Front Entry Litter Box
- Booda Dome Cleanstep Cat Box
- Kitty a Go-Go Covered Litter Box with Pull-out Tray
Another option is to hide the litter box inside a cabinet or other enclosure that looks like a piece of regular furniture. There are all kinds of cabinets designed specifically to hold a litter box, ranging in style from traditional to modern. Some of these can also serve double duty as a side table or nightstand.
Here are some stylish litter box enclosures:
- Modernist Cat Litter Hideaway
- Designer Pet Products Litter Box Enclosure
- Modern Cat Designs Cat Litter Hider
- Pet Studio Mahogany Cat Litter Box Cabinet
- LitterWorks Top or Side Entry Litter Box Cover
- Crown Pet Products Litter Box Cabinet
- Merry Pet Products Cat Washroom & Night Stand
- Mr. Herzer’s Decorative Litter Box Cover
And finally, if you’re handy, you can DIY a custom cat box enclosure inside a piece of retrofitted furniture or even as part of a built-in cabinet. Here are some great examples:
- Sari’s DIY Litter Box Hider
- Custom Kitty Cutout Litter Box Cabinet
- DIY Damask Litter Box Hiders
- Alexis’ Stylish DIY Cat Litter Cabinet
Since my cats aren’t fan of covered litter boxes I like a hiding in plain sight approach with free standing screens or other objects like a fireplace screen and an antique painted card table that folds flat. An aquarium can work as can a large, elevated planter.
Love that modernist cat cabinet! Thanks for the great tips!
One comment about covered litter boxes: any covered box or piece of “furniture” that completely encloses the box is going to trap litter dust inside, even with a low-dust litter. This is great for keeping the surrounding household clean and the house smelling fresh, but BAD for your cat’s lungs. ESPECIALLY a concern if you have an asthmatic cat or a cat with any kind of respiratory impairment. Just something to keep in mind!
Just change to wood based litter – no dust!! 🙂
I use wood based litter. A lot of it turns to dust after my cat uses it and I scoop the clumps. Could you elaborate on what brand you use that doesn’t turn to dust?
I hate products like this. It’s proven that cats don’t like covered litter boxes. If you’re so concerned with seeing a litter box, maybe you shouldn’t have a cat.
i agree!
Then someone better inform my 6 cats that they shouldn’t like our covered litter boxes! All of our boxes are covered boxes and we have no problem with the cats using them. Making a blanket statement like this is pretty silly…all cats are different. And about rethinking having a cat because someone wants to hide a litter box? I find that laughable. After living in a small apartment with my cats (All rescued kitties, by the way. I guess I shouldn’t have rescued them because I want to hide their litter boxes???), I can appreciate the need to tuck away the litter boxes.
I only have two cats now, but ALL the cats that have owned me, have never had a problem with a covered litter box.
I have 5 cats and 8 litter boxes. The only one that is covered is the one in the half bath on the main floor. There is only one of the 5 cats that doesn’t like the covered box and the reason is: She is a big cat and has a hard time turning around in it. She doesn’t use it, but the other cats like it and don’t fell trapped inside of it. So yes, covered or uncovered they both work.
I have a completely enclosed litter box downstairs. It’s an Ikea hack made from a medium sized cabinet.
I have unobstructed boxes, completely open, in two bathrooms and one box outside in the catio under a bench but open on the sides.
Two of three cats use the one in the cabinet almost exclusively. The other only likes going outside. The two back-up bathroom boxes only get used when company is over and they don’t want to go downstairs.
Claims that cats in general do or don’t like one thing or another are generally not based in associating with very many cats.
Study on litter box preferences:
http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/covered-or-uncovered-litterboxes-do-cats-have-a-preference
Evidence suggests preference for covered vs. uncovered is individual. Would love to see more work on this topic though as the “covered litter box = bad” sacred cow is pretty pervasive and I would love to have a more definitive, scientifically supported answer!
Some cats maybe. My cats have never had a problem with their covered litter box. Never heard this from any of my cat loving friends either.
My issue isn’t seeing the box, it’s the dog eating from it! Gross and unhealthy. These are a necessity for out home
My cat prefers the covered litter box, he likes to swing the little door it has. When I had to board him once, the ladies in the boarding home told me he had trouble “going” in the litter box in his enclosure and I told them his box at home is covered. They told me “oh, we didn’t think of that. He just likes to have privacy!”
Not every cat is the same, nor the situation, nor the owners. To each his own as long as the cats and owners are happy and healthy. Expressing one’s opinion is okay as long as it’s in a tactful way. I think these are cool!
I have always felt that covering a litter box leads to not cleaning the litter box. (Out of sight, out of mind.) I volunteer in a shelter, and we use a small amount of litter, and just dump the whole thing once it has been used. I’ve started doing that at home with my 5 cats.
I’ve always wanted to turn an extra closet in the garage into a Cat Bathroom! By putting a cat door into the adjoining house wall, that goes into the closet. Add a vent/fan like those in human bathrooms, and there you go! You have cat access from the house for the cat and human access through the closet door in the garage, for cleaning.
