# Litter box on balcony in cold climates



## magnusruud (Jul 15, 2015)

Any dowside to having a litter box on a catproofed balcony?
I have 2 cats. The litter box they have now is a large home made crate that holds 80 pounds of litter. (This way I don't have to clean it every single day. I'm lazy, I know).

I was thinking of making another one to put on my balcony. The balcony is large and catproofed with netting so there's no danger of them jumping or falling. They have a cat door to get in and out. I have had a smaller box out there when I needed to keep the cats out for a while when I painted the walls, and they used that. And it would be under a roof so it won't get wet. The cats would still have a smaller litter box inside where the old one was.

My concern is that it gets pretty cold in the winter here, sometimes as low as -25°C (-13°F). How does clumping litter hold up in those temperarures? Would they be able to dig in it?


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Hi magnusruud,

I have no idea how well clumping litter does in extreme cold temps, but I guess if it were up to me, I'd keep the cats indoors when it's that cold outside, especially if they tend to stay out too long. You don't have heating pads or anything out there to keep them warm otherwise, do you?

Perhaps if you already don't have an indoor cat tree by another window, that could be an idea? Or a bird feeder right outside your other windows during the winter, so your cats don't feel bored or too deprived from their oudoor cat enclosure during the winters? I know folks who here who have catios say they love spending most of their time outside, so I can imagine it would be a struggle getting them indoors and staying in without protest.

Hopefully other members who have more experience on this topic can help answer your questions. My dream home would be a one with a bright sunroom (so I could stay warm during our cooler months), but the fresh air would also be nice. 

Could we see more of your catio, btw? :wink:


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## magnusruud (Jul 15, 2015)

Thanks. They have climbing trees galore inside too and had access to a smaller portion of the balcony last winter and did not spend long periods of time outside, so I don't think I'll need to deny them access.

I think maybe I'll just empty the outdoor litter box during the harshest winter months, or just block access to it. They will still have the one inside that they have used up until now.

I would love to share some pictures of my setup the camera on my phone is broken and I don't own a real camera. I'll share some later when I have fixed my phone.


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## magnusruud (Jul 15, 2015)

I did have these from when I set up the netting. Not the best or most recent pictures, but you get a rough idea of how it looks.


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

OH! That looks like the ultimate kitty catio! Lots of space for two cats to lounge in the sun and birdwatch! Looks like a quiet community for the most part, too. Thanks for sharing the lovely photos.


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## radtech (Sep 20, 2014)

Looks like a great catio! Nice idea with the netting. I have a screened in porch that I've put 3 litter boxes in. 4 litter boxes in the house just wasn't cutting it as I have one cat that throws it all over the place. I worried about it being too cold last winter, but they can come and go as they please through the cat door. What I found is that they still used the ones outside more than the one inside. I cleaned them all daily. I only saw one cat who used the indoors one on a somewhat regular basis, but she still used both. We had a few days that were that cold(13f), although, mostly it didn't get colder than around 25 degrees(F). I say try it and see how they like it. I don't think they'll use it if they are too uncomfortable, especially since they'll still have the one inside to choose if they wish to. Good luck!


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