Where should I keep a cat litter tray?
Cat litter trays should be placed in corners or against walls so your cat has a full view of whatever is around them, yet are protected from behind. Placement is vital because your cat won’t use the litter tray if it isn’t right.
It’s recommended that the tray is on the edge of their ‘area’, where their food and play things also are.
Do cats prefer an open or closed litter tray?
There are broadly two design choices to pick between, lidded or open.
The former is great for any cats who tend to flick their litter over the edge of the tray when they are covering up their mess, or for any who may miss the tray and instead end up urinating over the edge of a normal tray.
But not every cat will be happy going in the dark, or in a compact covered tray. If yours doesn’t, open design will likely be best. Many cats will like to be able to look around them when using the toilet as they feel vulnerable.
You can often layer the floor with newspaper or a cat litter mat to protect it, and there are also high back or curved edge trays to reduce the likelihood of the litter flicking out of the box.
Are self-cleaning litter trays worth buying?
They sound like a dream, don’t they? A litter tray that largely deals with your cat’s toilet mess for at least one week, meaning you can take emptying the tray off of your daily chores list.
But these are largely marketed towards the owner as opposed to the cat. Many use mains electricity to work, which could spell trouble in terms of positioning and wires around your cat. They can also make random noises that could scare a nervous cat, and if your cat happens to have diarrhoea or other tummy troubles, the tray may not clean itself properly, meaning that the smell and mess linger in the system.
Any we have featured will have avoided these issues largely, but if you’re worried about smells and mess, tray liners, filters and deodorants are all available to partly deal with this. Remember that you should never use disinfectants to clean a tray though, as it could be toxic to your cat.
How often will I have to clean a cat litter tray?
They should be spot cleaned daily, and a full change is undertaken every two or three days. Trays should be cleaned fully when a full litter change is taking place.
This can all depend on how often your cat goes and how messy things get, though, so use your judgement and ensure you always have plenty of cat litter in stock. It may be worth looking for one which says it is easy to clean if you feel you will have to do this on a daily basis.
Will the right litter tray prevent accidents?
If your cat currently goes to the toilet everywhere they shouldn’t, having the correct litter box in place for them to use could solve this.
Ensure they know what it is for, and that it is in a good place for them to access away from any noise and busy areas. Also check it is big enough, and there is enough litter in there.
A cat litter tray won’t solve the issue of cats having accidents due to stress, anxiety or fear, and you should never punish them as it is counterproductive.