If you are looking for an easy cat litter box solution that does the job and does it well, I have a system I use that I definitely recommend you try if you are less than satisfied with your current system.
If you have had cat litter box problems with your cats, this may be the fix you need!
This system I use is super easy peasy to set up, keep clean and is the ultimate workhorse of any cat litter box setup I’ve ever used!
In the past, I’ve found the combination of the litter box and the litter I was using in the boxes, less than satisfactory to do the job that a litter box and litter SHOULD do.
This Cat Litter Box Solution Can Resolve BIG Issues!
This litter box setup has resolved the following litter box issues in my home:
- Breaking clumps of waste (contaminates the remaining litter in the litter box)
- Smell (Peeyu. Yuck.) I hated the smell and I know my cats hated the smell although bless their little kitty hearts, they did not go outside the litter box, even though the conditions in box were less than favourable for them.)
- Over shooters Sometimes my older guys and gals would overshoot the sides of the box and hit the wall or the floor.
- Hard to clean So easy to care for now. Never before seemed truly clean.
- Quick to clean Takes only a few minutes to scoop and clean the boxes.
- Clean appearance The fresh white litter box and the white litter? Nice fresh clean appearance.
Cat Litter Box Supplies Needed
These are the supplies you’ll need to set up this natural cat litter box solution for your cats.
- Litter Box
- Litter
- Scoop
- Blue Glass Spray Bottle
- Thieves Oil
Here are the details of each of the things that makes this litter box set-up rock!
Litter Box
NVR Miss Litter Box – The Best Cat Litter Box
Learn More About This Box and/or Purchase the NVR Miss Litter Box Here.
- High sides – This box has high sides. There are others on the market and you could make a homemade box from a plastic bin, but there are other features about this particular container that I really like. You may need an extra tall cat litter box for your cat(s).
- No hood – No hood to retain smells
- Nice rounded corners – I wasn’t aware when I bought this product, but when cleaning it, I noticed this feature right away. The corners are very rounded with no spots where gunk can gather and get stuck and difficult to remove. Nice smooth rounded out corners. Man they thought of everything!
- Decent size – Originally concerned when I ordered this box it might be too small, but it is just the perfect size. My Ragdolls are big boys and it works fine.
- Side entrance – Because the cat is forced to enter from the side of the box, when in the box, he turns ‘lengthwise’ to do his business, therefore avoiding spray out shooting overtop of the box. So it’s good for most high shooters + squirters, even if they are not squatters.
- 5 Colour Choices. The box comes in 5 colours — Blue, red, violet, brown and white. I chose the white as then I can clearly see where the box needs cleaning easily. I was once of the mind that a coloured litter box was the way to go. But the white box actually is cleaner than the former darker coloured litter boxes we had as I can spray and clean up and messy spots on the sides.
The white colour always looks clean. I’ve had 2 of these boxes for 5 months now and they look the same as the day they arrived! I’m able to keep them squeaky clean which the boys love, I’m sure.
- Dimensions 22” long X 15” wide X 11.25” height
- Price – More expensive than most other high sided boxes I’ve found, but it seems to do the job very well.
Grass Based Cat Litter – The Best All Natural Cat Litter
- Smart Cat All Natural Litter (in U.S.)
- Fresh 4 Life Eco-Clump Grass Seed Cat Litter (in Canada)
About this all grass litter.
- Safe – No known harm to cats, like clay litters which can when ingested, line the gut and cause absorption issues and maybe even blockage. Think about it. That clay litter will do the same thing inside your cat as it does in the litter box and that is clumping.
- It’s white – I have Ragdoll cats + another light coloured cat with white feet. It doesn’t stain their feet like the wheat based litters which was in turn, staining my sofa!
- Made from grass – It’s eco-friendly.’
- Soft texture. Nice and soft for kitties to walk on.
- Odour Control. I’ve tried several cat litters, but I’ve found this one of the best cat litter for odour control.
- Clumps like a Champ! This stuff does not fall apart and make a yucky mess like the clay-based litters. It balls (clumps) together into an extremely compact ball which leaves behind virtually no residue in the box, which I love. The box is WAY cleaner with this litter. Clumps are rock hard and do not crumble. For super sensitive cats, this is wonderful!
