Jumbo Litter Box For Two? Better Than Two Boxes?

[Nature9000]

So, I'm not sure how long you can use a litter box before needing to replace it, but I was off at Petco buying litter and saw this jumbo hooded litter box, with a plastic door (I don't know that I like the door part) and it got me thinking....its a 40 dollar litter box that says multi-cat. Prince and Nikita have two identical hooded pans from Pet Supermarket, 30 bucks a pop, and the hoods are separate...they both use both boxes, they seem not to care

Maybe it would be more convienent to go for that large/deep box? Certainly cosy effective when considering replacing old pans with new ones. What are your thoughts on That?


And on a side note, another litter question. What do you use? Does it matter at all? I already have a weak sense of smell, and rarely have guests over, so door doesn't bug me. I use Dr. Elseys but most just use scoop away or a cheap economy brand....then there's the whole refillable litter thing at Petco....am I wasting money buying what I am?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Suggestions are typically one box per cat plus one. This is dependent on how much room you have...
If the cats' digestive systems are processing their food well, there shouldn't be a lot of odor. My Big Guy's boxes don't smell (cleaned daily).

I use a combination of Arm&Hammer for the clumping and Littermaids walnut to absorb the dust from the clay litter, it seems to work - he's not sneezing any more like he was prior to the addition of the walnut.

I liked Petco's refillable, but then I noticed it seemed to be getting more and more dusty so I stopped using it.

 

[Nature9000]

Yeah I know about the one per cat thing, but I figure that's always intended for normal sized pans, but the ones like this that are so large and actually say multi-cat use. Plus, if rather have to spend 40 bucks on a pan and hood for 2 than two small 30 buck pans and their 20 buck hoods

 

[xcourtney3]

I use 2 jumbo boxes without lids. They are usually $15-20. For litter I use frisco from chewy

 

[CommonCatOwner]

That is a lot of money to spend. Can you just go to Walmart or someplace and get a giant storage bin and cut a hole in it? This worked well for me but the aesthetics were an issue. I had a jumbo hooded litter box for my cats and it broke down quick. During a transition to the cat cabinet I had a real big storage container with a hole cut into it with a litter pan inside plus a carpet square to catch litter (the fragments sold at home improvement stores) on the inside for the two cats. Still was not enough. I had to go with two litter boxes though even though they use them together. I have Arm and Hammer Multi-Cat in the open storage bin (which they almost exclusively have been using to pee in) upstairs and Dr. Elsey's in the downstairs litter box in the cat cabinet (which they use almost exclusively to poop in). It has been working out but my suggestion would be 2 litter boxes instead of one jumbo. Those hooded boxes are a joke in terms of durability and size but are not as goofy looking as a big storage box with a hole cut into it.

 

[Daisy6]

Yeah I know about the one per cat thing, but I figure that's always intended for normal sized pans, but the ones like this that are so large and actually say multi-cat use. Plus, if rather have to spend 40 bucks on a pan and hood for 2 than two small 30 buck pans and their 20 buck hoods

Any plastic litterbox that does not clean itself can be used by more than one cat if they like sharing one. I read in Cat Fancy cats don't see a difference between two medium size boxes side by side and one jumbo litterbox so the purpose of having two litterboxes is being able to put them in different parts of the house.

 

[himawari]

If the cats are non-territorial about whose box is whose/they are on extremely friendly terms, then yeah buy a jumbo litter box for the both of them. You'll just have to make sure to scoop more often.

I have only one cat but right now he has the Catit Jumbo litter box, and he's fine with using just that. He used to have Dr. Elsey's litter but right now he's on Smart Cat and will be transitioning soon to combo mix of that & Litter Maid Walnut.

 

[Daisy6]

Daisy uses Dr. Elsey's litter now because it got high ratings for not being dusty. A big double layer litter mat and a walk-in litterbox with three high sides help too so I don't know how much better it is than Scoop Away and Fresh Step. Tidy Cat was the worst because they make it very lightweight, which makes it messier.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

That seems expensive to me for either litter box. But then my girls don't like hooded boxes so I'm essentially buying half of what you are I guess.

