Question about number of litter boxes

[Phoebe's human]

I've often read that there ought to be one litter box for every cat in a household, plus one more.

I can understand one litter box per cat, but I'd like to know why the extra one is needed.

This might be a question that has been discussed many times on this board--I'm sorry I haven't read back over all of the threads.

[Traci]

1) Some cats prefer one box for urination, another for defecation.

2) In multi-cat households, the number of accessible litterboxes is crucial, in that some cats are intimidated or ambushed by another, so more than one litterbox strategically placed around the home helps the timid cat feel safer from the aggressor.

3) Similar to #2 above, in case of illness or stress, behavioral changes may cause a cat to avoid a regularly used litterbox. A second litterbox made available may help in preventing litterbox avoidance or preventing inappropriate elimination.

4) For very young kittens, more than one litterbox that is easily accessible is preferred because they often can't control their urinary or bowel functions, i.e, don't make it to the litterbox in time. The same can apply for senior pets with diminished eyesight, or in cases of arthritis etc where easy access to more than one box is better for the cat(s).

5) Most cats just prefer a second box, again, placed in an accessible area, away from heavy foot traffic/noisy appliances, away from dark damp places, etc.

[Phoebe's human]

Thanks so much for the informative reply.

A lot of people seem to put the litterbox wherever it fits, without much thought to what the cats need.