Amazing DIY litter box enclosure
Last year I sold one of my litter box decals (HERE) to a customer and usually, I don’t get to see where the customer places my little litter box sign. But today I’m sharing one of those cases where I do get to see how my decal was used. I was floored when I saw what an amazing DIY litter box enclosure Don and Michele built in their home and I want to share it with all of you today.
I was so excited when Michele gave me permission to share their photos with you. This is an Ikea hack and also on the Ikea hackers website. I have never seen such an impressive DIY litter box enclosure.
They have three kitties now, Mollie and Bella who are Russian Siberians, and Debbie who is the last of their rescue cats. Unfortunately not too long ago they lost their rescue Maxy and two Raggamuffins Sherman and Sebastian.
How to build this DIY litter box enclosure
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You could build this litter box enclosure with other cabinet combinations as well that fit your space better. Ikea has so many variations or maybe you have an existing situation in your house where you are able to customize a cabinet and cut out a wall hole for easy access.
Supplies needed for the litter box enclosure
- my decal (HERE)
- 3 SEKTION Base cabinet frames (HERE)
- 3 MAXIMERA low drawers (HERE)
- GRIMSLOV cabinet doors (HERE)
- counter top of your choice
- cabinet knobs of your choice
- cabinet hinges of your choice
- cat door of your choice (example HERE or HERE)
- exhaust van
- motion sensor nightlight
- litter genie (HERE)
Building Details and Features
Michele and Don didn’t like their new but cluttered mudroom and decided to come up with a solution to hide their cat litter boxes inside that little space adjacent to their powder room. For them, the measurements of the Ikea SEKTION cabinets were a perfect fit and turned their mudroom into an amazing DIY litter box enclosure room.
A little archway entrance was cut out into the drywall and cabinet walls so the cats can enter the cat litter box enclosure. The hidden litter box has walkways built along the back end of the cabinets which are connected by more cutout door holes so they can access the multiple lined up litter boxes. Each cabinet section features a motion sensor nightlight and motion-activated exhaust fan which is probably my favorite feature of the entire setup. I’m so jealous! I’d love to have the stinky air taken right outside. Seriously who’s with me?
They actually connected the light and fan on the same motion sensor similar to the way a lot of offices have their bathrooms set up. I have no clue how that is done. I hate electrical work. There are Youtube videos that describe setups like this or you could certainly buy a separate large battery-operated nightlight like this one HERE which makes cleaning the litter boxes so much easier and adding a separate fan to each cubby. This is definitely something an electrician should answer for you.
There are three litter box setups on the bottom shelf of the cabinetry for easy cleaning and access.
Here is Mollie above sitting on a box in the background overlooking the litter box enclosure setup and below lounging on a chair. She really reminds me of our King Harry. Such a beauty.
I love the idea of being able to pull out the drawers and scooping the dirty litter right into a little covered trash can. These trash cans are wonderful and nicely hide the stink (HERE). To me, this is total luxury and spoils the cat owner tremendously. It really would make my life so much easier and less smelly.
Look at the little carpeted stairs going up to the entrance where my decal was placed. It’s perfect! (see decal HERE)
And here is their beauty Bella Mae:
pre-made and finished litter box options for sale
If you don’t like building your own litterbox enclosure, then here are some for you that you can buy already made. And they are really stylish too.
Michele also shared another one of the other impressive things her husband Don has built for their cats which is a heated cat house for their outdoor cat Debbie who was born on their property and is semi-feral. The house is attached to Michele’s office window so she can interact and watch their little spoiled outdoor kitty.
How amazing is that heated cat house? It even has an easy access door in the back of the house. So much better than my cheapo heated igloo (HERE to read the post). But I’m sure any outdoor stray cat would be happy to have either one of them.
I’m convinced that they should sell plans to their designs or build and sell their creations.
My own litterbox solution in our home
In case you are new around here, I hide a litter pan in our bathroom linen closet. It is definitely not this impressive but it works out well for us and the kitties appear to like it too. You find the little cat hole HERE and see more of my bathroom makeover using cheap peel and stick floor tiles as well.
I’m not going to lie sometimes the excess litter from their paws gets on my nerves. The litter mat I recently bought does a pretty good job of keeping the dirt more confined.
In our other bathroom, we have the same linen closet with our kitty’s litter box inside but I removed the hinged door and added a curtain on a tension rod instead.
More of my cat DIYs
- cat decorating made easy with my cat-friendly decorating tips
- hanging cat bed using macrame yarn
- amazing DIY cat litter box enclosure using Ikea cabinets
- DIY pet portrait on plates
- Ikea catio made from wood utility shelving
- DIY heated cat house
- the best heated cat houses
- outdoor cat enclosures connected to house
Tschüß,
We have a beautiful kitty named Romeo. We rescued him 3 years ago. I love my cat to bits but will not buy him a cat tower. I think they are so ugly and will interfere with my decor. Any suggestions Julia. He’s an outdoor cat so he does get some entertainment outseide the home. Thanks so much. I love that you love cats and are always taking them in and caring for them. You have a big heart.
