As a cat owner, you are probably used to dealing with the many likes and dislikes of your feline friends.
Cats are individuals too, and each of them has their own way of doing things.
One area where you really want to ensure your cat is comfortable and understands what you expect from them is the area where they do their business in.
But if I have more than one cat, do I need more than one litter box?
A cat’s litter box is an intimate place for them. It is also a place where they consider themselves vulnerable.
Ensuring that your cat is happy with the arrangement they have with their litter box can save you from needing to clean up their messes and discipline them if they decide their litter box is no longer an acceptable place to poop.
One of the many considerations that you might want to factor in when setting up your cat’s sanitation area is how many litter boxes you will actually need.
Here are a few things to think about for your cat’s toilet needs.
– Can you have more than one cat litter box?
Yes, it’s worth having multiple litter boxes even if you only have one cat. Litter boxes are for more than just pooping.
Your furry friend may occasionally decide they need some private space in a place they consider as theirs, and their litter box may be where they decide to take that time-out.
Having more than one allows them to use whichever one is cleanest for their private contemplation or sulk session.
What if you are too busy to clean the litter box?
You may also find yourself getting swamped by the daily grind and missing a clean out of the litter box as a result.
Having multiple boxes ensures that you have a buffer to stop your cat from rejecting an unclean litter box and finding an acceptable substitute – such as your carpet, bed, or favorite rug.
Do I need more litter boxes for upstairs in my house?
Another good reason to have multiple boxes is to accommodate larger houses and multi-story homes.
You probably have multiple bathrooms in your large home to ensure you don’t have to go far to use one, and your cat may need extra litter boxes for the same reason.
It’s also possible that the door to their litter box area may become closed by accident, so having an alternate area for them to go in will save you from cleaning up their mess if they can’t wait until the door is open again to go to the toilet.
How many litter boxes should you have for multiple cats?
Cats tend to be territorial and will view their litter box as part of their own private domain. To prevent fights, ideally, each of your cats should have their own personal litter box.
It’s a good idea to have one extra litter box as a backup community box. This can be handy if one of the litter boxes is too dirty for the cat who owns it to do the deed there.
This may occasionally happen if the cats decide to be a bit cheeky and use each other’s litter boxes.
It also gives them a relatively clean box to sit in if they are in the mood to do that.
Do I need to mark each cats litter box if I have more than one cat?
You may want to mark each cat’s box so that you can put them back in the position they came from if they are moved for cleaning or some other reason.
This will help them find their own preferred litter box again and prevent confusion which may lead to disputes.
How far apart should cat litter boxes be spaced?
Each litter box should be something that your cat identifies as a discrete space, so you should keep them separated by at least a foot or two.
If they are all lined up in the same area then your cats will probably consider them as a single communal area for pooping and fights may break out over territory.
Your cats will probably also identify their own box by smell to some degree, so boxes that are too close together will make it difficult for them to tell each box apart based on its scent.
Where should I position the litter boxes if I have more than one cat?
When positioning the litter boxes you should give each individual cat their own particular space in the area where the litter boxes are situated.
If the positioning of the boxes is mixed up then some of the cats may stop regarding them as personal boxes and you may get some territorial disputes occurring when a cat uses a box that another cat regards as theirs.
Can you use different sized cat litter boxes?
Cats tend to come in all shapes and sizes so you may want to get litter boxes that match their space needs.
They also have individual behaviors and preferences. You may find that one or more of your cats will only use a box that gives them plenty of extra space to squat in, for example.
Different sized boxes can also provide some differentiation between the boxes in the cats pooping area.
If you have a single cat who has one box for pooping and another for lounging then having different sized boxes will ensure that they know which is which.
This can save you the need to clean them and deal with bad smells on their fur if they regularly mix up the boxes.
Should each litter box use the same cat litter?
Much like humans, cats have their own likes and dislikes. They may decide that a particular type of cat litter is preferable for them.
Or they might come to the decision that a different type is unacceptable for the important process of pooping.
They may also object to or prefer the smell of certain types of scented litter material.
Having multiple boxes lets you experiment with individual types of litter to see which type your cat prefers. This also gives you the opportunity to find out which cat litter works best for you as the person who needs to clean it.
What type of cat litter do I use for multiple cats?
If you have multiple cats then they may each have their individual likes and dislikes when it comes to the material they do their poop in. You may need to buy different types of litter to keep them all happily pooping where they are supposed to be doing the deed.
If you do use different litter for each cat then you should mark which litter you use on the litter box for that cat. This makes it easier to keep track of and keeps that information near at hand when you are topping up the litter boxes.
In the end!
So it’s certainly worthwhile setting up multiple litter boxes for your cats, and ensuring that their litter box arrangement is to their liking.
Just like humans, cats are fussy about how and where they do their business and accommodating their preferences can save you from some furry friction in your household.
The more litter boxes they have to go in the less chance they will drop their dinner in a place where you’ll be left with a smelly mess to clean.