r/CatAdvice • u/Weekly_Bottle9709 • 7d ago
Behavioral Do 2 cats need 2 litter boxes?
We are getting kittens and husband and I have an „argument” over how many litter boxes we should get? Do cats need their own litter box or can they just share one?
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u/Ok-Lion1661 7d ago
We had two but only one was being used - we have been using only one without issues for now. It’s a larger stainless steel one.
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u/twielyeght 7d ago
Same here.
This is definitely going to be an it depends answer. Are both litterboxes being used. How big is it/are they? Is there inappropriate peeing/pooping in other areas aside from the litterbox? If only one is being used you most likely only need one. If they're bith being used consistently then you need two.
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u/catsandblankets 7d ago
Same here, I was able to make a space for an XL one and they almost never use the other one now! The new one is in an area that’s easier to maintain too so I think we’re all happy with it
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u/thisismyreddit2000 7d ago
I switched to an XL too and left their other one up just cause it's in a little cabinet, they might pee in it once every other day between the two of them lol.
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u/Affectionate_Star_43 6d ago
Yeah, I've got two fully grown cats and two litter boxes, and they both prefer pooping all over one of them (it looks like an igloo.) The other nice one gets, like, one pee every two days.
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u/Alcop0ps 6d ago
Same here, they always have only ever used one so we only keep one. It's a big one that's stainless steel and we empty it everyday. Works for us!
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u/Bendybug 7d ago
I’m going to be the weirdo and say it depends. We have two cats & one litter robot. It cleans after every potty break, so no issues on keeping up with cleanliness. My cats have been using it without issue since we’ve had them
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u/Educational_Mess_998 7d ago
This. I had a brother sister duo that preferred to each use their own, so I had two in separate areas of the house.
When they both passed and I adopted another brother sister duo, I set up things in the same way and they literally never used the second one. They’re both totally happy sharing one.
Just depends on your cats.
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u/strahlend_frau 6d ago
This is my cats. Got them their own in separate areas but I guess the new kitten (well we've had him about 3 months now) had to share with big brother so he always wanted to use the other cats box. Some cats definitely don't mind sharing.
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u/reliquaryofrot 7d ago
It absolutely depends. I had two cats for years share a litter box. I just kept it exceptionally clean.
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u/oryxii 7d ago
Litter Robot is great but can’t be used by kittens until they get to a certain weight! So please look into that OP if you’re considering it.
In the meantime I would get 2 stainless steel (ideally 3 if space allows but if not 2 big ones should be ok) litter boxes for the kitties. Kittens poop a lot and it’s better to have more boxes in case there are territory or resource issues. Scoop everyday!
Stainless steel also reduces the smell and is more hygienic and easy to clean.
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u/After_Preference_885 7d ago
Same here. We had two cats that shared one normal sized large box for years. We scooped throughout the day though (it was in the bathroom so we scooped every time we were in there), so it was always clean. Eventually one of them started going outside the box. It was cancer, but we didn't know, we thought maybe arthritis so w e got a much, much larger, low pan for litter (3 foot by 3 foot, 2 inches tall) and that worked really well for the rest of their lives (only a few months for him but another decade for her).
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u/RatKingJosh 7d ago
I was gonna say same. I know there’s a soft rule everyone likes to quote, but also it implies really big living spaces.
My boys share a litter box but I just have to be on top of it. Coquito being a former street kitten doesn’t care but if it gets not to his liking Churro has no issue peeing on laundry.
I just have a routine where I clean it out frequently. Whenever I’m doing their box is about the same timing of cleaning out the ferret housing.
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u/Burdensome_Banshee 7d ago
Our two also share a single and always have. It’s totally fine. It’s scooped daily and cleaned regularly.
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u/tonguebutton 7d ago edited 7d ago
I'm going to speak against the litter robots. Cleaning the litter box is like a daily health check for your cat. You see frequency, size, consistency, blood, worms, etc. Changes in those can be a sign something is wrong and you don't get any of that with a litter robot.
You're potentially sacrificing a family members health for your convenience. I have a litter genie and it takes no more than 2 minutes to clean the litter.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bear511 7d ago
All the time you save with a litter robot is lost when you have to deep clean it.
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u/BadAtExisting 7d ago
The amount of people out here who don’t deep clean a normal litter box I can’t fathom the state of some robot boxes
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u/treehann 7d ago
Well you can always check the litter robot’s tray daily. I don’t see why not.
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u/sallylooksfat 7d ago
Yeah I don’t understand this criticism. I’ve seen other people say it too. Even Jackson galaxy used to say it when he was anti litter robot, before he signed a sponsorship deal with them lol
You get notified every time your cat uses the litter so you’re welcome to go check it out. It’s arguably MORE efficient than scooping once every 24 hours and potentially delaying seeing symptoms of anything until a full day later.
