# cat litter box question
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 21, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634 "2009-10-21T17:23:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/1 "2009-10-21T17:23:25Z")
I’ve got a cat who recently started using one of our litter boxes while facing the wrong way, so the nasty cat poop falls on the floor instead of in the box. Box is covered with just opening to get in/out, so other cats go in and turn around to face outside.
How do I get this one cat to turn around again?
PS never had problems until box broke (self-cleaning model) and sent for repairs. Came back, then cat started pooping “outside the box”.
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### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/2 "2009-10-21T17:48:56Z")
I’ve heard some people putting up a piece of duct tape horizontally across the opening high enough so it has to be stepped over, so the cat has to either be in or out. Worth a try.
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### Author:  [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/3 "2009-10-21T17:52:17Z")
Interesting! Will try it out!
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### Author:  [@JustThinkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustThinkin)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/4 "2009-10-21T19:11:39Z")
We had a cat that peed over the sides of the boxes. We replaced the regular litter box with a deeper Rubbermaid container. Problem fixed.
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### Author:  [@TerpBE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TerpBE)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/5 "2009-10-21T19:41:03Z")
They make top-entry litterboxes, which are essentially a rubbermaid container with a lid with a hole in it. They cost like $60 though, so you can just do what we did: get a regular rubbermaid container, remove the lid, and use it as the litterbox. Same result, but for about $5. The walls should be high enough to catch any poop or pee, but the cat should still be able to jump in and out without any problem.
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### Author:  [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/6 "2009-10-21T19:50:37Z")
I haven’t had the problem, but I do have the problem of the cats tracking litter out of the boxes. So I bought this igloo-looking domed box with steps that wind around from the let to an enclosed entrance, that way most of the litter on their paws gets caught by the steps, and they can’t do any business anywhere but in the litter.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/7 "2009-10-21T23:01:29Z")
> [@JustThinkin](#):
>
> We had a cat that peed over the sides of the boxes. We replaced the regular litter box with a deeper Rubbermaid container. Problem fixed.
This worked for me too. One of my former cats was 20 years old and getting very feeble. During the last few months of his life, all four paws would be inside the box, but his ass end would hang over the edge. A deeper box was the solution.
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### Author:  [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/8 "2009-10-21T23:55:30Z")
> [@panache45](#):
>
> This worked for me too. One of my former cats was 20 years old and getting very feeble. During the last few months of his life, all four paws would be inside the box, but his ass end would hang over the edge. A deeper box was the solution.
I’m running into that now with my 19 year old cat.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2009, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/9 "2009-10-22T02:16:53Z")
Another, larger box.
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### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/10 "2009-10-22T02:43:35Z")
> [@Mindfield](#):
>
> I haven’t had the problem, but I do have the problem of the cats tracking litter out of the boxes. So I bought this igloo-looking domed box with steps that wind around from the let to an enclosed entrance, that way most of the litter on their paws gets caught by the steps, and they can’t do any business anywhere but in the litter.
Actually, I have one of those - it’s by Booda but it’s one step above the Booda Dome. I got it because my dog likes to eat cat shit, so I had to get a damned spiral staircase for the cats.
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### Author:  [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/11 "2009-10-23T02:41:32Z")
> [@filmyak](#):
>
> …pooping “outside the box”.
Am I the only one who thinks this phrase sounds like it applies to really clever cats?! 😃
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### Author:  [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2009, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/12 "2009-10-23T09:20:04Z")
Deeper box won’t solve my issue, as this is a specialized self-cleaning box. Deeper box = not self cleaning.
I really want to solve the issue with the current box.
If you want a picture of what it looks like, to see why it’s a challenge, try the main company website: [www.litter-robot.com](http://www.litter-robot.com).
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### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2009, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/13 "2009-10-23T13:21:08Z")
That’s funny, I heard the duct-tape thing specifically about the Litter Robot. 🙂 I have one too, although I don’t have that problem with it.
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### Author:  [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/14 "2009-10-23T15:37:54Z")
We use a large Rubbermaid container as well. The high walls give the added bonus of blocking the dog from getting to the…errrr…snacks therein.
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### Author:  [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/15 "2009-10-23T16:42:40Z")
From the pics it looks fairly small, as if the cat has to have his head out of the box in order to line up correctly. If I’ve got that right, he may be feeling too exposed in that position. You might try taping a cloth of some sort around the top of the entrance, so that his head is safely in the enclosure while he goes.
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/16 "2009-10-23T19:03:13Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#):
>
> Am I the only one who thinks this phrase sounds like it applies to really clever cats?! 😃
New Yorker [cartoon](http://www.cartoonbank.com/1998/Never-ever-think-outside-the-box/invt/117887).
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### Author:  [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-litter-box-question/514634/17 "2009-10-23T21:22:54Z")
> [@JustThinkin](#):
>
> We had a cat that peed over the sides of the boxes. We replaced the regular litter box with a deeper Rubbermaid container. Problem fixed.
Ditto on that. We have a large cat that hangs over the edge on the traditional box. The deeper box fixed the problem.