Do you have a cat that aims high or stands when urinating? With minimal monetary investment and a few minutes of time, you can have a sanity-saving litter box! This DIY litter box with high sides is perfect for cats who have these types of bathroom habits.
DIY $16 CAT LITTER BOX WITH HIGH SIDES
We have two 13-year-old cats named Rambo and Lucky. A few months ago Rambo started this new thing where he would pee really high and actually make it outside the back of the litter box.
I took him to the vet because of this (and a few other things) and they did an entire senior cat panel on him. He had a minor UTI but also stated that this might be something new he will keep doing even with the UTI treated.
At this point, our entire laundry room was lined with puppy pads until I could figure out what to do. I was on the hunt for litter boxes with higher sides to try and hopefully contain his new way of peeing.
SAD UPDATE: On 09/21/2021 our beloved Rambo left us. He is the one for who we made these high-sided litter boxes. It was totally unexpected, heartbreaking, soul-crushing, and there is a huge Rambo-sized hole in our hearts. To learn more about Rambo, visit our blog post We Lost Rambo.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK…
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First, I purchased two two-piece litter boxes where the top piece clipped in and made the sides higher (we tried this IRIS brand litter box with shield). Rambo still peed over the sides and even when he didn’t it would run down the inside and get stuck in the crevice – GROSS!
Next, we spent over $50 on these Nature’s Miracle High Sided Litter Boxes with 11″ high sides (which have since decreased substantially in price!). He was able to pee over those as well. I guess you could say he’s pretty talented. 😉
WHAT DID WORK…
We were at Home Depot and Scott saw Rubbermaid/Sterilite containers and mentioned we should try and make our own since you can get the Rubbermaid containers with very high sides. We decided to go for it… if it didn’t work we were only out $15 for the containers.
We purchased two Rubbermaid containers with the highest sides possible and it WORKS! He still pees really high sometimes but it has *fingers-crossed* never made it over the edge of the high sides. I did save the lids to the containers in case I do need to cover them but I haven’t had to so far. I also still have the puppy pads out, just in case, but we’ve used these for over three months now with nothing getting over the box.
NOTES/TIPS BEFORE YOU GET STARTED:
- We used the Sterilite 26-gallon latch & carry clear containers (here’s an Amazon link but we bought ours at a local store for less than $15) since they were the largest we could find with sides 20 1/8″ high. If you don’t have a high pee-er (!!) and are just looking to build your own litter boxes you can get the containers with the lower sides.
- The groves around the inside of the box have not been a problem, I just scrape around the edges and plan on cleaning them out as frequently as I did with our store-bought boxes.
- You can leave the lid on the boxes, I haven’t put ours on yet because I don’t think it’s necessary and our cats are not used to enclosed litter boxes.
- Rambo is a rather large cat and Lucky only has 3 legs so we had to take both of these things into consideration when planning our cuts for the front. Our openings are 7″ from the bottom and 7″ wide at the widest part.
HOW TO MAKE A CAT LITTER BOX WITH HIGH SIDES
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
DIRECTIONS:
1. Using a permanent marker, trace a line for you to follow when cutting the hole that you need for your cat to enter the box. We just happened to have a garden pad (shown below) that was the perfect size!
2. Using a box cutter or Dremel tool, carefully cut the outlined area (don’t forget your safety glasses!). Remove the cut area and using either sandpaper or the Dremel tool attachment, clean up the cuts you made on the plastic.
3. Fill with a litter of your choice.
That’s it! Super easy!
Since we’re all cat people here, I’ll share a picture of my cat’s pee in the box! You can see that he still aims high but isn’t able to get over the side. When I go past the laundry room where the litter boxes are located, I will usually just toss some kitty litter (using the litter scoop) up there to soap up the liquid. It works like a charm.
UPDATE: Since this has been published we have switched over to pellet litter. More to come on this subject!
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Wendy says
Thanks for sharing.
Candace Haydon says
Just a great idea. I have 6 cats, I foster, and one of them has what my vet calls “elevator butt”. Most of the time he raises his fanny higher and higher as he goes. This is the best workable idea for us that I’ve seen. Thanks so much for the post and for giving step by step direction for this old cat lady. Blessings … Candy
Vanell Volkman says
I have looked all over for a side entry litter box and can’t seem to find what I want on Amazon or even Chewy. Had thought about making my own but didn’t know what tools to use, so now I know. I also wanted to be sure that the cut edges were smooth so neither one of my girls would get cut. Thanks for going through the steps and am anxious to get this project completed.
Briana says
I’ve been using these for years. I put a little step stool next to the box to help me cats gets in and out easily!
Whitney says
That’s a great idea! I didn’t think of that. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Elizabeth Mora says
Tell me how you do pellets!!
Dusty says
My female cat started “high peeing” so I figured she had a bladder infection. One $50 test later and no infection. She was obviously uncomfortable and was licking a lot so back to the vet. Turns out she had an infected anal gland (supposedly a very rare thing). Dr cleaned her up, gave her some antibiotics and she’s back to “normal peeing.” Just thought I’d mention it in case your kitty maybe has an anal gland issue. 🤷🏻♀️ Apparently they don’t really check cats for it…more a dog thing. I’m building a high sided litter box because she scatters litter everywhere.
Misty says
Mine scatters litter everywhere tooo!!!!
This is a great idea.
diranu says
Thank you so much for this info!!
Kelly says
We have a cat who is also a talented high pee-er. We tried high sided boxes of various brands but he would step in and pee right out of the entrance. In the end, we bought a giant clear box that is 200 QT/50 GAL. It is almost as long as our tub and a few inches higher. Perhaps it is overkill but so far, so good. We did not cut a side opening. They are able to jump in and out fine and no pee outside of the box.
Pat says
I’ve been using the large high-sided Sterlite containers for litter boxes since I have a high pee-er. Up until now I haven’t needed to cut a hole in the side since my guys have been able to jump in and out. But now they’re both 16 and one of them is in failing health, so I’ll be cutting side holes today. Thanks for step-by-step directions!
I’ve been using pine pellets for years now. They’re great! They break down naturally when a cat pees and control the odor really well. Way less expensive if you buy the 40 lb. bags at Tractor Supply. Highly recommended!
Hi Peers says
I used a more transparent type of plastic (as opposed to translucent) which seemed to crack easily when cutting the door. If I were doing it again, I would put a hair dryer in the box to heat the plastic up a bit when cutting. Perhaps I just used a slightly blunt blade and rushed a bit which didn’t help.
I also think that putting the entrance on the longest side makes more sense, as the cat will turn 90 degrees when entering the box and will be much less likely to pee out of the door.
Jeni says
Ditto on the pellets. I started with the cat litter Tyler and they were great. Then say a huge bag at Menards for 5.99!! I researched and found that it was pure wood and had to try. The only difference of that the pieces are much longer and probably a little harder for the cats to scatter, but they still do their thing.
Anyway, thank you for all the stories. I’m about to toss my female in the alley with her peeing issues, but I really think this can help. I thank you and the cat REALLY thanks you.
Grace says
I didn’t see a pic of the boxes with the cut openings. Could you add one? Thanks!
Grace says
Never mind. I went back to the beginning and saw the boxes with openings! Sorry I didn’t see it before. 🤪