- No dust – This product is virtually dust free in my experience. No dust for the tiny kitty lungs or YOUR lungs.
- Biodegradable. Yeah! Love it.
- Just grass. No smell pretty additives or chemicals. What you see is what you get.
- No stick – It’s pretty cool that clumps formed even if attached to the side of the litter box, don’t stick when scooping. I love this feature of this grass litter!
- Tracking – There is some tracking. However, I don’t use a litter mat, which may help with any tracking.
- Price– No doubt this litter costs more per bag than most other litters on the market, and it’s considerably pricier than any of the clay based litters.
- Availability – This grass litter is available in the U.S. and an equivalent brand in Canada. If you live outside of North America, check for equivalents in your country.
However, my experience has been the box stays clean overall for a lot longer, doesn’t smell AT ALL and is ‘almost’ a pleasure to clean (no one really truly LOVES cleaning a litter box!).
I have a confession to make.
When I swapped over from my old cat litter box setup, I did not wean my guys over to the new litter. I just threw out the old litter boxes, used the new NVR Miss boxes with this new grass litter.
I was really stepping out on a limb here as cats can be sooooo finicky and weird about change!
But my boys took to their new digs like champs!
Whew. That COULD have been an ugly scene.
It is probably best you wean your guys over gradually by adding a little of the new grass litter to their box, while they get a chance to check it out and adapt to it.
SmartCat All Natural Clumping Litter, 20-Pound
Related > The Big Risk of Adding a Homeless Cat to Your Ragdoll Cat Household
Cat Litter Box Scooper
Jumbo DuraScoop
- Size – This heavy duty scooper is nice and big. Does the heavy lifting if need be! Surprisingly light for the size of the scoop.
- Nice handle – I like the easy to hold handle. The scooper seems well balanced in my hand.
- Metal – The scooper part is made from metal which I like as it doesn’t bend when scooping a heavy load, which causes a load to drop back into the litter. Scooper never smells as it doesn’t retain odour as plastic items do. Plus the metal can be washed and disinfected regularly.
- Slot spacing – I find the slots on the scoop are spaced well so the little pieces don’t fall through. Can use the end of the scoop to scoop up any tiny pieces found in the litter box, if necessary.
- Price – More expensive than most scoops I’ve found, but does a good job. I especially like the fact the scooper can be disinfected and made squeaky clean and germ free.
Litter Box Cleaner Solution Recipe
This is my go to cleaner for my home, which I also use to disinfect the litter boxes when I do a full cleaning (empty boxes and wash out). (I use it for kitchen, bathroom cleaning and mirrors).
- 10 drops of Thieves Oil (Marseille’s Remedy)
- 2 drops of Biodegradable Natural Dish Soap
- Blue glass or amber glass 16 oz. spray bottle
- Water – Fill bottle with pure filtered water
Take the glass spray bottle, add the Thieves Oil, the dish soap and then fill the 16 oz glass spray bottle with pure water and gently swirl it around to mix. (No need to shake it)
Salt Spring Naturals Marseille’s Remedy Traditional Thieves’ Oil, 30 ml16oz Empty Cobalt Blue Glass Spray Bottles w/Labels and Caps (4 Pack) – Mist & Stream Sprayer – BPA Free – Boston Round Heavy Duty Bottle – For Essential Oils, Cleaning, Kitchen, Hair, Perfumes
Cleaning Smears From the Litter Box
I use this to spray mixture to clean up messy spots on the litter box sides when I’m scooping to keep the box fresh and clean.
When cleaning a cat litter box, you should always use some kind of cleaner (that won’t harm your cats), to wipe away smears and residue.
I just give a few quick shots of spray, wipe fast (so it doesn’t run into the litter) and wipe off the litter box side with a paper towel.
Things are then squeaky clean.
It disinfects and gives a clean scent.
Be aware that the oils in this cleaner may not agree with your cat if they are sensitive. I experimented with my boys and they have been completely fine with it.
Some folks recommend using a spray bottle with water and a small amount of ammonia in the bottle. I don’t ever have ammonia in my home, but this is a personal choice. But it may work for you. Just another alternative.
