In a crooked hall corner (not in plain sight when you reach the top of the stairs). But these days everyone has cats and knows they use boxes, and it's not a big deal - personally I've never had ours in the bathroom as I found that a turn-off.

That is usually an issue with getting a cat, where to put the box. Most importantly, put it somewhere you will be happy with because with most cats, you cannot move their box once they are happy with it.

We just moved into an apt after 11 years in our house. Our kitty adapted quite well. I use the kind of box with the hood, that makes it a little more eye appealing. In our apt, we have a huge walk in closet in the master bdrm and I actually sat it in there.............she is a very tidy cat I must say so there is no litter kicked everywhere. I also use scoopable litter and I clean her box every morning as soon as I get up. Kitties usually go to the bathroom at the same time daily so it is a nice routine to get in............ We just leave the closet door ajar so she can get in there when need be.

I have a friend who has her hooded box in her living room...........you really don't even notice it. Like the post above, you just accept when a friend has a cat, there is a box.

One thing, if you get an adult cat who is used to going in a box without the hood, the hood can really keep them from using the box. Cats are extremely picky!!! They don't like change what so ever!

Good luck, let us know if you find your perfect friend.

Thanks for the replies! I'm not worried about the looks of the box as much as the smell.

I have a good sized kitchen with an empty corner, that is where I orginally wanted to put the litter box. However, when I mentioned that to my sister who is a long time cat owner, she said it would smell up the kitchen and it shouldn't be near where I eat.

Opinions on that matter?

Personally I do not like the idea of a litter box in the kitchen. There is ALWAYS going to be some odor with a litter box no matter how well you maintain it.

I keep mine in a central hall in front of the attic door which I seldom use. I also bought one of those bifold screens and hide the box behind it. No one even knows the litter box is there behind the docorative screen. I got a tall one really cheap at Pier One. If you can't fit a 6' screen, like say in an alcove, you can use a fireplace screen or a solid litter box screen like these:

http://www.candggifts.com/Cat%20Privacy%20Screens.htm

You could also put the box under a small table with a floor length cloth but keep the cloth that is against the wall side tucked up for access. When time to change the box just pull the cloth up and slide the box out.

You can buy litter box "housing" that match furniture in color and style:

http://www.lovethatcat.com/cat-furniture-chest.html

They can look like wicker laundry hampers:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=10276&N=2002+113307

http://www.home-garden-premiumblvd.com/rd_p?p=104136&t=4192&c=585393&gift=26415&a=26415-litter%20box

They can look like planters too:

http://www.petsbestproducts.com/index.htm

Or look just REALLY KEWL:

http://www.kattbank.com/home.htm

Or really STUPID:

http://www.litterlofts.com/litterboxhouses.html

Or a "What the heck is that thing?":

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=17752&inm=1&N=2002+113307+2035

No matter where you decide to put it don't put it on carpeting. The litter and waste often gets kicked out of the box or tracked out with their paws. A smooth surface floor is best, and keeping a little dustpan and brush stored on top of the litter box, to sweep up any stray litter before it gets tracked throughout the house is a good idea.

If you you find you must keep it out in the open, place the litter box so that the opening in not in view to the room. A cat will still find the box if it is sideways against the wall and may even prefer the privacy this placement affords. Some cats do not like others looking in on them when they are in inside.

We use the absorbent crystal style of litter and smell is pretty well non-existent unless the cat has had a particularly nasty poo (which smell goes away as soon as the offending item is scooped and flushed). Two cats use the tray, one who is inside 24/7 and one who goes out in the daytime if we're home to let her back in but is in all night and a lot of the days.

I, like colleen, use the crystal litter and I have never had odor with that at all, but like I mentioned before, I scoop everyday without fail.

Litter on the kitchen floor would be hard for me to stomach, cats are going to track litter out, and if you get a kicker, you might find your feet crunching across that floor and it might be unappetizing. My first cat was a big kicker, he would kick out half the box to cover his poo.

I like those screens that bud mentions, they are great for visible litter boxes! They have cute little ones too at the pet stores, some have the funniest pictures on them.

Best wishes...........are you going to adopt, buy, do you have one picked out?

I have no idea yet, I assume I will buy a kitten.

For now I can't do anything. I am having a problem with House Centipedes so I spread boric acid around my entire condo. I will have to find out how long I have to wait until bringing a pet into my home safely.

Fotostat, boric acid does not just "go away" or evaporate or degrade. It must be removed. Same thing with DE. DE will work for centipedes and is not poisonous like boric acid if a cat should ingest it. The danger to a cat with DE is inhaling it into their lungs.

Chemical sprays are different and will degrade over time but they still make me nervous.

Those house centipededs sure are creepy but they do not carry disease or bother people. I had two cats who like to eat them! I guess they must taste yummy to cats. I couldn't stand to watch it though.

So the boric acid will harm a cat and needs to be cleaned away manually?

