Stop Litter Scatter for Cat Litter Boxes

This life hack has been so valuable to my partner and me. The winter before last, we rescued an abandoned kitten while passing through Hannibal, MO. It was snowing and the wind drove hard through the alleys by the gas station where we found him. He was bold, coming right up to me and mewing as if to say, "took you long enough."

He's been such a sweet cat. What isn't sweet is all the litter he spread around the whole room his box was in, even though we bought the special enclosed box.

To add to this complication, we have a dog. She's such a sweet thing, but sometimes she can't resist trying to help herself to a "treat" from the kitty-box.

So I came up with this, the scatter-stopper. It's a plastic bin.

This project takes about 10 minutes. I made it with stuff I had on hand, but if you had to buy a bin, they are about $5-7US.

You can use any plastic bin that is wide enough to hold your litter box. It doesn't need to be as long, but it should be almost as long as the box.

Also, if you don't already have a covered box, you will need one long enough to fit the whole box if you want protection from dogs helping themselves.

Step 1: What You'll Need

* A covered cat box

* A plastic bin as wide as your cat's box

* A sturdy utility knife

* Gorilla or duct tape

Step 2: Cut the Bin

1. Cut one-third of the bin off, lengthwise, lid and all. About cutting: First, NEVER CUT TOWARD YOURSELF. That's an easy way to lose a finger, slice an eye, or slit open your jugular, especially with something like this. Instead, apply steady, even pressure on the blade along your cut. This plastic will give easily, but slowly. Just have patience and cut away from yourself so that when your blade slips away from you, it goes down, harmlessly slicing some air on its way.

2. (optional) I used the leftovers to make steps inside and outside. Since then, I've seen it wasn't necessary for my cat, but maybe it will be someday and I won't have to solve that problem then. So if you want, use the scraps to make steps that go from one-third to one-half up the side of the bin.

Step 3: Tape It Together

1. Turn the lid around and tape it to the top, with a gap large enough for the cat to get in.

2. (optional) Tape the steps you made for kitty inside and out. Even if you only do one inside, it's a good way to know how far to shove the box in (until it hits the step) after you clean it.

I can't say enough for Gorilla Tape. I'm not paid by them, and I will tell you that I think Gorilla Glue is pure crap and Gorilla Tape To-Go is a rip. But Gorilla Tape is amazing. My cat has used this box for three months now and everything is holding up as strong as the day I did it.

Step 4: Put the Litterbox In

It's important to note that the litter box shouldn't go all the way in. There should be some space between the box and the bin wall. This is the area that catches all that scatter. If you made the inside step, then every time you remove the box to clean it, you can shove it back until it hits the step, as long as the step goes back a good two-thirds of a cat-length.

There you have it! To clean the box, scoot it out from the back. If your dog is adventurous enough to do this her/himself, maybe punch a hole on both sides of the back and run two paracord loops attached with a carabiner. You'll figure something out.

I hope you enjoyed this i'ble, and that you enjoy a cleaner cat-box room.

Yay!