Open or closed cat litter?

Hello, I have two wonderful cats (neutered males, brothers, 1 year old), and after few months of living with me, they developed a problem. I only had one closed cat litter and it was fine until our new dog got friendly with them (no problems while they were still getting to know each other, but as soon as they were friendly...). After two month of living together (dog was potty trained) cats started peeing right outside of cat litter. So I bought open cat litter as suggested on this site (althou my partner was really against it) and problems stopped. Peeing outside of cat litter stopped, but we developed a different problem. Now they mostly use open cat litter which bothers my partner A LOT. So he wants us to buy a new closed cat litter, but I am afraid that there will be problems. Honestly I do not mind, I clean cat litters every day, sometimes twice a day since there are two of them. I have to say they still use the closed one just not as happily. Would it help if I remove the flappy door of the closed cat litter? Please does anyone has any experiance?

Its worth trying.  What is it about the open litter box that bothers your partner?  While my first instinct is to say; I'd rather see the litter than have accidents, compromise in a relationship is always a good thing to aim for!   I know some homes do not have ideal places for the litter box.  A friend of mine had a small apartment and she was able to put the open box behind a decorative folding screen in one corner.  I've seen another member here arrange a tall wardrobe so that the box was in the corner behind it.

The smell. Apparently smell from closed one is not that bad, but from open it is...

I have hooded litter boxes but the flaps are removed. Mine also is the type where you can tip back part of the top for easier scooping, so it has a "sun roof." That's usually open as well. If he thinks that the litter smells bad in the open box, imagine how terrible it smells to a cat trapped inside a little box with no fresh air!

Smelly poo is usually a food issue. Cats fed high quality canned or raw don't generally have much or any of an odor. It's the fillers like corn, grains, veggies (like potato and peas) that make poo smell bad. The higher quality food, the less waste through the cats' system, and the less waste in the box. I'd encourage you to pick up some higher quality canned or raw, then your partner wouldn't notice the smell and you can keep an open box. 

If you need any suggestions, check out the Nutrition forum. 

If your partner doesn't like the smell of an open litter box, imagine how the cats feel having to go inside a tiny enclosure and smell not only their own but the other cat's business.  Their sense of smell is much more sensitive than ours.  Imagine a really stinky nasty outhouse.  That is how they feel and if they have a choice they won't use it.   If you scoop twice a day and every time you see a poop, there should be no smell.  It's also a good idea to have an extra litter box, so three for two cats. This way they have more choices.  Maybe try one covered without the flap.  

Luckly (or not) we only have one bedroom apartment, so honestly we don't need three litter boxes. Like I said my partner was against a second one! (if he would ever clean one it would be nice...). But yes we will try new food. And I am not that bothered, because I clean as soon as I can smell poop. And since I am curently unemployed, I have time My partner's mother is at fault because she only has one litter box and three cats! (They also have a garden), so everytime I try something, he throws those damn cats at me. It's like he can't see the difference between inside and half-inside cats... Oh well, I will do what you've told me. And if he complains... Well he wont. Because cats like having two toilettes (which is only normal).

We had to get three in our place. Our bigger cat liked to chase the smaller one out so she has her own place and the other two if/when she is able to use them.

Have you ever tried a litter genie? It's really convenient and I've found in more inclined to scoop when I'm not having to hunt down plastic bags or dragging garbage bins around haha

What type of litter do you use? I had the same concerns but now I use the crystal stuff and it doesn't smell unless somecat's just done a poo or it's time to change it.

Our cats would never go into a lidded litter box, so it's never been an option. For them, boxes have to be completely open and placed in ways that they feel they can quickly jump out in case they get ambushed. We have very good (and silent) air purifying machines near the boxes that take care of any possible odor, but the cats' poops never smell. The only time it ever smelled was several months ago when we gave them some treats that didn't agree with their GI tract.

I like the litter from PetCo. It's their in-house stuff. I put some baking soda down for odor control and scoop once a day and then do a big cleaning once a week and you'd never know there are two cats here.

