5 Great Places to Hide a Litter Box

I know the kitten was cute…have you ever seen a kitten that wasn’t? Or maybe you’re the saint that adopted the longest resident at your shelter. Or maybe, like me, a skinny, skittish stray darted around your yard for days and you fed her, won her trust, and she decided she’d just move in and take over.
Whatever the case, you’re a cat owner. Some might say that actually they’re owned by a cat, but we won’t quibble over that detail.

Too much information about my animal owning expertise

Over the years, I’ve owned many animals – the list is long and varied. Some were well thought out decisions, many were not. The majority were animals in need of a home, right away, with someone on the other end of the phone attempting to convince me why this (insert animal – usually a rabbit, a real weakness of mine), although a misery in their home, would be absolutely perfect in mine.

We’ve already established I’m a sucker (proof: where this saga began when we were adopted by a stray cat), so you might guess that I said yes more than I said no. If you’ve been there, done that, you know that the real work begins after the furry cuteness wears off.

The hamster cage needs cleaning and Cujo was less fierce…a second job is needed to pay for the dog’s surgery…the fish tank is succumbing to algae because you put it too close to the window…the rabbit needs his teeth trimmed regularly…the carpet in the den needs replacing because it has been peed on one too many times by the senior dog…the stray cat was pregnant and now there are kittens in your closet…

These are true stories from my life. (Maybe more information than you wanted to know about me.) If you’re a pet owner, I feel your pain. And joy. And dislike of carpeting.

Back to the litter box…

It’s been years since I owned a cat, and I had forgotten the joy of litter box maintenance. I had forgotten how far that clay can fly when your cat is intent on digging to the inner core of the earth.
When Marnier (our current cat) moved in, she had obviously not seen a litter box before. In a grand and glorious show of appreciation for our kindness, she opted to use the most comfortable couch in the house as her bathroom. More than once.

So there’s that.

I placed the litter box near this couch as I continued to encourage her to use it. She eventually did (insert hallelujah chorus) and I knew I had to figure out how to move that box. Because a litter box could be described with many adjectives, but attractive and desirable in the middle of your den would not be two of them.

5 Places to Hide a Litter Box…

1. In the cabinet under the bathroom sink. Our cabinet had two doors. I took one of the doors off the hinges and placed the litter box behind the other door. To clean it, it is easily accessed by opening the remaining door. However, having the door closed keeps some of the litter off of the bathroom floor. She enters and exits the box under the cabinet, so most of the litter stays in this area. You could even hang a curtain over the opening – either with a tension rod or using sticky back Velcro on your cabinet and the fabric.
2. In the bathtub. This works especially well if you have an extra bathroom where the tub is rarely used. However, even if that is not the case, it is easy enough to set the litter box on the floor when you need to use the tub. You might think this is a terrible idea, but if tracked litter causes you extreme anguish and stress, this may be a way to alleviate some of your litter related anxiety! You have to decide if the benefits outweigh the slight inconvenience. If you are concerned that litter will go down the drain, keep the drain closed and place a small handheld broom and pan near the tub to sweep up stray litter and dump it back in the box. Adding this small step each day as you scoop will easily manage the situation. (If your drain plug doesn’t seal well or you want to be extra careful, cover it with a piece of duct tape – easy, cheap, and easy to replace after use!)
3. In the bottom of a linen or hall closet. This has two options and one requires some skills. If you have a hall or linen closet, the bottom space is perfect for a litter box. You could remove the door and hang a piece of fabric to cover the opening or (this is the skills part) you could cut a small opening or install a small pet door in the bottom of the door. If you don’t want the cat climbing up on the shelves on your linens or whatever you have stored in there, add a solid bottom shelf or create one by adding a piece of cardboard or plastic (chloroplast or a lid to a tote) or a canvas (like you would paint on) or a thin board (pegboard is inexpensive and could be cut to size) to your existing bottom shelf to prohibit the cat from jumping up. This is easily accessible for cleaning, large enough for a large or hooded litter box, and out of sight.
4. Repurpose a piece of furniture. You might already have something that works, or you could visit a local secondhand shop to find something. An old dresser with missing or broken bottom drawers is perfect and should be cheap or even free! Small cabinets with doors can have a door removed and fabric added. For easier cleaning of the wooden ‘shelf’ on which the litter box will sit, you could add contact paper. Decide whether or not to paint and ta-da! You have an attractive piece of furniture that hides the litter box in plain sight! With sticky back Velcro, you could add fabric to a tall night stand or other plain table. The fabric curtain would encase three-fourths of the table, with an opening left on an inconspicuous side. Place the litter box inside this curtain, under the table. These ideas are especially helpful if you live in a small space and don’t have an extra guest bedroom or laundry room or any room for that matter where you can hide a litter box.
5. Under a sofa table. Do you have a sofa (or loveseat) placed against a wall? Add a narrow sofa table behind your sofa, flush against the wall. Now you have a place to display family photos, flowers, decor, or books…and the added bonus of a place to stick a litter box underneath where it will be out of the way and out of sight, but still easily accessible for cleaning.

If your area is large enough, you may decide to use a hooded litter box. These help to keep litter contained and may even help with odor. You can also use alternative ideas for litter boxes. I have used plastic under-bed storage totes and plastic dish pans (better for rabbits than cats because of small size). Don’t be afraid to “think outside the box” for ideas if you need a certain, unique size.

Good luck and remember: yes, the carpet is ruined and the budget is ruined and there’s hair all over your black pants. But, your life is enriched in ways that are hard to measure and completely priceless. Your character is strengthened as you practice patience and compassion and endurance. You connect with other people on a level and in a language reserved for pet owners. (Proof? I bet some hamster owners nodded their heads when I made a comparison to a rabid dog earlier in this article.😂)
You just can’t compare all that with hairy pants.

If you have a great place to hide a litter box or any other litter box tips, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!