I don’t talk about litter box issues much here. My human has rarely had to deal with them. And since I’m currently the only kitty here, keeping my facilities clean is pretty easy for her. But I do like to show things from a cat’s point of view, and I think describing our litter boxes in terms of human toilets will help people better understand what we go through.
Imagine, if you will, an outhouse that may or may not be conveniently placed. If you’re lucky, it’s easy to find and only a few steps away. If you’re not so lucky, you have to go through dark corridors you usually avoid. Maybe you have to travel down to a basement, or go to the other side of the house to a room that nobody uses or visits. Or it’s right next to where you eat all your meals. That’s icky.
The floor of the outhouse is covered with the grime of many feet that have been there before. It’s kind of gross, really, but you don’t have any other choices. If you have a good bathroom attendant, it’s kept relatively clean so it’s not too dirty and smelly. If the bathroom attendant is a bit sloppy, it can get pretty ripe in there, and you have no idea what you might be stepping in.
An outhouse without a roof helps keep it from smelling so repulsive when you use it. If it’s got a roof, it can get really unpleasant if your bathroom attendant hasn’t been there for a while. An old outhouse has some icky smells permanently carved into the floor and sides. I hope it’s not too difficult to get and out of, if you are older and arthritic, three legged, or have some other issue with your mobility.
You have to share this outhouse with the rest of your family, and hopefully everyone gets along. If not, there could be some drama and bullying. I hope you aren’t the one getting jumped every time you need to go!
So yeah, a litter box at its best is a slightly smelly place that’s usually clean enough for you to do your business without complaint. At worst, every time you go to the litter box, it’s a treacherous trip to a strange part of the house, or one where you risk getting into an argument just to relieve yourself. To be honest, most litter boxes are somewhere in between most days, leaning more towards cleanliness than the ugly alternative.
Even if you, as the bathroom attendant, have exemplary skills, your own facilities will always be cleaner and more pristine than ours. Even kitties who live outside have it better because they don’t have to keep digging in the same place over and over, and it’s not that hard to find a fresh patch of dirt.
I have no specific recommendations or suggestions because every family is different. Needs are different, spaces are different. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to litter boxes.
But it helps if you keep us and our perspective in mind when making decisions about our litter boxes. A lot of times, people mainly consider what’s convenient for them, and our comfort is way back in second place. But if you put our comfort first, in the long run it will be more convenient for you because the issues will be far fewer. It’s just something that I hope you keep in mind.
Other posts you’ll enjoy:
- Going Before You Go, or Using the Litter Box Before Traveling
- Litter Box Tips and Tricks for the Holidays
- Human Litter Box Training, Step One
Excellent post. My two boxes are in great places that are easy to get to. Both have hoods but the tops aren’t totally enclosed. There are sun roofs so it doesn’t get bad. I get a new litter box almost every year so that’s good. I can’t complain except when the litter is too dusty.
What a grate post Summer! Iss not an easy topick to meow ’bout iss it?
Butt it iss guud wee can have a convursation ’bout Litterbox an Toiletss….
BellaSita Mum told mee when shee gotted her 1st cat when shee was 12 1/2 yeerss old; Aimpson had to eat an use litterbox an sleep inn basemint. BellaSita HATED that butt her Meowmy was umm meen…..strict? Well not furry happy there was a C-A-T inn THE house. (Wee leeve it at that).
When BellSita left home shee cuud NOT take Simpson. BellaSita’ss Meowmy reefused her outrite…
So BellaSita Mum deecided shee wuud nevurr due that to any cat shee shared her life with. An you know efurry kitty inncludin mee has their pwn litterbox INN bathroom so wee can hang out twogether. An wee even
sink-ro-nize pottyin timess!
BellaSita sayss shee iss “ANAL” bout mee litterbox…not sure what shee meenss….mee can meow to you shee cleenss mee box an her toilet dailee…..shee iss fastideeus an mee appurrciatess that so much!
Mee allwayss had a ‘crappy’ box inn mee preeveuss home an mee did not like diggin inn dirt when mee was on THE meen streetss when they locked mee out.
Mee iss so gratefull to have a Meowmy who ACKSHULLY caress 😉
***purrss*** BellaDharma
Great advice Summer. I keep my girls box pristine. I know when and who went and I promptly clean it up. Thank you. I know that’s not always the case. I’ve seen bad things in other households. My girls get only the best care
Very descriptive. I hope this is a good reminder for anyone
who might need it.
Definitely a good reminder of how important it is to keep the litter boxes clean!
Let me just say that I LOVE this! I have been telling my friends for quite some time that we need to treat the litter box like we do our own toilets – if we wouldn’t want to do our business in a messy toilet, we shouldn’t make our cats do so!!
I’m sharing this on the CB roundup post this weekend and with other friends. Thank you for writing this analogy. I think it does help people understand the litter box more.
Our Peeps take good care of our boxes. Although we don’t have one each any more, we do have the great outdoors..HOWEVER, I, Marv (and often Jo Jo) will come in from playing outside to use the “facilities” and then run back out to play! Terrific comparison Summer. We LOVE the out house analogy. Keep being awesome, Marv
That’s a really good way of looking in house with the outhouse in mind sweet Summer!
This is so, so smart, Summer! Every cat parent needs to read it.
Great post. I am against covered litter boxes because they remind me of porta potties.
Thanks for explaining it so well for our human we are lucky as we can go outside during the day if it’s not raining. You are right that is a lot more pleasant than the litterbox. And our litterboxes are in the garage, far enough away from the food and water that it’s not ick. Three of the litterboxes are close to a window thank cat and two are next to the door. Unfortunately Chimera insist on using all of them as soon as they are cleaned out. She literally waits for Daddy to clean them then goes poops in each one.
Well said, Summer!
Good advice. I was probably a bit obsessive keeping the boys boxes clean. They had 4 but only used 2. As soon as I heard digging I was there with the pooper scooper.
Hi Summer, I’m new to following you and a new cat mommy, learning so much for you. You are adorable! Could you please share what your human does for litter boxes and toileting when you travel. Thank you
You’ve made terrific points, Summer.
Having a good attendant for the box is very important !
Purrs, Julie
Mom keeps our boxes clean but sometimes even ours get icky.
Good advice, Summer. The mom tries to keep my boxes as clean as she can.