Diet and litter brand make a difference in the smell for me. One of my cats can't tolerate fish (even the fish oil some brands like Sheba include in their chicken and turkey flavors).  If she gets more than a little; the box will smell bad!  The litter my mother uses reeks to me; but her cat who has avoided the litter box, prefers it.   Also be sure the litter is deep enough for them to bury their waste; although not all cats will bother. 

I second the advice on food and litter brand. 

Cheap food are cheap because of the fillers (grain, corn, etc.). Cats digestion system doesn't deal well with them so they generate more poop and more stinky. Try those that says grain free.

You did not mention what type of litter that you are using. 

Paper-based is poor at odor control. They absorb urine from the bottom which means urine will come in contact with the litter box. Plastic is porous by nature and makes it an excellent breeding ground for odor-causing bacteria. 

Clay-based litter is good at odor control but varies from brand to brand. If you use clumping clay litter, I recommend Arm & Hammer clump and seal. They are small enough to coat the poop and create barrier, but the weigh and size is good enough that it doesn't get tracked far. 

Crystal-based litter is the best at odor control. 

Another suggestion is litter box hygiene. To prevent build up of those bacteria, try to clean the box regularly. As much as we try to keep the urine from touching the box, it inevitably will. Use some mild soap so there is no lingering scent afterwards that your cat might dislike. As a reference, I do it once a month when I "start fresh" with a new batch of litter. In between, I scoop the litter regularly and top up as needed.

Also do follow the manufacturer's suggestions on min litter depth to minimize urine from pooling at the bottom. As a reference, clay is about 3 inches and 4 inches for lightweight clay.

Well, we had a lot to think and talk about. First of all, we will be changing the cats diet. Also I use some natural cat litter, because it's very nice and I don't like sand. We had experiance where it stuck to cats paws and got transfered all over the appartment. We tried Crystal-based litter and cats actually played with it. Got crystals out and chased it... (it's not like they have tons of toys). Also I will be cleaning it once a week. I did that once a month, but it's not a problem.

In the end we bought an open cat litter box, because I said so, and my partner never cleans is so he has no say in it. I know it may seem harsh, but thats how it is. Cats seem to like it.

Maybe your partner needs to understand how the cat feels in a covered litter box. Maybe you need to clean their litter box as often as you can and try Purina Tidy Cats cat litter. I first used Thomas Clumping Cat litter and I think my cat hates it, she sometimes pee and poop outside of her litter box when I use it, but when I used Purina Tidy cats non-clumping cat litter, it doesn't smell that bad after a week or two because it is maybe 96% I don't remember dust free, non-clumping, and they love it. You need to change their litter every week depends on how often your cats use the litter box. You may also want to change your cat litter box every year, although it's not that important it's just to orevent foul smell from litter boxes and to prevent bacteria and infections from spreading.

I brought a cat in that was trapped from outside in a rubbermaid container, she would not use a closed litter box however the male I trapped would as he was trapped in a real trap. My 2 seniors used them, but they also preferred the open one.

Go check out Jackson Galaxy and see why he says open is the way to go. I like the litter boxes that have a lip that fits on top, keeps litter in, but all cats favorite litter box is one i bought from petsmart that is grey tall like almost 2feet and opening on one end. Show your hubby Jacksons video pretty sure on his website there is a video on litterboxes, and Jackson is Always entertaning :lol3: get cattified!

I find that you have to clean twice a day, I do it same time I feed them. You should have one more box than cat, that solved my cat peeing out of the litterbox issue, they will also do this if it is too dirty or sick alerting you there is a problem. I use Dr Elseys cat attract, but one litterbox where my hyperthyroid cat that pees allot goes I use worlds best cat litter, its expensive but I find it lasts longer and smells less! If you buy the miricale one beside it in the store that is cheaper like I did ONCE it smells. The Worlds best in the red bag has hardly any odor. Watch out for scented cat litters! Many people like me and others have reported cats pulling hair out that stopped when switching to unscented. No cat should have to pee in febreese scented litter! Cats prefer Open litter boxes because their noses are sensitive, which could be the problem if they go outside the box.