How Often Should I Clean the Litter Box?
You must clean the litter box an absolute minimum of 1X/day.
Whenever I swing by the boxes, I take a few minutes and scoop.
It’s fast and easy now so I never dread scooping like I once did.
It also depends on how many cats you have and how many boxes. If you have 3 cats and 2 boxes (like I do) more often is better.
Let’s just say that you can’t clean the litter boxes TOO OFTEN!
The more often you clean them, the less likely they are to smell or your cat is disgusted with the lack of sanitation and will be tempted NOT to use the litter box.
How Deep Should the Litter Be in the Box?
Well the jury is still out on this one.
A few inches of litter can work well.
I like around 6” of litter in the box and here’s why.
- It’s best that the clumps form BEFORE hitting the bottom of the box. Yes if your guy is a digger he’ll always dig for the bottom no matter how deep the litter.
- If the clump forms before hitting bottom, it’s easier to scoop.
So I’d recommend experimenting with the depth of litter, to see what works best in your situation.
Location, Location, Location!
It’s always best (if you’re able) to locate your cat’s litter boxes out of the main flow of traffic in your home.
Your kitty would like a certain element of privacy.
But not in a dark, dingy poorly lit spot of your home, as you want to be able to see well enough to clean the boxes well.
How Often To Change the Cat Litter Box Contents?
This depends on the smell from the box.
Always remember, plastic retains smell, no matter how hard we try to get rid of the smell. Your cat has a highly sensitive sense of smell.
Remember the name of the game is to keep the box clean, so virtually no smell or remnants are left behind to disgust your fur baby so he thinks about doing his business elsewhere!
The cleaner you are able to keep the litter box, the longer it will last, but truly when you are noticing a scent from it when it’s emptied when you periodically wash it, it’s time to toss it and replace it.
It’s definitely worth it to keep your kitty happy. Don’t mess with his head by trying to cheap out with a stinky box! If your cat starts to do his business elsewhere due to a stinky box, you’ll struggle to get him back on track.
Do spend the $ to replace the box from time to time. It will pay off.
How Often Should I Completely Replace All of the Litter in the Box?
When you start to see little crumbly thingies in the litter box, it may be time to dump the whole box of present litter, wash and disinfect the box and pour in fresh litter.
You can continue to add litter as it’s used up, but don’t keep adding litter forever.
Little pieces will be left behind no matter how great your cleaning skills are! Keep the tiny pieces picked out of the box, but replace it when there’s a lot of tiny pieces. YOUR CAT CAN SMELL THOSE PIECES!
One Reason Why Cats Stop Using the Litter Box
It can be pretty elementary why your furry friend stops using their litter box.
If you’re suddenly having cat litter box issues, the first thing I would recommend, is closely examining the cleanliness of your current litter box setup in your home.
If it’s not squeaky clean, odour free, in a great secluded location, change all of this.
Your cat could have health issues, but initially start with a good CLEAN cat litter box system to keep kitty happy (and using his box!)
But It Takes SO Long To Clean the Litter Box!
Hey, I hear you!
But with this combination of litter box, litter, scoop, disinfectant cleaner and consistency with cleaning the litter box on a daily basis, I have personally found cleaning the litter boxes is no longer a dreaded task for me!
I guess because it’s satisfying for me to see just how fast I can clean the box because everything I’m using for the kitties WORKS THE WAY IT SHOULD!
And it’s a FAST cleanup.
Litter clumps don’t fall apart, litter doesn’t stick to the sides, litter after scooping is clean, and no smell from the boxes!
Take the time to get a good setup that works for you and does the job. It is so worth it.
When I’m done scooping, the box looks (and smells) like brand new. And I love that.
It gives your kitties what they want (clean and no smell).
Other High Sided Litter Boxes That Work Well Too
I’ve used the Nature’s Miracle, the Van Ness and the IRIS models and they all work nicely too.
Nature’s Miracle High-Sided Litter Box, 23 x 18.5 x 11 inchesVan Ness Large High Sides Cat Litter Pan, Assorted Colors
Petmate Jackson Galaxy Giant Open Litter Pan
IRIS Open-Top Cat Litter Box with Clear High-Shield without Scoop, Black