This is an unusual request (I think) but this forum seems the perfect spot to lay it out, so here goes:

I'm about ready to start a major remodel on my home. Plans are a couple of weeks from commensing.

I live out on Vashon island, very rural, waterfront spot. I've two indoor cats that are both full-time indoor -- they never go outside. Too dangerous in this area with racoons and crazy dogs and big eagles.

I'm trying to think ahead and figure out some different approaches to dealing with their litter box. I'm wondering if anyone else here considered this when they were building or remodeling their homes. Did you have special designs, constructions, contraptions, spaces, shoots, dump drops or whatever for your cats figure into your plans.

What I'm addressing primarily is their litter box situation. Right now I have an old-fashioned litter box that is alongside the toilet and when I clean the box I dump their biz in the toilet and flush and that's it. It's rather messy, ultimately -- and sort of a drag visually (clunky, hooded litter box alongside toilet...yada yada). In my new home I 'd like to have some other sort of arrangement. But I'm not sure what exactly ops:

Any ideas? Considerations? Insights? Thoughts?

Thanks folks.

F.

I too have two indoor cats and somedays dealing with their litter is enough to make you want to set them free (where mine would last for less than fifteen minutes). Litter boxes are smelly and equally troubling is the fine sand that the animals track around a fifteen foot radius from the box- which feels just SUPER on bare feet.
I've considered this idea...
Get a remote bath vent type fan that draws strongly (to isolate the noise). Create a zone where the floor is perforated (like an air hockey table working in reverse) that is connected to the fan that is blowing out of the house. Place a litter box of any sheik design in the middle and you have yourself a kitty zen garden. Any granules, dust and odor would be sucked out the fan. For better energy conservation you could have the fan motion activated like the robot scoopers- it could get ticked on by the animal and run for a predetemined time.
The reverse air-hockey floor could be applied to a foyer as well where the majority of dirt gets tracked into a house.
The big question is...
Would the cats go anywhere near the thing?
Patent pending.

I have two cats also. My darling SO is in charge of the back end of them so I really can't complain too much, but I do hate the litter getting tracked around.
I'm going to build the litter boxes into a lower cabinet in the shop area of our new home. I just need to figure out some kind of a swinging panel for the door and rig up a motion detector light inside.

As for the litter mess, I love your idea glier...I think that would be absolutely doable if one was to put in a central vacuume system, but I can't imagine any fan that would tolerate sucking particles through like that.

I was planning to buy a Roomba vacuume since I'll have all concrete floors, and hopefully this will keep the scattered litter problem at bay without me having to constantly get out the vacuume like I used to.

These are fantastic suggestions...thanks so much -- I'm going to talk to my architect about the feasibility. Thank you!

F.:grin:

This is a great q. There is a guy who just did a big remodel (where in the heck did I see that??) but he did a hole in the wall for the cat's box and added a fan system that would suck the stinky smell out.

I found the thread:
http://www.lottaliving.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3598postdays=0postorder=ascstart=0

Here's what he said: Inside the cabinet is where the cat has his litter box hidden. I installed a separate ventilation duct in there, and connected it to the bathroom fan duct so it pulls the air from there to outside. The cat gets to the hidden litter box through a small cat door in the hallway on the other side of the wall. He loves it.

It doesn't do anything for box-emptying, which is an issue, but it's a start. We did a similar thing into a space under our porch that we put a cat door on (with a magnet-unlock) so our 2 year old wouldn't crawl out there. The only problem is once the catch didn't unlatch in time (I suspect) and our poor girl really had to go so she peed on the floor. But other than that, it was great.

We just left Seattle to live in Ann Arbor and I miss it soooooooooo. Little compares to that area. Wave at the water for me. Sniff.

Fran