How to Make an Efficient Cat Litter Box Setup

Last Updated: May 16, 2021

Cats need clean litter boxes, but humans want to spend as little time possible to clean them. This super efficient, simple, compact and cheap setup makes them both happy. It was designed for a small house. Copy it, or use it as inspiration to create your own set-up that is better suited to your household.

Steps

1
Get a table and attach a curtain to the side.
- This setup consists of several parts.
2
Get a big litter box - bigger is better, depending on how much space you have. Get one with a hood to prevent litter getting out and to guide the cat, but remove the door. Those doors trap bad smells inside and that is nice for insensitive humans, but it is hell for sensitive cat noses. If the box smells, it means it wasn't cleaned properly. So clean it. Don't fasten the hood with clamps, just let it stand free.
3
Get a special bin for cat litter. There are several brands that do the same thing. They work like those bins for diapers: they don't let any bad smells out. You can collect a week or more of dirty cat litter and dump it in the trash without any nasty smells or any hassle.
- Don't mess around with those flimsy sandwich bags. Make a little platform with wheels and put the bin on top. Why will become clear later.
4
Gather your remaining litter supplies. You'll need:
- Litter mat of one kind or another.
- Bag of cat litter
- Scoop hanging from a hook underneath the table
5
Lay out your setup so it "guides" your cat. All the items should be laid out in such a way that the cat can only get into the box via one route: the route that goes over the litter mat. If you are blessed with more space, you can actually add more litter catching devices to reduce litter tracking in your house to next to nothing.
- Make sure you can reach in there very easily to get to work; that's why a curtain is ideal. The genius idea behind this set-p is that it reduces any kind of obstacle to cleaning work to an absolute minimum.
6
Access what you need to at cleaning time. Roll the litter bin to one side, push the litter bag to the other side and pull the litter box to the front. Remove the hood and start scooping the messy bits into the bin (push one hand on the "foot pedal" to open it), using the scoop that hangs in a convenient spot. After you are done, put everything back and you're done.
- After you get the hang of it, it takes one minute - that's literally one minute. Use a dust buster or a dustpan to remove spillage if any. Scoop once a day.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I teach my cat to use the litter box?

Community Answer

Make sure the box isn't in a noisy or hard to reach place. Take your cat to the litter box at a quiet time. Place her into the litter box, gently take her front paws and show her how to scratch at the litter once or twice. Don't worry if she jumps right out again. If you do this a couple of times, she should get the hang of it.