If so, I guess I won't be getting a cat until Winter.

Oh riv's idea is priceless, love it! :) Hidden and not mess. great idea.

As for house centipedes, ick! Sorry, did you just find out you had them? My friend just battled those in her apt. They sprayed and they were gone in about 2 weeks...they were HUGE!

One good thing about cats, they find and kill anything. My cat will leave a dead cricket in the foyer of our apt or we will find a nice dead fly on the coffee table that she will swat out of the air ( love to watch that!) They are great critter getters.

Best of luck with your current pests and hopefully soon you can get a pet to replace them!

Who sprayed what in your friends apartment?? Did the centipedes ever come back? Please let me know, thanks!

Foto, Im not sure who you are addressing your question to, but centipedes are pretty easy to control. They are weak. One thing you can do is to get a dehumidifier. They perfer moist cool areas, and if it is too dry they go elsewhere. I get them in my basement every so often, and about once or twice a year I see one running in the upstairs area. I can deal with that.

You can just spray indecticide and that should take care of the problem. I personally do not care to do poison control though.

DE will surely wipes them out as their bodies are soft. DE will be effective forever.

fotostat,

She had maintenance spray, it was a mild spray because she is highly allergic to everything. It smelled of rubbing alcohol. Just some store bought spray should do the trick. I use something called Spectracide that I buy at Wal-mart. It is great. I try to only spray outside, but it is odorless and not greasy and icky. We had a terrible problem with spiders as our apt is brand new. I sprayed every 6 months outside in the mulch and perimeter and that did the trick. It says centipedes on the label so perhaps you could get that.

If you spray behind and in areas, as long as it dries well it is not "toxic" to pets.

I have always used boric acid under my fridge and stove. But, clean up any powder that a little kitten could get too.

best wishes

The problem I have is that my building has a crawl space underneath is and it's probably filled with house centipedes. No matter what I do in my condo unit, they will still live down there and come up to my unit whenever they please.

Boric acid might kill them a day after they walk thru it, but that's after they are already in my unit, WHICH I DO NOT WANT TO HAPPEN.

I have an exterminator coming in 10 minutes, hopefully he has some type of toxic goodness that will stop them from coming into my home in the first place.

FWIW, in the 3 weeks I have lived here, I have found one HUGE adult (about 3" big, as big as they come), 3 normal size adults, and about 12 babies (yes, twelve).

Foto posted: The problem I have is that my building has a crawl space underneath is and it's probably filled with house centipedes.

Oooh, that sounds like the makings for a good horror flick. The real creepy part is that they are probably shoulder to shoulder between your walls. They like dark. They like moist. They hunt prey. They really have no reason to come out into your home if they have enough food and moisture in your walls.

The best thing to do is go after them at their source. Is anyone else in the building bothered by them? Won't your association do something to rid the building of them?

If the problem is out of hand and no one else will do anything I would toss a couple bags of DE in the crawlspace for peace of mind. Maybe spray too, for a big kill and the DE will take care of babies when they come out. Eggs can take up to three years to hatch. You can't set bait for centipedes as they eat moving prey and hunt for food. Sticky trap don't work for centipedes as they will lose their legs if attacked or trapped and scurry on. Everytime they molt they get more segements and legs. They live for about five years.

I am thinking that the problem is in your neighborhood. I lived in an apartment once that had a huge river behind it. Centipedes like damp and they seemed to like the area. They hid in the grass during the day and were all over the outside of the building at night. They got in all the time of course, and every so often I would see one galloping across the rug. Oh, and BTW, #3 is not 'as big as they come'. Around here that is like the adult size. Sometimes I see a real mammoth one 4".

If you have potted plants in your home get rid of them. Centipedes like to hid in them and them come out at night, as they are nocturnal. Potted plants that you bring home from the store oftem harbor millepedes too. I bet that your crawlspace is filled with millepedes too.

First floor and basement apartments get centipedes. Upper floors usually do not get them.

Believe it or not, house centipedes are considered among the most beneficial creatures that inhabit human dwellings. They eat spiders, bedbugs, termites, cockroaches, silverfish, carpet beetles and other pests. They do not cause damage to food or furniture. I know that is not what you want to hear but it could be worse - you could be battling roaches, bedbugs, fleas or termites in your condo.

I HATE centipedes. I hate it when I see one and go get a paper towel or shoe to kill it and come back and it is gone, or I miss and it runs away under something and is mad at me. Once I lost one in my bed and I did not sleep in that bed for two months.

I have 4 cats and am constantly moving litter box - my cats have no problem with that. I also use the Litter Maid automatic cleaner which is very helpful. Currently my litter box is in the guest bedroom (previously half bath and master bedroom). Like all the suggestions though

After talking to many people about this, I am leaning back towards putting it in the kitchen. I have a big area where it would fit well, it would be right by the garbage can, and it would be sanitary IMO. I'd rather have it on the floor that I could mop than on carpet.

fotostat,

The kitchen might work great. Remember, we have never seen your kitchen so I can't even picture it.