Hi Ann, I actually built my cat tower a long time ago myself before I blogged. And I built it out of a tree. It’s not as bad as some of the others for sale but still not really pretty. Maybe I should see if I can find some prettier ones 😉
Cat lover here. Love how this is enclosed and tucked away but super easy for the owner to get to and clean out. Have to admit that right now my cat pretty much lives in the basement so his litter box is kind of out of plain sight but would love to figure out a way to do this if and when we ever get a cat who isn’t quite so shy of our dogs.
I hope your kitty can get used to the dogs. We also have one box in the basement and several upstairs. This set up would be so much better.
what a clever way to address the litter box issue! looks great!
I Know, I want it!
You should say Bear with me rather than say Bare with me.
Did you get paid to write this article?
I knew that going into Jr. High.
Hi Scarlett,
Sometimes the way you phrase things to someone else can be hurtful. I grew up in Germany and in junior high I wasn’t even speaking English yet. This is my second language and I still do make mistakes while writing or speaking it. So yes when someone points it out the way you do, it hurts because I’ve tried my best to learn your language.
And no I didn’t get paid for this post. I wrote it because I love the project my customer created.
I’m sorry if my mistake offended you.
Julia
Julia, as a native English speaker who has learned two foreign languages (including German, your mother tongue), and who is also an English teacher in Austria, I was offended on your behalf by the comment above. Every time I read your posts, I’m impressed by your ability to write so well in a second language. Believe me, I struggle daily with expressing myself in German and always appreciate the effort people all over the world make to learn my language.
Julia,
I am so impressed by your command of the English language. I thought you had learned during early school years (or maybe English speaking parents) or had begun living in the U.S. at a very young age. Your ability to write and communicate in English is excellent. Writing, speaking, and expressing your thoughts in a different language from one’s own is a very high level skill. You are doing it all perfectly! This is a wonderful blog. Thanks for all you do and especially your compassion for the kitties. : )
Hi and thank you so much! I really appreciate you kind comment.
Julia, that mistake is an easy one to make by individuals who don’t have another first language. Nasty comments like that from a rude person don’t deserve a comment. Thank you for reminding us the importance of being kind even to people who are unhappy with themselves.
Thank you, Lisa.
I suspect that was a troll comment. There’s an activist mom by that name whose child died in the Sandy Hook shooting and who sued Alex Jones for defamation. I’m guessing one of Alex Jones’ fans likes to go around making rude mean comments on random blogs and then attributing them to people who sued Alex Jones, just for kicks. Anyway, your English is excellent, and bear/bare is a typo that *native* speakers make all the time, AND all that’s beside the point because you were simply writing a nice blog post to share something exciting with people on the internet and only a very petty person would nitpick a trivial homonym error.
Thanks, it is very petty to nitpick like this.
Scarlet, most unfortunate you weren’t exposed to proper social graces. Your rude comment was out of place. The article was written for real people. I’m sure God will forgive her slight error.
I was showing my husband this amazing positive article written by this wonderfully creative person and then I came across this ugly comment. His response, “Someone shouldn’t behave like this and I knew that going into kindergarten.”
Thank you Tina! It is crazy sometimes what people who hide behind a screen will say to others. Have a great Sunday!
I love your ideas
Thanks so much but this time it’s not my idea and the amazing idea of someone else. I’m glad they are letting me share this with you.
I love this app
Thanks!
That is an amazing idea. I wish my house were laid out so I could do something like this.
I wish the the same thing. It would make my litter box cleaning a lot easier
I LOVE this idea! We adore our 2 cats but have struggled with how to accommodate their two litter boxes. We are about to undertake a remodel, which will add some storage space in another part of the house. This terrific concept could applied to a currently cluttered row of cabinets in the laundry room and give our kitties some privacy to boot. I wouldn’t be able to create side entrances but I could create a cat-shaped entry door in the front. I was disappointed however that the link to your vinyl decal said it was unavailable! It would make the perfect addition to the cat-shaped entryway, especially since we have one boy and one girl cat. Let me know if it becomes available again and thank you for sharing all of your great ideas!
Hi Tina, sorry that I stopped selling it. It was just so much work to try to keep up with my small shop.
Hey Tina, see if you can find the classic patter of his and hers on line. Copy on plain paper to add ears. Then cut out and trace on contact paper. Contact paper comes in several colors and patterns and self sticks. So when I did this, I found the perfect color to match my decor.
Good idea!
Hi! I have a narrow linen closet in my bathroom and want to hide my litter box similar to yours. Is your closet narrow and if so what type of box was a good fit?
Thanks so much!
Hi Carey, yes mine is narrow and I was able to use a standard small litterbox. You definitely have to measure to make sure they would work for you.
Hey great ideas! Do you find the stuff in your bathroom linen closet gets dusty from the litter box? I’d love to tuck mine away somewhere but even the lowest dust litter seems to leave fine dust everywhere.
Hi Katelyn, I actually don’t have an issue with that. I have this setup in two closets like this. The one has cleaning supplies and such and there is no issue. And the other one actually has towels in it with no issues. I’ve had it this way for 20 years and nobody has ever complained.