Do I need a litter box in my cat's crate?

My cat Arya will be going to college with me in the fall, and when I'm in classes I'll need to leave her in her crate. I'll try to come back between classes to let her out for a bit, but while I'm away she'll need to stay in it. I got her a medium-dog sized crate and I have a bed and a hammock in it for her. What I'm wondering, though, is do I need to keep a litter box in it? And if so, what type of litter box should I be looking for? I have 2 that I've bought to go in it, but one is big enough that it takes up half of the floor space in it, and the other is very small so I worry she might be too big for it.

Help is appreciated!! Thanks in advance :-)

Can you explain more about why she needs to be crated? What is  your living situation there like?  How old is Arya?

My girls were crated together when they were kittens.  I did have a litter box inside the crate.  It was a large wire crate designed for dogs.  It had enough room for the box (which was small) in the back, the bed in the middle and food/water in the front.  I crated them when we were at work or they at night.  They were able to crawl under the doors at our old house; so we had to.  I also tried stacking baby gates in our back hallway; but they could climb them. 

MoochNNoodles said:

 
Can you explain more about why she needs to be crated? What is  your living situation there like?  How old is Arya?

My girls were crated together when they were kittens.  I did have a litter box inside the crate.  It was a large wire crate designed for dogs.  It had enough room for the box (which was small) in the back, the bed in the middle and food/water in the front.  I crated them when we were at work or they at night.  They were able to crawl under the doors at our old house; so we had to.  I also tried stacking baby gates in our back hallway; but they could climb them. 

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I'll be living in a single dorm, although I will be taking her out of the dorm when we're together, so she won't just be living in there 24/7. She needs to be crated because it's the college's policy that all animals be crated when left in the room. Arya is 2, almost 2 and a half years old.

drxcos said:

I'll be living in a single dorm, although I will be taking her out of the dorm when we're together, so she won't just be living in there 24/7. She needs to be crated because it's the college's policy that all animals be crated when left in the room. Arya is 2, almost 2 and a half years old.

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That sure sounds like a policy that was put in place for dogs...
Can you confirm with them in person or over the phone that it would be required for a cat to be crated?

If so, yes, she'd need a litter box. For the one that takes up half the floor space, is it covered? A large covered box would let her climb on top and then not use up her "floor" space.

KKoerner said:

That sure sounds like a policy that was put in place for dogs...
Can you confirm with them in person or over the phone that it would be required for a cat to be crated?

If so, yes, she'd need a litter box. For the one that takes up half the floor space, is it covered? A large covered box would let her climb on top and then not use up her "floor" space.

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I think the woman I spoke with affirmed this in person, but I will confirm.

It is not covered, and if I put a covered box in the crate, I don't believe there would be enough room for her to sit on it, anyway. She's a larger cat - I think she's 34 inches from nose to tip of tail

Here's a picture of her crate. The litter box currently in it is the super tiny one, and the one on top is the larger one.

drxcos said:

 
I'll be living in a single dorm, although I will be taking her out of the dorm when we're together, so she won't just be living in there 24/7. She needs to be crated because it's the college's policy that all animals be crated when left in the room. Arya is 2, almost 2 and a half years old.

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The college's concern is likely that if maintenance or security needs to enter your dorm room for some reason, they don't want to be held liable if your pet escapes out the door.

Have you seen a single sized room to get an idea of how much space there is? I've lived in a single dorm room and know how small the space can be (mine was about 7' x 7'). Do you think you can fit something like this in? If you can loft the bed up you could fit a playpen in underneath. An open litter box would fit in the bottom of a playpen.

LTS3 said:

 
The college's concern is likely that if maintenance or security needs to enter your dorm room for some reason, they don't want to be held liable if your pet escapes out the door.

Have you seen a single sized room to get an idea of how much space there is? I've lived in a single dorm room and know how small the space can be (mine was about 7' x 7'). Do you think you can fit something like this in? If you can loft the bed up you could fit a playpen in underneath. An open litter box would fit in the bottom of a playpen.

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I think the room is near that size. I don't have the money for something of that size, right now. I already spent a considerable amount of money on the crate I have. For what little time she'll be spending in the cage, I can't afford to use that money that could be going toward her food and gas for my car.

To answer your question, yes, she will need access to a litter box. You might also want to consider using a pellet type litter in this litter box as clay and similar type loose litters make horrible messes in small spaces like this. But, she obviously would need to be ok using a pellet litter...not all cats are.

CatPack said:

To answer your question, yes, she will need access to a litter box. You might also want to consider using a pellet type litter in this litter box as clay and similar type loose litters make horrible messes in small spaces like this. But, she obviously would need to be ok using a pellet litter...not all cats are.

