Do I really need four litter trays?

[StuntNun]

I have one adult cat and I'm getting two kittens, litter mates, next week. The Interwebs tells me I should have one more litter tray than I have cats but now I'm trying to work out where I can add three more trays to the house. When we had two cats we had two litter trays at first but they both started using the same one so I got rid of the second.

My cousin has got 6 cats and they all use the same tray

Depends on the cats. I have one cat, and he has two trays because he won’t pee and poo in the same one. Some cats are fine sharing trays, others get really stressed by it and you could be in and out of the vets with stress related health problems (cats are very sensitive souls, can get bladder problems, or pull all their hair out and others, just because of stress!).

I have four cats. They all use one large litter tray. I've only ever had one tray in over 30 years of multiple cat ownership.
Never understood this MN obsession with 27 trays per cat plus 5 extra.

I read this when I adopted two young cats (who didn't know each other). I got two litter trays as I couldn't find a place for a third. They ended up just using one!

I think it depends on the cats. We always used to have two for our one, he’s pee in one and ooo in the other but as I he grew up he stopped using one so we got rid of it. I would suggest maybe getting one more, maybe even a smaller side kitten specific one. Teach the newbies that one is there’s, and then if the cats are ok sharing then they will, and you can see about cutting back down to one?

And then if it causes trouble having just two you can add a third.
Essentially play it by ear, don’t buy a thousand litter trays right off the bat

Vet nurse here, completely disagree with pp who says start with fewer trays then get more if needed. You'll only realise more are needed if your cats start peeing everywhere they're not meant to, and you have no idea how hard it is to stop cats peeing in the wrong places once they start!!!
Honestly, litter trays aren't expensive! For the sake of a couple quid just get some extra trays and yes, after a while you may be able to reduce them (although the social dynamics will change subtly as kittens become adults, regardless of the fact I KNOW you'll be having them desexed ) so don't rush into reducing them too quickly.
I'm afraid I can't help on where to put them but if you have to then two trays side by side at least gives an option if one tray has already been befilthed!
It's great that PPs have said they've never had a problem with fewer trays but I have stood in consult rooms while people have actually wept in frustration at a cat that pees everywhere and they have tried everything to stop it and nothing has worked (very little does, honestly) For the sake of a few months (are they going to go outside?) I would urge you not to make a rod for your own back..

Suddenly remembered the nightmare of when my cat despite having two trays decided to start peeing on pillows for a week and I rescind my advice and give way to the vet tech. Cat pee is the worse.

I ha e two cats and they use the same tray.

Brilliant advice - thanks everyone. It's not so much having four litter trays as not having four places to put them so it's great to know I can put two side by side. The older cat usually poos outside but comes back in for a wee!

My one cat needs 3 trays, and even then he sometimes pees on the floor. I’d say it depends on the cat!

I’m not sure how you’re meant to control who pees and poos in what tray. You could have four trays but if one of your cats decides to use them all then what difference does it make? When I got my first kitten I got her a nice new litter tray only to find my older cat would use it too and she would also use his.

I think making sure the trays are cleaned regularly with fresh litter goes a long way to encouraging them to use them.

Agree with changing the litter frequently and keeping the trays scrupulously clean - if I don't change the litter entirely every other day (in addition to scooping solids straight away) my little madam does a protest pee on a sofa cushion 😒

I have 3 cats and they use 2 trays, no issues. They tend to pee in one and poo in the other.

We had a third for a while which they barely used and I had to move it out of the way for some work or something or other. They weren’t bothered so I left it as 2.

I have five cats and five litter trays, one is mostly used by senior cat who spends most of the time in her own room. The others are all shared by the younger four and all trays are used. They seem to have a system of using one for poo and others for wees and ignoring one for a few days and then swapping around again. All trays are obviously scooped twice a day or as needed.

Litter tray issues and inappropriate urination especially are definitely in the top 3 reasons people give up their cats (I know this as a cat charity volunteer) so it's best to do everything you can to prevent future problems.

We have six cats and four litter boxes. I am also home all day so they get to come and go outside all the time. The trays are scooped twice a day and if I notice one having a poo then I scoop that straight awa

Get something like Oko which lasts for ages because it clumps.

We have three trays for two cats and while i initially thought we'd reduce them over time, we won't be. The share them but one is used for poos and the other for wees.

The third tray is in another room and used occasionally. I think they like to have it if the others are too used (I'm at work all day so if they've not done their business by the time I've left it can't be scooped and cleaned till later unfortunately). As they've got used to the one in another room it's been great if we've needed to isolate them for a bit or if we need to keep them out of the room with their main trays. No worries about accidents!

We have one XL tray and two small ones so it doesn't take up too much space when spread out.

We have two kittens and two trays but they rarely use one of them.

3 cats and 3 trays here. They all share and use them interchangeably. I am considering getting another tray though because they are all inside since we moved and I don't fancy stressing them out.