Litter & Home

Litter box setup, cleaning, cat-proofing, home zones, and apartment-friendly ideas.

A fluffy tabby cat peeking out of a hooded litter box on a wooden floor

The tray maths behind most litter problems

Litter is the one part of cat care where the numbers do most of the work. International Cat Care's guidance is refreshingly specific, and almost every "my cat is going outside the box" problem traces back to one of these rules being broken outdoors of the cat's control — a tray that is too small, too dirty, too public, or too few.

The rule	The number	Why it matters
How many trays	One per cat, plus at least one extra — spread around the home, not lined up together	Clustered trays can be guarded or blocked by one cat, which effectively reduces the count
Tray size	About 1.5× your cat's length from nose to the base of the tail	Most shop-bought trays are smaller than this, especially for larger cats
Litter depth	Roughly 3 cm	Cats prefer to dig and cover; too deep or too shallow both put them off
Scooping	At least twice a day	Cats avoid a tray that is already soiled
Full change	Every 2-4 weeks for clumping litter, weekly for non-clumping	More often if the cat has a medical or stress-related reason to use the tray more

Shape and position: rectangular trays beat corner, oval and triangle shapes because they give the cat room to turn around. Put the tray somewhere quiet, away from food and water, busy walkways, cat flaps and full-length glass — a cat that feels exposed will simply choose a different spot, and that spot is usually your floor.

Cleaning products matter. Some disinfectants, including those containing chloroxylenol (the active in many household antiseptics), are toxic to cats. Hot water and a biological detergent are the safe default; rinse and dry the tray thoroughly before it goes back into service.

Covered, self-cleaning and lined trays: many cats adapt to a hooded tray, but a cat that shares the home with others may feel trapped with one exit, and larger cats can struggle to position themselves inside one. Self-cleaning trays that move or hum unpredictably can startle cats into avoiding the box altogether, and liners or heavily scented litters are a common cause of house soiling.

Senior cats: a tray with lower sides makes a real difference for a cat with arthritis or reduced mobility — the cat that suddenly misses the box is often a cat in pain rather than a cat being difficult.

Start with litter box setup 101, then the cleaning routine, the peeing outside the box troubleshooter and the cat-friendly home setup.

Source: International Cat Care — Choosing a litter tray for your cat.