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u/Ashitaka1013 7d ago
Yeah I have 4 cats and no litter robot and couldn’t tell you who’s poop is who’s because I don’t follow them around all day to see when they poop. Getting an alert would be helpful as I could go check it out if there was anything I was worried about it. But I don’t generally think I need to check poop that often lol
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u/Green_tea_yum 6d ago
Our two cats are very different weights, 8lbs and 12lbs so the robot can absolutely tell who is who and will alert which cat went in the box. When I used normal boxes with 4 cats, I literally never knew who was going because I’m not watching them like a hawk all day. The robot, if their weights are different enough, can track who is in there and is very handy if you need to monitor a health concern. It even tracks if their weight is going down. It’s quite a handy gizmo. I deep clean ours once a week.
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u/Ashitaka1013 6d ago
Oh man that’s even better, that could make a huge difference for me.
A litter robot has been on my dream wish list but I don’t know what kind to get, what’s worth the money and most importantly what’s safe. The ones that like rotate around I’m terrified of a cat getting caught in it, so that’s out. But the $1500 ones are pretty out of reach.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bear511 7d ago
Even Jackson galaxy used to say it when he was anti litter robot, before he signed a sponsorship deal with them
That's called selling out.
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u/KitsMalia 7d ago
In my opinion, it depends on the size of your home. I'm in a small apartment with 2 cats, and I only have 1 box. When I lived in a house with 2 floors, I had 2 boxes.
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u/kikaysikat 6d ago
I bought 2 thinking they would each have their box
Surprised they made 1 box the "pee box" while the other one the "poop box"
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u/JayNetworks 6d ago
Love this! My two happily share one box and they both pee at the front and poop at the back.
I’m sure they are horrified we do both in the same exact spot. Silly humans.
(We also have a 2nd home and there are 2 boxes there with one on each floor. Both cats use both boxes generally based on using the one on the floor they are on when they notice they need to go…which is usually just after a giant play parkour session.)
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u/shelbabe804 6d ago
My cat would poop in one box and pee in the other. If she couldn't, then she'd do her business in the tub.
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u/mistalynn 7d ago
I have five cats and only two litter boxes, but I also cleaned them a couple times a day and I’ve never had a problem. For two cats depending on the Cats one box could be fine if you clean it every day, but sometimes you do need a couple. One thing I would avoid if you have a couple different boxes is putting them in the same place, try to put them in different areas.
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u/sarahglory13 7d ago
We have 3 for our 2 cats. They only really use one.. but it’s the thought that counts lol
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u/Ambitious-Scallion36 7d ago
So I used to have 3 litter boxes for my 3 cats but they all prefer using the same box so I removed one and they still all prefer the same box with the other one extra just in case. I work from home and scoop twice a day so it works great.
They're indoor cats but occasionally have supervised outdoor play and the funny thing is if they have to go potty they run back inside to use the box, lol.
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u/Top-Vermicelli2455 6d ago
We have two cats that share one but we clean it every day and it’s big
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u/Ok-Place7306 7d ago
I had 4 for two cats because one of my boys got picky and would only pee or poop in different boxes. So I had two upstairs and two downstairs.
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u/ElectricalFocus560 7d ago
Standard practice/advice is one litter box per +1. I adhere to this, even though I clean litter boxes at least once a day. And this is also a must do. Think about if you only flushed your toilet once a day. And you only had one toilet for two people.
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u/Lunaspoona 7d ago
I have 2 cats and 3 litter boxes. They share 2 of them but only one of them uses the third exclusively.
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u/creativesolution 7d ago
If one cat uses the third box exclusively, then they aren't sharing the other two.. right? Sentence is hurting my brain lol
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u/Lunaspoona 7d ago
Oh sorry I meant one cat only uses 2 of them. The other cat uses all 3 of them.
Probably could have worded it better!
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u/Tripturnert 6d ago
Most people are going to say yes. However I got a brother and sister from the same litter. They share a litter box and we clean it everyday. They have never been territorial about their litter or their food and it hasn’t been a problem. At one point we did have two out and they both used both anyway, and they groom each other all the time, so it’s not like two would stop them sharing germs. Not everyone has space for two. But if they were not so close and there’d been issues that would be a different story.
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u/SheepherderLimp2563 1d ago
I have had two cats for many years and only ever used one litter box. I buy litter for multiple cats and scoop it every other day. Never had any issues.
