"Our new apartment didn't have a good cubby to hide away the cat box like our old apartment," says Jon, "so we decided to hide the litter in plain sight. It's an easy 4 step process:
1. Find a covered cat box $30
2. Find a cabinet that it fits in (in this case, a Flaren sink cabinet)
3. Find a pet door
4. Cut a hole for the pet door and install.
I added a couple litter mats $20, one inside, one outside, and the litter tracking is almost non-existent. I put rails on the bottom of the cabinet to make the box easier to slide out for cleaning, provide some storage space to stuff litter bags, and to hold the interior mat in place. Since it is an open-backed cabinet, I nailed a sheet of corrugated plastic (like on a yard sign) to the rear to close it off. Because of this and the cat flap, odor is contained and not a problem. As an added benefit, being a sink cabinet, it is made to get wet and the surfaces are easy to clean."
See more of Jon's stealth cat litter box.
Related hacks:
- Quick and easy cat litter box
- Snack cat litter boxes
- Compact kitty box
- No pooper cat litter
Perfect - just the idea I was looking for!
ReplyDeleteMy husband did this for our entry way closet. The door to it is in a very inconvenient way and is much too small to store anything of significance there. So we put the catbox in there with a mat, shut the door, hung a coat rack on the outside, and put in a little catdoor at the bottom! Took about an hour for the cats to get used to it and now it's such a house-saver! Eliminates the odor and the litter tracks. I think if we ever move, this cabinet trick would be PERFECT.
ReplyDeleteThat is just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThat is one smart cat box! I wouldnt be able to resist the urge to put an Kitty outhouse sign on it!
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking a nice little gadget that would turn on a small light when the pet door swings and automatically turns off after a few minutes would be a nice feature.
ReplyDeleteNow this is a litter box I could use! I have thought about doing the same thing, but with a small 2-drawer nightstand instead. Sweet mod idea!
ReplyDeletehow odor-proof is this with two cats? do you have to constantly clean or is once or twice a day enough?
ReplyDeletein my bathroom there is enough space to put a litter box, but not really to conceal it, so any alternatives are welcome, but outside the bathroom i wouldn't want any smells... even if guests stay all afternoon AND evening! ;)
It's just fantastic.
ReplyDeletethis is a good modified hack :)
ReplyDeletei think its beyond the word fantastic.
I totally love this idea!! Great job!!!
ReplyDeleteThis solution is fantastic. Our litterbox is in the foyer of our home (really the only place we could put it) and it's the first thing you see when you walk in the house. I'm going to try this, maybe with the dark-finished Freden cabinet (I'd have to add a top) and have it double as a place to set our mail and keys when we come in.
ReplyDeleteOne thing about the open-backed characteristic of the Flaren: some cats avoid litter boxes where they're boxed in with no escape route. In a multi-cat household (one of our cats can be aggressive at times) leaving the back off the cabinet (and using a litter box without a cover) would make sense.
Cool idea! I don't think I can do it, however. It would just give my dog privacy, while he eats the cat doo.
ReplyDeleteI have to do this!! Please tell me the kind of saw you used, & any other equipment I might need before my home depot run.
ReplyDeleteThanks! You are a genius!!!!!
Nicely done! I wish I had a bigger place...there's just not enough room in my small apartment. Maybe someday...
ReplyDeleteKC
Brilliant idea. Absolutely beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI used a hole saw to get the big chunks out and a back saw to clean it up. I then took a flat file to make a perfect fit for the door. In reality it doesn't really matter what you use to cut the door open with because the cat door hides the edges.
ReplyDeleteThis is very odor proof! It has all but eliminated the odor associated with the litter box. Even after kitty drops a big one, we can't smell it. We have two cats and the box gets cleaned every other day. My wife says that she forgets that she needs to clean it because she can't smell it, so the incentive is small.
I love this one!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! We are moving from a large home to a 1400sq. ft.condo and this is exactly what I was looking for. Since we won't have the luxury of the doggie door leading out to the garage, the idea of using the undersink cabinet in my bathroom is an excellent solution. I am also going to try Feline Pine litter and if the kitties like it, we may really have a "Home Sweet Home"!! Thanks again,
ReplyDeleteDiane
I have a similar arrangement. The vanity sits next to the toilet. I use flushable littler, and so can just open the vanity door, scoop the ick out of the topless litter box and into a small plastic bucket, so I can dump the ick into the potty without litter going everywhere. Flush, and voila, scooping a couple of times a day is not a problem. I spray some Febreze into the box and the bucket, and also keep a Renuzit going all the time. There's no smell unless someone has just recently used it. The littler box is just a plastic storage box that happened to fit the vanity. I bought an astro-turf-ish doormat to make a wall-to-wall carpet for inside the vanity, and it catches almost all the litter off their feet. The cat-access is a hole cut into the side of the vanity away from the door, so you really have to look to see it. There's still room inside the vanity for a bag of litter and a few cleaning products.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I found out about this. However, I have two cats and am wondering if they will go inside to use the litter box. Did anyone have any problems with their cat not wanting to go into the cabinet? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGreat Idea!
ReplyDeleteWonderful invention. I will do the same, thanks for putting this online, very much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteLooks like petco and some others have teamed up to bring these to you cheap! I was looking to make my own and stumbled on these!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.petco.com/N_23_4294948854/Cat-Litter-Boxes.aspx?CoreCat=CatSFC_LitterBoxes
I love this! What did you use for the top of the cabinet? It doesn't look like Ikea makes this particular sink cabinet anymore and the ones that I am seeing, don't have a top? (Obviously because a sink is meant to go there...) Do they sell tops? I am having a hard time finding them on the site. Or did you make your own?
ReplyDeleteWhat did you use for the top of the cabinet? Obviously, the cabinet is designed for the sink, but you have a lovely flat surface. Doesn't look like IKEA carries this particular line anymore, and the sink cabinet bases I have found, are all open on top. Suggestions?
ReplyDeleteHi, I added your nice cat litter cabinet to my cats page : http://www.lalitiereduchat.fr/accessoires-pour-litieres. (sorry it's in french). Good work!
ReplyDeleteIf you have other ideas, don't hesitate to send them to me.
We put a cat door to our garage and it really keeps the mess down
ReplyDelete