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Is this litter considered a "pellet" litter? It's what I have, currently, and it's made of small little balls. Of the two litter boxes in the picture I posted, do you think one of them would work, or should I try to find a different one.

No, that is a clumping clay litter. Pellet litters are Yesterday's News (a paper litter), Blue Buffalo Pellet (walnut based), ExquisiCat (pine based), etc...

Take a look at these:
http://m.petsmart.com/h5/hub?id=fea...d36-18347/cat-36-catid-800019?var_id=36-18347

http://www.chewy.com/cat/blue-buffalo-naturally-fresh-walnut/dp/112783

http://www.chewy.com/s?dept=cat&query=Yesterday+news&nav-submit-button=Submit

CatPack said:

No, that is a clumping clay litter. Pellet litters are Yesterday's News (a paper litter), Blue Buffalo Pellet (walnut based), ExquisiCat (pine based), etc...

Take a look at these:
http://m.petsmart.com/h5/hub?id=fea...d36-18347/cat-36-catid-800019?var_id=36-18347

http://www.chewy.com/cat/blue-buffalo-naturally-fresh-walnut/dp/112783

http://www.chewy.com/s?dept=cat&query=Yesterday+news&nav-submit-button=Submit

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Alright, I will look at those. Thanks! Do you have any suggestions on the actual litter box for it?

Is Arya a digger? Does she squat and pee in the litter box or is she prone to "elevator butt" (meaning is she likely to pee over the side of a shallow box)?

If she is pretty "clean" in using the litter box, check out Nature's Miracle disposable litter box in the regular size.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0087Y5OIE/?tag=&tag=thecatsite

These boxes are a decent length, but are a bit narrower than most commercial boxes.

If she is a digger, I like using large dishpans (can be purchased at Wal-Mart and similar stores.)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-18-Qt-Dishpan-Black/17011370

I think space-wise one of the above is likely your best bet; BUT, your cat has to be willing to use it.

CatPack said:

Is Arya a digger? Does she squat and pee in the litter box or is she prone to "elevator butt" (meaning is she likely to pee over the side of a shallow box)?

If she is pretty "clean" in using the litter box, check out Nature's Miracle disposable litter box in the regular size.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0087Y5OIE/?tag=&tag=thecatsite

These boxes are a decent length, but are a bit narrower than most commercial boxes.

If she is a digger, I like using large dishpans (can be purchased at Wal-Mart and similar stores.)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-18-Qt-Dishpan-Black/17011370

I think space-wise one of the above is likely your best bet; BUT, your cat has to be willing to use it.

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Thanks so much for the help, I'll look into those and try to make the best decision for her :-)

I think the important thing about which litter to use is whether your cat likes it or not. We have "Little Miss Priss" if that makes sense to you. If she doesn't like the litter she will urinate wherever she pleases. I am using one of the least expensive litters and it makes both cats happy, which makes me a little happier. 

drxcos said:

Here's a picture of her crate. The litter box currently in it is the super tiny one, and the one on top is the larger one.

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I'm late on this but I've found that it's not the size so much as how deep it is. I find the best ones in a store that has a wide selection of storage totes.

When you gotta go, you gotta GO!

So yes. 

Have you tried looking on Craigslist for a cheap crate? There are some pretty good deals on there usually. I once scored a crate big enough for a 90lb dog for FREE. No lie. 

Yes!! Especially if its in the evening time. :-)

drxcos said:

My cat Arya will be going to college with me in the fall, and when I'm in classes I'll need to leave her in her crate. I'll try to come back between classes to let her out for a bit, but while I'm away she'll need to stay in it. I got her a medium-dog sized crate and I have a bed and a hammock in it for her. What I'm wondering, though, is do I need to keep a litter box in it? And if so, what type of litter box should I be looking for? I have 2 that I've bought to go in it, but one is big enough that it takes up half of the floor space in it, and the other is very small so I worry she might be too big for it.

Help is appreciated!! Thanks in advance :-)

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Well honesty, I'd buy an absorbent may. This really helped me me because it's difficult to change a litter box in a crate. What this absorbant mat does, is it usually comes in a box of 30, you put it in the corner of their cage, it's roughly 11 inches by 11. And change it every 2 days or so.

I would agree that a litter box is essential, as is access to fresh water.  You can use almost anything that will hold litter as a litter box.  Dollar Tree has dishpans, oil pans and other containers that might work well depending on her size..  Cardboard trays from beer, water or even canned food stuff also work well (available from big box stores like Sam's club or even convenience stores), although need to be tossed after a day or so as the cardboard absorbs the urine.  You can get inexpensive smaller litter pans as well as clamp on water dishes from Amazon, too.    From the last pic, it looks like you solved the problem.  I would lower the hammock a bit if she is not using it.