Solve Litter Box Problems With the Potty Pod 3000
Brother Henry's KBADS and the Litter Box
Brother Henry suffers from a not-so-rare feline psychological condition known as Kitty Body Awareness Deficit Syndrome (KBADS). The condition manifests itself in many ways, but the most challenging symptom is that Brother Henry has a tendency to belvieve that when just his front legs and head are in a litter box, his whole body is in the box. He used to frequently urinate or defecate on the floor surrounding the litter box and then get upset when he turned around and discovered what he had done.
The Guardians of Otis tried many different litter box styles and setups to address Brother Henry's problem. The photo below shows the most recent setup they used prior to devising the Potty Pod 3000. As you can see, they placed a litterbox on puppy pee pads inside a secondary containment box. The containment box was also on pee pads as Brother Henry sometimes missed the box by a surprising distance. The pee pads had to be changed at least once, and sometimes as many as three times daily.
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The Potty Pod 3000
The Potty Pod 3000 is a high-sided, top entry litter box. Because the entrance is on the top, Brother Henry must jump or step down into the box. This makes it very unlikely that his rear end will be sticking out of the box without his knowledge, and prevents him from having a KBADS incident while going to the bathroom. There are a few top entry litter boxes on the market ranging in price from about $35 up to over $180, but the Potty Pod 3000 costs less than $20 to build. It is a very economical and effective way to adress the KBADS created litter box challenges in your kitty's life.
Build Your Own Potty Pod 3000
Building your own Potty Pod is easy. Start by purchasing a large plastic storage bin with a latchable lid. The sides on the bin should be high enough that your cat will need to jump rather than step into the box. The 106-quart bin and lid pictured below was purchased at a local home improvement store for about $13.
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Step 1: Cut an opening in the storage bin lid.
If you own or can borrow a routing tool such as the Dremel pictured below for this step, it will make cutting the opening a snap. If not, heavy-duty scissors or utility shears will do the trick. Most plastic storage bin lids have a thickened edge that fits over the lip of the bin. Use the inside line of this thickened edge as a guide and cut away enough of the lid to allow your cat ample room to enter and exit. Leave a portion of the lid intact so kitty will be able to use it as a ledge from which to enter or exit the box.
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When you have finished cutting, the bin lid will look something like the image on the right, but possibly with straighter edges. The Guardians could use some work with their routing skills. Check carefully for sharp edges along the cut line and use sandpaper, a file or a grinding tool to smooth any that you find. Take the newly modified lid off of the storage bin and set it aside. |
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Step 2: Make A Litter Box Liner
You will want to make a plastic liner for your Potty Pod 3000 to make scooping and cleaning the box easier. Most storage bins do not have an even bottom surface, and wet litter will clump up in any grooves or textured areas on the bottom of the box. A liner will provide you with a smooth surface for easy scooping, and when it comes time to completely change the litter, the liner will make a convenient bag in which to discard it.
You will want to use heavy gauge plastic for the box liner. Contractor grade garbage bags (3 mil plastic) have worked well for Otis and the Brothers. Lay the bag over the bin and make a cut up its centerline on one side running from the open end of the bag down to the seam at the bottom. Make sure that you are only cutting through one side of the bag (one layer of plastic). If you cut the bag completely in half the two resulting pieces will likely not be large enough to line the entire box. Next, cut along the bottom seam of the bag away from your initial cut in both directions. When you are finished you will end up with one large sheet of plastic that can be formed to fit the storage bin as pictured below left.
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Once you have the liner fitted properly, trim away any excess plastic around the edges. Use tape (duct tape or Gorilla brand tape recommended) to secure the liner to the outside wall of the bin.
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Step 3: Fill With Litter and Add Flair
After you have completed the liner, snap the lid onto your brand new Potty Pod 3000 and add a high-quality, scoopable cat litter. To keep kitty happy and healthy, scoop the Potty Pod 3000 at least once a day. You may also choose to customize your Potty Pod 3000 and show your support for the Leader by applying attractive Cult of Otis stickers or other flair.
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Step 4: Replace Your Current Litter Box With Your New Potty Pod 3000
You don't want to confuse kitty, so place the Potty Pod 3000 in the same spot as your current litter box. Below you can see Brother Oliver inspecting the box in the same spot as the old "triple-containment" setup featured at the top of this page. Although the puppy pee pads are still present in this photograph, they were later removed as they proved unnecessary. Otis and the Brothers now enjoy two Potty Pods, on located on the second floor and one in the basement for their convenience.
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