This post is one that gets a lot of comments and I’m tickled so many people have found it useful. We’ve had our DIY litter boxes for at least 2 yrs. now. We still love them—as much as you can love a litter box. And they’re still in great shape. Yea!
About a month ago, one of our two cats started peeing while standing up in their litter box. We were using a LitterMaid litter box at the time. My feelings about the LitterMaid were mixed. I appreciated not having to scoop the box all the time, but emptying the collection bin was a pain and cleaning the box was a real hassle. And while I was glad the cats always had a clean box to use, I really didn’t like that even after a couple of years, Sage would still come from another room to whack the rake when she heard it moving and often when Raven finished using the box, she’d come flying out of it lest the “monster” get her. Plus, scooping the litter boxes yourself is a good way to keep track of your cat’s health.
So first, I made an appointment with our vet to have the cats checked out since changes in urinary habits can be a sign of illness. And I bought a new litter box. The cats both got clean bills of health, but the stand-up peeing started happening more often. The new litter box leaked urine where the hood met the lid and made a smelly mess. I bought another litter box which had the hood sitting within the lip of the lower pan. Now the urine didn’t leak out of the box, but I had to clean the hood and the lip of the lower pan everyday. This was not working and we were out $60 on useless litter boxes.
It’s easy, cheap, and quick to make your own litter box. Here’s what you’ll need to make one yourself:
- lidded, plastic container deep enough for your cat to stand in without touching the lid. I made a larger litter box using a Rubbermaid Roughneck Storage Box, Large, 25 gal, 28.8 x 19.7 x 16.5 in, which cost between $10-$12 from Fred Meyer. You can find these lidded storage boxes at thrift stores & stores like Target, Walmart, Lowes, etc.
- permanent marker
- utility knife with a fresh blade or a jigsaw or a rotary tool like a dremel if you use a hard-sided plastic container
Using a Sharpie, I drew freehand what would be the opening. Keep in mind that you’ll want the opening high if you have a cat that pees standing up. They’ll be less likely to pee with their rear-end hanging out the door. I put the opening at the narrow end of the box because that’s what our cats are used to and I think they’re less likely to pee out the door that way. Then I carefully cut out the opening with a utility knife. (Another option would be to cut the opening in the lid so that it looked something like this litter box by Clevercat.)
That’s all it takes! Fill the box with cat litter and replace lid for a covered litter box or leave it off if your cats prefer. Here are some thumbnails of how mine turned out.
I don’t think I’ll ever buy another litter box. I love that the lid is flat. It makes it easier to store it when I scoop the box—I just lean it against the wall. And when the lid is in place on top of the box, it provides a level area to store the scoop, bags, and cat litter. It has good handles so it’s easy to move. It’s big, so the cats are happy. The sides are high so there’s nothing to clean up if they pee standing up. You can get them in a few different colors. If you have the tools to cut harder plastic, you can get transparent storage bins. And it’s so much cheaper than buying litter boxes from a store!
A fan from from the UK here. I made a litter tray with a porthole and a lid (optional).
Using a dinner plate and a fine permanent marker (Sharpie) as a template, I drew a circle on the long side of a large, high-sided, clear polypropylene box. I used masking tape to stop the edge of the circle from cracking (which I removed when finished). After trying a number of tools, I found that large scissors worked best. I made a pilot hole in the centre of the circle using a bradawl (anything sharp and pointy will do), big enough to fit the scissor blades. Working from the centre out, I cut in straight lines, about 6mm (1/4″) all the way round, until I had lots of loose plastic strips. I was then able to cut out the circle more easily, one strip at a time.
I smoothed the edges of the hole with fine sandpaper wrapped around a tube, then finished it off with flexible PVC edging to strengthen it (not essential, and no glue needed).
I plan to put holes in the lid so that Puss (real name Penny) isn’t overwhelmed by the smell. For now, I’m leaving the lid off until Puss gets used to her new tray.
Total cost: £6 (about $9) and blisters!
Next challenge: find a way to reduce the litter trail!
Brilliant !!
Thank goodness I found your site. I’ve got a 17 year old male cat, who just recently started peeing with tail-end poking out of the little box (box has a tall hood). Fortunately, the litter box sits inside a long, low-sided plastic box (type used for those long gift wrapping paper rolls), so that urine collects inside this long box. Nevertheless, my clean-up work has doubled.
I think that this 23-gal Rubbermaid tote solution should work. Thank you.
