I was scooping the litter boxes this morning and was thinking about how pleased I was with our DIY version, so I thought I’d repost this for new readers. It’s been a year since I made these and we and the cats are still very happy with them. Yea!
About a month ago, one 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.
I got the idea for a great solution here, but made some modifications when I made ours. It’s easy, cheap, and quick. 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 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!
Love the litter box - now to make my own for our stan-up peeing princess, Trink! Thanks.
Yes, I use the Rubbermaid boxes too. They are easy to wash. Litter pans are way too expensive for what they are. Thanks.
I am SO happy with the box I made and can’t believe now, how much I’ve spent on litter boxes over the years. And best of all, the cats like it.
I’m going to make a top entry one out of a harder plastic bin. I’ll write a post about it and how it went.
Great idea! Can’t wait to try making one for my cat.
Thank you for this! I was just searching the web for plastic tubs & sizes to do something like this because all the new litter boxes I have just purchased do not contain the mess from my standup kitties. Thank you for the solution & the How To and I will donate the new litter boxes to the local shelter!
I’m so glad you’ve found this helpful! I am so much happier with my DIY litterbox and the cats are too. And it was SO easy.
Thanks for the reminder of how easy this is to make. Also, you mention using the translucent bins - I’m betting that using them might preclude problems with a cat’s not wanting to enter a dark closed-in space. We’re going to start with that idea. Thanks again.
Will study the litter box making and materials and see if I can make one also will tell my Son Steve who has two cats and see how we make out. No problems so far with anybody standing to widdle, but who knows. My cats prefer no lid and I can see if there is any problems with them pooping or widdling. Jan
I Made a box for my 2 dwarf rabbits ( richelieu and Coke) yes that is there names… gonna try it out tonight
It still ticks me off that my wife and I paid 69.99 for that “patented perfected piddle place that no cat can ignore” just to watch our cat look at us with a sneer and pee standing up against the wall anyway!!! ( I think she read the “made in china” label. We really did know better, but sometimes you will try anything)
The 32 gallon Rubbermaid box has worked great for us. We cut the hole in the side so our cat is forced to turn once she enters the box and this has been a real floor and wall saver.. No problems, and our home once again smells like home sweet home..
Thanks!
David, that’s great! So glad it’s worked for you. I just cleaned one of ours and was tickled with how easy it was to deal with. No crevices to try to get clean and no mechanical parts that can’t get wet. And I could just set it out in the sun to let the ultraviolet light do its thing.
This is a great idea, thanks so much for sharing. I’m thinking about going out to wal-mart to get one and try it tonight. I think it will solve all my problems.
Glad to see your blog. We have just acquired what I consider to be a large bact (almost 12 lbs). We have a covered litter box, which on her first visit, we realized that it just wasn’t going to work. We took the cover off and it still doesn’t work well.
Couldn’t find a bigger litter box so I told my husband that I could probably find some kind of storage box that might work. Now thanks to your idea, I have the perfect solution. Thank you, so much
This is the pet suppliers worst nightmare but cat owner’s savior! All of our litterboxes have been replaced with versions of these. They can be covered without causing the odor to build up inside. I prefer the hole in lid variety as it cuts down on tracking but we have a cat who won’t jump in from the top so we have side entrances too. We have one in a bathroom and if you buy a smaller tub you can cut the whole in the narrow end and fit the tub between the toilet and the wall. If you don’t have a fussy kitty no hole is necessary at all so no work required. Even my 13 lb cat can use this one. Cleaning is so much easier because you can tip the tub from side to side to release the large clumps from sticking to the bottom.