I designed and made my own kitty litter trap.

It’s similar to a tea tray base with rubber grated tiles.

I made 3 because I have 3 litter boxes.

Here is a video:

https://youtu.be/JG79WvUMeu4?is=sTJJq0pCaTkrHTqn

Here are more pictures:

https://imgur.com/a/k6RZ5ks

And here are the instructions:

materials: plywood and ~1/2 x 1.5" wood planks with 3d printed framing (other framing would work though) plus rubber tiles that were 11 x 11 inches.

I clipped off some of the connectors from the tiles using clippers commonly used with 3d printers. those little ones that are common.

the 3d parts i designed in tinkercad. I made them 1cm thick.

You could use 1cm wooden square dowels instead or some other trim or framing that’s similar thickness.

Steps:

First: measure two tiles. measure your framing width. Multiply by 2 and add that to the tile size width and length. And that’s how big you need to cut your plywood piece to be.

Then cut two “legs/base” pieces that are the length of the short side of the plywood piece. I suggest using pretty long screws and to drill out a counter sink so the screws are flush. otherwise your framing won’t lay flush.

Also if you use really thin plywood or mdf, maybe make a 3rd base leg to help the warping which is worse in thinner wood/mdf. Put it in the middle between the other two oriented the same direction.

The only downside is you have to buy the tiles in packs of 9 or more so if you only need 2 you will still have to buy 9.

The design works very well. I’m looking forward to less litter all over the floors.

  • ruuster13@lemmy.zip
    6·
    16 hours ago

    My solution to this problem was to build an open-top wooden box enclosure with 1 ft high walls around the litter box. Along the entrance, the wall is lower (about 6") and I attached 2" or 3" paint brushes pointing upwards to brush litter off the undercoat as the cats exit the enclosure. The cats hated it at first and would jump over the brushes but over a short period of time, laziness won and they adjusted to the sensory experience. I haven’t noticed stray litter since.

  • proudblond@lemmy.worldEnglish
    23·
    24 hours ago

    Honest question from someone who has used a ton of different types of litter-trapping mats: do your cats actually walk on them? My problem with many — well actually, probably ALL of the mats that had any plastic was that the cats would leap over them because they didn’t like the texture. I had a utility mat in front of it for a while that had a fabric top and that went okay but didn’t really trap litter. I’m currently testing what basically amounts to a fluffy rug and it’s going okay I think? Supposedly helps with water/mud tracking also which is great since our litter box is next to the doggie door. (Yes, I have caught the dog grabbing a “snack” and heading outside in the short three minutes before the robot litter box cycles, sigh.)

    • daannii@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      10·
      21 hours ago

      So the jumping I think is caused by two potential things.

      1. The texture of the mat may be uncomfortable

      And 2. The entrance to the litter box is high so it’s easier for them to jump in and out of rather than try to walk over the lip.

      I think my design can help with the second potential cause since it’s essentially a step.

      And it’s big enough so that they are going to have to make at least a little contact with it.

      But if they find the texture of the grid too uncomfortable they may still try jumping over it, and if they can’t. … They might find somewhere else to go.

      I have 2 cats. One big. One regular sized. They both are walking on these traps I made. But there are a lot of differences in cat preferences out there.

      I did specifically use a rubbery tile. I’m not sure if all tiles like this are rubber. But this one advertised it was flexible in the product listing. So it’s likely more comfortable than harder ones.

    • mojofrododojo@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5·
      24 hours ago

      Yes, I have caught the dog grabbing a “snack” and heading outside in the short three minutes before the robot litter box cycles, sigh.

      right next to the door? the acme of convenience, thanks mom! grab a snack and head out lol

      • proudblond@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        3 hours ago

        It’s a damn drive thru lane, I’m telling you!

        It used to be in our bathroom behind a baby gate with a cat door in it (also where we have to keep the cat food), but we got a 2-in-1 washer/dryer combo and it freed up a spot in the laundry room, and I was super happy to get it out of my bathroom! I’ll deal with the occasional heist of kitty roca.

          • daannii@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
            3·
            7 hours ago

            I think there are limits. I don’t personally have a dog with this problem but I have a friend with that issue and she’s tried a lot of things. She just tried to keep the box less accessible to the dog. That’s the only thing that works.