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question about DIY litter box

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18K views 25 replies 10 participants last post by  kty78  
#1 ·
For those of you who made your own litter box out of a storage bin, do you ever have a problem scooping it? I went out yesterday to get a storage container to make my own but every storage container was not flat on the bottom... I keep thinking that if pee goes down that far wont it get stuck inbetween the ridges?
I use a scoopable litter and I fill it about 3" with litter but if the cat moves the litter around enough while in there sometimes they pee in about 1" of litter and it sticks to the bottom...
Thanks!!
 
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#4 · (Edited)
I keep Shelly's box to a 3.5" depth. She also is not a huge digger either. She's actually very delicate when burying her pee balls and poop and doesn't send the litter flying everywhere, which I like, especially because she has a habit of peeing right in front of the door opening, with her tail sticking out the door. She also tends to pee and poop in the same areas of the box each time.

One thing that will help to keep the litter level to the desired depth is to take a black Sharpie and make marks on the wall. I have a mark at the 3.5" measurement and I smooth out the top surface everytime I scoop, so I can tell when I need to add more. Smoothing out the top also gives me an indication whether or not I have to scoop - I just look for the little dents left by cat feet, and the mounds she makes by digging, so I know if she's been in there or not.
 
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#12 ·
They do need to be disposable. The litter, pee and poop can get in the little crinkled sides but they would work great in a pinch. Not sure if the urine would eat through the aluminum eventually.

At the shelter we use cardboard trays that water bottles or other items come in. We use cat and dog food cardboard trays from the pet stores too. The best ones are the ones that the energy drinks come in. They last for days and can be tossed.
 
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#6 ·
BTW - I use a Sterilite 30-gallon bin for my litter box. NEVER AGAIN!! Next time it will be Rubbermaid! Sterilite cracks too easily when you are cutting the door opening (and it is a nightmare to cut through as well). The front wall of my box has duct tape holding a crack together, plus I ended up taping over all of the cut edges because cut Sterilite plastic is razor-sharp, and the last thing I want is my kitty to slice herself getting in or out of the box.
 
#13 ·
Yay, Tessie used the box!!
I was a bit nervous because she is not a fan of new things and was affraid she wouldnt use it but she did... She actually spent some time in there digging around and flew out of the box like she was excited!
Why didnt I do one of these boxes before, lol... they are fantastic!
The only issue I have is the amount of litter I need to make it 3-4" high. Ive been using Worlds Best and it took the whole large bag, I hope it last me atleast a month!
 
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#14 ·
I use Cat Attract and when I first bought it I bought 2 40-pound bags. One bag was enough to fill the box to just over a 3.5" depth, so I put the other bag into a lidded container I bought for the purpose of storing unused litter, and just topped off the box when I saw it getting low. I'm getting the bottom of that "new litter" container, so I'm buying a 20-pound refill tonight after work. I'm guessing there is, oh... probably 5-7 pounds left of that 2nd bag.
 
#15 ·
It should easily last a month.
I don't have the container you do, but I do have an x-large very high side litter box, Van Ness. I was shocked a bit at the amount I had to dump in to get the same depth I have in the other box!
I find with the litter nice a deep that finding and scooping were remarkably easier.
I've had to top up the litter I've taken out with the 'deposits' but it is minimal. So I'd say about 4-6 scoops in a month. My scoop is about a cup size.

It'll be fine and YOU and your kitties already love it, so YAYs!! all round!! :yellbounce
 
#19 ·
Regina, nice job, I like the box. I'm just wondering how you cut that hole. I can do many small craftwork but something like this is beyond me. My hubby tried drilling (impossible to cut) through plastic and acrylic boxes before when I needed to diy a breeding box for my pleco, but they mostly cracked.

Any reason why you needed a cover box? cos your kitties kicked the litter outside? ET does that too. The litter box I'm using is pretty high, but I still get the pellets all over his room, cos he kicked them out.
 
#23 ·
I used a utility blade and when I was cutting it I didn't use much pressure so it wouldn't crack. I kept cutting the same line until it was all the way threw the tote :).
I use a covered box because I have a dog and I don't want her in it (the hole is to small for her head and because Stella plays in the box and litter goes all over!!



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#26 ·
I use one of the clear under the bed storage bins, no lids, no cutting required. My cat isn't very messy though. I might find 2 pieces of litter on the floor, and he doesn't pee or poop over the sides. Most of the taller containers don't seem big enough to me, but he's pretty big, 12 lbs of lean kitty machine.
 
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