How Do I Know if My Cat Litter Box Is Too Small?

When it comes to caring for your cat’s needs, you are always going to want to make sure that you are providing them with a comfortable place to live with all of the toys and treats that they can fathom. However, in addition to the fun products that one would typically purchase for their cat, it is also important to make sure that you purchase the important items for the cat as well.

This can include places for your cat to scratch so that it doesn’t destroy furniture, food bowls and water dispensers, and the usual litter box. A lot of people seem to believe that the litter box can be any simple tray that can hold the litter but this is far from the truth of it.

Litter boxes are designed to be a replacement for where the cat would normally eliminate out in the wild. Everything from the design of the litter to the way that litter boxes are typically stored out of the way of their territory is meant to reflect how a cat would typically choose to eliminate in the wild.

Because of this, you will need to make sure that you are choosing a litter box for your cat that suits all of its needs. From the size and shape of the litter box to the way it is designed and how the smell lingers in the box, you are going to want to put in some effort into choosing the perfect litter box if you really want to make sure that your cat is happy and comfortable in your home.

One of the most common questions people tend to have about litter boxes is what size litter box you should choose. Most kittens and younger cats can fit into just about any litter box without a problem and use it without a second thought but larger cats and breeds that are naturally larger than your standard mixed breed are going to have some issues with smaller litter boxes. If you are worried about your cat’s litter box being too small, you may want to consider looking for the signs that your cat is unhappy with it.

While cats may not be able to express themselves with words, they are often pretty good at communicating when they are displeased with something, especially when that something is as important to their lives as the litter box.

Going by the Rule of Thumb

There’s a good chance that if you are wondering about the size of your cat’s litter box, you may already have some suspicions about how large the box is. There are a few ways to check the general size of the litter box and whether or not it will be appropriate for your cat without having to break out the tape measure or staring at your cat to monitor its bathroom behavior.

The accepted rule of thumb regarding litter box sizes is that the box itself should be about one and a half times the length of your cat. This size allows for your cat to have some degree of room inside the litter box so that it can position itself as it desires to eliminate. It also gives the cat enough room to turn back around and bury its droppings, allowing for proper use of the litter box. This size will also allow cats to sniff around and move around just enough so that they can find the “perfect” place to eliminate as this is an important factor of litter boxes from the perspective of your cat.

A litter box that is any smaller than this is going to limit the amount of space that your cat has to move around, making it feel cramped and unwelcome in a space where the cat is supposed to feel free to eliminate whenever and wherever (inside the box). If your cat doesn’t feel as if it can comfortably eliminate inside of the box, then it will likely end up eliminating outside of the litter box and in other places around the house. Nobody really enjoys waking up to this kind of thing, making it all the more important for you to focus on purchasing a litter box that is of a proper size.

When in Doubt, Bigger Is Better

If you aren’t entirely sure how large your cat is going to grow and you are not keen on the idea of purchasing a replacement litter box when your cat is older, you may want to try and estimate the litter box your cat will need. In these cases, you will often be faced with a dilemma of purchasing a box that is a little bit too small or a box that is going to be far more than one and a half times the length of your cat. Whenever you are in doubt about the size of your cat’s litter box, you should always purchase a size up.

To a cat’s point of view, there is absolutely no such thing as a litter box that is too big for your cat to use. If you have a large house and you are not concerned about using more space than is absolutely necessary for your cat, you should even opt to purchase some of the largest litter boxes that you can find. Most cats will greatly appreciate having a much larger litter box to work with as it gives them more room and more choice over where they can eliminate, which is something that not every house cat gets to experience.