Who among us doesn’t covet a nice bathroom? Our homes today have more bathrooms and larger, more elaborate bathrooms than ever before. According to houzz.com, the average bathroom remodel in New York City costs $32,000, and features granite counter tops, porcelain tile and high end fixtures. Our feline companions are no different. They express definite likes and dislikes when it comes to their litter box. Provide them with a substandard bathroom and they will refuse to use it and instead will use the corner of your dining room rug as their new and more spacious bathroom! In the feline world, this problem is so serious that a 2001 research study reported inappropriate elimination as a top reason cats are relinquished to animal shelters.

What cats care about in their litter box

Bigger boxes are better
In a study published earlier this year in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior, cats were offered the choice of using a standard size litter box or a large plastic box greater than 33 inches in length. The number of urine and fecal “deposits” in each box were recorded and compared. Results determined cats like litter boxes larger than the standard ones available in pet stores.
More boxes are preferable
Litter box issues are more common in multi-cat households. To avoid competition and territorial behavior towards litter boxes, which leads to inappropriate urination, provide your cats with multiple litter boxes.
Stinky boxes are bad
Even if you scoop daily and completely change the litter weekly, that box can get stinky. Veterinarians tested cats use of litter sprayed with a commercially available litter box odor eliminator. Cats clearly found the sprayed boxes more attractive an preferred their use over unsprayed boxes.

What cats don’t care about in their litter box

Our mothers admonished us to close the lid of the toilet during their attempts to teach us manners. Cats don’t care about a lid on their litter box. A 2013 study of cats to determine their preference for a covered or uncovered litter box found no preference in the style of box in most cats, although as any cat owner will attest to, some persnickety cats did choose an uncovered box over a lidded one or vice versa.
Seems to me that cats should care about the type of litter in their box, but I couldn’t find any research to support that theory. One study did show, the longer cats scratched in the litter box, the less likely they were to inappropriately eliminate. Scientists interpreted that finding to mean lots of scratching at the litter means a cat likes the litter in their box and they will be less likely to eliminate on the dining room rug.

Cat bathroom remodeling tips

Thankfully, remodeling a feline bathroom is much less costly than remodeling your bathroom. First, feline behavior experts believe in simple math when it comes to the number of litter boxes: number of cats + 1 = the number of litter boxes you should have. You don’t like to wait in line to use the restroom, and clearly cats feel the same way. Second, when purchasing additional litter boxes, consider upgrading to a larger box, such as an under-the-bed box or gift wrap storage box without its lid.
Finally, cats fully believe that they are gods and that “cleanliness is next to godliness.” Research has shown that daily scooping of cat waste from the litter box and weekly litter changes can resolve urine spray behavior in cats.
Remember: inappropriate elimination may be a sign of illness, so check with your veterinarian if your cat suddenly stops using her litter box.