The only problem with this solution is the bottom of the bins are not flat, they have “ridges” like others have mentioned, making it a pain in the ass to clean. Silty litter deposits get stuck in the inset corners. Obviously, you can’t use liners with this solution. Had anyone been able to find a flat-bottomed bin?
Thank you for the great idea
The 30 gallon bins are great but have two problems, the bottoms are not flat and even making the door opening 6″ off the floor my big boy would still stand right inside the box and pee on the floor. I solved both problems! Inside the 30 gallon tote I put a regular flat kitty litter box. It fits perfectly width wise but is about 5″ shorter. I push it all the way to the front and keep a folded towel between the door and the smaller box. Now when my boy goes into the smaller box and pees towards the door it all goes on the towel which I change easily. No more washing rugs everyday. Woo Hoo!
I gave up on the typical cat litter box and started using a big tub. I love it. No mess outside of the tub and with the lid the cats have privacy.
I found mine don’t appreciate the dark so I put in a battery operated motion detector LED light, taping it to the top, so it comes on when they come in and goes off when they go out. Works great.
I have been using storage totes for 7 years now and will never go back to a typical litter box. I use a clear Sterilite tote, the longest tallest that walmar* has, cost like $12.00ish. It does have the ridges in the bottom but I just scrape around the ridges then finish scooping.. I don’t mind the ridges after 7 years of using this tote I’m just use to it and my cats are Happy☺. I also do NOT put the lid on tote, they jump in. I thoroughly wash the tote with antibacterial soap and bleach every 3-4 weeks. I usually buy new totes every year.
I use Sterlite clear storage boxes since they have minimal or no ridges on the bottom (66 gal that I found at Tarjay yesterday has none). I love this solution since it cuts down on the litter dust and gives my big Tom cat plenty of room. Wish I could find the first one I tried, about 85 gallons. It is a very comfortable size for large cats. Bonus: My tall dogs can’t “snack” from these litter boxes!
Flat bottom boxes.. Really Useful Boxes brand have perfectly smooth bottoms and sides.. and are extremely strong with all the strengthening ribs on the outside only
I recently started using a tote for a litter box but there seems to be a problem with urine leaking and being underneath the tote. Has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions? Maybe a different brand of tote ? I am at a loss and going crazy with this!
Sterilite makes a flat bottom box in a large size, we have been using it with an open top as one of our litter boxes for several years. It’s tall, so I have a step on the outside for our older cats. Don’t recall were it was purchased but believe it’s Sterilite’s “basic”, so look at the cheap storage boxes in the “big box” stores.
I have a cat that pees standing up and only pees in the front of the tub and poops in the back. She can jet her pee about two and a half feet out the hole I’ve made for her to jump in. Soooo, I use shower curtains folded in the corner against the walls, taped with gorrila duct tape, then rubber mats, then a cut peice of old towel to absorb the urine. I tape overlapping placemats so the bribe that sprays out drips down and there are newspapers up under the placemats that absorb the urine. Lots of thick folds of newspaper that are easily thrown away and replaced. I have a folded layer of newspaper that slightly raises the end of the plastic tub at the far end, so that the cat pee stream is angled so it hits way below the taped shower curtain and placemats to ensure the urine runs down onto the news papers. It’s really quite a fiasco. Good luck!
I have a cat that pees standing up and only pees in the front of the tub and poops in the back. She can jet her pee about two and a half feet out the hole I’ve made for her to jump in. Soooo, I use shower curtains folded in the corner against the walls, taped with gorrila duct tape, then rubber mats, then a cut peice of old towel to absorb the urine. I tape overlapping placemats so the pee that sprays out drips down and there are newspapers up under the placemats that absorb the urine. Lots of thick folds of newspaper that are easily thrown away and replaced. I have a folded layer of newspaper that slightly raises the end of the plastic tub at the far end, so that the cat pee stream is angled so it hits way below the taped shower curtain and placemats to ensure the urine runs down onto the news papers. It’s really quite a fiasco. Good luck!
Hi, does anyone sell these? For stray cats.
I have 3 cats and they are the messiest at goin to the bathroom.I can’t believe i didn’t think of this years ago!so smart.you should make them and sell them at petco and petsmart.youcd make a killling!
