This is a specific conversation about Cat litter boxes — size, type, and placement — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
A new baby changes everything — including your tolerance for litter box smell. Before you make the switch though, it's worth knowing that most enclosed boxes backfire: cats avoid them because odours concentrate inside, making the smell problem worse, not better. The box size matters too — cats need roughly 1.5 times their body length to turn around and dig comfortably, and most covered boxes are too cramped. So let me get the details right: how many cats do you have, how big are they roughly, and is smell the only issue or are there litter tracking and mess problems too?
Just one cat, she's a fairly average-sized adult moggy, maybe 4kg. Smell is the main thing — the tray is in the hallway and with the baby we're just noticing it so much more. She's never had any issues with her current open tray.
inparticular.ai
That's really useful — the fact she's happy with her current tray is actually the most important thing here. It means she's not anxious about the litter box itself, so a switch is less risky than it would be for a cat with existing issues. At 4kg she's a medium build, which gives us decent options. The key is finding something with good airflow or a carbon filter so smells escape outward rather than building up inside and putting her off. What litter are you currently using — clumping, non-clumping, silica crystals?
Clumping clay litter, the standard stuff. We scoop every day or two.
inparticular.ai
Good — daily scooping with clumping litter is the right foundation, and that discipline will matter even more with an enclosed box. My recommendation for your situation is the Modkat XL Top-Entry Litter Box. It's large enough for a 4kg cat to move around properly, the top-entry design almost eliminates scatter and tracking into the hallway, and crucially — the open top means odour dissipates upward rather than concentrating inside like a front-entry hooded box would. You get the containment benefit without the trap-like feel that puts cats off enclosed boxes. It comes with a reusable liner and a walk-off lid that catches any litter on her paws. It's on Amazon UK for around £60-65 and it's consistently well-reviewed by people in exactly your situation.
I hadn't thought about top-entry — will she actually use it though? She's never had to jump in before.
inparticular.ai
Most cats take to it within a few days, especially confident cats who've had no litter box problems — which your cat sounds like. The transition is easier if you place it right next to her existing tray for a week or so, let her investigate it at her own pace, and keep scooping the old one normally. Once she's used the new box a couple of times, remove the old tray. Don't rush that last step. The only cats who genuinely struggle with top-entry are very elderly or arthritic ones — at a healthy adult weight with no mobility issues, she should be fine.
That makes sense. Is there anything I should do differently with the litter itself?
inparticular.ai
Stick with your current clumping litter for now — changing the box and the litter at the same time doubles the chance she'll reject it. Once she's settled in the Modkat, if you want to reduce smell further you could try a litter with activated carbon or baking soda built in, like Catsan Smart Pack or a premium clumping brand. But honestly, the combination of top-entry containment and daily scooping should make a noticeable difference in the hallway on its own. Congratulations on the new baby, by the way.
