Hi all! My home recently went from 2 kitties to 1 cat. How do I go from 3 litter boxes to 2 boxes? Is there a standard process for removing (or moving) litter boxes that prevents accidents? Thanks in advance for your advice and experiences. I'm so grateful to have found this community.
Hi!
Firstly, it might be worth deciding whether it's worth removing one of the litter trays. After all, 1 per cat plus 1 is the minimum - so three for one cat is fine! I had a senior cat with renal failure who wouldn't use a dirty box - we had four so that she always had a fresh one if we weren't in the house to change it straight away. You don't have to remove a box at all, but if it's getting in the way then you can try to. There's no 'magic solution' for removing a tray unfortunately, so there's always the potential for accidents. Personally, I'd just keep the three if it's working for your cat!
Is there a litter box that gets used less than the other two? Or one that is in part of the house where your cat doesn't go? If so, it's worth trying to remove this one. You could start off by making it less attractive than the other two - use a bit less litter, or change the litter type in that one box, so your cat focuses their attention on the others. Once you've gone 2-3 days without needing to clean it, it's probably safe to remove. Try to clean the area around it thoroughly and maybe leave some windows open to reduce the 'toilet' smell and discourage your cat from using the carpet instead. If possible, preventing access to the room for a couple of days may help too, but beware that the more changes you make the higher the chance of causing your cat stress.