This has been one of the best inventions and unbelievably my cat transferred straight away to it. It is so much tidier, not in view, smells less, and so a great win ! Of course I still have to remove the poo each day or else she might decide to pee near the container beside the wall, if there’s something foreign in her tray! Asked my hubby to just cut the hole out on the side at the end and went with the opening being fairly low to the ground.
For the well being of your cat – a litter box should NOT have a lid and if you are using a tub, it should be clear. While lids make humans feel better, it turns the litter box into an portapotty. It increase the heat inside which causes more bacteria and stronger odors. Your cat has a better sense of smell so this situation may cause your cat to stop using the litter box. More importantly, cats don’t like feeling trapped or unable to spot predators while eliminating. This is another reason why the box shouldn’t have a lid and why the box should be clear.
I have 6 cats and just switched to 4 topless bins. I didn’t have to cut doors they all have gone in just fine. I even put all 4 in a row in my basement and to my suprise they seem to be distributing evenly lol.
How far up from the bottom do you cut the hole ???
Thanks please let me know
I have been using these bins for a year now and love them. I have put a plain large litter pan inside the bins which fit almost perfect. That way you can change them out.
I was going to try the largest bin I can get and put a litter container inside it in the back. Then cut a hole in the front small enough for the cats and hopefully the dogs can’t get in far enough to get to the litter box which is a big problem now. Then I thought I cut a lot of small holes on the sides and the top to make sure it’s aerated.
Thanks Mate! I’m a severe asthmatic and my poor cat is 15yr with arthritis in her hips so I have to keep a litter box in my room. Problem was it was difficult for her to get in comfortably, and for me to not have an asthmatic attack due to her open litter box. Hopefully this will fix, or al least help, with both my kitty’s and my problem 🙂
Thanks for the ideas , but I dont have much time at home recently i have ordered a cat litter online from marshallspetzone for a very low price better than making this litter at home thanks for their amazing discounts and timely delivery.
For those of you using towels ..try puppy pads instead. I use puppy pads to line these tubs and one in front. Helps with cleaning. Nothing gets stuck to the bin.
Thank you everyone, my male just got over giaridia and has been standing up and making a mess on my floors and furniture. I had a box made with 3 sides and a lid that you can raise for clean out. I’m going to try the smaller littler pan first, inside the box. If that doesn’t work the large tote without a hole. Just knowing there are alternatives gives me hope.
A $20 washing machine drain pan works great under a litter tub to catch litter and leaks. They are square and can be as large as 30″ x 35″. The ones with bottom ridges elevate the litter box a bit and keep the box from sitting in urine. Because they are made to support a washing machine, they are sturdy and last a long time. They require an extra cleaning step, but they have helped save our hardwood floors. We get ours at Home Depot, but they are in every big box store or sold on Amazon.
For my three cats I bought two large Sterlite clear tote boxes from Wal-Mart. I don’t use the lids and the boxes fit under one of my tables in my craft room. The cats had no period of adjustment and one of the best features is that the plastic is the easiest in the world to scoop from. My scooper slides right off the surface and nothing seems to stick! My one dislike is the dust but I am using Wal-Mart litter so can probably find a better grade which hopefully produces less dust. They are still the best solution I have found so far. I am 72 and have owned indoor kitties since the age of 6. Hope this helps someone else!
I have just found this and think it is GENIUS!! I will be doing my own but just one question:
Mine will be placed outside in the catio, how do you stop the weather getting into the box via the hole?
I use two kiddy simming pools as litter boxes. Gives the cats plenty of space to do their business. Of course you need space for these. I have a dedicated cat room.
I line my with xxl clear litter box liners, they don’t rip either then snap the lid on. I had to do this so the dogs stay out of the litter boxes
have 3 indoor/outdoor cats & 3 litter boxes. One is the big blue tote with a hole in the end. I clean the boxes each morning and in the evening before going to bed. All three have hoods/lids and the cats do not seem to have a problem with it. I agree the ridges in the bottom can sometimes be a pain, but I keep 3″-4″ of litter and very seldom do they scratch all the way to the bottom and I use Arm & Hammer clumping litter. Works great.
Hi. I too had the same issues with the standard litter boxes. But instead of putting cat litter in a Rubbermaid crate I bought a large (long) crate, cut out a door, and put the litter box inside the crate, all the way to the back. They use the litter box, and when they are covering their messes, cat litter stays inside the Rubbermaid crate. About once a week, I just lift the cat box out, and pour the excess litter in the crate into the garbage. I woke down with a Lysol wipe if needed. This system works great!