“Can you have a cat without a litter box?” To my surprise, this question was quite commonly asked by netizens across the globe.
I thought that someone who wants to own a cat, couldn’t be disgusted to clean cat litter!
But I can see their point, so lets get into it shall we!
Writing this article took searching and scooping around from quite a few websites.
Different people had different problems and reasons they could not have a little box inside their house but still wanted to get a cat.
And each perspective provided by people who owned or had previously owned cats, really helped open up new arenas for expectant cat-owners to adopt one without having to arrange for a litter box!
Let’s take a look at the different approaches that I came across while writing this article.
Are cat Litter Boxes a Must have?
There are some people who just cant do the cat litter box thing!
For example;
If you simply loved cats and wanted to own one, but were disgusted by the cat poop smell and also didn’t want to include cleaning their litter box in Your daily schedule.
If you are ill and can’t deal with the risk of infection from cleaning a litter box.
Or,
If you live in a small apartment and you think you don’t have the space for a litter box.
There are mixed answers to this question, but there is a solution!
One answer suggested that, if the person was so disgusted by the idea of cleaning their own cat’s litter box every day, then they should completely refrain from adopting a cat because the person wouldn’t be able to give the cat the life it deserves.
There are grave dangers of letting a cat outdoors and it is best to either get over their disgust and own up to every responsibility that comes with adopting a pet, or give up the idea of getting a pet completely.
in all of the cases above a self cleaning cat litter box will go a long way to alleviating the problems.
Do clumping cat litters make it easier to clean the litter box?
They say that Clumping litters and Crystal litters get rid of the smell of the poop completely!
There are also some kinds of rolling litter boxes available that allows the human to get rid of the litter without even scooping from the box.
Cat litter for a fussy cat.
If the cat is fussy though, there are chances that they wouldn’t like any and every litter box placed for them.
The human has to experiment with quite a few before they find just the right litter box for the cat’s, as well as their own convenience.
Can I put a cat litter box outside?
Again, there are not only predatory dangers of letting a cat outside but also the possibility of an additional mess if your cat decides to show up with a dead animal in their mouth!
For someone who already doesn’t like cleaning poop, this would be a nightmare!
Also, a cat would, anyhow, live a happier life with a loving human than in a shelter.
So, adopting a cat without a litter box and letting them do their business outside is still way better for the cat, than having to spend the rest of their life at an animal shelter.
Should I keep a cat litter box for the first few weeks.
Here is my opinion on whether you have to keep a litter box for the cat, for the first few weeks of its arrival.
The answers on this one mostly said that placing a litter box inside the house and having to train a cat to poop outside mostly depended on the cat’s age.
Is your cat a kitten or an adult cat?
If it was an adult, it would already be litter-trained, as opposed to a kitten, who would need a litter box indoors, that’s preferably layered with garden soil.
The garden soil will help the kitten get used to the substrate and they can later switch to pooping outside.
But during cases of accidents, or rainfalls, or sickness, or any other emergency, the cat has to be confined indoors, which would mean that placing a litter box is mandatory.
Kittens are extremely shy when they first enter a house, and it’ll take them one entire day to even stick their head from under the sofa.
It will take at least a week for them to get accustomed to their new surroundings, after which, they can be house-trained to pee and poop outside at the lawn.
Cats need to be treated patiently, and they need to come to you and acknowledge you as their human. Only then can the training begin.
Initially, when they make their business on the carpet, or the kitchen floor, or on floor mats, rub their nose in it immediately and put the material outside in a patch of dry dirt.
Cats are very instinctive, so just some loose dry dirt is optimal for them. They will take one, or a maximum of 2-3 attempts to understand what you want them to do.
Cats are hygiene freaks and they’ll get your message quickly. A cat can even be trained to use the bathroom!
With a little patience anyone can train their cat to do their business in the bathroom!
Bottom Line, can you have a cat without a litter box?
So, my take-back from these sites was that you can well own a cat without investing in a high-end litter box.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with your cat pooping in a litter box that cleans itself and coverts poop smell into lavender!
But, for those who don’t want to invest, and have an amply safe backyard or garden, or just want to train their cats to make their business in the bathroom like a lady, can stop holding their breaths because a litter box is not utterly necessary to be a loving cat mom!