That’s exactly what we did when we moved into our house. We were fortunately to have a closet right as we enter the house from the garage. It is under the stairs so it’s very deep and has one shelf. On the floor way in the back are two litter boxes, automated water fountain and an automated feeder. We installed a kitty door so they can come and go, a light with a pull string to turn on if needed, and an exhaust fan (which we rarely ever use since there’s no smell). On the shelf we have extra food, cleaning supplies and space for boots. I clean the boxes every day and vacuum the tile floor once/week. It works out great.
That sounds fantastic! I have a 1 bedroom apartment and getting my little kitty friend in about 4 weeks when’s she’s ready to leave her mommy. Her mommy is a feral cat in a friends backyard, not a breeder. I am building her own cat condo for when she arrives and other preparations. I’m an HVAC engineer in the day and would love to have the proper air circulation for her and for me but I think a fan and air purifier will have to do for now.
Those are some attractive and creative designs but I’m not sure if either of my cats would be comfortable using a covered or enclosed box. I have a pet door going into the garage where their boxes are kept so the “unsightliness” isn’t an issue.
Thanks for this roundup!
I purchased an extra plastic storage box from Home Depot. My husband cut a hole on the side of it. We keep this container next to the washer/dryer and keep a flip top small trash can next to it. Once a day, I remove the cover and clean it out. Once in a while, I bring it outside to hose down and sanitize. My 3 cats adapted to this new litter box immediately. I feel that any “furniture type” of litter box will trap odor. This works great for us!
I have three cats who never learned they each need their own box. One large box in the bathroom works for us. I use Yesterday’s news for litter because it doesn’t track and it is biodegradable. I admit, enthusiastic digging can scatter the pellets, but they are easy to sweep up.
These are some great suggestions and tips. My cat mainecoon and very large also old with breathing problems. But if I ever get another kitten will surely consider a piece of furniture.
Wow. So much negativity for this awesome page. Give it a rest. Not all of us are blessed with plenty of space to put a litter box at all. And covering it up may not be for the looks or smell, but rather because your cat is a crazy ‘poop hider’ like one of mine, and sends litter flying everywhere!
And it’s also been proven that cats like privacy when they go, so having their own area to do so is benefical, not always harmful.
Each feline is different!
Thanks for the great ideas!
This is the crux –
“Each feline is different! ”
Some cats like privacy, some get claustrophobic. The right box for you and your cat is the one your cat likes to use!
That may even change with age. All cat guardians ought to be ready to change with their cats needs.
A couple years back, my cats were suffering from terrible recurring cough bouts. At first I thought it was hairballs but X-rays confirmed that it was environmental bronchitis; the cough was them stretching out their necks struggling to breathe. I was a wreck trying to find the cause. Eventually, I considered the litter box situation: a couple of covered boxes filled with that cheap refillable clay litter. So I replaced them with a giant open box filled with Blue Buffalo’s walnut shell based cat litter, virtually dust free. I am happy to report that the cough had dwindled to nothing within a couple weeks. Not to mention the low dust levels make scooping a breeze.
Please consider your cats’ respiratory health and stay away from these covered litter boxes.
Cats don’t like covered boxes and people don’t scoop them often enough when the box is hidden away. Lets see a post about large uncovered litter boxes!
Our littlest liked the carpet better than the litterbox until we switched to covered ones. We waterproofed the insides and vacuum and wash them out. And use pine litter. All 3 are happier!
Sometimes boxes need to be covered to keep a tootsie roll eating dog out! That’s the situation at my house.
I tend to agree that cats like uncovered litter boxes, but I have one cat who sprays, rather than peeing. He usually starts out squatting, but that butt lifts bit by bit until he’s spraying over even the large Container Store box I got for him. So now we have a Flip Box, and I am going to try a Catit covered box this week to try, because we need more tha one box.
How does one line the interior for those of us who hove cats that are vertical urinators?
I’ve heard and read all the above before. That’s why I researched and made a litter box cabinet for myself. That was over ten years ago. Now, you can purchase one too. Yes, my Out of Sight Litter Box may seam expensive to some, or most people, but cat owners understand. For less than a dollar a day, you no longer will have to sweep and clean up tracked litter from all over your home. Your dog (if you have one) will not be able to get to the “treats”. And as for your cat that likes to just “go” while staying up… my new 15 inch tall High-Sider litter pan should stop all the clean up from that problem too. Your guests won’t know that “that” is a litter box. And you won’t have to get on your knees to scoop either, just walk up, lift the top lid, scoop and walk away. Too good to be true? Take a look at my web site and decide for yourself! www(dot)outofsightlitterbox(dot)com
Nice ideas! Each box is different and liked the custom cat box!
Just put a high false floor in a storage closet, and use the space underneath it for the litter box. Brooms, the vacuum, etc go above, the cats ‘go’ below. I just disabled the latch on the closet door and put a little bar up at the top corner of the door so it never closed fully.
With multiple cats, a covered box really needs two entries — they get territorial about their toileting and getting trapped in the box when another cat tries to enter can be traumatic and lead to out-of-the-box habits.
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