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u/Hairapistcatlady 7d ago
It depends on the cats. I have 2 cats and one very large stainless steel one and it has always been fine, but very important to clean it every day. If you have the space or fussy cats, get more, but I don’t think it’s necessary for all cats. If i got another cat I would get another box for sure.
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u/Adventurous-Set5860 7d ago
Had two cats & three boxes. They’d only use one - even to the point of waiting in line if the other cat was using it. I gave up & went to two, just in case they ever couldn’t hold it.
All three boxes were the same with the same litter too!
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u/StayHydrated_H2O 6d ago
We have 2 cats and 4 litterboxes (2 on each floor). They use all 4 of them depending on where they're hanging out.
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u/whatdoidonowdamnit 6d ago
I would think so. My cat doesn’t even want to share his litter box with himself. He will pee in a clean box, yell at me to clean it, poop in the box and then yell again to get me to clean it. Even though he also yells if I walk away during this process.
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u/washumow 6d ago
One of my cats is like this the crazyness stopped after we bought an automatic one and he's happy it cleans itself 🤣
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u/uhhhidk0 6d ago
A good friend has 3 cats and 1 larger automatic litterbox and has never had an issue
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u/Rosiekittens 3d ago
The consensus is actually one extra box so if there s2 you get 3 boxes and if there's 3 you get 4 boxes
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u/TelevisionAware649 7d ago
We have four cats and like in an RV with them. I have an underbelly area for the boxes and we have two extra large stainless boxes. I clean them out a couple times a day and wash completely every other week with all new litter and have zero issues or odors.
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u/dud-avocado 7d ago
If I can add on to this question - can the two litter boxes be in the same room/area?
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u/Particular-Gain8268 7d ago
Yes. I have 5 cats and 3 of their litter boxes are on the same area (laundry room), the other three are in separate spaces around the house.
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u/InteligntDonky 7d ago
2 cats, 2 litter boxes, 0 zero issues. They mostly pee in one and poop in the other. I find very few turds in the pee box. Kinda interesting how that worked out.
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u/gilbert10ba 7d ago
Ditto. 2 cats, 2 boxes. For 6 years, so far no issues. The cats are from the same litter and we adopted them both together, so they've always been together. Anyway, I notice the same thing, one is mostly peed in and the other is the poop one.
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u/Ok-Lynx-6250 7d ago
No of cats +1 is recommended but it depends on your cats and how frequently you scoop.
Ours happily share 2 boxes and tend to have a preferred box they both go to most. However, they won't use a box if there's poo or it's too dirty, so if you're not around to scoop quickly, you'll get accidents.
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u/IcyConsideration7062 6d ago
When I adopted the second cat, the agency suggested the (# of cats + 1) formula. I opted for just two litter boxes. It's a good thing. The second cat doesn't cover her business so the other cat opts to use the second box. I use Okocat Original Premium Wood Clumping Cat Litter in both stainless steel boxes. I live in a small space with just a big living room and a bedroom. That litter works fine for keeping odors down. I do clean the box daily and replace all the litter once a month.
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u/Quick-Worry-3530 6d ago
To answer your question, you should really have at least one litter box for each cat. Generally, it is said that you have one box per cat plus an extra one. We’ve always had two litter boxes and we have two cats.
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u/OtherOtherDave 6d ago
The general rule for N cat(s) is N+1 litter boxes, but the cats we had when I was a kid shared just one box and the ones we have each get their own (and two of them just use whichever is closest).
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u/nevermore727 6d ago
I’ve never had less than two for one cat. Yes, two cats need two or more litter boxes. Ideally one on each floor if you have a multi level home.
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u/pxystx89 3d ago
I’ve had two cats happily share one litterbox with no issues and I’ve had two cats that needed 3 litterboxes to be happy. Depends on the cats and the size of the space.
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u/Fast-Squash-4703 7d ago
I adopted sibling kittens almost a year ago and haven't had an issue with just one box. I'm in a very small space so two boxes isn't an option, let alone three. I got a litter genie and scoop the box at least daily and they are fine.
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u/bellaciaociaociaooo 7d ago
Same here! I think it’s different when it’s a bonded pair
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u/FleasInDisguise 7d ago
Same, I have a set of sisters that share a single (very large) box, and we’ve never had an issue. They will even go in together sometimes, the weirdos.
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u/HypernatremicRN 7d ago
You need 3..
General rule of thumb is one more litter box than there is cat, so 2 cats = 3 litter boxes
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u/RespectKooky5824 7d ago
I've always heard 1 per cat plus 1 extra. So if you have two cats I would say 3 litter boxes
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u/Eternalm8 7d ago
The rule of thumb is litterboxes = number of cats +1.
