Low Entry Litter Box For Older Cat

Low Entry Litter Box For Older Cats

There are a lot of successful cat owners who discuss about the best low entry litter box for older cats. Their views vary.

However, each of their views comes to the conclusion that elderly cats don’t like elevated litter boxes. Old cats are those ones who are 8+ years of age. If your cat falls to that category, or is slightly below it, I recommend you read this text with care.

I will show you what is the best litter box for older cats. Not only that, I will also review the top 5 boxes for geriatric cats.

By following the tips I am going to provide you, you are going to make your and your old buddy life easier.

Here I am going to show you a comparison table of the top rated litter boxes for old cats.

*Our Top Picks

What To Look For In A Low Entry Litter Box For Old Cats

Best Low Entry Litter Box For Older Cats

Cat’s needs change as they age. Your old cat definitely doesn’t have that lean and aesthetic body that it used to have. It probably knows that better than you do.

It gets harder and harder for elderly cats to jump on objects as the days go by. After awhile, jumping on a litter cabinet not only tires them up, they actually begin to resent the high sided litter cabinet.

This is the main reason why old cats fail to use the litter box that is meant for them.

You may think that the old cat asks for your attention if it stops using the litter box and urinates wherever it wants.

It is not the case. Old cats cannot “hold it” as much. They stop caring about privacy as they get older and more mature. Be aware that they can even pee and defecate on your favorite rug!

If you don’t want that to happen to you, you should look for the following things when choosing a litter box for your old cat.

Open Air Litter Box III For Senior Cats

This is the best low entry litter box for older cats for a reason. The Litter-Robot has been around 10 years in the market.

I love the fact that they made a significant improvement over the years. There are 3 versions of the Litter-Robot. But, the Open Air III is really the top litter box for senior cats.

Before I talk about the benefits of using this self cleaning box for adult cats, know that this is a completely innovative product that has an unique way of operating.

Your old cat will find this very convenient and will adapt to using it very quickly. Older cats actually resent using an enclosed litter box, due to the small entrance hole. This is not the case with the Litter Robot III.

The second thing I adore about the Open Air litter box for old cats is that there is a “stairway” accessory that leads directly to the insides of the box. It also has a litter mat on top of it, to prevent litter tracking.

The third thing completes the discussion about what is the best litter box for older cats. On the inside, there is actually a sensor that causes a light to turn on as soon as your senior cat walks in the box.

As you know, the eye sight of the cat suffer as the days go by. Every old cat will hate using a litter box that is completely dark on the inside. But, this is not the case with the Litter-Robot III Open Air.

LitterMaid LM680C Self-Cleaning Box For Old Cats

This is the second best cat litter box for older cats on the market today. It completely satisfies the above mentioned three rules that should guide you while choosing the top litter box for senior cats.

The self-cleaning and self-scooping mechanism takes care of the waste that your cat produces over the days. There is a ramp that comes with the product.

No matter how bad your elderly cat hips or legs are, thanks to the ramp, there shouldn’t be any entrance problem.

On top of that, there is a litter mat that will stop the tracking of litter across your household. The LitterMaid litter box company is relevant on the Pet Supply market since the 1980’s.

This is a clear indicator that we are talking about quality here. It was the first company that used mechanical rakes. This is still a solution for the majority of cats, especially old ones.

PetSafe Simply Clean Automatic Litter Box For Elderly Cats

This is the third best low entry litter box for older cats. The three choosing rules are completely satisfied.

It has low sides and is completely self-maintaining. It is not covered, so you shouldn’t even bother with the entrance hole size.

What I like the most about the PetSafe Simply Clean box for adult cats is that the cleaning cycle is very silent and doesn’t bother the sound sensitive old cat.

The Simply Clean litter box is known to have the ability to save more litter than other traditional boxes. If your cat has painful joints, this will be the best bet.

This is because the sides of the box are plastic and are very round. Check out this complete PetSafe Simply Clean automatic litter box review.

No matter how much of a difficulty your cat will have entering the box, the round edges will be very friendly.

Also, while the box is cleaning itself, there isn’t any litter moving.

Your cats will never be frightened while using the box. It can easily become the coolest and favorite self scooping box for your old friend.

PetSafe ScoopFree Self Cleaning Box For Geriatric Cats

The PetSafe ScoopFree cabinet system for geriatric cats holds the fourth spot of our best litter box for older cats list.

This is a complete scoop free, electronic litter box that will take care of your old cat. Sides are very low. Your cat will never have a difficulty entering and leaving this fancy litter.

Tracking nasty muddy litter that is “glued” to the old cat paws will be a thing of the past. This is due to the revolutionary blue crystals.

There is an advantage if you choose to use this box for your old cat actually. You will want to purchase the one without the purple cover. This costs cheaper.

This extra long litter box cleans itself as days, weeks and months go by. All you have to do is change the crystal litter every month or so. Older cats are known to urinate and defecate more frequently. Check out this ScoopFree Self Cleaning box review.

Usually they have soft stools. Crystals are a perfect solution to dehydrate it and eliminate the odor in your indoors forever.

Whether you have an elderly cat or not, investing in the PetSafe ScoopFree litter box for geriatric cats will always be a clever thing to do. The best thing is that it can be used for multiple cats.

Lucky Champ Litter Pan For Old Cats

The Lucky Champ litter pan for geriatric cats is perfect if your budget cannot afford an electronic self cleaning box.

Plastic is the material that this product is built with. This ensures longevity and durability. Its round shape makes the scooping and cleaning easy.

