Five Hidden Litter Box DIYS

By Julia Mitchem

The dreaded stinky, unsightly, and downright annoying litter box. Ask any feline fan about how tracked litter, noxious bowel movements, and a clashing litter setup can ruin any vibe. Who wants a smelly plastic tub in the middle of a curated sunroom? Great news: You can make a hidden litter box that's both chic and comfortable for your cat.

We spoke to five creatives about how they turned their furballs’ lavatories into tucked-away oases. From bench seating to private nooks—your entire home will approve.

Begin with the layout of your space and where you are willing to exist alongside some unwanted odors or debris.

"Mess is inevitable," Amber Golob in Chicago of Amber Golob Interiors LLC says. "Where can you best cohabitate with their mess? How will it be easiest to clean up after them?"

If your cat is going to follow you to the bathroom…

Might as well add their litter box to the space.

Golob helped a client find the perfect spot for their box—right next to their own toilet!

"A brilliant aspect of this being a bathroom installation is something only cat parents may understand; they will follow you to the bathroom," Golob says. "While there's been speculation as to exactly why cats do this, they simply will. They notice and appreciate being considered in the function and flow of our families and homes, even if they show it in the strangest of ways."

She recommends keeping a few considerations in mind when choosing how to set up your litter box situation: the size of your litterbox, ease of access, privacy, ease of cleaning, and customization materials.

For her client's specific design, she took the following steps.

Choose a litter box that fits your cat's needs. If you have more than one cat, this is especially important. Make sure to choose a litter box that your cat can comfortably turn around in. You can then decide where it’ll fit best.

"We encourage our clients to place their litter boxes in spaces designated to be cleaned, refraining from kitchens, living or family rooms, or bedrooms," Golob says." We just determined the bathroom to be the perfect spot! In this particular case, they didn't have space to add anything in, so we innovated in space that already existed."

Choose your location. Make sure the litter box can fit and that your cat can easily enter and exit.

"We opted for an open passage on the side of our client's vanity, though you may choose to go as far as adding a door for additional feline privacy," Golob shares. "It all depends on your budget and craftsmen."

In this case, Golob opted for a sliding interior shelf. This ensures the litter box can be easily removed and the interior is accessible for cleaning.

"We want to optimize our own access in order to maintain both our cat's materials and ours," she says. "Space is something we always pay attention to in the functionality of a room."

Your system can only work well if it lasts.

"Discuss with your cabinet maker how to best protect and maintain the cabinetry interior for your cat's use," Golob says. "The goal is to maintain the integrity of your installation."

What better place to tuck away a litter box than a Harry Potter–esque room under the stairs?

Denise Hall Montgomery of Denise Hall Montgomery Architecture, based in Berkeley, California, created a cat-friendly world under the stairs. This classy DIY gives your kitty its own space to spread out and use the restroom privately.

"If possible, find a space that is well-ventilated, out of view, and easily accessible," Montgomery says. "If the area doesn't have a window, a ventilation system, like a bathroom fan, works just fine."

For this hidden litter box tutorial, because of its location, they added a fan for ventilation.

Montgomery suggests a fan such as the Panasonic Whisper Choice to create healthy airflow in the room. This can help with trapped odors and other issues that come with putting a litter box in a small dark spot.

"Apparently cats do not like to use a litter box in the dark," Montgomery says. "So you may need to install a small light fixture with a motion sensor." She recommends one like this Lutron option.

Make sure to keep the entrance close to the floor. Otherwise, your cat won't be inclined to use the area."If the hole is too high off the ground (higher than the belly of the cat), the animal will be hesitant to crawl through," Montgomery says.

Even better, this DIY can help encourage the entire family to take care of their furry friends. "A bonus," she says. "Our clients reported that the Harry Potter–like hidden quality of the space motivated their kids to change the litter box more often!"

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By Joyce Chen

By Chloe Malle

By Troy J. McMullen

Chelsea Hill of Boise, Idaho, figured out how to stamp out stenches while on the road. While living in a van with her cats and partner, Hill hid her litter box in a bench. The bench seat folds up and you can scoop from the litter box like you would normally.

"The best advice I can give is to look for things that are naturally square that you could hide a litter box in," she says. "Like an entertainment center or cabinet then you can cut a hole through the side to hide the litter box entrance!"

To create a portable potty, follow these steps.

Hill measured the space and ordered a litter box online to fit the exact size. Then added steps to the area to ensure the cats could enter properly due to the placement of the box in the van.

She opted to line the floor and steps with grass to help catch any litter from the cats leaving their litter box, which she noticed helped with the mess.

"I just vacuumed the grass often," Hill says. "When I do this again in our next build, I will use velcro to attach the grass to make it easier to clean!" Using velcro allows you to be able to take out the grass and shake it as needed!

