Training • Pet Care • Health • Play •

April 12, 2021

PetSafe® Expert

Hank Champion

While some people find that one cat is enough, others want to share the love with more cats in their home. While your feline friends may like to play, cuddle and sleep together, they may not like sharing their litter box, and that can lead them to going to the bathroom in other locations. Fortunately, there are plenty of multi-cat litter box solutions to help your cats keep their "business" in the box.

Give Each Cat a Litter Box

You've heard the line from an old western movie where one of the characters says to the other, "This town ain't big enough for the two of us." The same can be said about a litter box in a multi-cat home. Sooner or later, you'll discover that one of your cats is not using the litter box.

Fortunately, the solution can be as simple as giving each cat their own litter box, and in ideal circumstances, one extra. This will ensure that your cats never encounter an occupied litter box and provide more private options to prevent them from going somewhere more inviting, like your bed, the closet, or elsewhere.

Spread Out Your Litter Boxes

In a multi-cat home, it's not uncommon to find cats piled on top of each other while sleeping, and sometimes you may wake up with them piled on you. But just because cats like to share their space and yours, it doesn't mean that they don't want privacy when nature calls.

When it comes to multiple cats' litter boxes, it's best to place several litter boxes around your home so that they are always accessible. If you have a multi-level home, consider putting one litter box on each floor. This way, your cats will have easy access. After all, when they've gotta go, they've gotta go, and you want to make sure your cats "go" in the right place.

Choose Private Litter Box Locations

Another important thing to consider is choosing a private location where your cats won't be disturbed. It's not hard for cat parents to relate to this because most of us appreciate privacy when we’re in the bathroom. Like us, cats want their bathroom to be well lit, quiet, and private.

If you have dogs or small children, you'll want to prevent them from getting to the litter box while providing access for your cats. Well-placed cat-sized pet doors can limit access to spaces, ensuring only your cats can visit the litter box.

Keep Litter Boxes Accessible at All Times

When you’ve got to go, the last thing you want to encounter is a locked bathroom door. The same goes for your cats. So if you've placed your litter box in a closet, bathroom, or any area with a door, make sure your feline friend always has access when it's time to go – keeping you multi-cat home accident free.

Clean Each Litter Box Frequently

While it may seem obvious, one of the best multi-cat litter box solutions is to make sure that each litter box is cleaned frequently. Nobody likes dealing with a dirty bathroom, and that goes for your cats too.

Maintaining a daily scooping routine is key and will be greatly appreciated by your cats. Want to go the extra mile? Once a month, it's good to give litter boxes a deep clean by scrubbing them out with soap and warm water – this prevents mold and bacteria from building up. Together, these actions will help keep the litter box fresh and not stinky, which means happy cats and cat parents too.

Keep Litter Under Two Inches

Cats can be notoriously finicky. So when it comes to how much litter they want in their litter box, they are looking for a depth that's just right. That's why we recommend keeping two inches or less – even in a multi-cat home. This will ensure that your cats don’t have to stand on too much litter, making them feel unstable.

Just imagine if you were sitting on a toilet that kept shifting under you? That wouldn't be a very comfortable place to go to the bathroom. The other benefit of having the right amount of litter in the litter box is that cats will be less inclined to push it out, and you'll wind up using your litter more efficiently with less mess and waste.

Try a Self-Cleaning Litter Box

Perhaps the best litter box for multiple cats to have at their disposal is a self-cleaning litter box. By adding one or more self-cleaning litter boxes to your home, you'll ensure that your cats always have a clean place to go.

In the case of a PetSafe ScoopFree Self-Cleaining Litter Box, it will do all of the scooping for you. And because the litter is conveniently held in a disposable tray, you don't ever have to handle it. Adding just one self-cleaning litter box to your cats’ litter box reserve can make a big difference. It's a win-win for cats and cat lovers alike.

Having a cat companion can be a very rewarding experience, and it's often the case that the more, the merrier. By taking into mind your cats' potty needs and habits, you will ensure that they all have a place to go, and that place will be their litter box.

Written by

Hank Champion

PetSafe® Brand Copywriter

PetSafe® Expert