Cat Litter Boxes

Cats are extremely clean animals that do their business in their very own cat litter tray. The choice of litter tray is left to the owner – we can choose between enclosed and open trays. What are their advantages and disadvantages?

Types of cat litter trays

There are two types of cat litter trays – open and enclosed. Below you can read about the advantages and disadvantages of each type, and of course the requirements of both ourselves and our cat also need to be taken into account.

Open type

The open type of cat litter tray is the simplest and consists of a plastic container with raised edges, into which we pour litter.

ADVANTAGES:

• Easy clump removal: clumps of soiled litter can easily be removed from an open tray on an ongoing basis
• Easy cleaning of the tray: every cat litter tray needs to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected from time to time, which is simple to do with the plastic container that represents an open cat litter tray
• Easy use for kittens too: even the smallest kittens will quickly understand how to use an open cat litter tray and will generally have no trouble with it

DISADVANTAGES:

• Litter scattering: because the edges of an open cat litter tray are not very high, vigorous digging often results in litter being scattered outside the tray
• Spread of unpleasant odours: if the litter is not changed regularly or clumps are not removed, unpleasant odours escape from an open cat litter tray much more quickly
• Unaesthetic appearance: let's admit it, the sight of cat litter is not exactly attractive!

Enclosed type

The enclosed type of cat litter tray is a plastic container with a lid and swinging door, through which the cat enters and does her business inside.

ADVANTAGES:

• Odour containment: an enclosed cat litter tray contains unpleasant odours much better, especially those trays that have a filter on top
• More aesthetic appearance: the lid prevents you from seeing inside and thus maintains a better look for the whole room
• Litter doesn't scatter around the room: the fact that even vigorous digging doesn't scatter litter around the room is probably the biggest advantage of an enclosed cat litter tray.

DISADVANTAGES:

• Slightly more demanding use: the cat has to get used to using an enclosed tray, as she has to learn to push the swinging door open with her head. For the first few days of using an enclosed cat litter tray, therefore remove the door and gradually get the cat used to using it.
• Harder to monitor and remove clumps: because the tray is enclosed, we cannot see the clumps and have to look more closely and reach through the flap with a scoop or remove the lid for more thorough cleaning