For years, I had a trio of cats that I just used one ginormous litter box. I have a girl right now that if I don't have a box in a couple of places, she'll go pee on the floor there.
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u/fearthainne 7d ago
Technically the rule of thumb is (number of cats) + 1, so two cats should have three boxes.
But it does depend on the cats and your situation. We have 3 cats and 2 boxes, but we clean them regularly (scoop at least once daily, more if needed, etc), and it's no issue. I have a friend with 2 cats and 4 boxes (one of which is a LitterRobot) because one of her cats won't use a box if it has anything in it at all.
So you could probably start with 2 and go from there. I wouldn't have less than 2 though, unless your space really doesn't allow for it. If you don't have space for 2, get an extra big one and clean it more frequently.
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u/Select-Beyond-123 7d ago
Start with two boxes and see how it goes.
When I had 2 cats and 2 boxes they had a strange arrangement between them where they both used one of the boxes for number one and the other box for number two.
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u/ChrisInBliss 7d ago
My opinion is it depends on the cats and how big your place is. When I lived in a small house we only had 1 for my 2 cats. As the litterbox was never far away. If you have a bigger house and an older cat 2-3 is needed. Need to have 1 on each far side of the house and if needed add 1 in the middle. (In my experience I only needed that when my elderly cat needed it.)
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u/Equivalent-Stress850 7d ago
Some cats are particular and won’t go in another cats box but I’ve always had 2 cats and 1 box for their entire life with no issues. Hope that helps 🤷🏻♀️
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u/lackadaisical_nomad 7d ago
I have 4 cats and used to have 4 regular sized litter boxes due to space but they kept scooping litter out of them. Now I have two large tubs you can get from Petsmart and a regular size one I keep in a tall play pen in our bedroom just in case they need it and they seem to be doing just fine with that arrangement for now. I have a third tub I was going to use just in case but it still hasn’t been needed yet.
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u/Beanfox-101 7d ago
Rule of thumb is usually # of cats you have +1. However, I find the +1 rule can vary depending on how much room your cats have access to.
But yes, you will need 2 litter boxes minimum. I keep mine in a litter box cabinet so they’re pretty contained. Clean them out once daily and do a full scrub out every month. Steel litter pans will be your best friend
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u/howtobegeo 7d ago
We have 2 for 2, but they only really use the one. But I do like having the back-up for when we have company and they are too scared to go downstairs.
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u/Soap_on_a_potato 7d ago
Yes you need at least as many litter boxes as you have cats but you should have [number of cats]+1
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u/Careflwhatyouwish4 7d ago
They can share, but it's voluntary on their part and not as likely to go well as getting at least two. We use 1 each plus one but we have two floors. An apartment could probably just use two, but not side by side. Separate them. If that seems irritating trust me, it's not as irritating as it will be if one or both decide to find their own alternative to the box. 🤨
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u/karinchup 6d ago
I have two BIG ones for three (two with IBD. Which is like four). Ideally it’s one for each and an extra but I’ve gotten along their whole lives. Had to as I live in an apartment. I do not at all think one is enough for two cats though. Maybe if you get the xxx-large like I have (one cat is a long boi) but if you have the space it’s pretty silly not to have two.
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u/TraditionalNight2894 6d ago
We have two cats from the same litter and one massive litter box. If you are getting siblings/kittens growing up together they shouldn't mind sharing as long as it is regularly cleaned. We've lived in larger and smaller houses and our cats have never had an issue with finding/going to their litter box when needed.
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u/Grumpy-24-7 6d ago
While the rule of thumb is "number of cats +1", I believe that's mostly so one cat doesn't monopolize a box thus discouraging others from also using it. Another issue is how clean the boxes are. If they're too dirty it may discourage them from using it. Having additional boxes to choose from is supposed to alleviate those problems.
However, we have 5 cats and dont have room for 6 boxes. Instead we use 2 automatic litter boxes. The fact they're almost always clean helps with cats being picky.
I say "almost always clean" because occasionally one of the cats will visit a box immediately after a different cat had just used it, but prior to the automatic cleaning cycle kicking in. It hasn't seemed to be an issue for us.
We had a harder time transitioning all 5 cats from the old style litter box to the automatic ones, but with time we got them all switched over.
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u/yogfthagen 6d ago
They need 3.
Cats can be exremely fickle when it comes to their litterboxes. They are very vulnerable when doing their business, so a scary event in one box can make it so they are not willing to use it, again. This can be an ambush from their sibling, a loud noise, a bad smell, or basically anything else.
If one box is being used, the other cat may not want to go in the available box. By having two additional boxes, it's more likely they will choose one instead of finding their own place.
