Litter trays - enclosed or open?

[AlexandraEiffel]

I'm getting a couple of young cats so need a litter tray for them. Do people recommend open or closed? I'm thinking go simple with open rather than having a fancy closed one the cats sniff and ignore. Am I missing a trick? Thank you

We have an open one with high sides

We have a closed one, so much nicer!

I have one of each; mine use both with no real preference, but both prefer any tray to be in a quiet corner rather than a corridor /walkway.
The recommendation is the number of cats + a spare, so for 2 cats you'd have 3 trays.
I only have 2 for my two cats now though, as BoyCat has decided my raised beds are his preferred spot anyway, and after a couple of months of one tray being consistently ignored I phased it out.

My closed one originally had a flap on it and I had to remove it as BigCat (RIP) didn't like it, so used to sit at 3am repeatedly hitting it...

I have both..cat uses whichever is in their preferred place. ..personally I prefer the closed one..keeps smell in!

Great thanks very much. I suppose an enclosed one can always have the lid off if it's a problem

Enclosed litter trays are a bit like portaloos for cats: cramped, and often smelly behind the closed door. Which is unpleasant for the cat, and makes them less likely to want to use it. You will also need at least two litter trays, as cats aren’t always willing to share.

I have this one for my cat - outray.co.uk/product/iris-open-top-litter-box-w53cm-white/ It’s a good compromise between open and closed - it is less claustrophobic, keeps the litter in but not the smell. Which is actually a good thing - you can’t reasonably expect a cat to use a smelly litter tray, so better that the smell dissipates or you clean it. He always prefers to use a flower bed, though.

Mine prefer closed but with no lid

My cat is a voracious digger so needs high sides, I've got this one off eBay with the flaps taken off, and another similar cheaper one.

@MyAnacondaMight how do they get in that one? Climb through the hole? I can't picture it

@BridgetInHerBravery I love the cat sleeping on top! One of my favourite pictures from the rescue is the cat who has had its photo taken sat on the litter tray. I can imagine it refusing to move anywhere more photogenic and stubbornly sitting there

I have deep sided open trays from Pets At Home. None of our three cats like the closed one we tried. One liked to perch on the sides with no feet touching the litter so we expected her to refuse. The other two stuck their heads in but were too nervous to go all the way in. We left it out for two months then gave up when there wasn't a single wee in there.

We have a closed one but the flap broke off. The smell is still as bad as the open one but at least the amount of litter thrown out is less.

@Notaroadrunner

We have a closed one but the flap broke off. The smell is still as bad as the open one but at least the amount of litter thrown out is less.

When I say the amount of litter thrown out, I mean being kicked out by the cat, not us throwing it in the bin

I've got a top entry one and a covered one with a flap for my kitten, he prefers the top entry one now he's big enough to jump up. Contains the smell and less scattering. You can get liners too but I don't bother as it's more plastic.