Should I get 2 boxes or multi-cat litter?

Question

I'm going to be getting two kittens very soon and I wanted to know if it would be better to get two seperate litterboxes or if it would be okay to get one litterbox and use multi-cat litter.

Answer 1

Some cats are OK with sharing a litterbox, others are not. They will let you know if they are not OK with sharing by using the floor, the furniture, your bed, etc. Two boxes is definitely best if you can spare the space and have the patience to clean two litter boxes each time. Sometimes you may only have space for one, in which case, clean it twice as often. I have three cats and they share one box, but my friend has two and they each demand their own box. Depends on the cats and how often you're willing to clean.

Note: if you are getting kittens, do not use clumping cat litter until they are a year old. It gets stuck in their paws and when they lick it off it expands in their tummies (just put some in water and see what happens). Adult cats can handle this OK, but with kittens it can block their digestive systems and may kill them.)

Answer 2

I would get the two litterboxes. My cats have no problem sharing litterboxes, but, it's nice to have a spare in the event one is occupied when the other feels the need to use the litterbox too. In the case of kittens, it is also best to have a litterbox readily available. Some folks keep a litterbox in the bathroom and then wonder why their cat has used a corner. Well, sometimes people close the bathroom door and a cat that needs to go isn't going to knock and wait. LOL

Insofar as the multi-cat formular litter vs. the regular cat litter, there is another question posted with a variety of opinions that you could use to help you make your choice.

Answer 3

I recently got two kittens as well - a brother and a sister. Initially, we used one litter box for both of the kittens. It depends on how old your kittens are if you want to just get one. As I said, we initially got one, but we ended up just getting a second one. Both of them are smaller, since they're just kittens.

I would recommend just getting two smaller litter boxes - they're only abut $3 each. The problem we faced was that one of the babies would use the litter box, and the other one would go on the floor next to the box because it was either too smelly in there, or it was occupied by the other kitten. Plus, some cats are picky - they don't use the box if it has another cat's smell, and they don't like a full box. With two kittens, you're going to have to clean the boxes around the clock, because kittens are poop making machines! It's especially important to clean alot because if they are picky, you'll still keep them in the habit of using the box and NOT making accidents.

So, I think it's in your best interest to get two, as I just faced the same problem, and having two solved our kitten's pooping outside the box problem.

Answer 4

We had a similar situation with a new cat when we moved house. A friend who is an animal behaviourist suggested putting the two cats we had originally into a cattery or in a friends house for 2 or 3 days to let the new cat become calm and familiar in her surroundings. We tried this two weeks ago, I took my two male cats to my Mums for a holiday and let my female-'Ginny', have the freedom of the house. When we brought the males back we kept them in seperate rooms - basically started the reintroduction over again. We let them smell each other under the doors and on my friends recommendation my partner and I would take turns carrying one of the males around for a few minutes in her presence(but not letting them near each other) while holding the male cat(s) we would stroke Ginny ,this was to show her that the male cats were not a thret to us, and as my friend referred to it 'dimming the borders of the pack' which basically meant we were showing Ginny how we are all in the one 'pack' if you like. Anyway looong story short(ish) after a week of this we began to put the males down in the same room and stroke Ginny to reassure her and low and behold exactly 3 weeks a 4 days later she has become quite friendly with one of the male cats while the other male is not interested either way. I suppose the outcome could be different depending on the amount of time you have to put into this and every cats personality is different however if you try some of my friends tactics and they don't work perhaps contact an animal behavourist they are miracle workers. Behaviour such as you are experiencing with the litter boxes and the plants as you know is a by-product of the problems with socialization which could be addressed by a behaviourist also. Best of luck, hope it all works out in the end :o)

Answer 5

I would start out with 1 box and then see what happens. Sometimes one cat with become dominate over the other and won't allow him/her to use the litter pan. If you find one kitten peeing where it's not supposed to it may be because the other kitten won't let it use the box. On the other hand, they may share the box without any issues or problems. If your two kittens are from the same litter it most likely won't be a problem.

BTW - You also have to watch with the food...sometimes the alpha cat won't let the other eat and you might have to seperate them at meal time. In our house at one point we had six cats and I had to seperate the slow eaters from the fast eaters at dinner time or the slow eaters would have starved to death.

Answer 6

The general rule of thumb is at least one litterpan per cat. Multi-cat litter simply means there are more odor-blocking additives to the litter; not that one pan with said litter is sufficient for two cats sole elimination site. Sometimes, multi-cats litters, being perfumed to eliminate odor, are too stinky and cat cause cats to avoid the box. Kittens can be especially sensitive to these additives.

Have fun with your new babies!

Answer 7

The recommendation on the number of litter boxes is one per cat plus one. So for two kitties the recommendation is three. That being said, mine where born together and have been okay sharing one. When we got two more kitties we added two more boxes. Everyone seems fine, and I use the clumping litter, but you do have to clean the boxes out frequently.
Congrats to your new family members!

Answer 8

It is ok for two cats to use the same litter box...I have 4 cats using the same litter box at the moment...just think if I had 4 separate litter boxes! I think it is enough to keep one clean much less multiple boxes! Good luck with your kitties!

Answer 9

One box will be fine, and a good litter. Just make sure it gets cleaned a lot.

Good luck, and enjoy the kittens!

Answer 10

I use both. I have two kitties and I use two litter boxes and Multi-cat litter.