Let me get fit and save my cat from dog ravages

April 4, 2006 10:59 AM

I want to reclaim my space and make a cat closet.

We have a darling little room off of the kitchen that used to be a porch and has been turned into a sunroom. There is a opening where a window used to be over our kitchen sink so you can look out onto the sunporch and backyard, all in all very cute.

We stuck the litter boxs in there as well as the cat food because the cats like to hang out and watch the birds out the window. Slowly but surely the cats have claimed the space and it is full of junk from various home improvement projects. We had to put a baby gate there so that the dog doesn't eat the cat food and the lovely "treats" the cats leave in the litter box.

I got an eliptical machine for my bday and want to reclaim that room as an exercise area. So I was thinking of building a "cat closet" that can double as some kind of long buffett for cookouts on the adjoining deck. I was thinking of a double decker deal where the cats could jump up to a platform that has there food and litter. Obviously, I would have to be able to relavitely easily get to their stuff to clean and replinish, but also when doing crunches I don't want to be eyelevel with poo.

Has anyone ever made anything like this? What logistical aspects am I over looking?

posted by stormygrey to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

You might not want to have the cat food too near the litter box. Some cats don't mind, but others will make alternative arrangements.
posted by voidcontext at 11:09 AM on April 4, 2006

I saw something exactly like this being made on Pet Keeping with Marc Marone. (Yes, I confess, I am an occasional viewer) If I recall correctly, they simply customized existing furniture- trunks, buffets, anything that can be easily opened to access the litter box. There was a cut out on the side so the cats could come and go. Then they carpeted the inside to keep litter from being tracked out. Maybe you can find more on the website.
posted by kimdog at 11:11 AM on April 4, 2006

This was just for litter though, not for food. Void context has a point about litter and food being placed too close together.
posted by kimdog at 11:13 AM on April 4, 2006

Response by poster: I have heard that cat food is bad for dogs, othewise, its not a huge deal, the cat eat pretty quickly, so as long as I keep an eye on the situation for a minute its fine. Now turds being strewn around the house, that, is a big deal.
posted by stormygrey at 11:17 AM on April 4, 2006

Something to try that would be less expensive and time consuming than building a large table would be to find an inexpensive tri-paneled screen. Behind it, you could place the litter boxes (I suggest something like this, which, in addition to keeping the dog out, is easy to clean and possibly the best litter box I've ever had), but you don't want to put the food too close to the litter, because cats, much like people, don't like to eat where they go to the bathroom. Maybe you could find a buffet-style table could serve as the food location until you planned to use it for a cook-out, and in that case, you'd already have to clean it off anyway. There are also things like this that could give you some ideas. Good luck!
posted by Teh Bean at 11:18 AM on April 4, 2006

Response by poster: Woo, I like the cat furniture link, its great. I could just buy on of those. Teh Bean, the first link concerns me because I have one 20 lb giant that often doesn't fit in holes like that.
Poor giant kitty.
posted by stormygrey at 11:24 AM on April 4, 2006

Gizmodo just posted an example of a concealed litterbox that doubles as a bench. Might help with inspiration for your design.
posted by MsMolly at 12:20 PM on April 4, 2006

stormygrey, just for reference, a friend of ours has a 25 pound cat that fits into the box that Bean linked . . .so your cat may not be too fat afterall. I have the same box, so when I get home, I can measure the diameter of the opening for you.
posted by Medieval Maven at 12:40 PM on April 4, 2006

Yes. You wouldn't want to have to eat your meals in your bathroom, and your nose isn't as sensitive as a cat's.
posted by zadcat at 12:47 PM on April 4, 2006

Response by poster: zadcat and others, the food and litter are right next to each other right now and none of the three cats seem to take issue with it. I am blessed with rather non-finicky cats.

Upon further consideration, the giant is fairly dominant though, I worry about him trapping the little ones in a boxing ring with him.
posted by stormygrey at 12:53 PM on April 4, 2006