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Litter Box In The Living Room

post #1 of 14
1/22/06 at 10:51am
Thread Starter 
I'm picking up my new kitties in 2 weeks and I'm trying to get the house ready. I have a small apartment w a walk-in kitchen and no room for the litter box in the bathroom either. I saw a few things online to hide litter boxes so I'm thinking about getting one of them so that I can keep the box in the living room without it seeming too tacky. I was wondering if anyone has any of these products.

http://www.kittenkaboodle.com/page/K...003D3000000000

http://www.catsplay.com/harris001.php3

http://www.hawkswillwoodwork.com/LitterBoxHiders.html
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post #2 of 14
1/22/06 at 10:58am
I live in a convertible apartment (bigger than a studio, smaller than a one bedroom) and I have litterboxes in my closet, bedroom and living room. I have Booda Domes, which are really cool looking litterboxes that you can get at Petsmart. They're also well-hidden in the nooks between furniture...

I'll have to look into these products, though...they look nice.
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post #3 of 14
1/22/06 at 11:13am
Thread Starter 
These litter box/cabinets are very expensive but they seem like they might be worth the money if they hide the sight and smell. They look just like a regular piece of furniture that belong in the living room or hallway.


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post #4 of 14
1/22/06 at 11:13am
Thread Starter 
These litter box/cabinets are very expensive but they seem like they might be worth the money if they hide the sight and smell. They look just like a regular piece of furniture that belong in the living room or hallway.
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post #5 of 14
1/22/06 at 11:41am
I have a litterbox in my front room, because my house is too big! LOL! I worry about a kitties making it down the 30ft hallway to the bathroom litterbox. It probably is a little tacky, but I have built in shelves, and just put a covered litterbox on the floor underneath, facing the wall. So in the room, you can't see into the box, but the kitties can easily get in and out.

To me it is kind of like having a few kids toys in the front room. You don't need the whole house to be catville or kidville, but a few items are just part of the territory.
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post #6 of 14
1/23/06 at 6:15am
here are questions I'd have about those furniture pieces:
how will you scoop regularly?
if it contains the smell will the cat even want to go there?

have you considered an opaque fireplace screen to go around the box or putting it behind a chair? Home Decorators.com sells some really nice short screens for under $100.
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post #7 of 14
1/23/06 at 9:44am
I didn't check out your links, but have seen the "furniture" type of litter boxes to hide - I think they are pretty cool. Too bad the bathroom isn't big enough.
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post #8 of 14
1/23/06 at 9:56am
I have a friend with the same problem. We went to a salvage yard and bought a kitchen cupboard (Like the section that your kitchen sink goes in with 2 doors on the front) My hubby cut a cat hole in the side of it and put a shelf that goes all the way across but is only half the width (to use to store kitty stuff, brushes, etc) and he cut a piece of plywood to put over the top, just a little bigger so that there would be a small overhang in the front and each side, then he put wood trim on the "raw edge" of the plywood...so that it looks more like a piece of furniture. She painted the whole thing and has a lamp and other cute stuff on the top of it.
The kitty hole is cut on the end closest to the wall, so really no one can see it unless they actually go around to that end and look.
It really turned out cute and cost a lot less then the ones you buy that are similar. Just an idea.
Linda
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post #9 of 14
1/23/06 at 10:12am
We have two of those types of units. My cats used them for about a week- but after that they avoided them. I believe that unless you put another escape hatch in the back, if you have more than one cat, these types of products would be a gamble. If you have on cat, you should be fine as there will be no ambushes in the litter pan. Really though, you can buy an inexpensive toy box and use that, just cut your own holes and save money in the meantime. My units are now used as a storage area for garbage bags, cat foods, litter scoops etc.. But again, I have a lot of cats.
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post #10 of 14
1/23/06 at 10:36am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abigail
here are questions I'd have about those furniture pieces:
how will you scoop regularly?
if it contains the smell will the cat even want to go there?

have you considered an opaque fireplace screen to go around the box or putting it behind a chair? Home Decorators.com sells some really nice short screens for under $100.
Well it opens like a cabinet and the pan slides right out for easy scooping and cleaning. I plan on keeping it very clean so that hopefully there wouldn't be much smell to contain. If cats use the pans with the covers over them then I don't see why they wouldn't use something like this, it's basically the same thing. I have seen those fireplace screens and they are nice if I had room in the bathroom or a laundry room or something but I don't and I don't want the litter pan just sitting out in the open so I'm just trying to think of a way to conceal it.
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post #11 of 14
1/23/06 at 4:26pm
[quote=imsandiluv]Well it opens like a cabinet and the pan slides right out for easy scooping and cleaning. /quote]

That makes alot more sense then. Thanks for explaining.
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post #12 of 14
1/23/06 at 5:52pm
I think the one that has room in it for an anti-tracking mat, so you don't get a lot of litter tracked into your living room, is a good idea.
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post #13 of 14
1/23/06 at 7:21pm
I have 3 of these in my house very similar to the first one. 2 of them are in my living room (under windows so they double as a window perch), another upstairs in a spare bedroom with another litter box in that room. What I couldn't tell about the first one is how the lid is opened - mine are on long hinges so they simply open up - you don't have to lift them off and move them - I suspect the lid would be heavy if it is wood.

When I had one of them in a room by itself, we did occasionally have the litter box wars. Once I moved it to a room with another, there is no more competition.

They will trap smell inside only if you don't clean the walls and underneath the box. The first one (like mine) has a plastic type coated wall that is VERY easy to clean. The third one looks great but the wood will absorb the smell and you will never get it out - had an unlined wood one once for about 6 months and had to pitch it due to the odor.

I also place a throw rug under the litter box and a tracking mat in front between the box and the hole. The rug is pulled out and washed on a regular basis and it also protects the floor from litter that is flung out of the box during burying. The tracking mat is dumped out each time we scoop.

If your cats are not used to covered litter boxes, these may threaten them. Before you invest in any of them, make sure they are OK with a covered litter box.

Here are pictures of mine:


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post #14 of 14
1/23/06 at 7:31pm
I have a small house with no good place for the litter box. I have had the litter box bench from Drs. Foster Smith for several years.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...84_FS12198.jpg
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