Hill uses the Molekule air purifier to make sure the space is smelling good, even with multiple cats in a small area.

"The number one question we got about living in a van with our cats was how we handled the litter box, litter tracking and smell so I wanted to show everyone where we kept the box and how it works for us!"

The next litter box will be built into a cabinet with a door you can open and scoop inside. They will also add a small vent into the area to help with the dust and smell.

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By Joyce Chen

By Chloe Malle

By Troy J. McMullen

Lauren Granger of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Lauren Granger Design, LLC often designs and draws up plans with a cat on her lap. She's an avid cat lover who has volunteered with Hobo Hotel for Cats for 18 years. She crafted a seamless laundry room renovation for her feline friend to breeze in and out of.

"Building an enclosed litter box cabinet can make for a less conspicuous litter box area with practically eliminated litter box smell, and an overall more pleasant environment," she says. "All lead to happier cat parents." For your very own reno, you can follow her lead.

"Be sure to include about an 18" space above the litter box for the cat to jump in/out of the box within the enclosure as well," Granger says. "This is very important for the cat's happiness and willingness to use the new enclosure."

These dimensions are essential to ensure that you have space for everything your cat needs. You can choose to grab a new litter box or use one you already own.

Granger emphasizes the importance of selecting a cat flap that fits the size of your cat(s). You can pick based on manufacturer recommendations on product descriptions. She points out that you need to make sure the cat flap is made for "interior doors"—ones for thicker exterior doors won't work.

"Another important note: When planning the space for the enclosure, make sure the cat flap has plenty of room to swing in and swing out without obstructions," she says. "This swinging room allows for plenty of internal space for the kitty to maneuver in the flap, around the flap, and into the litter box without being too cramped."

Now you’re ready to draw out your plan! You can opt to sketch by hand or use a digital program. Create scaled drawings for your cabinet builder to use.

Granger's tip: If you don't have enough depth in your cabinet, your litterbox can be placed lengthwise! "Keep in mind that if you plan on using any doors besides flat panel doors (ie: Shaker-style cabinet fronts or any type of decorative raised or recessed panels other than flat door fronts), include the dimensions of expected door trims in your drawings to ensure you have enough width for the cat flap to be cut into the center of the door itself and not into the trims," she says.

Now you can choose your paint colors, door hardware, and hinges. You can opt for knobs or pulls for your door and soft-close fixtures.

Granger recommends grabbing a charcoal odor eliminator if you choose to absorb any extra odor but notes that smells are already mostly contained when the cabinet doors are shut. To help with tracked litter, she uses an under-and-next-to-the-litter-box mat, which can also be trimmed and customized. A clip-on litter scoop that attaches to the box will help save space and keep things tidy.

By Joyce Chen

By Chloe Malle

By Troy J. McMullen

"I also recommend planning for a lower enclosed storage spot nearby for boxes of clean litter, bag holder for reusing grocery bags for scooping time, deodorizers like baking soda, cleaning sprays, and a hand broom/ dustpan set," she says.

For more cautious kitties, account for some exposure time. "The kitty may reject this sudden change of location and will prefer to slowly ease in," she says. You can move their litter box from where it was before at about one foot a day toward the new space. Once you’ve reached the enclosure, leave the box inside with the cabinet doors open for a week.

"Over the next few days, shut one cabinet door, then the other, and finally, prop the cat flap open towards the outside for a week," she says. "This should help with the adjustment."

Litter box where??

Emily Rayna Shaw, based in New Hampshire, dreamed up a TV stand DIY for her cat to jump in and out of.

"I thought of this tutorial after I bought a new TV stand and my cat's litter box was just awkwardly to the left of the stand," she says. "It obviously wasn't a great piece of decor to look at in the living room, but I had nowhere else to fit it in my apartment. I got to thinking about how I could make the situation a little more aesthetic, and eventually realized I could just hide it completely if I put it in the TV stand!"

Get ready to sit back and relax—sans a litter eyesore.

First step for creating your hidden spot, find where in your space works best. Then choose a furniture piece and box that complement each other.

"Once you have your piece, measure the inside and start hunting for a litter box that fits," Shaw says. Be patient when it comes to finding a litter box that’ll fit in your desired space. "It can take a little time to find the perfect one," she says.

She recommends keeping the hole low enough for your cat to be able to enter without difficulty. She also added edge guards to cushion any rough edges for her cat.

"Once you have these pieces gathered, you can cut a hole out of the side of the furniture piece," Shaw says. "You’ll need different tools for this depending on the material of the furniture you chose, but it is possible to avoid power tools if you choose MDF or similar."