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 | Kim Boatman Ever notice what's absent from the pages of your favorite home-decor magazines? Just where, in those beautifully appointed homes, are the cat litter boxes?
And just what are those of us who don't grace the pages of glossy magazines supposed to do with these necessary but ugly and occasionally unpleasant fixtures?
About 73 million cats deign to live in homes in the United States. Where there are cats, there must be litter boxes. But just how to reconcile an unsightly litter box with Arts and Crafts, modern, or any sort of decor is one of the great mysteries of the universe.
It so bugged cartoonist Scott Adams that he has included a litter-box room in the virtual house he created for his Dilbert character.
Award-winning contractor Kacey Fitzpatrick put in a "cat zoo" room with special venting for the litter box when she remodeled her Los Altos, Calif., home.
San Jose, Calif., veterinarian Jill Hoffman had a woodworker construct a custom cabinet to house her litter boxes, complete with built-in storage and a place for food and water on top, not to mention the step that enables her "fat cats" to get to their meals.
"My custom-built cabinet is pretty neat," Hoffman says.
Litter boxes annoy the rest of us enough that there is a thriving business in litter-box decor.
Barbara Cartun, whose Hidy Tidy feline furniture company is based in Bisbee, Ariz., has sold about 6,000 of her custom cabinets in the last five years. One of her top-of-the-line cabinets costs $650, complete with stained-glass window. (Litter trays are not included; information: www.hidytidy.com.)
Yet another company is offering a litter-box cover masquerading as a planter (information: www.hiddenlitter.com).
Talk about thinking outside the box.
But before you get too carried away in planning new, stylish accommodations, keep in mind that cats can be persnickety about their facilities.
The presence of a lid, location, litter type, and cleaning can be factors, Hoffman says. In general, she advises considering these factors:
Easy access. Cats, particularly kittens and older cats, need to be able to get in and out of the box with ease.
Coverage. Some cats like privacy, while others prefer fresh air.
Litter type. Hoffman prefers clumping cat litter or litter containing activated charcoal. "Remember that a cat's sense of smell is probably a thousand times ours. I don't think most cats like perfumed litters or dusty litters."
Frequent cleaning: Once daily is a minimum.
Number of boxes: The rule of thumb is to keep one more litter box than you have cats.
Placement: Think about convenient access, quiet, and an appropriate distance from where you feed your cat.
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