Are you cleaning your cat litter box correctly?

由 AI 翻译自 The Guardian · Animals

Are you cleaning your cat litter box correctly? | Well actually | The Guardian Skip to main content Skip to navigation Close dialogue 1 / 1 Next image Previous image Toggle caption Print subscriptions Newsletters Sign in US US edition UK edition Australia edition Europe edition International edition The Guardian - Back to home The Guardian News Opinion Sport Culture Lifestyle Show more Hide expanded menu News View all News US news US politics Midterms 2026 World news Climate crisis Middle East Ukraine US immigration Soccer Business Environment Tech Science Newsletters The Filter Wellness Opinion View all Opinion The Guardian view Columnists Letters Opinion videos Cartoons Sport View all Sport Soccer NFL Tennis MLB MLS NBA WNBA NHL F1 Golf Culture View all Culture Film Books Music Art & design TV & radio Stage Classical Games Design a better world Lifestyle View all Lifestyle The Filter Wellness Fashion Food Recipes Love & sex Home & garden Health & fitness Family Travel Money Search input google-search Search Support us Print subscriptions Newsletters Download the app Search jobs Digital Archive Guardian Licensing Live events About Us The Guardian app Video Podcasts Pictures Inside the Guardian Guardian Weekly Crosswords Wordiply Corrections Tips Search input google-search Search Search jobs Digital Archive Guardian Licensing Live events About Us A good litter box setup is important to a cat’s health and happiness – and it’s not that difficult to achieve. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images View image in fullscreen A good litter box setup is important to a cat’s health and happiness – and it’s not that difficult to achieve. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Well actually Are you cleaning your cat litter box correctly? How often should you clean your cat’s litter box? Plus three other tips for peak cat cleanliness Madeleine Aggeler Wed 16 Sep 2026 12.00 EDT Last modified on Wed 16 Sep 2026 12.01 EDT Share Prefer the Guardian on Google T hroughout history, people have revered cats . Ancient Egyptians worshipped feline deities. In Norse mythology, the Viking goddess Freya rode around in a sled pulled by two cats. And my father regularly takes his cat on walks around town in a little bubble backpack so she can see the sights. As anyone who has lived with a cat knows, we serve them and not the other way around. This includes the messy and malodorous task of tending their litter box. According to experts, there is often room for improvement. “The most common mistake people make when it comes to their cat’s litter is creating a setup that works for them instead of for the cat,” says Samantha Bell, cat expert and content strategist for the non-profit rescue Best Friends Animal Society. “But we bring our cats into our homes, so we need to do our best to ensure they are as comfortable as possible, and a litter box is a huge part of their comfort.” Below, what you need to know to ensure your feline overlord’s bathroom satisfaction. How many litter boxes should you have? On TikTok, I once saw someone claim cat owners should have a litter box in every room. I imagined my small apartment crammed with litter boxes and despaired. “Is that what you want?” I desperately asked my cat, who doesn’t speak English and doesn’t respect me enough to answer me even if she did. Unfortunately, I’m allergic to my adorable kitten – here’s what doctors advised Read more Fortunately, like much TikTok content, this wasn’t true. But more than one litter box is often a good idea, especially if you have multiple cats. “It is recommended that there be one litter box for each cat in the household, plus an extra,” says Dr Lori Bierbrier, Ssenior medical director of community medicine, east coast, for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). For instance, if you have two cats, three is the ideal number. If you live in a multilevel home, “there should be one litter box on each floor,” she adds; this ensures cats don’t need to travel too far when the need strikes. Cats can share litter boxes, says Dr Marci Koski, certified feline behavior and training consultant and owner of Feline Behavior Solutions. “It can be a good way for them to get to know each other,” she says. But some cats don’t like to share, “especially if there’s a contentious relationship between cats”, Koski says. “That’s all the more reason to have more litter box locations than cats.” What is the ideal litter box setup? “There are quite a few elements that go into creating a good litter box setup for one cat, but it doesn’t need to be complicated or difficult,” says Koski. Graphic with three lines of text that say, in bold, 'Well Actually', then 'Read more on living a good life in a complex world,' then a pinkish-lavender pill-shaped button with white letters that say 'More from this section' Make sure the box is big enough . “Most boxes that you find in the pet store are too small,” says Bel