Is it safe to place a litter box in a kennel with my cat?

[iheartlife]

Our house burned down. We are staying with relatives for the foreseeable future: 3-6 months (maybe more). They allowed us to bring our pets with the condition that we do not let them loose in their house unsupervised during the day or while we sleep at night (they’re worried about their furniture getting clawed and cat hair getting everywhere). So my cat will be spending 18 hours a day in a large kennel for the next several months. I purchased the largest dog kennel I could find in-store today; it’s 54x36 inches.

Is that large enough to put his food/water, bedding, and a litter box inside?

Is it safe to put a litter box in with him? Can having his litter box that close to him continuously make him sick or cause any health issues (assuming I scoop it twice daily and empty/wash it with soap and water weekly). I will be gone daily for 10-11 hours Monday-Friday so he will have to have a litter box in with him. At night I could probably remove it and make sure he uses it before I put him in before bed. Im very worried about him being that close to his litter box daily for the next 3-6 months or more. I’m worried this might make him sick even if I scoop it twice daily and change it regularly. Can he get sick from this or will he be okay?

 

[Willowy]

That's fine. Shelter cats stay in smaller cages all the time.

I've seen some pictures of crates set up for cats, with shelves or hammocks set up to make a second level. You could look into that to give him more space.

 

[GoldyCat]

How tall is the kennel? You could put a shelf, or shelves across one end or corner. That makes a good sleeping place. Then put the food and water as far away from the litter box as you can get it, opposite corners of the kennel. There should still be room in between for blankets or beds. You can also put soft blankets on the shelves if they aren't already padded.

You can drape something over the end of the kennel where you put the litter box to give them some privacy, although I've found that most kitties will pull the cover down sooner or later.

This is the set-up I had for a litter of 5 foster kittens. It's a smaller kennel than you have, 36" x 24" x 26" high. I didn't have separate food dishes in there because I was still bottle feeding them.

I'm very sorry to hear about your house. Were you able to save anything?

 

[iheartlife]

That's fine. Shelter cats stay in smaller cages all the time.

I've seen some pictures of crates set up for cats, with shelves or hammocks set up to make a second level. You could look into that to give him more space.

It’s not a tall crate that’s designed to be multi-level. It’s just a really large dog kennel. So I don’t know if it was like be tall enough to attach a second level or if the design would be compatible with such attachments.

I thought about the size of kennels at vets offices and shelters. But would this be safe on a daily basis for half a year or longer, continually spending the majority of the time that close to their litter box?

 

[GoldyCat]

What kind of litter do you use? Do they tend to kick it out of the litter box?

 

[Willowy]

It's at least twice his height, I'm sure. So you can still put shelves in, like the pictures up there.

I can't really think of any health problems that would crop up in the long term that wouldn't show up in the short term.

If he tends to kick litter all over, and you use clay litter, it would be good to find a way to keep the food and water from getting litter in them.

 

[iheartlife]

How tall is the kennel? You could put a shelf, or shelves across one end or corner. That makes a good sleeping place. Then put the food and water as far away from the litter box as you can get it, opposite corners of the kennel. There should still be room in between for blankets or beds. You can also put soft blankets on the shelves if they aren't already padded.

You can drape something over the end of the kennel where you put the litter box to give them some privacy, although I've found that most kitties will pull the cover down sooner or later.

This is the set-up I had for a litter of 5 foster kittens. It's a smaller kennel than you have, 36" x 24" x 26" high. I didn't have separate food dishes in there because I was still bottle feeding them.
View attachment 316025View attachment 316026

I'm very sorry to hear about your house. Were you able to save anything?

The kennel appears to be about the same scaled HxLxW as the one in the top photo you shared. It’s
54.75"L X 36.8"W X 45.5"H. I can look into attachable shelves but I’m a little apprehensive about the possibility of them collapsing. I figured I would put the food/water and litter box at opposing ends and corners (like a diagonal line) and put a cat bed next to the food/water bowls. I’m mainly worried about how this could affect my cat long term. Will this be safe for him to spend the majority of every day for the next 6+ months that close to his litter box?

No, unfortunately, we were not able to save anything. The entire house burned to the ground. We made it out with the clothes on our backs and our pets in our arms. One of us had our cell phone in our pocket, but other than that, we lost everything. When the fire reached the garage, our RV caused an explosion which took out all but two of our cars as well. We live in a rural area so by the time the fire department got here it was too late.

 

[iheartlife]

What kind of litter do you use? Do they tend to kick it out of the litter box?

We use tidy cats non-clumping clay litter. It’s mostly dust-free, but he does tend to get some out of the litter box if there’s very much litter in the box.

