4 Types Of Cat Litter Boxes 
You Can Choose From

By Teri Champigny

The pet industry is enormous and because of that there are more litter box choices on the market than ever before. Stocked in stores are some very cheap solutions that you can buy, ranging from using old dishpans to cutting up some used cardboard, as well is some very expensive products that may interest you as well.

Below are a few litter box solutions that you can choose from:

1. Throw-away or “disposable” cardboard boxes: Although using disposable pans or boxes may seem ideal and inexpensive, it is probably not a sound long-term solution.  Using cardboard boxes and similar such items for your cats disposable wastes is very popular with pet stores, animal shelters, and even some breeders, but you may want to choose something a little more sturdy that will last.

2. Plastic pans: You can find a huge variety of plastic pans that come in all shapes and sizes which will be perfect as a litter box for your cat.  They are relatively inexpensive and can be found in most household supply stores.  Some are shallow and some are deep which will cater to your needs.  However, be sure that you choose one which will scrub easily.  If you find that you are throwing away plastic pans often because of the cat's wastes, then cardboard boxes may be a more suitable solution

3. Covered Litter Box Pans: This can be another option for you but may not be the best of choices.  Advertisers of covered pans will claim that having a cover keeps the pet odors down and will also prevent children and other small pets from getting into the litter box.  While this may be true, many pet owners tend to forget to clean the box often enough because they cannot smell it - due to the cover ironically.  Ignorance may be bliss to us, but for a cat, having to use the bathroom in a dirty smelly litter box is quite the opposite.  So if you choose to purchase and use a cover pan from a pet manufacturer, be sure to keep it clean more often than you would a non-covered litter box.

4. Self-cleaning litter box pans: Cleaning a litter box is not the most enjoyable of activities for animal lovers, however there is a such thing as a “self-cleaning” litter box.  In recent years many pet product manufacturers have come up with a solution that is almost hands-free. Some of these self-cleaning boxes have inserts in which you remove and dump in the trash so that you can replace it with another insert.  Some have a rollover collector that catches the cat poop and leaves the clean granules.  You just remove the collector when you're finished, dump it in the trash, and add more granules when needed.