How to Build a Feline Pine Self-cleaning Litter Box

Intro: How to Build a Feline Pine Self-cleaning Litter Box

Make Feline Pine cat litter last even longer with a litter box specifically designed for it.

Cut down on sawdust, tracking, and save pellets.

STEP 1: You Will Need

Supplies:

Two litter box pans

 -  They need to be the same size on the perimeter, but one needs to be shallower than the other.  I used my old litter box as the bottom and bought another at the store.  Bring it in with you to test.

Drill and 11/64 sized bit

-  I took one pellet to the hardware store and measured this size to be the perfect size.

Ruler and pen

-  For measuring and marking the holes on the top pan.

STEP 2: Measure the Holes

Flip the top pan over and space 6, 3 1/2 inch squares evenly on the surface.  They don't have to be perfect, just use this as a guide when drilling.

In each square, draw a grid spaced 1/4 inch apart. 

Where the lines intersect, you will drill a hole.

TIPS:

If you are using an existing litter pan, disinfect before measuring.

STEP 3: Drill Holes

This part can be daunting.  Try to guess which square was my last.

Again, your holes don't have to be perfect, but having many holes will allow all the sawdust to sift out effectively.

TIPS:

This will create a lot of debris, have a vacuum close by.

STEP 4: How to Use

Place the top pan onto the bottom pan and fill with a bag of Feline Pine or store brand pine litter. 

In the bottom pan, place a handful of pellets.  This will absorb and urine that might fall through the top pan.

When cleaning, first scoop out any feces. 

To help sift out the sawdust, stir the pellets thoroughly, the sawdust will naturally fall to the bottom while the good pellets will rise to the top. 

Bags of litter will last much longer because there is virtually no wasted pellets. 

Comments

[Treelimbjim]

A couple of notes from my experience:
It works!
A) One of my 12 year old cats took to the new litter right away. The other needed a little encouragement.
I “seeded” the box with a corner of previous brand litter and am reducing amount every change. Started with about 20% area and slowly reducing.
B) I made a drill template using a spreadsheet whose cells were made of “o” centered.
C) A twist bit for wood works better than a metal bit. I tried brad point, which “walks” less but the flute points hamper the penetration. Too high rpms and the bit will melt and tear. Start with a good quality, new bit— you’re going to make several hundred holes.
D) Hole size approx 60-75% of pellet is most effective. Spacing should be > 2x hole diameter. Too close and it’s weak, too far and it’s more sifting.
E) The high end of this project would be to use metal baking pans, used or from a restaurant supply and use a CNC to make the holes.

[PNWdreams]

Thank you for these detailed instructions! Did you use the shallow box within a deeper box design? and if so where did you find two such boxes?

[vafnord]

I am torn between putting the effort into making a really great catbox, and spending that energy to just train the cats to use the toilet instead.

[gonzo5680]

Toilet training was my first choice but I didn't have a spare toilet in the house to dedicate solely to the cat. One day....

[Treelimbjim]

I’ll toilet train my cats when they can lift the lid

[DanA9]

Training the cat to use the toilet is fine for their urine, but cat feces may contain eggs of Toxoplasma gondii, which are able to survive the wastewater treatment process, contaminating waterways. While Toxoplasma rarely affects healthy people, it can cause defects and brain damage in babies whose mothers were exposed when pregnant. Brain disease can also develop in people with compromised immune systems. In addition, Toxoplasma has been shown to harm sea otters and may affect other wildlife as well.

Dispose of the cat’s feces in sealed plastic bags via your waste management company.

[prontomedia]

I was thinking about using this:https://tinyurl.com/Plastic-Grid-Container
It would seem like it would be easy to stack two together. You would cut one with a lower entry opening and holes for the saw dust to fall through. Has anyone tried that?

[greenscarab2.]

You think feline Pine would have had a litter box specifically made for that

[hawkechik]

They do, actually, but the boxes are a bit on the small side for Maine Coon sized kitties.

[LionaS1]

you can get horse bedding pine pellets for around $8 for 40 lb which lasts a long time, even longer if you don't have to throw out the good pellets

. I divided up the bag into 3 (used old bags) so it isn't as heavy to lift. I have a big cat 16 lb and got 2 of the large phresh cat litter boxes, then drilled holes and glued pieces of pipe isulation at the 4 corners (on the bottom) and 1 in the center. Hoping this works well

[LionaS1]

I have a big cat and found Target has large cat litter boxes for $9 each and bought 2. Since they are the same size I will try cutting about 8 x 1" slices of black pipe insulation, to glue (using contractors glue) on the outer corners on the bottom of the top litter box and also to support it in the middle. I hope it works.

[Mazenghani]

Hi there, thanks for the demonstration. The guys in Sweden have a product that does this. I am not sure it is available in the US.

[greenscarab2.]

I knew i would have to make it , you just confirmed it LOL

[JocelynV8]

If anyone finds two boxes that work, please let me know!!

[gonzo5680]

You're right, it works in reverse compared to other sifting litter pans. Instead of sifting the good litter through the holes, this pan sifts the bad "sawdust" litter through the holes, leaving the good litter and feces that can be scooped out. To answer your other questions, the pine pellets are compressed sawdust and will start to come apart when wet. I like this litter better than corn because it is less dusty and cats don't track it as much. Thanks for the comment!

[Phoghat]

Great idea, however doesn't solve the problem of removing feces because the pine pellets won't go through a regular sized scoop.

[auntiemichal]

I use the stove pellets, and the "scooper" is a pair of plastic salad servers that look like scissors, like these. They work pretty well and let loose pellets fall off/out.

[barbeok]

We have actually bought the same thing, works really good. Does catch some good pellets takes a bit to get used to using this without catching too many good pine pellets.

[Phoghat]

my bad, saw the size of the holes on your scoop. Where did you get it?

[gonzo5680]

I got my scooper before I built the box, but here is one from petco that is cheap and looks to have some wide slots. Tinker L makes a good point of just widening the slots of your current scoop.

http://www.petco.com/product/5381/Petco-Wide-Cat-Litter-Scoop.aspx