Is there any potential health risks from him spending a lot of time in close proximity to his litter box? Like from breathing in the litter box contents daily or potentially ingesting litter by tracking it into his food/water or anything else I’m not thinking of?

 

[iheartlife]

It's at least twice his height, I'm sure. So you can still put shelves in, like the pictures up there.

I can't really think of any health problems that would crop up in the long term that wouldn't show up in the short term.

If he tends to kick litter all over, and you use clay litter, it would be good to find a way to keep the food and water from getting litter in them.

We use tidy cats non-clumping clay litter. Does that increase the risk more? What health problems could crop up?

 

[iheartlife]

.

 

[Maria Bayote]

First of all, I am very sorry that you and your family have to go through this. I pray that you would recover very soon, and rebuild your home.

I go with the others. If you can also block the sides of the litter boxes so that the litter do not accidentally go to your cat's food and water bowl it would be great. I have a cat now who is contained in my bathroom and everything is in there including his litter box. He tends to play with the litter so I put the litter box inside a much taller carton box to at least contain most of the litter that could go flying everywhere.

Hang in there.

 

[Jcatbird]

I am so sorry about the fire but so grateful that all lives are safe! You are the best kind of guardian for saving your pets!
I worked to socialize a lot of kitties for adoption and many were kept in crates and cages until it was okay to let them out. Some took longer than others and they all did very well. I put a cat carrier inside for the kitties to climb on or to go inside if for a nap if they wanted privacy. You would need to make sure the door of the carrier cannot close but most removable doors so you could just take it off. That gives the kitty another level to the crate and some quiet space. They can get a bit above any littter box if they desire. I also found plastic storage totes with higher sides than most litter boxes to help contain the litter. You may need to replace the storage tote over the time you are there if it gets really soiled. Maybe a simple cardboard wall around the box would work just fine though. Wishing you and your pets all the best for the future. My heart goes out to you all. Please do update us and let us know how everyone is doing.

 

[GoldyCat]

The kennel appears to be about the same scaled HxLxW as the one in the top photo you shared. It’s
54.75"L X 36.8"W X 45.5"H. I can look into attachable shelves but I’m a little apprehensive about the possibility of them collapsing. I figured I would put the food/water and litter box at opposing ends and corners (like a diagonal line) and put a cat bed next to the food/water bowls. I’m mainly worried about how this could affect my cat long term. Will this be safe for him to spend the majority of every day for the next 6+ months that close to his litter box?

No, unfortunately, we were not able to save anything. The entire house burned to the ground. We made it out with the clothes on our backs and our pets in our arms. One of us had our cell phone in our pocket, but other than that, we lost everything. When the fire reached the garage, our RV caused an explosion which took out all but two of our cars as well. We live in a rural area so by the time the fire department got here it was too late.

Actually, your crate is about twice the size of mine in the picture. Mine is 36" L x 24"W x 26" H.

Does yours have 2 doors? If it does, set up the litter box near one of the doors so you don't have to crawl inside the kennel to clean it. I think non-clumping litter is less of a health risk than clumping litter because it's generally less dusty. You could also put up a piece of cardboard or light weight plywood to separate the kennel into 2 rooms with the litter box behind the board. Just leave enough room for kitty to go around it to get to the litter box and not have to climb over it.

I've also found that food and water make less of a mess if you use the kind of dishes that clamp onto the wire cage. I usually find them in the bird section of pet supplies.

 

[LTS3]

Did the relatives give you a spare bedroom to stay in? Or are you just living on the couch or sharing a bedroom with a relative?

A local blogger temporarily kept her injured cat in a pretty roomy kennel for awhile. She started off with a basic dog kennel but upgraded to a different kind:

The second crate is from Amazon, the largest 42 inch one: https://www.amazon.com/EliteField-Folding-Outdoor-Multiple-Available/dp/B01HKF4ANU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

A multi-level kennel would be more ideal. An upper level or two gives the cat a way to move away from the litter box and bowls can be placed where litter won't be kicked into. Amazon has lots of different types.

 

[Pjg8r]

There are also hanging hammocks that can be atttached to almost any cage. I’ve also made them by tearing a large beach towel apart and tying it to the metal bars.

 

[fionasmom]

I am very sorry for your loss and hope that your recovery might be quicker than you expect. What a terrifying experience for all of you.

I kept a litter of kittens, about 3 months old at the beginning, in a bathroom for 5 months several years ago. It was the only option at the time and I won't bore you with the backstory. The bathroom was bigger than the cages that vets use to adopt out kittens, but it was only standard size, nothing huge or opulent. I put the litter box on one side and no one got sick or seemed to have any respiratory issues.