You could even keep a dust pan and it's brush right next to the litter box and just sweep up the track mess or put a track mat down in front of the box.

How are the centipedes?

I am blessed with tons of closet space in my one bedroom apartment. The bedroom has a walk-in closet, there's a walk-in closet at the end of the hall, a linen closet across from the bathroom, and a double door "coat closet" also in the hallway. The litter box is in the "coat closet" where I also keep the broom and some cleaning supplies up on a shelf. I keep one of the doors ajar for now, but I may end up just removing it and putting up a curtain, since they managed to paint over everything and make the doors very noisy and resistant when you try to open them.

If I didn't have abundant closet space, I'd either go for the under-cabinet set-up or purchase one of the litter box concealers now readily available online.

Angel, since the exterminator came I have only found 1 baby so hopefully they are gone.

Are you sure you can have a cat in your placement without doing cruel things to it?

- de clawing is an excellent example- basically its like cutting off your first digits of your hands with a steak knife.. and can lead to biting,lameness,phantom pains. See if landlord don't mind Soft paws www.Softpaws.com
( you may want to adopt a cat thats already been de clawed if your LL is ignorant, but be warned you could be buying some buddy's castoff that bit their kid or crapped all over the house because it was painful to use litter box)

Also a cat can live a very long time, 20 or more years! Do you have the $$ to feed cat properly?/vet care/ect

Most cat food is garbage. EVO,Orijen,Instincts,wellness grain free is good

( I do realize this post/thread is old/ brought it up to inform other people living in apartments)

I declawed my cat but it still wanted food for the full 20 years so I just shot it!

You are such a stupid person, why did you shoot your pet?... you shouldn't have pets! and really need to be investigated by a shrink!

People who kill animals can do things back to people its been proven. 2/3'ds of the murders in our prisons started by killing animals.

You really got issues, runsnwalken.

Are you really THAT stupid?

Runs - I think he was joking, sick as it was, but... fotostat, your attitude is the worst!

" Shoot a cat" I hope he was joking..... I have good humor, and thats AWFUL! I've had a pca that really did shoot cats in his youth, plus a few other bad ones (pcas i mean). If you don't want me to bash, tame your humor.

Here's a good joke. Okay, so I'm in this bar/nightclub ( on vacation with a camp for people with handicaps),doing an games activity, I'm one of the clients. ( note for it to be funny you must understand I have really long head hair,almost/about mid back length) anyhow my pca Danny comes up to me and starts picking at my hair, (we joke around a lot) I turn, look at him and blurt out "Don't fuss with the follicles man! he starts laughing and then says, "That's the funniest thing You've EVER said to me!",

Then I remember the time I first met my Acting teacher, Jason at a job I work at, I'm also his studio/stage prop guest assistant.

I told my acting teacher can I put Beetles on your head, or lipstick, or dye your hair weird colors, you know typical joking stuff. A woman actor (Amber) and I always plan to do it,and try to make him think so, ( I said it over and over) so much so that for a rerun lesson, in my to- be- acted character

He said "Pretend to be Really Really excited about something, like your about to put Beetles on my head". Thats how I want you to say the line, "Maybe we can start off some fireworks",

20 years old! Thats getting up there but not really that uncommon these days, some cats make it to 30+! though this is rare.

runsanwalken, I was going to call you a troll, but then I realized you are just slow and delusional. Lucy is the forum troll, I would hate to steal her title and use it on you.

I was giving you examples of "funny" I'm not "Delusional" And Lucy isn't a troll.

Pay no heed Lucy.

Actually, you ARE trolling in my thread.

Why did you shoot your cat?!?!?

I didn't shoot ANY cat! Never have, never would.

And this is everyones thread not just yours. If you keep up I'm reporting this to the head managers.

First you bump a horribly old thread with information that has nothing to do with the thread. Then you cause a cat to get shot AND declawed! Then you threaten to tell on ME?!?!?

Wow!

Lets be reasonable here I didn't cause anything, I may have upset you-I'm sorry..

I'm just saying warnings for people who live in apartments that are thinking of getting cats as pets. How could I have shot or de clawed your cat?, I love cats, I don't even know you, or your living situation? have never been a vets helper heck I have never EVEN SEEN OR MET you or your cat.

(Yes you are right in that I did bring up an old thread)

You remind me a lot of my moms mother, my grandma that kept calling and calling us when I was a child, making up stories and leaving wild tales on our phone message machine , she was a paranoid unmedicated skitz who was outlawed in two states.. Iowa and MN.

Even you do have mental illness,(not saying you do) its okay, I have an uncle with the condition, and he's fine with meds. I hope everything goes well with you.
I'm really a nice person, but not when you, just assume out of the blue that I did these things.

goodbye.

runsnwalken, A/S/L? Can you send mee a picture?