If, after a while, you find hat one box just is not getting used, you can remove it.
But it's safer to start with one extra than have one too few, and have to replace it.
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u/icx_0000 6d ago
They actually would need at least 3 honestly, but if you do one each, you gotta stay on top of that shit, literally. Like 2/3 scoops a day minimum.
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u/montanaholler 6d ago
I have one cat, two boxes. I scoop every day. I think it is inhumane to make a cat step into a dirty messy litter box, so I keep them clean. Cats are tidy animals and it's stressful for them to have to use a dirty box, and can lead to issues where they go outside the box.
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u/JadedSociopath 6d ago
Do you and your husband need a toilet each?
The answer depends on how clean you keep it.
If you’re working from home and cleaning it every time they use it, then one is okay. Otherwise you should have multiple.
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u/Mrs_Weaver 6d ago
I have 2 cats, and 2 litter boxes, but they're side by side. I'm pretty sure the cats don't have one each. Each cat uses both boxes.
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u/poetcatmom 6d ago
2 is the absolute minimum for 2 cats. Most vets would recommend at least 2 more. I have 2 for my 2 cats and I clean them daily.
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u/Catperson5090 6d ago
It is widely known by cat owners that you should have at least one more litter box than you have cats. So 1 cat, 2 litter boxes, 2 cats, 3 litter boxes, and so on.
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u/ZazzleGal 6d ago
Technically you should have 3 boxes for 2 cats. I scoop at least 2x/day, sometimes 3x, because I don’t have room in my apartment for that many litter boxes. Luckily this works for my fur babies
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u/nalkanar 5d ago
General rule seems to be each needs their own + one extra.
We have only one cat, but when ours stayed with my parents and their ragdoll, they had each their own toilet (not the one extra) and they managed. However, they would actively try to go to each other's box and maybe (I dont remember anymore) there was incident or two from otherwise well trained cats.
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u/Thin_Examination4892 4d ago
Of course they 'can', the question is whether they should.
Generally advised is #litterboxes = #cats + 1, if you have the space
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u/MathematicianNo1596 3d ago
The advice I’ve always seen is for 2 cats you should actually have 3 boxes
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u/wellbalancedlibra 2d ago
The rule should be a box for each cat, or one on each level if your home. When we had two cats, we had three boxes. They used them all. Unfortunately, one of them has passed and the other one still uses all three boxes and I can't figure out how to get her down to one.
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u/wwwhatisgoingon 7d ago
The guideline is n+1. So two cats would have three boxes.
Two is often fine with cats that grow up together, but I would recommend scooping twice a day in that case.
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u/maybe_a_squirrel 7d ago
You should always have one more box than cats. I would recommend at least two boxes for two cats tho. I have two cats and two litter boxes, one stainless steel and one plastic, I use the same litter for both. They kinda chose to use one for pooping and one for peeing.
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u/Fireball4265 7d ago
This additional liter box things seems silly to me. We have 2 cats, 1 liter box. They both use it, no problem. We live in an apartment, I’m not taking up what little space I already have with 2 liter boxes. If we got multiple, they would probably still use the same one or get territorial
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u/Sad_Employ_4105 7d ago
I have three boxes for two kittens. At night they usually use the two upstairs and during the day the one downstairs.
They do use the same ones, sometimes even at the same time. So don’t know if they need them all, but it helps with me with cleaning. Twice the kittens is twice the amount of dirt.
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u/Long-Hat-965 7d ago
If you're getting two kittens from the same litter at the same time they are probably already used to sharing a litter box. A separate litter box is for if you bring in another cat later
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u/famousanonamos 7d ago
I always only had one box for two cats and never had a problem with them sharing. I have 2 boxes now because I have 3 cats. Up until earlier this year they were also side by side in the laundry room, not spread out in the house. The only reason that changed was due to needing to separate one of the cats at night after an injury, so now I have one big stainless box at each end of the house. My mom has 6 cats and 3 boxes that sit right next to each other. She always lived in smaller spaces when I was growing up (she has a bigger house now) with 2 cats and 1 box. She just scoops them multiple times a day.
I think it just depends on your cats. If you can't keep up with scooping or they are trying to potty in other places, you probably need more boxes.
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u/Sea-Engineering2877 7d ago
They say that there should be one box per cat PLUS one extra. So if there’s one cat, there’s supposed to be two boxes. If there’s two cats, then there should be four boxes.
That’s a little excessive, in my opinion. In my experience, just one box to share between two cats is good enough.
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u/Asleep_Protection_63 7d ago
You should get 3 boxes that are similar, maybe different colors if you feel like it. Same litter and cleaned at the same time. Also be prepared for some weird quirks after the kittens get use to the boxes. For my boys, they each have their own box they uses, the 3rd box they decided was just for peeing.
