Need advice on litter box cabinet, please! (with pics)

[LitterBoxProject]

I’m sick of looking at our cat’s litter box and would like to hide it in a cabinet a bit like in the second picture above.

After weeks of scoring Ebay and selling sites I bought the Mid-Century cabinet in the first picture. Nothing exciting design wise, but it’s solid wood with clean lines, in pretty good shape, only cost 40 € and, most importantly, it fits the rather limited space. It took me ages to find a suitable piece because everything was either the wrong size or massively over budget.

Unfortunately, DP thinks it’s hideous. He says it looks as though it came straight out of the GDR (DP is German) and all it needs to complete the look is a doily and a picture of a socialist dictator above it. Dear MNers, please tell me, is it really that bad? And what could I do to improve it?

DP thinks I should try painting it a matte black or a dark grey. Not sure how I feel about that. The wood is actually quite nice, although it does have a slight yellow tinge I’m not keen on. I could also change the handles for something a bit more interesting. Opinions?

Love the idea! I like the cupboard on your parquet floor, but if you have to paint it I'd go with a matt dark grey.

How is the cat supposed to access the litter tray? What happens when he misses, and there is pee and poop in the cupboard? Won't it smell being a confined space?

My two like to survey their surroundings in an overlordly fashion whilst entrayed.

I often see litter trays in cupboards in that Jackson Galaxy cat programme- cat flaps in a cupboard work as well.

Scary, we would cut a hole into the cupboard for access like in the picture above and possibly also put in a cat flap. Kitty has one of those covered litter boxes with a flap anyways, so should get used to it quite quickly. In all the years we've had him he's never "missed" either, but I would put some kind of water proof mat under the tray just in case. Smell should be okay, the tray gets scooped daily and from the cat's perspective the situation would stay quite similar to what he has now. I'm sure he'd prefer a loo with a view like your cats though!

JT, I agree that the cupboard actually works quite well with the floor. Glad that someone thinks it isn't completely hideous! Maybe I will just try sanding and oiling it or something first. If DP still hates it then, I can still paint it.

I really like it, I wouldn't paint it, it goes well with your floor

I think my overlords would just refuse to use a cupboard and would look down their noses at the very thought that they might have to jump to get to their tray as opposed to lift a paw to get into them.

I like it, but I don't live with you, so I think your DP's say counts more than random people's on t'internet...
Does he like the pic of the cat cupboard you found? You could stain yours to a darker teak colour?

I really like the cupboard as it is.

But if he truly does hate it I'd paint it for an easy life.

Or put a table cloth on it for a bit until he forgets about it, then uncover it.