# how high should litter box sides be?



## Bon (Mar 13, 2014)

hi all! I am trying to get a list of everything my kittens will need when i get to adopt them this fall. (i feel like i'm pregnant! LOL)

I've decided to go with the Rubbermaid storage box idea with the door cut in the side rather than the end. My question is : should I go with one that is 12" high or the 16.5" high one? I think the 12" one would work well while the kittens are little but maybe not so much when they are adults?

Also - i have read that the scoop-able litter should be about 4" deep - is that too deep for little kittens?

TIA!
Bon. (humom to be)


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

For little kittens you want to keep everything ... low.
The litter maybe an inch or so. The sides of the litter box aprox 2 inches. They sell "kitten litterboxes" that are obviously perfect LOL

When they get older have some legs to them, then you can do the Rubbermaid stuff.

I had to chuckle on your comment about feeling like you were pregnant. LOL


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## Bon (Mar 13, 2014)

Thank you! I don't want to overwhelm the little ones with something too big! 

Bon.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

The sides depends on how high the kittens kick the litter. You can get by with an average sided box for the time being, but when they mature (about 9 mos old) you may want to graduate to the big boy box. Some cats are very dainty in the litter box and don't make a mess. I like high sides because I have edge pee-ers and I also have to put puppy pads under the front edge. I was going through a puppy pad a day with Missy, but I've found them cheaper at Walmart than Amazon so I'm happy(ier) now.


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## Bon (Mar 13, 2014)

so how deep should the litter be?


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I usually put just 2-3" in it and top off as needed. 4" is a lot to sift through. some of this depends on the size of the kitten, too. An 8 week old is definitely much tinier than a 16 or 20 week old. If they are tiny, go small - very small like Cat Face said. If they are bigger get a full size box.


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## BigDaveyL (Jun 26, 2012)

Depends on how big the kittens are. 

When I adopted Gadget, he was three months old so your standard litter box was okay.

When we brought in Cotton off the streets, she was 5-6 weeks. The standard box was too high so we had to get her a small box. He got it at Wal-Mart for $2. She was able to use that for a few weeks without problem.


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## Cattiehere (Mar 13, 2014)

We started low with our kitties and worked up to bigger boxes. Now we have a low one and the rest are all high. Just to make sure that they are comfortable using them.


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## sherrymyra (Feb 23, 2014)

I'm starting with a small box for kittens and graduating up when she grows out of it.


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

The depth of scoopable litter should be at least 2 inches for young kittens, I think too. But you may have one of those avid ones like to dig to China, lol. Clay granules seem to work best for most cats, but I worried about mine ingesting them when I first started. They started lying and playing in there rather than using it for its original intention! What a mess, especially if it needed to be cleaned! The novelty will wear off eventually, but do keep an eye on them if you do. I think the older they get, clumping clay up to 4 or even 5 inches are best to prevent urine clumps from sticking to the box. If you go to the catinfo.org site, there's an old (blurry) video of how to properly clean/maintain the litter box. There's also a lady on YouTube who is a breeder of Persians and demonstrates proper litter box cleaning in more detail...I think her username is mythicbells(?) I learned a lot from her, she's the queen of squeaky clean litter boxes, and has some good tips.

Another thing you may not have considered important with good litter box and litter is a good scoop! I use a heavy duty metal scooper, but if you need to scoop thru lots of litter, it does feel like a work-out. The good thing is the metal scoop will far outlast your typical plastic ones. But on the other hand, those plastic ones like the litter lifter are what some folks swear by, as it cuts thru litter like butter due to its design, thus cleaning it is a whole lot faster. So, little things do count, especially when you scoop often like you will with new kittens! 

You may want to try both out or get opinions from others here, or read product reviews online, etc. Whatever you decide, good luck Bon!


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## Bon (Mar 13, 2014)

will it be hard to switch them from a small box to a larger one? i am wondering if I could use a larger box from the beginning if I put a "step" outside + inside the doorway?

Bon.


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

I see where you're coming from, but kittens tend to be wobbly and forgetful.

They won't have any problems moving to a larger box. Relax


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## Bon (Mar 13, 2014)

ok - Thanks! 
Bon.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

When my ex husband hand raised a kitten we put a brick (regular small red brick, not a the giant cinderblock) outside the litterbox so he could get in. Getting out was easy since the litter made it high on the inside.


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## Bon (Mar 13, 2014)

that's exactly what I was thinking!


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## AutumnRose74 (Oct 10, 2013)

Bon said:


> Also - i have read that the scoop-able litter should be about 4" deep - is that too deep for little kittens?


Howe old are the kittens? I've read that kittens under a certain age should never use scoopable (clumping) litter. 



> Kittens (younger than 7 - 8 weeks of age) often have temporary bouts of diarrhea for various reasons. They are also more apt to step in their feces and then end up with messy cement boots. Very small kittens may even attempt to eat the litter.
> 
> For this reason, I advise using a NONclumping litter for small kittens. This is the only time I will use a pelleted litter (I prefer newspaper pellets over the pine pellets) or the non-clumping clay litter - *always UNscented*. To maintain strict cleanliness, discard the entire amount of litter as necessary (2-3 times daily) and wash the litter box before re-filling. Do NOT just simply remove the feces - the urine MUST be discarded also.


The Litter Box From Your Cat's Point of View by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM :: Litter box management, types of cat litter, feline house soiling, inappropriate elimination

Another article cuationing against using clumping litter with kittens:

http://www.thelighthouseonline.com/articles/clump.html


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## Bon (Mar 13, 2014)

*which litter box?*

what do you think of one of this? 

has good corners for cleaning + a smooth bottom
Nature's Miracle JFC Advanced High Sided Cat Litter Box
18x23x11H

if the kittens are still really small, they would need a brick for a step into the box.

Bon.
(sorry I don't know how to make the pix small enough to fit in the post!)


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## BrittyBear (Feb 4, 2014)

I like it! I'd use it for mine. Too bad it dont have a cover. It will help keep the cats from kicking litter out of the box xD

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Artiesmom1 (Jan 28, 2014)

I have the exact box. While I like the high sides, Artie does not car for it. 
I use it as my 'second' box. I tried using it as the primary one, but it did not work out.
Artie loves to dig in the box and is a high kicker. It does help with keeping the litter in check, however it is not as wide and long as an extra large or jumbo box. Artie prefers those. He is a long, thin boy who loves to pee with his front paws out of the box with his back claws hanging on the edge-bum is in the box! :yikes
I keep the Natures Miracle box as an extra. Artie will use it occasionally. He did last night. It seems he has to use the box each time I am washing it!
That is why I have a back up...


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