Recently I had the opportunity to purchase some land. I have plans to build a forever house – which led me to make a list of the things that “must” be a part of the new home. First of all it needs to have an atrium.

Our current home has an open space between a bathroom and a bedroom, directly across from the front door. Front Door >> Foyer >> Atrium. This 3-sided space has no ceiling – it’s open to the elements. It’s open to the sky. It’s a lovely place to have a morning cup of coffee, to watch clouds float by, to read a book, to listen to the fountain and the wind chimes. It’s easy to see if it’s raining, or how much snow has fallen. In the fall and winter we have a small fire pit that can be moved in. My next home will have an atrium.

The absolute second thing that my dream home must have is a dedicated space for the litterboxes that is 1) inconspicuous (out of sight), 2) easy to clean, and 3) with supplies easy to reach.

I hate cat litter. I hate the litter path leading away from the box. Don’t misunderstand, I’ve had cats long enough to remember the days when we used clay litter – like mechanics use – that wasn’t “scoopable”. It used to be a major pain to clean the box that you’d wait until it was so dirty the cat wouldn’t use it again and then would dump the mess into a trash bag, refill it, and wait until it was full.

Litters have progressed so much. It makes managing litterboxes much easier. Most are “clumping“. Just scoop the clumps, empty them into a trash can, and you’re done. Top off the litter as needed. Sweep the tracked litter. I really wanted my cats to like the big automatic litterbox/cleaner thing. It was a good size, and self cleaned, and minimal tracking. But noooo, they didn’t want anything to do with it. Anyone need one? I have one that’s like new.

Our post about creating a dog washing station has become very popular, I thought the cat people would appreciate information about clever litterbox hideaway ideas. We have a grand-dog that comes to visit, and have had dogs in the past and have learned that the litterbox needs to be out of canine reach as the nuggets are a disgusting but favorite treat. So, we’ve had the litterbox in the spare bathroom tub – which worked just fine. That was, until we had overnight guests – and it was evident, that this wouldn’t be a long term solution. We then moved it to the master bath – into the square glass walled shower. We put tape over the drain to prevent drain issues. The space is large enough for the litterbox, litter, broom, and a small trash can. It actually works very well. BUT, I miss the big shower. Thus, the new house dream.

Ideas that look good at first glance

I started looking and there are several that “appear” like good ideas, but I don’t see how they’re practical in the long run. Let’s start with those first.

This style seems practical – and I like the litter catch tray in the middle. The litter boxes would need to be pulled out to be cleaned well, for litter to be replaced, and it would be difficult to clean the stray litter on the floor of the cabinet.

This cabinet has similar issues – although the cleaning space is a bit larger. There’s no room for a trash can, a broom, or extra litter. Litter would be easily tracked.

Can’t you just hear the litter falling into the vent! I suppose it’s a clever way to keep it from tracking. This chest litterbox would need to be located with tracking in mind.

This plan started with great potential – the entrance is a framed hole in the front wall. Raise the shelf several feet to make the covered box accessible and easy to clean. Litter would be tracked in the hallway though.

What to do?

The research for this article has determined what I don’t want for my new home. What I know I want is a dedicated space that is tiled for easy sweeping. I don’t want a wooden or laminate floor that would be affected by urine or feces, water, bleach, or cleaners. I don’t want flooring with seams for the same reasons. I certainly don’t want carpet. Having a professionally installed tile floor makes sense. It’s water, stain, and odor resistant. Cleans up quickly and easily.

There will be a dedicated area for the supplies – like extra litter, small trash can, trash bags, broom and dustpan. Both the supply area and litterboxes will have easy and natural access to each other.

As I continue to look for the ideal solution, I keep coming back to the Dog Wash Station. Something like the one shown here could be ideal. I’d make the walk in a bit taller to prevent doggies from helping themselves to the nugget buffet. There is room for a litter box and small trash can. Extra litter and bags could be kept in the storage areas in the room, and I’m sure that there’s room for a broom and dustpan to hide away. The design would reduce/eliminate litter tracking, and the space would be easy to clean and maintain.