Two cats, two litter boxes — the right setup
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
Two bonded cats who won't share a tray is actually really common — even cats who sleep curled together often draw a firm line at the litter box. The good news is the fix is simple: one box each, placed side by side so neither feels cut off from the other. Quick thing to flag before we get into specifics: most litter boxes are too small, and covered ones often make cats feel trapped, so both of those things are worth thinking about here. How big are your two cats, roughly — are they average-sized or on the larger side — and are you dealing with any other issues at the moment, like accidents outside the box?
They're both pretty average, maybe 4kg each. No accidents, they just flat out refuse to use the same box — if one has been in it the other won't go near it. I've been using a covered box which they seem to tolerate but it's always a battle.
inparticular.ai
That covered box is almost certainly making things worse. Cats are vulnerable when they're toileting, and a covered box means only one entry and exit point — so if one cat is hovering nearby, the other won't risk going in. With two cats who are already territorial about the tray, covered is the last thing you want. What size is the box you've got currently?
It's one of those standard covered ones from a pet shop, probably about 40cm long. There's just the one box at the moment.
inparticular.ai
Right, so that's two problems at once — one box when you need two, and it's almost certainly too small. A 4kg cat needs a tray at least 45–50cm long to turn around and dig comfortably; 40cm covered is tight even for one cat. My recommendation is the Savic Nestor litter box. It's open-top, well-made, and comes in at around 56cm long, which is genuinely roomy for average-sized cats. Get two of them and place them side by side — close enough that the cats feel like they're in the same space, but each has their own tray. That setup tends to resolve the refusal issue almost immediately because there's no competition and no trapped feeling.
Will they actually be okay with open-top? I went covered because of litter scatter.
inparticular.ai
Completely understandable — litter scatter is annoying. The Savic Nestor has reasonably high sides which catches a lot of it, and you can put a small mat in front of each box to catch the rest. That combination works well for most cats. The behaviour improvement from switching to open-top almost always outweighs the minor scatter issue, especially when you've got two cats competing for one covered box. Worth the trade-off.
That makes sense. I'll give it a go with two of them.
inparticular.ai
Good call. Two Savic Nestors side by side, open-top, and keep both cleaned daily — cats are much more tolerant of a shared space when the trays are fresh. If you find one cat still seems reluctant after a week or two, try shifting one box a foot or so apart to give a bit more distance. But most cats settle quickly once the competition is removed.