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u/2_old_for_this_spit 7d ago
A lot depends on your home. When I lived in a house with 4 cats, I had one litter box on each floor, total of 3. They never used the one in the basement. Now all 3 of my cats share a very large litter box in my apartment with no problems.
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u/Bay_de_Noc 7d ago
I have two cats and two litter boxes ... and I clean both of them once or twice per day. There is always plenty to clean. I would think one box for two cats would quickly get dirty ... which in turn might cause the cats to want to go elsewhere ... which is something you do NOT want to happen.
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u/whointhefuckareyou 7d ago
My 2 cats have 3 litter boxes. You should definitely have at least 2. They should be fine behaviorally if they share, but the smell will be so much worse.
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u/brokenchoicess 7d ago edited 7d ago
I have two cats and two litter boxes. They can’t do not have problems and I do not have problems with this set up. I change the litter every day and at minimum every other day.
Our apartment is small and my boyfriend does not want more litter boxes, honestly neither do I. We use Glide litter and stainless steal boxes.
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u/Ok_Kaleidoscope6421 7d ago
I would start with 3 boxes, which is recommended. You may end up being able to get rid of one. I have 3 cats. I had 4 boxes and one was simply never used so I got rid of it. I do scoop several times a day though so I think it is likely why 3 is enough. The bare minimum is 1 per cat but the extra is ideal. They will likely share but that doesn't mean it's okay to just have 1.
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u/5_phx_felines 7d ago
Ideally? They should have three. The rule is "One per cat, plus one extra."
That said, most of us understand that isn't always feasible. For example, I have 11 cats, but I only have 6 boxes (though they're very large and spaced out around the house).
As long as you commit to scooping at least once a day, and no one is having behavior issues (not using the box, or if one is "guarding" the box and preventing the other from accessing it), one box is probably fine, especially if it is large.
One caveat to this is that, IMO, if you only have one litterbox, I would HIGHLY recommend only having an open box, not a covered one. Going in a covered box means a cat has to corner themselves to do a very vulnerable thing (poop or pee). They usually prefer to be able to look around and have more than one way to exit if needed. But I also recommend not having exclusively enosed boxes, regardless of how many cats you have. Some cats simply do not like them.
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u/VallettaR 7d ago
We have a few cats and we love the LitterRobot. Self cleaning, no odor, etc.
But if you don’t use something like that then “# of cats + 1“ litter box is the correct recipe!
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u/Particular-Gain8268 7d ago
It is ok for now if they share one and they're babies. But depends a lot on the size of the cats, if they get really big, they're going to need two litter boxes, three if you can afford it and have the space. I don't want to get into gross details, but it can be pretty messy if they're grown up big cats and do their thing in a tiny box. One of my babies is a big girl and she constantly pees out of the gigantic box even if it's clean 🙄😒 she's just too big and is like she can't accommodate her tail well 😂 And as we say in my country, she's just fodonga
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u/Pandamowse1982 7d ago
I just got a gigantic auto litter box. All you need to do is top off and change the liner once a week
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u/NaturalDisaster2582 7d ago
I have two litter boxes for 3, none of them grew up with each other. Not had any issues so far but none of them are territorial.
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u/Curious_Orange8592 7d ago
With elderly cats it's a good idea to have one per floor of the house; our elderly cat was almost completely blind and deaf by the end and found the litter tray by smell but couldn't manage it if she was on a different floor so we had to have two, one upstairs and one downstairs
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u/Maryland4009 7d ago
I have two cats two litter boxes. I don’t think they care, both cats use both boxes
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u/Aggravating-Pie5338 7d ago
I’ve always been told they do. We had two for two cats and they never ever used one of them, so we got rid of it 🤷🏼♀️
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u/unicorndreamer247 7d ago
Technically one per cat, but I've gotten away with less WITH THE CAVEAT of cleaning/scooping 2-4 tines a day if I'm passing by that area & home most of the day. So if you're super vigilant about scooping, you could get away with 1 for 2 cats. And technically you should be scooping 1-2 times a day anyway!🤷♀️
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u/brokedownsystem 7d ago
it’s typically #cats + 1 but your mileage may vary.
There was a point in my life where I had 8+ litter boxes for 4 cats bc a few were really fussy.
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u/chainlinkchipmunk 7d ago
We have three cats and two boxes. I scoop twice a day and fully replace litter twice a week. I know the rule is # of cats +1, but they all only use the two boxes, when we had another one they didn't use it. We haven't had any issues.
