Posted on: Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Litter box doesn't have to be eyesore

By Kim Boatman
Knight Ridder News Service

Ever notice what's noticeably absent on the pages of your favorite shelter magazine? Just where, in those beautifully appointed homes, are the kitty litter boxes?

And just what are those of us who don't grace the pages of glossy magazines supposed to do with these necessary but ugly and occasionally unpleasant fixtures?

About 73 million cats deign to live in homes in the United States. Where there are cats, there must be litter boxes. But just how to reconcile an unsightly litter box with modern or any sort of décor is one of the great mysteries of the universe.

It so bugged cartoonist Scott Adams that he has included a litter box room in the virtual house he created for his Dilbert character. Award-winning contractor Kacey Fitzpatrick included a "cat zoo" room with special venting for the litter box when she remodeled her California home.

San Jose, Calif., veterinarian Jill Hoffman had a woodworker construct a custom cabinet to house her litter boxes, complete with built-in storage and a place for food and water on top, not to mention the step that enables her "fat cats" to get to their meals. "My custom-built cabinet is pretty neat," she says.

Litter boxes annoy the rest of us enough that there is a thriving business in litter-box décor. Former San Franciscan Barbara Cartun, whose feline furniture company is based in Bisbee, Ariz., has sold about 6,000 of her custom cabinets in the past five years. One of her top-of-the-line cabinets costs $650, complete with stained glass window. James Harris has two shops working in the Los Angeles area, turning out as many as 80 wooden litter box cabinets a month.

In yet another measure of desperation for those of us with cats, one company is offering a litter box cover masquerading as a planter.

Before you get too carried away in planning stylish accommodations for your cat's litter box, keep in mind that cats can be persnickety about their, um, facilities.

Hoffman recommends considering these factors:

• Easy access: Cats, particularly kittens and older cats, need to be able to get in and out of the box with ease.
• Coverage: Some cats like privacy, while others prefer fresh air.
• Litter type: Hoffman prefers clumping cat litter. She recommends EverFresh litter with activated charcoal. "Remember that a cat's sense of smell is probably a thousand times ours. I don't think most cats like perfumed litters or dusty litters."
• Frequent cleaning: Once daily is a minimum.
• The number of boxes: The rule of thumb is to keep one more litter box than you have cats.
• Placement: Think about convenient access, quiet and an appropriate distance from where you feed your cat.