If you haven’t had a litter box problem with your cat, consider yourself lucky. Many people get away with just setting up a box and hoping their cat uses it (no litter box training required). For others, their cat has more particular needs.
While there are many things that can drive a cat to not want to use their litter box including the location, the type of litter, or a medical problem, one of the biggest problems I see with clients is the litter box itself. Making your own litter box allows you to overcome many of the problems with store bought litter boxes such as the size or height of the walls. Plus, they’re usually less expensive.
These are seven of my favorite ideas for homemade litter boxes. Most can be easily modified to fit your specific situation so you can find something that both you and your cat are okay with.
Disclaimer: Make these boxes at your own risk. Please use caution when making any of these boxes, especially if they involve the use of power tools. Always use proper protective equipment and don’t attempt anything using a tool you are unfamiliar with. All injuries should be evaluated by a medical professional.
Storage Tub Litter Box
This is one of my favorite types of DIY litter boxes as you can get a nice, big box that’s easy to clean and has high walls. Many clients feel like their only option to get their cat to not fling litter everywhere or pee over the edge of the litter box is to use a covered box or, worse, a top entry litter box. Turning a storage tote into a box is a great alternative as it helps keep the litter contained and can be left uncovered to help your cat see around them.
These boxes are so good, they’re the ones I use!
Supplies
For this box, you will need:
- A large plastic storage tote (bigger is better and one with a flat bottom and straight walls is best). I use 20 gallon storage toes Target, but there are many great options.
- A softer sided storage tub works best for this method, but I have another solution for harder plastic after the instructions.
- Optional: A permanent marker
- A sharp blade. I usually use box cutters for this step.
- Sandpaper
- Optional, but a good idea: Safety googles and knife proof gloves
- Optional: Duct tape
- Optional but super rad: Cat duct tape
How To Make The Litter Box
This one will take you about 10 minutes to make.
- An optional first step: draw an outline of the entrance so you have an idea where to cut. A good entrance is wider than your cat and allows for a low entrance of about 3-4 inches. If you have a senior cat or a long haired cat that’s finicky about touching the edges of the box, making it wider or lower will help them choose to use the box.
- Get your cats out of the room: Keep curious cats in a different room with a closed door so they don’t try to “help” make the storage tote litter box. Consider giving them a food puzzle if you need to keep them busy.
- Cut the entrance: After putting on knife protecting gloves and safety goggles, take a really sharp blade that can easily go through the plastic. Take the blade, cut into the plastic, and cut the entrance. Because I use softer plastic storage totes, once I get the blade in the rest is very smooth.
- Fix any problem spots: Take a quick look at your initial cut and redo any parts that don’t look right. Remove jagged edges and widen anywhere that seems off.
- Sand the edges: Take the sandpaper and smooth any rough edges so it’s not sharp. If you want to be really cautious, add duct tape as an extra layer of protection.
- Optional: You can use the lid of the storage tote as a litter catching tray to reduce litter tracking. To help the tote sit nice and flat, consider cutting a cut out of the lip of the lid so it can sit inside it.
A Note About Hard Sided Storage Totes
If you have a hard sided storage tote, using a box cutter may not be doable. In these cases, power tools may be needed. My friend Mikel Delgado uses a Dremel to cut hers, but how to use one is a bit beyond what I’m comfortable explaining.
If you don’t have power tools or know how to use them, do not just wing it. Look into a local tool library. Chances are you can rent time using their power tools and they may even have someone who can show you what to do. If you’re local to Minneapolis, the MN Tool Library offers classes and rentals.
Low Sided DIY Litter Boxes
Many cats, especially senior cats, cats with arthritis, or long-haired cats, may prefer a low-sided box. Regular litter boxes have too high of an entrance for these cats (which is one of the many problems with self scooping litter boxes) so something with low entries are necessary. Thankfully, you may have things around your home you can repurpose into a DIY litter box with a low entrance.
Trays Galore
What’s the commonality between these low-sided DIY litter boxes? Trays. They’re all varying forms of trays. As long as the tray is waterproof, you can probably turn any tray into a litter box.
Boot Trays
My favorite low sided box is a boot tray. As they’re made for dirty boots, they’re usually water proof and easy to clean up. Some may even have anti-slip features on the bottom.
The lip is usually a bit higher than some of the other suggestions, but not too high to create an obstacle for your cat to get in and out of the litter box. The lip helps reduce litter tracking so there isn’t litter all over your floor instead of in the litter box.