I have 4 of these: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Van-Ness-Cat-Litter-Box-Color-May-Vary/14935915. I keep 2 out at a time and rotate so they can be cleaned. We got away with one box for many years because we had a LitterMaid box. Once the last one broke we decided it was just simpler to go back to traditional boxes we went to 2. They are in our laundry room and as soon as they were set up I saw them going directly from one to the other to finish their business. The high sides have been necessary as my girls have aged because one doesn't really squat to go anymore.

Unfortunately Noodles is very picky about her litter and doesn't like anything outside of the traditional TidyCats scoopable. I thought the lightweight was awful anyway. If we ever have a kitten in the house again I would like to try some alternatives. Liter options are probably the most common topic for this section of our forums. There are so many options it's hard to keep up!

 

[Daisy6]

Litter options are probably the most common topic for this section of our forums. There are so many options it's hard to keep up!

I think most people who have litter questions also want to know about litterboxes.

The number of options depends on you and your cats.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

$ 40.00 is pretty steep, even for a giant litter box. I use extra jumbo and pay $ 15.00 each. I replace them yearly and wash them monthly. Probably better to replace them every 6 months.

Mine prefer non-hooded, but whatever your kitties like. I think one large box per cat is sufficient provided they are kept clean.

 

[Daisy6]

$ 40.00 is pretty steep, even for a giant litter box. I use extra jumbo and pay $ 15.00 each. I replace them yearly and wash them monthly. Probably better to replace them every 6 months.

Mine prefer non-hooded, but whatever your kitties like. I think one large box per cat is sufficient provided they are kept clean.

Do you have jumbo size cats? I really don't see a point of getting huge litterboxes for small animals because no matter how clean it is two cats will never use one at the same time.

I read litterboxes should be replaced once a year. Not sure why, but Daisy needed a replacement after urine was found under her litterbox.

Cat Fancy again: Most cats prefer uncovered litterboxes for safety reasons.

 

[xcourtney3]

I have 4 of these: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Van-Ness-Cat-Litter-Box-Color-May-Vary/14935915.

I have one of these, and the big black Nature Made one with high sides

Do you have jumbo size cats? I really don't see a point of getting huge litterboxes for small animals

My cats are very long and tall and my boy digs like he's trying to get to China, so we have jumbo boxes with high sides. The jumbo isn't as big as it sounds

 

[MoochNNoodles]

My girls are also on the large side. Mooch's ideal weight is 11lb per the vet. Noodles is a little smaller. So bigger is better for us; more room to turn around. I imagine its like when you find yourself in a public restroom with tiny stalls if its too small.

I replace when they look scratched and worn. I've noticed thats a lot less often if I keep the litter deep enough. I aim for no less than 3" but not over 4 because then Mooch goes over the side. I do let it get low when I do a total change out.

 

[Nature9000]

If two is mainly to have them in separate places in the house, then I wouldn't need two for that. I have a small studio apartment, and the two boxes I have now are both next to each other in the living area.

As for how big my cats are, you can see in my user picture. Nikita's the runt, she's just bigger than kitten-sized. Prince, on the other hand, is a bit bigger. He's not large or fat, but he's a big guy

Still I just figure having one large box would be more cost effective than two smaller, identical boxes that are already a bit pricey

 

[xcourtney3]

My two cats had one large litter box in a 1 bedroom apt for the first like 7 years of their lives lol I think you'll be fine with one large

 

[kittypa]

I have four indoor cats. If I had four boxes they would all use one just because the other cat used it.

As it is I have two. The main is a jumbo then there’s a medium sized secondary in the spare bathroom. Sometimes it goes days without use. I clean them twice daily.

 

[maggie101]

3 cats, 4 litter boxes. They don't like to share so they each have their own. One is from a storage bin because of the high sides. My cat Peaches pees standing up

 

[basscat]

It's not covered, but, it's big enough to two (or more) cats. It will not break (unless you have a pet Mt. Lion, and is easier to scoop than similar "litter" boxes.
And then there's the price...
Plasgad Black Medium Concrete Mixing Tub-887101C - The Home Depot

 

[sweetblackpaws]

My 3 babies range in size from 14 - 18 pounds, and I have 3 jumbo boxes. When I get my feral back inside, I will add a fourth box.

I do like to have one box per cat.