As a dog and cat owner keeping my dog out of the litterboxes has always been a huge issue. Growing up my family kept the litterbox in the garage where the cat had 24/7 access through a door but the dogs couldn't get to, but with 3 cats now 1 litterbox hidden in the garage just doesn't cut it. My boyfriend and I have recently found a way to dog-proof the litterboxes that I thought some of you with multi-species households might like to see.
These are the 2 of our 4 litterboxes we've so far dog-proofed. I racked my brain for a way to give the cats easy constant access to them without the dog being able to eat out of them. Our place is a rental so installing a little door or flap and putting the boxes somewhere the dog wasn't allowed to go was out of the question, and even if it was we wanted the boxes to be spread around the house. I finally came up with the idea of hiding them in storage bins that the dog couldn't open.
I was originally going to cut holes in the sides of the bins for the cats to get in and push the litterboxes back as far as possible, but i was worried about my dog sticking his paw in and pulling the boxes forward. My mom gave me the idea of cutting holes in the lids. The lids lock on so the animals can't pop them off and the cats can jump down through the hole. The dog can't get his head down through the holes and with the boxes inside they're sturdy enough he can't knock the bins over.
Here's the boxes inside. We take the lids off to scoop them every day and if they need fully cleaned out we can just pull the boxes out. Plus, all the flung litter stays in the bin and is easy to clean up. And no more complaints from family about cat smell if we miss a day or two of scooping!
The cats have taken to them really well and haven't had any problems getting in or out. I'm sure we'll have to figure out a new solution when they get older and have more trouble jumping but while they're young and spry (our oldest is 4 so we have a ways to go) it's been great. And my pup is free to give all the kisses he wants without his breath smelling like cat poop.
The cats have taken to them really well and haven't had any problems getting in or out. I'm sure we'll have to figure out a new solution when they get older and have more trouble jumping but while they're young and spry (our oldest is 4 so we have a ways to go) it's been great. And my pup is free to give all the kisses he wants without his breath smelling like cat poop.
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