Lunch Trays
Another option will take you back to your youth: lunch trays. They’re not just good for carrying square pizza slices and tiny cardboard milk containers. They can function as a DIY litter box, too. These usually have a lower lip than boot trays so can’t hold quite as much litter, but if your cat’s mobility issues are severe enough they’re a great choice.
Cat Feeding Trays
Have a feeding tray for your cat that you’re not actually using to feed them? Turn it into (wait for it because you’re going to be shocked at what I suggest) a DIY litter box. I have an old fish-shaped feeding tray that I got when I first adopted Zoloft that has 1.5-inch sides on it. If I were to stop using it as a food tray, it would be a perfect litter box. See if you have something similar to try before buying something new.
If you can’t find something to repurpose, Hoki Found has a silicone feeding tray that works great as a litter box and is available in a variety of colors.
Baking Trays
Speaking of food, baking sheets can be an excellent choice that you may be able to find in a larger size than a lunch tray. They’re made of metal so are easy to clean much like a stainless steel litter box. Plus, if you don’t want to order one new you can always repurpose an old baking sheet or find one in a thrift store.
I hope this next part goes without saying, but make sure you very clearly label the sheet as being a litter box so nobody uses it as bakeware. I don’t think anyone would be too pleased to find out those aren’t actually chocolate chips in their cookies…
How Can You Prevent A Mess With A Low Sided Litter Box?
If you’re concerned about litter flying out the low sided litter box because your cat is a digger, create a storage tub litter box as outlined above with the entrance cut all the way to the ground. This creates an outer shell that you can set one of the low entry litter boxes inside.
If an outer shell doesn’t work, an alternative solution is a litter shield. This gets set up outside the box so your cat doesn’t lose any valuable litter space. Just make sure you get a large litter catching mat for under the box to make cleaning easier.
Large Litter Boxes
Many litter boxes are too small for most cats. They’re a product of us not wanting the cats’ box to take up too much space where the cat would likely prefer something bigger (which is consistent with what research has found). Yes, the cat may put up with using a small box because they have to, but if they end up stressed out or you use the wrong type of litter, the cat will decide using the litter box isn’t worth it.
While not a panacea for litter box problems, a bigger box is generally going to be more appealing to the cat.
Storage Totes (But Make Them Flat)
Thankfully, as you may expect at this point in the blog, there are solutions that aren’t a commercially available box. A great choice is an under-the-bed storage tote. If you pick a large enough one, these tubs are wide and flat to fit under a bed. They have plenty of room for your cat to turn around in and bury their waste. Plus, for cats that tend to pee over the side of box, a litter box that is larger makes it more likely they will land in the litter box.
One downside to these storage tubs? Some have sides that are a bit too high some cats. If you follow the procedure from the storage tote litter box above, you can easily bring the edge of the box down a couple of inches so your cat can get in and out of the litter box.
Repurposing The Pool
For cats that really like a wide amount of space, go big with a kiddie or pet pool. Pick one that is made of hard plastic and avoid inflatable pools as these are may pop if your cat sticks a claw in them.
Children’s pools are wide so your cat will have a lot of room to move around and decide where to go. Yes, they take up floor space, but if your cat really wants a nice, big area to do their business in, you don’t get much bigger than a pool.
Many kiddie pools out there have higher sides because they hold water, but you don’t need that much litter. Cats generally prefer 2-3 inches of litter in their litter box.
If you’re concerned about the high edges, cut out a lower entry in one side. That’s a theme with this guide, isn’t it? When in doubt, cut something out.
Alternatively, you can repurpose something else to act like stairs. Whatever you use, it may get pee or poop on it so pick something easy to clean. A plastic spice rack usually has a gentle slope so you can clean them easily if they get dirty. Keep in mind that a spice rack may not quite get close enough to the top of the pool to fully get your cat over the edge so you might still need to cut down part of the pool’s wall.
Don’t fret about the edges being permanently cut down as I certainly hope you aren’t planning to reuse the pool for swimming once your cat uses it as a litter box!
Other Items Can Work
There are many, many creative options for litter boxes outside of the traditional store bought ones. In a lot of cases, making one yourself is actually the better choice. Almost anything that can hold litter, is waterproof, and is easy to clean poop off of could be turned into a litter box. Heck, you may already have a home filled with unusual litter boxes.
The key to creating a great DIY litter box? Think of the litter box from your cat’s perspective. Your cat ultimately needs to choose to use the litter box so you want the litter box to be accessible and meet their preferences. That doesn’t mean your preferences or needs are unimportant, but unless you’re sharing the box with your cat (No judgment! Okay, okay, a little judgment) then you need to focus on making sure they will love using it.
