How to choose a litter tray and litter for your cat (and how many you need)
The litter tray looks like a minor detail, yet it shapes life with a cat more than almost anything else. If your cat likes it, you will never think about it again. If not, it may end up peeing on your bed. This is what works, based on what cats choose when they are given the choice.
How many: one per cat, plus one
The recommendation from feline medicine societies is simple: one litter tray for every cat in the home, plus one extra. One cat, two trays; two cats, three. It sounds excessive, but there is logic to it: many cats prefer to pee in one place and poo in another, and in multi-cat homes it stops one cat controlling access to a vital resource. There is a detail that often gets overlooked: two trays together in the same corner count as one, because to the cat they are a single spot. They need to be in different places, ideally in different parts of the home. In a small flat with a single cat, two well-separated trays already make a difference.
Size: almost all the ones on sale are too small
A cat needs to be able to step in, turn around, dig and settle without touching the sides. As a guide, the tray should be at least one and a half times the cat's length from nose to the base of the tail, which for an average cat means about 50 or 60 cm (20 to 24 in). Many standard shop-bought trays fall short, and with large breeds such as the Maine Coon or the Norwegian Forest Cat, well short. A cheap and excellent alternative is a large plastic storage box, the kind used to keep clothes under the bed, which in Spain costs €8 to €20 and offers more space than much pricier trays.
Covered or open?
We like covered trays because they hide the view and some of the smell, but for the cat they have drawbacks: they trap odours inside, they have only one exit, which in a multi-cat home can make a cat feel cornered, and they force large cats to crouch. Studies that let cats choose have not found an overall preference for one or the other; it depends on the individual cat. The practical conclusion: if your cat uses a covered tray without any problem and you clean it daily, there is no need to change it. If you are unsure, or there are problems, offer an open one. And if it is covered, remove the flap door, which bothers many cats.
Special designs
Top-entry trays stop litter being scattered, but they force the cat to jump down into an enclosed space and are a bad idea for kittens, older cats or cats with arthritis. Electric self-cleaning trays cost from €150 to over €500, and the noise and movement frighten some cats so much that they stop using them; also, because they clear everything away, they stop you seeing changes in the urine, which is a valuable health clue. For older cats, what matters is a low entry edge of 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in), or a large box with an opening cut into one side. Grid trays with no litter only make sense when the vet needs to collect urine.
Litter: what cats choose
When given the choice, most cats prefer a fine-grained, unscented clumping litter, similar to natural sand. Scented litters and air fresheners next to the tray are one of the silliest causes of rejection: what smells clean to us is overpowering to them. Silica litters absorb odour very well, but some cats dislike the feel of the crystals. Plant-based litters, made from corn, wood, tofu or paper, are lighter and some can go in the food waste bin; they work well with many cats, though it is worth testing. What you must never do is switch litter abruptly: if you want to change, mix the new one gradually into the usual one over one or two weeks.
How much litter and how often to clean
A depth of about 3 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) is usually enough; more is not better, and some cats find a very deep layer uncomfortable. What matters is scooping at least once a day, ideally twice, and topping up what gets used. Clumping litter is changed completely and the tray washed with hot water and a mild, unscented soap roughly every two to four weeks, depending on the cats and the litter. Non-clumping litter needs a full change much more often, every few days. Avoid bleach and ammonia for washing the tray, or rinse very thoroughly. Scooping daily has an extra benefit: it is when you will notice if the cat is peeing more, less or with blood.
What it costs in Spain
In Spain, a good-sized open tray costs €10 to €30, and a large covered one €25 to €60. Litter is the ongoing expense: a reasonable-quality mineral clumping litter works out at about €6 to €15 a month for one cat, plant-based ones a bit more, €10 to €20, and silica €10 to €18. With several cats, multiply. A good scoop with a sturdy handle costs under €10, and there are bins with bags and an airtight seal for the waste for €20 or €40. It is worth not skimping on the size or the number of trays: compared with the cost of cleaning or throwing out a mattress that has been peed on, it is the best money you will spend in the home.
Where to put it
The ideal spot is quiet, easy to reach and has a good escape route: the cat should be able to see who is approaching and leave without being cornered. Keep it away from food and water, because cats do not eat where they toilet. Not next to the washing machine, tumble dryer or boiler, which make sudden noises, and not in a busy corridor. If there is a dog in the home, choose a spot the dog cannot reach, because a dog that sticks its nose in the tray or startles the cat on the way out is a common cause of problems. In a house with several floors, one per floor. And if you need to move the tray, do it gradually or put the new one down before taking the old one away.
Signs that something is wrong
A cat gives warning before it stops using the tray, if you know what to look for. Doing its business with its paws on the edge without stepping on the litter, rushing off as soon as it has finished, not digging to cover or digging outside the tray, on the wall or the floor, hesitating before going in or staring from the doorway: all of these show that something about the tray bothers it, whether size, cleanliness, litter or location. If it is also peeing more often, in small amounts, with straining or with blood, it is no longer a question of preference: it is a reason to see the vet. And if a male is straining without producing anything, it is an emergency.
One tray per cat plus one, in separate, quiet places, away from food. Large (one and a half times the cat's length), with fine, unscented clumping litter about 3 to 5 cm deep and scooped daily. Covered or open does not matter if your cat uses it happily. And no sudden changes of litter or location.
Educational content from Michipedia, translated from the Spanish original. It does not replace the advice of a vet or a feline behaviour specialist. Every cat is an individual.