How much depth of sand in litter box is ideal for cats?

Question

This question is really puzzling for me.

My cat is comfortable with any depth and has never shown any problematic behavior.

She is not even concerned with the company that makes the sand, and any sand is OK with her.

However, if the sand depth is too much, it gets difficult for me to clean the litter box. This is because my cat has the habit of digging a lot.

On the other hand, if the depth of the sand too little, the solidified clump of urine often gets stuck at bottom over plastic surface of the litter box, because my cat digs so much.

Also, if the depth is more, my cat has this tendency to sometimes just go and sit over the sand to relax.

Note: it is not that there is lack a of comfortable material at all. There are different heights and places for my cat to relax. It is just that she sometimes thinks that the litter box sand is the ideal bed for her.

So I am wondering how much depth is ideal for a cat?

Answer 1

My cats don't seem to have a preference, so I personally am never exact. Most litter companies recommend anywhere from 2–4 inches (5–10 cm), depending on your cat's habits. I usually err on the side of less, to save litter and thus money.

It is inevitable to have clumps of urine stuck at the bottom. I've never had a litter type or depth that's prevented it. Just get a solid and sturdy litter scoop. If the clumps you encounter are too hard to scrape up, consider a different type of litter. (I find clay litters are harder to scrape up than wood or walnut based litters.)

I also recommend cleaning the box every (or every other) month. As in, full on, dump all the litter and take your hose, spray it out, and scrub it with non-toxic soap (making sure you don't leave any residue on the box). I find this helps make the box easier to scoop because there's less residue that allows new clumps to get stuck to.

If your cat likes to rest in the litter box, make sure they have enough comfortable beds to call their own. If she likes how sand feels, maybe get her a little bean bag to sleep in, since that shifts and feels like sand. Keep it close to the box at first, until she starts choosing that over her litter box.

Answer 2

Cats aren’t like dogs, when they are angry and have begun pooping or pissing elsewhere, they don’t even choose the same spot to do so.

If they peed on your pillow yesterday and you cover it with plastic the next day, to prevent them from spoiling it again, your cat will pee elsewhere but not where you predict they would. Say, you don’t want your cat to get angry on the litter box, or not littering elsewhere and using the litter box, for which reason you want the it to be perfect then fill the litter pit half-full with sand. I understand, it’s tempting to fill the entire volume with sand and then let them poop as much they want, then get rid of the entire sand and fill it with more sand again. That will not be of much help though, as it will start smelling and excessive poop will increase the volume of sand which will make the sand fall out of the box.

When the cat tries to cover the poop, they may even start shoving sand outside rather than on the poop, almost as if playing with it. You want to remind the cat it’s the place for defecating and not for playing. Naughty cats often tend to poop outside if you don’t immediately get rid of their poop. They just don’t understand that we are not there all the time to monitor their bowel droppings. If you work from home, then the cats tend to become naughtier and want you to remove their poop immediately without fail, which is not convenient as well.

Some cats tell when it needs to get done, others just let it be and poop or pee elsewhere, no matter what you do, just cause they have used it once already.