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Cat Facts: Bringing Up Kitty: Cat Habitat Where to Put That Litter Box? By Ilana Reisner, DVM for Cat Facts |
 Your new kitten has filled your home with love, softness and silly play. But welcoming this new member of your family includes one not so charming addition˜the litter box. Like it or not, that box is now as much a part of your life as the balls and catnip mice littering your living room floor. Choosing the right location can help you and kitty live more comfortably, even happily, with a litter box.
The ideal location should take into consideration both your sensibilities and your kitten's bathroom needs. No matter how quick you are with that scooper, litter will sometimes emit a certain unpleasant odor, so the kitchen is probably not an ideal spot. Moreover, litter has a way of hitchhiking on a cat's paws or, if your pet is particularly vigorous about burying her business, flying out of the pan in great paw-fuls. Placing the litter box in your bedroom might therefore elicit some colorful words if you should step on the ejected litter with bare feet. But, assuming you will rise to the task of scooping the litter and vacuuming stray litter granules at least once day (and that is the bare minimum!), most household locations can accommodate your needs. What about your kitten? Consider her needs when she senses a real urgency to use the box. If it is sequestered two floors away in a dark and damp corner, she may decide that the dining room rug is more handy. For this reason, at least one litter box should be provided on each floor of your home. Bathrooms, hallway corners, laundry rooms, even open closets work well. Make sure your kitten can get inthe box easily; she may not be able to climb into the bathtub or over the high rim of a tall box. One important piece of advice: Once you've decided on a spot, don't change it unless you are confident that boxes in other locations are already begin used frequently. Finally, keep track of which box is most popular -- you might be better off offering two in that spot, and foregoing the basement box that is visited only rarely. |
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