i am a first time cat owner,
and in 2 weeks and 5 days will be a proud owner of Leo the birman!
i have heard litter tray stinks in some houses, and in others they dont.....
i would think hooded is best, because i have heard that it keeps in smells and reduces mess- but i'm not sure he will go in it because at his previous home (the breeder) he has been trained to use a open one.......................



does anybody have anything good/bad about either of these?
also,
does anybody know a LARGE cheap hooded litter box (or one that would fit a full sized male birman)?
i will get a better quality one if i know he is going to use it
but while im experimenting ill stick witht he cheaper ones....................

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I bought a hooded one because with children in the house it seemed the most hygenic option. It doesnt really smell (I use oko litter) both my kittens use it but now they are older its moved out to the outhouse/utility area which they access via a catflap and I leave the front flap up for better ventilation because I did find it can get a little humid inside (condensaion inside)

we use this one which I really do like and will continue to use, the lift up front is great makes it a doddle to clean

Covered Litter Boxes: great selection at zooplus: Cat Toilet Cabrio

Im sure I only paid £14.90 for it though

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"mum" to 2 Fur-babies, Pixie and Max

I have open trays as I have heard of cats not liking covered trays and toileting inappropriately so I have these but they may be a bit big and high for a kitten, and I use OKO plus but you will be best sticking with the litter the breeder has to start.

Litter trays only smell if they aren't cleaned regularly, I try to pick up poop as they go but with Oko clumping litter you get very little smell.

I have a mix of closed and open, I prefer the closed ones but have an open one upstairs and they all get used about the same amount of time! I bought my best closed litter tray from argos....
Buy Cat Loo with Scoop and Filters at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for Cat accessories.
Its a great size the scoop is great as its in the hood so you never loose it or have a dirty scoop on the floor etc. It keeps the smells in really well IMO too

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we had our two when they were almost two years old and they'd always had an open tray but with the mess they caused we got a covered one and they took to it straight away. It kind of does keep the smell in a bit more than an open but I think that's more down to choice of litter, i use catsan which seems ok for us.

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If only cats had thumbs

Thanks for this KFM! We have one of these and I'd been looking for another one and the pet shop no longer stocked them ! I like the deep sides and easily accessible entrance.

Litter and the right diet are best for keeping the smells to a minimum I use both types of tray and my kittens are confident in using either by the time they go to their new homes No sure what make my hooded tray is but there are plenty of large types available. You could always use it without the hood to start with and then without the door (or door taped open) until your little one is used to it.

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How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven. - Robert A. Heinlein
http://www.lambchopsiamese.webs.com

First of all well done for asking for advice-thats a sure sign of a good owner

At first we just had 2 open trays when mine were kittens,but as we had 2 puppies at the same time
(were we mad or what?
-chaos at first then lovely as they settled in to one little family)
we decided to try hooded ones.

They didnt like the doors on them at first so we took them off and they love them now
Have tried lots of different cat litters ( we now have 3 cats)
and have just started to use Oko litter after reading advice from P.F members
Its very lightweight
-a bit more expensive-but definitely keeps smells down to virtually none and is so much easier to keep clean clean -the only problem being that it tracks a bit-but its well worth it
Since starting to use it we have never had to completely empty the trays-
just get rid of the wees(they make a little sort of ball of gel which can just be scooped up)and the poos and when needed top the tray up so the litter is quite deep
I used to dread coming in the house as one of our cats does make terrible smells when he uses the tray,
even though I made sure the tray was clean before leaving the house the smell was there when we came back
We dont have that any more and its just great

Good luck
Maureen