A litter box can be defined as any container that holds the cat’s litter, which should be an absorbent material.
Initially, litter boxes used to all look similar, plain, rectangular trays and made of plastic.
The evolution of the litter box has come with amazing designs, with different shapes, sizes, colors and even functionality.
We even have biodegradable disposable litter boxes.
Technological advancements have led to two categories of litter boxes:
1. Sifting litter boxes with screened or slotted sections
2. Self-cleaning or automatic litter boxes
When choosing a litter box for your cat, ensure that it is large enough and comfortable for your cat. He should be able to have adequate space to move and dig around without having to step outside the litter box.
He should be able to have enough space to avoid making deposits outside the litter box. As a general rule, the box should be at least one and a half times the length of your feline friend.
For the majority of cats, the height of the litter box should be at least 5”-7” high.
What’s the difference between spraying and squatting?
It’s critical that you determine if your cat is house-soiling or urine spraying since these are two different problems with different solutions.
House soiling occurs when the cat squats to urinate or poop on a flat surface other than his litter box, such as the carpet or floor.
Urine spraying is usually a form of territorial marking where he stands straight, with his behind facing the object to be sprayed on, lifts his tail and forcefully directs a jet of pee towards the object.
Spraying can be on furniture, walls, and objects. The amount of pee deposited varies with time but it usually is visible and has a strong urine odor.
HOW DO I TELL WHETHER MY CAT IS A SPRAYER?
During normal urination, a cat usually squats and pees. This is the key to determine whether your cat is a sprayer or not. A sprayer, will back himself against the wall of the litter box, raise his tail and spray urine.
Some pee then ends up being deposited on the floor.
When this occurs consistently yet the litter box provided is the normal-sized box, you should begin looking for a litter box for high spraying cats.
LITTER BOX FOR HIGH SPRAYING CATS
To select the best litter box for messy cats, a number of factors should be taken into consideration.
Spraying cats require a box whose sides are tall enough to mitigate the risks of having any urine spill over onto the floor or carpet.
The sides should be tall enough but still easy enough for the cat to be able to get into and out of their litter boxes.
The secret to this is getting a litter box with three sides that are tall enough to prevent the spraying cat from depositing pee on your floor but have a lower entry and exit side to enable your cat to enter and leave the kitty tray easily.
The recommended height for such a box is 8”-12” for the higher sides, and the lower entry/exit side height should be around 5”-6”.
Secondly, you can also switch to covered boxes to avoid any splashing from the spraying cat onto the floor. If you choose to go down this route, ensure you scoop the boxes at least once a day since they can trap ammonia smells and odor that can make your cat abandon the litter box.
Ensure you also wash the litter box at least once a week using warm water and mild soap or vinegar and water.
Avoid soaps with ammonia and also bleach since it binds with the ammonia in the pee making it worse.
The best cat litter box for spraying cats
Let’s take a look at the different types of boxes available and their suitability to cats that overspray.
1. Best automatic cat litter box:
Most of the automatic cat litter boxes do not have high sided walls or walls that are high enough to stop urine leakage. This is because the greater percentage of these boxes have a scooping rake that moves forward to deposit the scooped clumps into a holder after which it retracts into position.
Because of this, there are hardly any high walls and low entry and exit sides for the cat. Add litter and the height is reduced even further.
Most are not suitable for spraying cats with the exception of specific brand designs.
2. Covered cat litter box:
It should be large enough to accommodate your cat comfortably. Retains odors well and on the flip side can be problematic for the cat.
To solve this, use the onboard replaceable carbon filter which gives a fresh smell suitable for your cat.
Suitable for spraying cats
3. Top entry litter box:
This gives the cat room to move around without making a mess. Usually, there are grooves on top that help make an in built mat which reduces litter scatters and pee leakage.
It also encloses odor too relatively well and it’s easy to clean since it doesn’t have hard to reach places.
