Alternative cat boxes, toilet training your cat, and furniture for cat boxes

by Marina Michaels

Most people who share their lives with cats must also deal with a cat box. Keeping the box as clean and fresh as possible is desirable for both humans and cats sharing a household. Clumping litters became so poplar because they made cleaning the box eaiser and more economical, but, as we now know, they bring with them a price too high to pay. Innovative manufacturers have come up with different kinds of solutions to the cat box problem; on this page are descriptions of some of the possibilities.

The Eliminator and the Smart Cat Box

Once upon a time, there was The Eliminator. The Eliminator was a unique two-piece cat box that used plain clay litter (only; clumping litter was too fine for it). There was an upper half with rectangular openings in the bottom, and a lower half with a solid bottom and slits on the sides. The litter sat in the upper half, while any fluids that escaped the clay dripped down to the lower half, where they could evaporate. Air flow through the slits in the lower half aided in the evaporation. The fact that the urine evaporated is what helped keep the entire contraption odor-free.

The manufacturer claimed that, because of The Eliminator's unique design, a ten-pound bag of clay litter would last for up to six months for a single cat (up to four months for two cats; up to three months for three cats). The manufacturer didn't recommend using any of the newspaper-based litters, and after trying The Eliminator myself (and testing it with a newspaper-based litter), I concurred. However, used with regular (not clumping) clay litter, it definitely worked as advertised. However, we had more cats than could be accommodated by the test model, and we didn't have the room to place more boxes, so we ceased the experiment. Others who have written to me about this box liked it very much.

The original manufacturer was Green Earth Technologies. Although this cat box is no longer being manufactured, over the years I've seen other companies offer similar types of cat boxes.

The LitterMaid and LitterRobot Automated Cat Boxes for Clumping Litters

If you use a LitterMaid automated cat box, which is designed for use with clumping litters, I have been told that it works well with the alternative clumping litter, The World's Best Cat Litter (but not with SWheatScoop, which I have heard sticks too much).

The LitterRobot company claims to work with any clumping litter as well. I've been using the LitterRobot for a few years now and am quite satisfied with it and with the company's customer service.

Toilet-Training Your Cat

I once tried to toilet-train my cats, with some success. I had to stop the experiment before it was complete, but I think it could work. You can now find products that make the process easier than it was when I was trying to do it. Some people have raised some questions about flushing kitty feces if the results end up in the ocean because of toxoplasmosis.

Hiding the Box

Several manufacturers make furniture that you can place your cat boxes in. For some options, check out Chewy, my favorite online source of cat food and cat products.