Cat Litter Boxes: What to Actually Look For Before Buying
4 min read
Litter box problems are one of the most common behavior complaints cat owners have — and a genuinely large share of them trace back to the box itself, not the cat.
Size Is the Factor With Actual Research Behind It
A litter box should be at least 1.5 times your cat's length from nose to tail base — this isn't just commonly repeated advice, it's backed by an actual study (Guy et al., 2014) that found cats showed a measurable, significant preference for an 86cm box over a standard 56cm store-bought one. Add roughly 3–4 inches of width beyond the length measurement for a comfortable fit.
One detail most buying guides skip: the external size on the box isn't the usable size. Covered and top-entry boxes especially can look large from outside while the curved lid eats several inches of actual interior space — a 24-inch covered box might only offer 18–20 inches a cat can actually use to turn and dig. Measure or check the interior dimensions specifically, not just the box's outer footprint.
Covered vs. Open: The Research Says Something Different Than Most Guides Claim
This is worth getting right, because the common advice — "some cats prefer open, some prefer covered, it's just personality" — isn't actually what the research shows. A 2013 study (Grigg et al.) found no significant overall preference between covered and uncovered boxes when both were cleaned daily — the deciding factor was cleanliness, not box style. A minority of individual cats did show a style preference, but for most cats, a dirty open box will be avoided just as readily as a dirty covered one.
That said, there are real practical reasons to lean one way or the other regardless of preference: covered boxes contain scatter and odor better from a household standpoint, but need a full soap-and-water deep clean weekly since plastic absorbs odor over time in a way open boxes don't. Larger cats — Maine Coons are specifically called out in multiple sources — can struggle with covered boxes even when otherwise comfortable, since part of their body may hang over the edge and create more mess than an appropriately-sized open box would.
The Number-of-Boxes Rule
Commonly cited guidance is one litter box per cat, plus one extra — so a single-cat household should still ideally have two boxes. This isn't about mess; cats can be genuinely particular about a box that already has waste in it, and one box forces a choice between using a dirty box or holding it.
Litter Depth Matters Too, Not Just the Box
A commonly cited guideline: around 2 inches of litter depth for kittens (deep enough to prevent swallowing clumps, shallow enough they don't sink), and closer to 3 inches for senior cats, kept level and soft underfoot for cats with mobility considerations.
Self-Cleaning Boxes: What They Actually Solve
Automatic litter boxes remove the manual scooping step, which is genuinely convenient, but don't remove the need for correct sizing — an automatic box that's still too small for your cat has the same problem as a manual one. Confirm your cat tolerates the motion and noise before committing, ideally by testing rather than assuming.
Placement Affects Use as Much as the Box Itself
A litter box in a high-traffic, noisy, or hard-to-access spot gets avoided the same way an undersized box does — cats generally want a quiet, low-disturbance location they can reach easily.
Choosing the Right Litter to Go With It
The box is only half the equation — what you fill it with matters just as much for consistent use. See our guide to choosing cat litter for clumping vs. non-clumping, scented vs. unscented, and material options.