Written on June 24, 2009 – 2:58 am | by Buzz |

Well, it really isn’t a litter box in the strict sense of the word. My gift for my third birthday back last March was a BIG litter box. I am a BIG cat, tipping the scales at about 20 pounds. That’s me, Chester, up there in the picture – the orange tabby. I look smaller in the picture because I was kinda slouching and trying to hide because I was nervous of the camera.

Anyways, my people decided to make me a BIG custom toileting station. The recommended size for a kitty litter box is at least one and a half times the length of your cat’s body. Most litter boxes just aren’t big enough for most cats. So, my people bought two Rubbermaid “under-the-bed” storage containers in two different depth sizes, but with the same length and width measurements. The shallow one is about 5″ deep and fits down inside of the deeper one which is about 8″ deep. The design of the pans only allows the top pan to go down so far, leaving a 5″ high space under the shallow pan. If you have a little feline you can purchase boxes that are not as long and wide as the ones we used. I am using the royal “we” because, after all, I did supervise the construction at least some of the time.

To make it simple for you guys who can’t picture things, here are the pointform, step-by-step instructions:
1. Purchase two Rubbermaid (or other make) of under-bed storage trays.
2. Drill a bunch of small holes in the bottom of the shallow pan at the one end and pretty much in the center (not out to the very edges on the sides).
3. Measure the amount of space between the botton of the shallow pan and the bottom of the deep pan. (Ours is 5″). Place a cardboard box or large wooden block or something of that size in the bottom of the deeper pan. It will give support to the shallow pan when it is set down into the deeper pan.
4. Directly under the holes in the bottom of the shallow pan, place a shallow container (a rectangular shaped storage container from the Dollar Store) which will collect the urine that goes down through the holes you drilled. Make sure you drill your holes so that when urine drops through, it goes in the little catch container and NOT into the bigger base container. This makes emptying the contents easier. Put about 1″ to 2″ of water into this little catch container to help dilute the urine and minimize any odour.
5. Place the shallow box into the deeper box (and over the support block and over the catch container).
6. At the opposite end from the holes, we recommend you use a piece of wood about 1 – 2″ high and long enough to go from side to side of the box, and place it just under the edge of the bottom container so that end is raised and the urine will run down to the other end of the box (towards the holes you drilled!)
7. To get your kitty using the box, sprinkle a small bit of kitty litter into the top container down towards where the holes are. It is kind of like an “X marks the spot” idea. Kitty will aim for the litter which is in line with the drainage holes. We really like The World’s Best Kitty Litter because it is completely flushable. Gradually put in less and less litter and eventually, there will be no litter, just water in the catch basin below.
8. Scoop out any wet or soiled litter and solids as often as you need to – at least once per day!
8. Once or twice a day or every other day or so (depending on how many kitties you have),
— lift out the shallow tray
— empty the catch basin down the toilet
— rinse catch basin and pour into it about 1″-2″ of fresh water
(Wipe out the shallow tray with a wet paper towel or cloth every day to keep everything fresh. Wash out the catch basin and shallow tray as necessary with a regular toilet bowl brush and mild liquid soap. We use Miracle II soap. )
— put the catch basin back into the large tray, then place the shallow container into the big tray and voila – you are done in just a couple of minutes!

OPTIONAL:
My people covered most of the underside of the upper, shallow pan with contact vinyl (MacTac or Dollar Store type) because I got spooked about being able to see through the bottom of the pan! They didn’t put contact paper (MacTac) under the part where the holes are drilled.

So, there you have it. Those of us who use this handy dandy system really like it. Not convinced you want to put this system together? Here are two of the store-bought systems we also use: The Litter Kwitter and The Cat Potty. Oh ya, we also have a really unique laundry tub system we’ll tell you all about later. Don’t forget to read our “Water Based Toileting Systems” article.