Unclutterer

1. Posted by Louise - 09/25/2007

   We have used the homemade version of this in the last several places we’ve lived. By choosing a larger cabinet, the automatic litter boxes will fit (we use LitterMaid brand.)

   Buy a cat flap, cut a hole in the side of the cabinet so it isn’t as obvious, and put in the litter box. Open the cabinet doors, insert cat, close door. The first thing the cat sees is their box, then they notice the flap to exit. Cats like dark, small places and our last three cats have been just fine with this arrangement.

   Obviously, you can’t keep anything else in that cabinet, especially the kind of cleaning products typically stored in lower bathroom cupboards.

   In our RV, the litterbox is in a storage bay underneath the bathroom cabinet. The cats drop down through a hole in the floor of the cupboard into a space that is about a foot tall. This arrangement not only hides the box, it keeps litter from tracking into our living space and allows us to clean the box from outside the RV.

   If you’re interested, photos here:
   http://odyssey.smugmug.com/gallery/131040#19979606

2. Posted by Jon - 09/25/2007

   Fancy covered cat boxes are nice, but what I hate is how the cats track the litter everywhere. Here’s another solution that I found, but it’s pretty expensive: http://www.pfprivy.com/main.html A home brewed (and more attractive) version will be in my house soon.

3. Posted by sally - 09/25/2007

   So instead of one item to accommodate the cat’s needs, you have two. How is that less clutter, exactly? (It looks much nicer, though, I’ll give you that.)

4. Posted by Erin at Unclutterer - 09/25/2007

   @sally — It’s not about numbers of things (I’m not an ascetic minimalist), it’s about things having a “place” to live. In this case, the kitty washroom provides a living space for the litter box. It keeps the litter box out of the flow of traffic in a room, encases the mess that is inevitably tracked around the box, and it honors your cat with a “permanent” place in your home. It’s not for everyone … just an idea …

5. Posted by jchumanerecipe - 09/25/2007

   I think it’s a good idea - it creates a usable countertop on something that is usually wasted surface space. I wouldn’t fill it with something but it’s nice if you need more counterspace in your bathroom. If I am doing anything in there I throw stuff on the toilet set or toilet tank lid precariously (getting dressed, hair stuff, when I bring cleaning supplies in there, etc.)

6. Posted by Kari - 09/25/2007

   Here is a litterbox hidden in a houseplant. I have been meaning to buy this for years. If anyone has this please let me know!

   http://www.petacular.com/produ.....r-Box.html

7. Posted by Ryan - 09/25/2007

   I owned a cat for a short while earlier this year. I had to get rid of it because of the evil, neocon Homeowner’s Association and their communist ways. But in the short time that I owned Boomkin (yep, WoW geek) finding a place for the litter box was difficult.

   All of the rooms in my house are frequented, and I didn’t want cat litter eeeverywhere. I argued with my roommate that we should put it in his room since his room smelled bad anyhow.

   I just got rid of the cat (MeBox style!). Gave him too my roommate’s parents. They’re rich, got a huge mansion and a ranch. With cows and stuff. My roommate’s room still smells though.

8. Posted by Ana - 09/25/2007

   my cat uses the toliet. some people are impresses, some grossed out. we used this http://www.citikitty.com/

9. Posted by t-mag - 09/25/2007

   All my cats just went outside. No litter. No mess. No finding a place for the box. Might not work in the city or apartment but worked for us.

10. Posted by Kristin - 09/25/2007

    We use an 18 gallon rubbermaid bin. Yes, a bin. Cut a hole on the top and voila .. can box. The hole on the top eliminates the dogs getting into it and really cuts down on litter tracking everywhere.

    $5 at Lowes. Cheaper at Walmart. Litter boxes are one of the most overpriced items on the planet. Making your own is a much better solution, in my opinion.

    And we have seven cats.

11. Posted by Kristin - 09/25/2007

    make that ‘cat’ box, not ‘can’ box. Oy.

    Also, while I think the shelf is pretty, it seems to make more clutter than needed and for a hefty price tag. I know that I try to keep my cat boxes out of main areas .. like bathrooms. I don’t want to be in there and have to smell that odor when the cat goes. Our litter boxes are in the laundry room, mud room and garage so we aren’t inundated with foul odors when the cats eliminate.

    This doesn’t seem to be an unclutterer item .. it looks like more furniture I just don’t need.

12. Posted by Kristin - 09/25/2007

    And who on EARTH would hang their nasty litter box scoop next to the HAND TOWEL!

    Ew.

13. Posted by Erin at Unclutterer - 09/26/2007

    @Kristin — I didn’t notice the litter box scoop until you pointed to it. “Ew” is right! So, if any of our readers use this suggestion, please don’t put a hand towel next to a littler box scoop … ew, ew, ew!

14. Posted by Andrew - 09/26/2007

    I remembered this from earlier: “She presents hacks that are kitschy-useful, like Sara Madole’s bright green rolling cat litter box (Ikea hackers seem to be overwhelmingly cat people), which Ms. Madole, a 27-year-old law school graduate who lives in Houston, said she built from two Ikea Snack boxes.” from the NYTimes article: Romancing the Flat Pack: Ikea, Repurposed
    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09.....ckers.html

    Might be helpful to some.

15. Posted by LazyLightning - 09/26/2007

    Wow, that rubbermaid bin idea is great!

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