How Many Litter Boxes Do You Need?

Lily on a pedestal

Well, the verdict is out…

I always thought 2 were ample. Even when I had 10 cats living under my roof, there were only 2 boxes.

Yes, ten. There were 3 adult cats and 7 kittens. The kittens used the one in the living room. It was by their den. (Bottom of the cat tree.) True, sometimes the adults used the box. But most times, they used the one under the bathroom sink.

Once the kittens were gone, I had one box in the spare bedroom and one in the bathroom. Even with 5 adult cats, it was plenty. Different house, with more cats and people.

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Litter Box Revolt

Today, I own 2 cats and 3 litter boxes. Yes, out of necessity, I invested in a third high-sided box.

I had a bin with 3 high sides I used for a litter box for 35 years. Thought it was ample for these 2 kids. No such luck for one of them.

Lily stands on her tiptoes and pees wherever suits her. She is good at using the high-sided box. Doesn’t mind the closed confinement. Neither of them are bothered by the size or the top access.

Glad not an issue or this could become very complicated. 2 plastic containers I had purchased were not tall enough. Lily had grown taller and the box sides were an inch too short.

One litter box is in a spare bedroom that is used for books and storage. A craft table in the room. The door is always blocked open and they have plenty of privacy.

Second box in the living room near the front door. The front door rarely gets used, so plenty of privacy for the cats.

Box 3 is in my bedroom where one is housed while eating meals. (They eat apart because they spend too much time eyeing each other’s food.) It used to be Lucy checking out Lily’s food, causing her to leave. Just less hassle to separate. If no litter box was available upon isolation, my bed was a good target.

The recent unacceptable behavior resulted in buying box number 3.

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Litter Box Quantity

I read you should have one more box than you have cats. Crazy. I had 10 cats for a short time. That means, 11 boxes! Where? Even my reasonable years of 5 cats. Hard to imagine where to place 6 litter boxes.

I suppose 3 for a one-story house is ample unless you have a 4000 sq. foot home. If a designated cat room is accessible for them, 2 boxes on opposite ends might make sense. How many other rooms could you use a cat box? Are the cats eager to use the space? Cats are a discerning bunch. They are not always in favor of your decisions of litter box location.

Not unreasonable to have 2 boxes on each floor level. The whole purpose is to prevent accidents from happening.

High-traffic areas are a disaster waiting to happen. Imagine the scenario with people running through your bathroom. Cats don’t sit there reading Home & Gardens or Reader’s Digest. They just need the security. Knowing no person or pet will burst through the room, interrupting them while using the cat commode.

• More reasons for unacceptable box behavior can be due to sickness. (When Cats Get Sick)

P.S.

• How many cats and litter boxes do you have?

• Have you encountered any problems with litter box placement?

• Have you ever had any issues with your cat not using the litter box and doing their business in unacceptable places?