Risk Factors of a Bedroom Litter Box: Unraveling the Truth

If you’re considering to keep a litter box in your bedroom, there are important factors that you should consider

Keeping the litter box in your bedroom is generally not recommended as we have concerns about hygiene and potential allergens. It can increase the risk of bacteria, parasites, odors, and allergens that will come in contact with your sleeping area. It can also disturb your sleep due to cat activity. It’s generally better to place the litter box in a well-ventilated and easily accessible area away from the bedroom.

We chose to keep ours in the tool cupboard that we have in our flat. We keep the door open so our cat always has access to it.

What Are The Dangers Of A Litter Box In Bedrooms

While having a litter box in the bedroom may give you some convenience, it’s very important to be aware of the potential dangers and drawbacks. Here is what we know:

1. Allergies and respiratory issues: Cat litter can often make a lot of dust and produce allergens that can lead to health issues. Placing the litter box in the bedroom can increase these issues and lead to discomfort or other complications
2. Odor and hygiene: Litter boxes can emit strong odors, especially if they are not cleaned often. Keeping the litter box in the same area with your bed can make the space unpleasant and affect the overall air quality. It can also increase the risk of bacterial growth
3. Disruption of sleep: Our feline friends are nocturnal animals and they are going to engage with the litter box at night. This can potentially disrupt your sleep if you share the bedroom with a litter box
4. Increased Tracking: Without intention cats can track litter through the house as they exit the box, leaving a trail of litter through the bedroom. The litter can be uncomfortable to step on and difficult to clean up especially if you have a carpet inside the bedroom. By placing the litter box in a different room you can stop your cat from tracking litter everywhere
5. The risk of parasites: Kittens poop can contain a small parasite called Toxoplasma which can lead to a disease called Toxoplasmosis. This is the main reason why we don’t recommend placing the litter box in the bedroom

Concerns About Odor Control in The Bedroom

If you have decided that you still want to place the litter box inside the bedroom, it’s important to have a few tricks up your sleeve to get rid of litter box smell.

1. Choose low-odor litters: You can buy cat litter specifically designed to minimize odor. There are plenty options available on the market such as clumping litter, silica-based or natural, homemade cat litter. You should experiment with different options to find the one that works best for you and your pet
2. Maintain cleanliness: Regularly clean the litter box to prevent odors from accumulating inside the bedroom. Scoop the waste at least twice a day as cleaning will be crucial to keep the smell at a minimum
3. Have proper ventilation: If the bedroom is proper ventilated, you will get rid of half of the problem. By opening a window you can help the air to circulate and this will ensure the odor is gone faster
4. Enclosed litter box: This can help you out by trapping the odor inside the box, however you need to make sure the space is still comfortable for your cat.

Alternative Litter Box Solutions For The Bedroom

If you are concerned about the drawbacks of having a traditional litter box you can explore a few alternatives:

a. Self-cleaning litter box: If you have the spare money, you could try a self cleaning litter-box as they can automatically remove waste, reducing the need for frequent cleaning. They can also help with odor control as they are more effective and require less maintenance. The only downside we can see is that if it’s being used during the night they might wake you up.

b. Furniture with integrated litter box: These pieces of furniture are designed to conceal litter boxes. They can have a discreet compartment or hidden space where you can place the litter box and blend it with your bedroom furniture

c. Litter box training: If feasible, you could try to train your cat to use the toilet instead of a litter box. There are training kits available that gradually transition your cat from using a litter box to using a toilet

We Recommend: A dedicated cat area. If you have the space you can create a designated cat area in another part of your home such as a utility room or laundry room. When we made the change this gave us a separate space for the liter box and it helped with minimizing the odor and hygiene issues

Common questions:

Q: What should I do if my cat refuses to use the litter box in the bedroom?
A: If your cat is not using the litter box that you provided, it can be due to that fact that it’s not easily accessible, clean, or it doesn’t have enough cat litter inside. Try tackling these three thing before changing the location

Q: Can I use air fresheners or deodorizers near the bedroom litter box?
A: We don’t recommend to use the air fresheners around the litter box as some of them may contain chemicals that are harmful to cats. We suggest to try a high quality odor-control litter and scoop more often

Q: Can cat litter in the bedroom make you sick?
A: While cat litter is generally safe, it can have pose health risks if proper hygiene steps are not followed. You can get sick from dust particles that cat litter may contain especially if you have any pre-existing respiratory conditions. There is also a presence of parasites in cat feces, that can make you sick with flu-like symptoms or lead to something more severe if you have a weakened immune system.

Have you ever kept a litter box in the bedroom?

Let us know below!