Cat Litter Tray Reccs

[Wallasey123]

Hi, we’re getting a Birman kitten at the end of the month and I was looking for first hand reccs for the best most hygienic litter tray. I have a boisterous 2yo so I think a covered one would definitely be best for us.

I’ve never had a kitten before and been warned about the litter tray smells. As with many others, the smell part of scooping poop is not something I’m looking forward to doing 😅

Is there a low effort / no smell tray anyone swears by? I’m happy to spend a bit of money on it (around £100-150) if worth it. Thanks so much!

Car litter trays smell. Even the covered ones. If you scoop them asap the smell will be minimal. Will that cat be indoor or outdoor?

Incense is your friend. Scoop as soon as you are aware that a poop has been done then light an incense stick . On our 20th year of cats , they don't notice it and the smell goes immediately

@IncognitoUsername Thankfully I mostly work from home so should be able to deal with it often. Thinking about days when we might be out longer and coming back to a smelly house 🙈The cat will be indoor and we’re planning on getting a catio for it for when it’s warmer outside

Oh thanks @Ahwig hadn't even thought about that as a solution!

Not all cats will use lidded trays so don't rely on that as a solution!

We have these from Pets at Home - three indoor cats. They're easy to clean and the high sides mean that the litter is fairly well contained. They don't smell as we clean them as soon as they're used and use a natural clumping litter rather than something with a weird artificial smell.

We have a lidded litter box with a flap. With dcat1 we had to start with the bottom part, then add the lid and then the flap but dkitten 12 weeks, who has her own open litter tray, has also used the closed one from day one. For dcat1 we use Everclean clumping litter which is a bit dearer than some but doesn’t smell at all. It was recommended by another Mumsnetter and it’s great however you should use a non clumping litter for a kitten as they explore with their mouths and clumping litter is more dangerous if they swallow it.

You can get robot self cleaning ones when he’s grown up.

Beige Top Entry Litter Tray Extra Deep Covered Dog-Proof Toilet Box Enclosed High-Spraying Cats XL Loo Pan High Sided Anti-Spillage Multi-Pet Households Rounded Corners CatCentre amzn.eu/d/4baPQPx
These top entry ones are great - so much less messy as litter doesn't get kicked out and less smell.

Thanks so much everyone! I’ve added it all to a list. ill probably get a few different things as thinking it’ll be a bit of a test and learn experience 🤞🏻

Put the tray somewhere out of the way where cat will be feel safe and away from small child - and make sure child knows to leave kitten alone when using its tray (or eating etc).

Watch Jackson Galaxy on You Tube, he has lots of advice on cats and has opinions on litter trays too, for example where trays should be sited.

I'd start simple and inexpensive for first litter try and see how you go. A little kitten will need something smaller and easy to get in and out of until its more grown anyway so you have time to find what works. No point in spending a fortune on something that cat won't use and you may find a normal tray is fine and not as bad as you are expecting. I've also read reviews of some of the automatic sifting/self-cleaning ones and they sound horrible if your cat gets runny poos as it gets stuck n the prongs. Yuk.

I'm now not a fan of covered trays- most seem far too small & cramped for grown cats, especially larger ones. TempCat definitely wouldn't use a top entry and I suspect many cats won't, though he did use a normal covered one for a while, without the entry flap - which scared him (!)

As others said, you need to use clumping litter for a kitten. Don't get anything with added 'freshener' in it- cats have a much stronger sense of smell than humans and it might put them off, as might incense or air fresheners/sprays etc. If you scoop often it's surprisingly OK (also have an indoor cat and was very concerned about pongs in a small flat before he arrived). I use biodegradable poo bags to remove the poo and put it straight into outside bins. I don't use clumping so replace litter weekly or sooner if it's whiffy and wash the tray out with a little bit of normal dishwashing liquid (nothing too strong smelling like bleach) and then a good rinse.