How much cat litter should I use?

Cat litter depth in tray
Cat litter depth in tray

Three to four inches deep is the correct depth and the correct amount of cat litter to use in a litter tray according to a well know cat behaviourist. I’d more or less agree with her. However, I tend to fill the tray to around 1.5 to 2 inches, a little less than the behaviourist recommends but I always use wood based litter. My preference tallies with the recommendation of another cat expert, Arden Moore, who says cat owners should get out a ruler and measure the litter to a depth of 1.5 to 2 inches. This, she says, should meet the needs of most cats.

Too much cat litter in the tray probably won’t upset your cat but it will probably cause more waste. The argument is that more cat litter gets thrown out of the tray and more litter than normal is tracked out with the cat if there is too much litter.

Also it makes it harder to keep the tray clean and filtered. Personally I am not sure that these are great arguments but they may be correct. It could be argued that cat owners who fill the litter tray too much are more likely to clean it less often. Perhaps some people simply pour the whole bag into the tray and forget about it for a few days or longer.

Not enough litter would be a greater problem I’d have thought. The natural substrate on which a cat to goes to the toilet is earth. This has the feeling of being around 3-4 inches deep which supports the suggestion at the beginning of this article.

If the layer of litter is very thin it may cause litter box aversion. Also the litter will be less able to absorb urine and faeces and so create an odour problem. This will probably be uninviting to your cat. Also cats like to dig into the ground before defecating and urinating. Then they often cover it up afterwards. These actions require the litter to be at a reasonable depth.

The type of litter (clay or wood for instance) may also be factor. I think wood based litter can be more thinly spread that clay based and be as effective as it is a more efficient odour absorber and is not clumping.

There is one last factor. The cat has a say in this. Cats are individuals and cat owners should be observant of their habits and preferences. I would expect cats to like litter at the depth recommended above but perhaps a little experimentation may be useful. It may help get rid of an inappropriate elimination problem.

See a page on cat litter tray size.

What do you do?

3 thoughts on “How much cat litter should I use?”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. I change my cat and my kitten litter trays every second day but sometimes my kitten poos on top of my bed, why is this happening, kitten is just 1 year old. my cat has nvr done this. I always make sure trays r clean wot am I doing wrong . also my cat just goes into her own and does her deeds but wee cheeky is very noisy and more litter on floor he is very pernicity. plz help and advise .i also have lots of other questions and advice i wld like to take in as we love our wee cheeky n caspurr cat

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  3. I’ve liked to experiment. Over a period of 20 years, as for depth, I’ve seen they don’t like it too shallow, and love to dig. I also prefer a wood-based litter for them, while they prefer a little heft to it, which clay has, so I tend to mix it (1/2 & 1/2). I’ve also mixed salad dressings too, (not into the litter).

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