# I bought this covered litterbox see....



## Nellie's Mom (Dec 26, 2009)

Frankly I got tired of walking into the living room and having my eyes automatically drawn to the litterbox. So I went out and bought a nice big covered litterbox. Looks real nice there too. The only problem is my cat won't use it with the cover on! So I ended up taking the cover off and I'm right back where I started from. Any tricks for getting a cat to use a covered box??


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

We have a LitterChest that we built ourselves. It is the size of, and looks like, a Hope Chest. The only difference is it is lined/caulked to be liquid-tight and it has a catflap in the front. When teaching new kitties to use it, I tie the flap up and when I see the new kitty go in, I wait a moment for them to become distracted or busy with their task and then I quietly let the flap down so they have to push it themselves to get out. 

With a simple hooded litterbox, be certain it is a jumbo size; one large enough for the kitty to comfortably (not cramped) step in, dig, turn around, squat, bury and exit. If the cat feels too crowded or contained, they won't want to use it. You may also see if you could do what I do, by taking the lid off, waiting until you see the kitty using the box and approach and place the hood over the kitty while it is using the box.
Drawbacks: kitty may not *like* you approaching with the lid and may rocket outta there w/out fully taking care of their business.

A possible solution ... new/clean hooded litterbox. Set in the floor with nothing in it, but you toss a tasty treat in there every once-in-a-while so they look forward to going into the new thing. When the cat is comfortable doing that, fill with litter and place near the original tray. Reward/praise for using the new litterbox and maybe slowly let the litter dwindle in the old tray to encourage use of the new hooded litterbox?


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## misty073 (Oct 24, 2009)

I bought a covered box for my cat Max and he wouldnt use it either. I just took the lid off and let him use the box with it off for a while (about a month)then I put the lid on and he was ok with it. It just took time.


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## Nellie's Mom (Dec 26, 2009)

Thank you so much for your replies! I'm going to try leaving the top off for awhile, she is using the box right now but I think it's going to take some time for her to get used to the whole idea.


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