Some cats really dig their litter box. Literally. These cats splash their litter all over, digging into it as if searching for some long lost treasure, throwing the litter out to cover the floor around the box.
One possible solution would be a covered box, with a hood fully blocking the streams and jets of litter and dust. Unfortunately, not all cats like their boxes covered. In fact, most cats prefer open boxes to covered ones, and for reasons cat behaviorists find easy to outline –
1. Covered boxes keep odors inside the box. This might seem like an advantage, but it does tend to make cat owners less diligent when it comes to cleaning the box twice a day. The end result is a much smellier box for the cat to get into.
2. Cats like to inspect their environment while “doing their business”, and be on the lookout for any “predators”. The covered box may seem more private, but for some cats it can be too claustrophobic, depriving them the ability to look around and make a run for it if necessary. This may be more of an issue with sensitive/scaredy cats and/or in multi-cat households.
This is why I really like this litter box –
The open top and semi-transparent sides mean your cat does not feel threatened or trapped, while the raised shield around the box significantly reduces “collateral damage”.
I highly recommend this one for multi-cat households, as an additional litterbox. At under $10 and free shipping, you can’t really go wrong here. Here are a couple of useful guides too –
