Every cat needs a litter box. Preferably several. But how many litter boxes is actually good? And if you have more than one cat. How many litter boxes should you have in your house? We tell you all about it here.
Cats and their litter box
Cats like to be clean. Just look at how often they wash themselves, for example. Cats also think it is very important that their litter tray is clean and hygienic. And they are critical of a lot of other things around their toilet.
The type of litter box is important, as is really good cat litter and the location of the litter box, for example. Is all this in order? Then your cat is happy with his/her toilet facilities. But there is one more important thing.
Cats need more than one litter box
Cats absolutely do not like to pee and defecate in the same place. They prefer to do it in different places. Do you have one cat living in your house? Then you need at least two litter trays.
But what about when you have two or more cats?
The answer depends on the number of cats you have and on the social relations between your cats – or: how much do they like each other? Because cats from a social group (cats who are friends) do not mind sharing their litter box. But cats who are not so close to each other prefer to use their own private litter box.
Sounds pretty complicated, doesn’t it? To make it a little easier for you, we have listed everything for you.
How many litter boxes do you need?
- One cat
You need 2 litter boxes – one for peeing and one for defecating
- Two cats that are friendly with each other
You need 3 litter boxes – one for each cat, plus an extra litter box for the number two.
- Two cats that are not friendly with each other
You need 4 litter trays – two per cat as they prefer to have their own litter boxes
- Three or more cats
You need one litter box per social group (friends) plus an extra litter box for each group for the number two
- A new cat
A new cat or small kitten is always a lot of fun. But for the existing cats, this is a newcomer. And they are not allowed to use their toilets just like that. That is why the new cat first needs to get its own litter box.
After a while, do the cats get along well and are they used to each other? Then you can probably remove this extra litter tray.
Average number of litter boxes in the house
Everything you have heard above is based on averages. But you know: cats are stubborn and often a bit weird. So keep a close eye on your cat’s behaviour, because it could be that your cat only uses one litter box. Or maybe even three.
Disclaimer: Petrebels is not a vet or a behaviourist: all content, information and tips on this blog are meant to inspire you and are informative only. Does your cat have complaints or problems and do you doubt the health of your cat? Always go to the vet or a behaviourist.
