If you aren’t currently living with the luxury of extra out-of-the-way space (like a basement or a junk room of sorts), your cat’s litter box is probably going to be in the way.
Most cat owners have essentially surrendered to the fact that having a cat means having a litter box out in the open — and thus begrudgingly accepted the unsavory side effects that come with it. If you know, you know: Flung litter that somehow makes it past the rubber mat and onto the bottom of your feet, the faint combination stench of cat pee and air freshener lingering in the air, and apologies to guests for putting them through that experience when they come over.
But the smartest way to conceal the litter box isn’t by tucking it away. It’s by strategically hiding it in plain sight.
You may have seen the hack of litter box enclosures that double as furniture or decor on TikTok, where pet owners can be found hollowing out a TV stand or old dresser to fit the litter box inside. If you already have a very specific piece of furniture that you’d like to display, then by all means, rig it yourself.
But there are plenty of options online that don’t require any DIY. Shopping for aesthetic litter box enclosures is nearly as easy as shopping for regular furniture: Retailers like Wayfair and Amazon have a ton of options from side tables, to storage cabinets, to giant decorative planters, ranging in styles from rustic to modern to retro. They look like regular furniture that you’d probably buy anyway, but subtly feature kitty-shaped entrance holes, internal space for the box itself, and necessary ventilation. The high walls of the enclosures are clutch for preventing litter tracking and concealing odor.
Many also have built-in storage space for accessories like a scoop or a Litter Genie, shelves, or a flat surface on top for your own knick knacks.
Will cats use litter box furniture?
Obviously, most of these designs are completely enclosed like a covered litter box, so your cat will have to be the type that doesn’t mind privacy. (Not all cats will use a litter box with a hood.) If your cat is already used to the covered setup, the adjustment to litter box furniture should be pretty seamless. Most reviewers mention that their cats took to the new enclosure with no problem.
A few adjustments on your end can promote a stress-free transition between litter box locations. Introduce your cat to the new litter box and give them a chance to choose the new one before taking the old one away. (This process could take a few days, so be patient.) Using the same litter can offer a sense of familiarity in the new box, too.
Can you use the litter box you already have?
In most cases, yes. Most furniture that was specifically designed to conceal a litter box was done so based on the average litter pan size and shape (between 20 and 25 inches long and between 15 and 20 inches wide). An absolute unit of a cat will need a larger litter box — the general rule of thumb says that the pan should extend 1.5 times the length and width of the cat.
Litter boxes outside of the traditional plain rectangle kind, like a self-scooping model or one with a pull-out sifting tray like the Tidy Cats Breeze System, will require a more spacious design, but you definitely still have options — just be sure to measure the box you want to use and check the dimensions. There’s even a credenza specifically made to house the massive-and-awkwardly-shaped Litter-Robot.
(For each enclosure suggestion, we’ve provided both exterior dimensions for room arranging purposes as well as interior dimensions to calculate the max litter box size. Dimensions are listed in inches by length, depth (or width), and height.)
Here are our favorite litter box furniture ideas for 2023:
