Litter Box Etiquette for a Happy Cat

Litter Box Etiquette: 

We love taking care of our kitties (proof that you can be both a dog and a cat person!). We’re here to improve their lives and, as a result, the lives of you, their humans! So allow us to help you with your litter box etiquette. Yes, yours! Cats have a natural instinct to cover their droppings, and you will 99.999% of the time not have to worry about litter box training your kitten or cat. So, how do we as their humans practice good litter etiquette? By providing the proper litter box and litter in the right place in your home, paying attention to your kitties’ elimination habits, and more. Your cat wants you to read this!

Where should you put your cat’s litter box?

Your cat’s litter box should not be in a highly-trafficked area in your home, but it also shouldn’t be in an attic or difficult to access. Kind of like what we prefer as humans, yes? A little privacy, but not inconveniently private. Many of our clients will place a litter box in their laundry room, in a guest bathroom, or a guest bedroom.This brings us to the question of how many litter boxes do you need for your cats, because placing them can get tricky. 

How many litter boxes do your cats need?

The general rule is one per cat, plus one. So if you have two cats, that means THREE litter boxes. Please don’t give them one extra large litter box. Cats are fastidious and clean. Only having one litter box in this situation might inspire them to go outside of it (although there may be other underlying health reasons for that, too). Our cat sitters don’t mind scooping three litter boxes or more. Really. We want your kitties to be comfortable and clean. 

Let’s say you are a two-kitty home and truly only have space for two litter boxes in your apartment. In that case, your solution would be to scoop their litter boxes daily, and make sure you empty out the litter completely at least weekly. Our pet sitters scoop litter daily for different reasons. One is that it’s just much more hygienic; the other is that we also get to observe your cats’ health via what’s going on in the box. We really do care about your cats’ elimination habits- and you should, too. It’s a built-in geiger counter for your kitty’s health!

What’s normal litter box use for my cat:

Every cat is different, but a healthy cat pees between two and four times a day, and poops every 24-36 hours (sometimes more often, depending on food/water intake and other reasons). It might seem weird if you’re a first-time pet owner, but you need to observe their pee and poop schedule. Too little pee might mean dehydration, and that is a life-threatening issue for cats; suddenly drinking too much water and tons of pee might mean diabetes or have other causes. You have to observe a baseline in order to record change. We’ll get into more detail in a later blog, but a huge part of your litter etiquette is keeping track of your kitty’s business!

What’s the right kind of litter box and litter for your cat?

This question merits its very own blog post, but we can touch on it briefly here. Put simply, the type of litter box you buy depends on your kitties’ demands. Every cat has a preference, and the options are vast in the modern world! They can include: 

• Covered litter boxes
• Hidden litter boxes
• Open litter boxes
• Robotic litter boxes
• Self cleaning litter boxes
• Toilet training litter boxes
• Other (there’s always an “other”)

There are so many kinds of litter available in addition to the traditional clay litter:

• Clay litter (low dust and no dust options available)
• Silica gel cat litter
• Pine litter (clumping and non-clumping, some like it because it is environmentally friendly)
• Wheat/corn litter (also environmentally friendly)
• Paper litter  (does not clump or control odor well but good for sensitive paws)

Cats are very particular. It might take some trial and error, but your Goldilocks will let you know when you get their litter box type, litter box location, and litter choice just right. If you need help scooping your cat’s litter, or have any questions regarding litter box etiquette, we can help! To learn more about how we can help you with pet sitting out our pet sitting service page, contact us directly, or call us at 305-794-3733.

Frankie Berti

A founding member of the Equipaws family, Frankie can mostly be found working behind the scenes, helping co-create online branding, managing several social media accounts, designing brand collateral, writing copy, and managing events. She also fills in for pet sitters and dog walkers when needed in Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, and South Miami. Her own small pack consists of Boots the Shih Tzu mix and Nutmeg the Chiweenie.