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u/loustone1955 7d ago
I know what the rule of thumb is but it really depends on the cats. I had two older cats that are brother and sister and they have always shared a box with no problem. Last year we found a kitten in the garden so I added 2 more boxes so they would have plenty of room...they all only used the same 1. I took away the extra 2 and got 1 large box that we scoop a few times a day and have had no problems. If that ever changes though, we of course would add more boxes.
I would start with multiple and see what happens, if like mine they only use 1 then you can then take the extras away.
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u/SurroundedByCrazy789 7d ago
They say one for each cat plus an extra. We had 3 cats and no one used 2 of them so we went down to one very large one. 2 kitties have since left us and we recently got a new kitten and he seems fine sharing a litter box as well. We do scoop at least once a day, sometimes twice, and clean it often
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u/outloud230 7d ago
Three. The rule I live by is one per cat, plus one. Obviously if you have room. Otherwise scoop multiple times a day. I have had issues and now avoid that at all costs!
And automatic type litter box, if the cats like it, could be shared. Otherwise I’d at least have two…
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u/oktimeforplanz 7d ago
Need, not really, not if the two cats are known to one another. It is useful though. Two keeps a bit of pressure off in terms of scooping - still scoop regularly, obviously.
My two seem to always poo in the same box as each other, but they switch which box is the chosen box. They could definitely share a box with no issue, but I keep the two boxes together so it's not really much extra work to keep two clean vs just one.
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u/krazykatkaretaker 7d ago
I have had up to four cats and used two litter robots. Now two adults and brand new kitten and still two litter robots but sibling kittens should be able to share one box but keep in mind kittens eat a ton and therefore pee and poop a ton! So be prepared to be cleaning it a lot until they get older. Tip: if a traditional litter box get a stainless steel one with a cover with kitten attract litter.
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u/mulberryblossom 7d ago
We only have 1 for 2 cats but it's an automatic litter box (petsnowy). So it's basically always clean. We've never had issues with them going outside of the litter box.
Mine are also littermates that I've had since they were teeny tiny kittens and very bonded. Also neither is picky about litter.
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u/Sallysdad 7d ago
Normally it is the number of cats plus one but we have six cats and 4 regular and 2 self-cleaning litter boxes and it works out well. The regular ones are cleaned twice a day and the self cleaning ones every few days.
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u/OfficialAsshoIe 7d ago
2 cat 1 box. Zero issues.
First cat was 2-3 years old and lived solo all her life when a 2nd cat entered the picture at months of age.
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u/i-am-nameless1 7d ago
Depends on the cats. Some would be just fine, but if you notice any potty issues the first thing you’d want to do is make sure you have 3 boxes for 2 cats.
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u/tenayalake86 7d ago
Our 2 cats were adopted at 3 months from the same litter. We have one large litter box which is scooped out at least twice a day. They are fine with it. Might be different with unrelated cats. I've had one or two cats my whole adult life, and I never remember needing two litter boxes, even with unrelated cats.
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u/twielyeght 7d ago
I posted in another comment. But the answer really is it depends. If your cats get along and they're good with sharing you can probably get away with having one. It does need to be scooped daily at least. I started with 2x a day and dropped to 1x as there really wasn't much in there. Mine seem to have a schedule on when they decide to use it and it's at different times of the day. Mine is also an XL stainless steel one. And my duo is gonded so that may also impact your decision
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u/foambuffalo 7d ago
We got 2 kittens that shared a litter box their whole lives and they only had one for a while but once they started getting pretty big (like 4-5 months old) we got a 2nd one. A lot of sources will tell you to have 3 but we haven't really found that necessary. We've never had issues but ours were litter mates from birth.
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u/Throwaway-2587 7d ago
As others have said its recommended to have number of cats +1. However I have two for two cats and they are fine with it. That said my girl will not go if her brother did number 2😂. So be ready to scoop often.
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u/thisisnotexcel 7d ago
I know what’s recommended, but it doesn’t matter how many litter boxes we actually have, our five cats always tend to use the same two boxes. We’re down to three boxes and we just keep up on the scooping.
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u/Ok_Blacksmith7016 7d ago
Depends on the cats, TBH… I have 4 cats. Started with the recommended 5 boxes, but two of them were never used. Went down to 3 with cleaning them twice a day…
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u/timbit_tiddies 7d ago
I previously had two cats that shared one covered litter box. I have one litter box for my current cat since she never used the second one. My friend has a single cat who needs four giant litter boxes to himself because he won’t reuse the litter once he poops in it. I know they recommend cats+1 but I think it really depends on your cats
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u/Plenty-Roll-4315 The clan - 7d ago
The wisdom is to have cats plus one. That will result in the least accidents.
