Vets Say This Is the Worst Place to Put Your Cat's Litter Box

Unless you’ve toilet-trained or housebroken your cat, a litter box is a necessary evil of having a furry feline friend. Finding the right placement for the box—a spot that doesn’t get litter all over the house but is still one that your cat will actually use—can be difficult. Here, Rebecca Greenstein, D.V.M., veterinary medical advisor for Rover, shares her advice for the best spot to put a litter box in your home.

Don’t focus on the type of room you’re putting a litter box in. Instead, focus on how much the room is used.

“The best place to put a litter box is a place that is quiet, low traffic, low stress, and a little bit out of the way so that your cat can easily reach it, but that children and houseguests cannot,” Greenstein says.

Typically, that means basements and bathrooms. Bathrooms are a top location because the floor is generally easy to clean, and they inherently have low foot traffic. Basements offer a similar perk: a more private space, but Greenstein notes that a basement litter box can present unique challenges.

“If your cat has any mobility issues, then walking down a lot of stairs may present an unintended obstacle for them, which we don't want them to have to deal with,” she says.

If your home has mice, they might be attracted to the litter box. Greenstein also says that although the basement can be an ideal spot, it carries an inherent risk of owners losing track of their cat’s habits and missing some urinary or bowel concerns.

The worst place for a litter box is one that’s high traffic and generally bustling, like a kitchen, where your cat could get distracted or scared—or where cross-contamination could become an issue.

“It's not the best idea to have basically a toilet in the middle of your kitchen,” Greenstein says.

Bedrooms aren’t necessarily the best option, either, even though they’re often lower traffic than the rest of your home. Your bedroom may end up smelling bad if the cat has an accident. Plus, if you close the bedroom door, your cat could get locked out with no access to their bathroom.

You’ve probably heard at some point that pregnant people shouldn’t change a cat’s litter. Well, Greenstein says that’s accurate—and extends that advice to anyone with a medical concern.

“Unlike us, where we poop in a toilet, and we don't handle it, with a cat you're physically picking it up,” she says. “Even if you are using gloves, you just don't want to do anything that unnecessarily adds to the contamination burden for people who are pregnant or immunocompromised.”

Immunocompromised cats should also be considered when placing a litter box in your home. This is especially true if your pet has a history of lower urinary tract disease, which Greenstein says many neutered male cats struggle with. Don’t put the litter box in a space where your cat could get easily stressed, like a toddler’s room or a spot where people gather to socialize, because stress can cause recurrent infection episodes.

Also, make sure you don't make the mistake of having too few litter boxes in your home. “You should have more than one litter box for your cat. So, you would take the number of cats that you have in the house, add one, and that's the right number of litter boxes to have,” advises Greenstein.

Where is your cat’s litter box?