The sides are very low, which makes it ideal for older cats to enter and leave the pan. As I said, I completely recommend this litter pan for those who don’t have the right finances.

But, also for those who live in a multi-level household. Be sure that your old cat with arthritis won’t go upstairs just so it will urinate.

Make things safe, and invest in this litter pan for old cats.

It is a rule of thumb to place one Lucky Champ litter pan on every floor.

Investing in a self-cleaning litter box is not enough. It won’t take care of your problematic old cat just like that. You have to know that elderly cats lose their athleticism and can’t”hold it” very much.

Be prepared for bad scent and urination stains on the walls if you have only one litter box for your 4 story house. All you have to do is invest in the Lucky Champ litter pan, and your old cat and indoors will be grateful for that!

Why Low Entrance Litter Boxes For Older Cats Are Crucial

All of the top 5 litter boxes for older cats I reviewed above, have one similarity. They all have low sides. There isn’t anything worse than having a high sided and elevated litter box for your elderly cat.

If you do, prepare for cleaning the frequent urination stains and bad scent that occurs all over your indoors. I understand that some old cats still have some spring in their legs.

But, 95% of cats that are 8+ years of age have trouble with this. Low litter box for older cats also helps with observation. If you use an enclosed litter box, the sight will be limited. Elderly cats lose eye sight very fast.

The last thing they want is an enemy cat waiting to corner them as soon as they enter the covered litter box. This is not the case with low sided boxes. They can observe the surroundings at any moment. You may question yourself.

Don’t cats like privacy while they are defecating and urinating? Yes they do. But, as they age, it becomes less and less important. They value their health and life more than they do privacy. They value being safe and being able to use the litter box without any joint pain more.

This is why choosing a low litter box for older cats 6-8+ years of age is critical.

Shallow Litter Box For Senior Cats. Are They Any Good?

Shallow Litter Box For Senior Cats

A lot of elderly cat owners do a mistake here.

You should always keep in mind that cats don’t like tight litter boxes. Getting a shallow litter box for senior cats is probably one of the worst mistakes you can make. As I said before, as cats age, they are more claustrophobic than they used to be.

This is why they prefer low entry litter boxes over everything else. You must avoid getting a narrow litter box with lid at all costs. You may think that the cover will make this a dog resistant litter box.

This is a serious mistake. That is a perfect way for your old cat to get cornered, whether it is some enemy cats or dogs.

The top automatic self cleaning litter boxes for older cats that I reviewed above, may be slightly shallow. But, they are extra long.

There is a lot of free space for them to cover up their waste and move around.

Thanks to the self cleaning feature, the odor will not be present. They will be attractive for elderly cats. Shallow litter box for senior cats are actually not available in large amount on Amazon.com.

Getting a box from the amateur local pet shop will only increase the chances of your cat not liking the box. Don’t be fooled by the cheap price and “wide spectrum” of products there.

Litter Box Training For Older Cats

Just like any other way of litter box training for your cats, old cats don’t like tobe forced to use the box.

It is a well known rule of thumb among the cat lover community, to never force a cat to use the litter box. It should happen naturally.

Does the litter box for adult cats completely satisfies the three choosing rules I talked about. If it does, there won’t be any need for you to train the old cat.

If the box doesn’t have a bad odor to it, has low sides and has wide enough entrance, it is good to go. It will start using the box on its own. The old cat will ditch the covered and smelly litter box naturally. This is because the cat will connect negative neurological associates with the box.

When it searches for alternatives, it will start using the new low side litter box in a matter of days. This is why I don’t actually believe in litter box training for older cats.

They don’t need to be house trained like dogs.

Cats use their instincts more than their conscious brain.They will do whatever suits them the best.

Cats won’t feel any guilt if they pee on your favorite rug or couch. Look at them as more “selfish” than dogs. If you do, you will know that it is up to you whether the old cat will use the litter box or not.

Litter Box Solutions For Older Cats: 5 Best Tips

In order to improve your experience with your elderly cat, I will provide you with couple of useful tips you can use. This will also make the life of your old buddy more convenient.

  1. Old Cats Still Value Privacy – But not so much as they used to. I recommend you place the litter box for old cats in some less frequent area. Some cat owners like to put the litter boxes in the bathroom. But, with old cats this would be a problem. It is a good idea to put the litter box in an area that your elderly cat likes to spend some time in. Place it away from the cat’s cradle and food plate.
  2. Once Your Old Cat Begins To Like The Newly Bought Litter Box, Never Change It – Elderly cats have trouble adapting to modern and new things. They lose that curiosity they had when they were younger. Just like humans.
  3. If You Have High Sided Litter Box It Would Be a Clever Idea To Cut The Sides – 75% of all older cats develop some form of join-related-disease. The most common is arthritis. Cats suffer from major pain wherever their body parts hit some object.
  4. Cats Lose Their Movement Ability As They Age – It becomes more and more demanding to climb up and down the stairs. This is why it is nice to put a litter box in every story level.
  5. Most Of The Cats Also Lose Their Sight As They Age – Some of them become blind. If they do, never ever change the location of the litter box or food bowl. Once they lose that neurological association about where the box was, they will have a major difficulty adapting to the new location for the box.

Conclusion

If you have an old cat, be prepared to have some difficulties about owning it.

Never get mad about something that the cat does. It is key to keep the good vibes in your household. This way you and your cat will continue to grow.

Continue to provide love for your cat as it was young. This way you will achieve something that many cat owners strive for. Lifelong partner that you shared lots of good and bad moments with.

This will be unforgettable.

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