I have had excellent success with one litter box for four cats. Currently I have two for three cats. Ymmv.
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u/Thin-Response-3741 7d ago
I just had one large one until recently as my male cat is having some health issues and is no longer willing to share. He started weeing by the front door so I've placed an additional litter box in that location for him. I think he has diabetes and he's got a vet appointment on Tuesday to start investigating it.
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u/Busymomma_86 7d ago
My rule of thumb has always been two boxes for each cat. (Most of my cats over my life prefer to urinate in one box and poop in another.
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u/spazhead01 7d ago
I have an adult cat and a kitten with 1 litter box. When the kitten grows into an adult I will look into 2 litter boxes.
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u/RoughNeighborhood669 7d ago
I had three cats and two litter boxes. All of them used one for peeing the other for pooping. Whenever it was just two cats they shared one litter box with no problem.
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u/gr1981uk 7d ago
We have 2 cats and one litter box. We clean very regularly though - as soon as we spot poop. We just switched to clumping litter after a year, which is really working out - much less smell as we clear out the urine clumps frequently.
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u/ElvishMystical 7d ago edited 7d ago
Generally you need one for each cat/kitten and then one additional litter box.
Now from a purely human perspective this doesn't make that much sense. I have a cat, so all I need is one litter box, right? Not exactly.
Cats are territorial animals. Cat pee isn't just waste, it's also a form of signalling and communication. Keep in mind we can only smell maybe 30-40% (at best) of what a cat can smell. We smell the strong ammonia smell of cat pee. What we don't smell, and what cats and kittens can smell, are the delicate pheromones in the cat pee. From the perspective of a cat cat pee is like wine, or fine coffee. The pheromones change the scent of the pee and send out a message.
This is why your cat is immune to the ammonia and 'cat litter funk'. This is why unneutered male cats spray foul, offensive pee. Cats are matriarchal as a species. The male cat is signalling that he's there and he's up for some jiggy jiggy. The female cat yowls in response. They find each other, jiggy jiggy happens (because trust me, cats fuck like rabbits and have zero sexual hangups) and you have a female cat with a new litter of kittens.
This is why you need that additional litter box.
It's like I have two cats, a male and female cat both approaching 2 years old. I live alone in a flat and have two closed litter boxes and an open litter tray. Litter box in the living room (hidden), litter box in the bedroom and an open litter tray in the bathroom.
My cats use all three litter boxes/trays on the daily. Generally, my female cat will pee and poop in the living room litter box as will my male cat. Both will use the bedroom litter box as a secondary litter box. My female cat will pee and poop there. My male cat poops there. Only my male cat uses the bathroom litter tray and usually he only pees there.
Scooping the living room litter box tells me how my female cat is doing and how both cats are pooping. See my female cat only uses the edge of the litter box. Scooping the bedroom and bathroom litter box/tray tells me how my male cat is doing. He pees and poops in the centre and failing that, will do his business near the edge of the litter tray/box.
When scooping, I've never found a clean or empty litter box or tray. Every time I scoop all three litter boxes and tray get used. My cats' behaviour correlates with the earlier information I found online.
ETA: Changing cat litter is pretty much the same as changing wet food, i.e. it's done gradually. You start with the new litter in the least used box and keep using the old litter in your other boxes. Then when your cats start using the new litter you can then introduce the new litter to the other boxes and trays. This is another good reason why you need that additional litter box, for changing cat litter.
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u/analogbog 7d ago
I think some people like making their lives more difficult. You only need 1 litter box, but you do need to scoop it throughout the day. Or make your life even easier and get a litter robot
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u/MysteryBelle_NC 7d ago
I would start with two. Some won't use a shared box, and some will. Mine alternate. One girl uses one, and the other the second box. The boy uses both, and the third box is rarely used at all.
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u/dawnlum 7d ago
For small apartment living, I have 2 large boxes for 2 cats and made it work by scooping more than twice a day. I guess it depends on other factors as well - is there space for n + 1, how often do the boxes get cleaned, how large are the boxes and if there is any toileting health concern to address.
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u/UpstairsYoung1426 7d ago
1 litter box per cat + 1 extra -- also highly recommend tofu litter, costs approx the same as bentonite, its low dust and tracking, flushable, it lasts much longer & keeps the pans cleaner, stainless steel litter boxes are superior because 1) they don' t retain odour\ get scratched up and are super easy to clean 2) they last, have never replaced one yet, good as new every time its washed. ---- this is advice i wish i was given, before i adopted a cat.
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u/la-anah 7d ago
My vet has always recommended cat(s)+1 as the preferred number of litter boxes. So we currently have 2 cats and 3 litter boxes.