Pros and Cons Litter Box Mod

[learjetta96]

Hello all!

We are the proud new owners of a 2015 (and I think 3/4) 30DS. I work from home full time, and we are hoping that we will be able to part time in our FR3 some time in the near future, going out for 4-6 weeks at a time.

We have 3 cats, and took them with us for the first time last weekend for a 2 night trip. They did pretty well, but we are struggling with the litter boxes. Litter is EVERYWHERE! I've been scouring the internet trying to find a solution we can live with so that we all can go out for longer periods together.

Our first trip out we put one litter box in front of the passenger seat, and the other under the dinette table. We've discussed taking the cushion and plywood off of one of the dinette bases as a short term solution, but that has obvious drawbacks.

I found this blog post recently where folks in a 5er carved out some space under the stairs for the box. I liked this because it keeps the box out of the way, helps to decrease litter spillage everywhere (our boys throw litter around like it's confetti!), and is accessible from the basement for ease of cleaning.

The only place I can think of in the FR3 that has similar access is under the king sized bed. If we put a cat door in the base of the bed, and added a "litter box room" we would be able to reach it to clean, and with a longer access tunnel and rubber floor tiles, may actually be able to reduce litter tracking to a bearable amount.

We've taken a look at the base of the bed, and can't tell what it's made of... is there some kind of firewall material? Is it insulated? Or is it just several layers of plywood? We have some concerns about allowing critter access by putting a hole in the base of the bed from a bay that has an opening for cables, so that's a big reservation.

I'm sure there are other considerations that novices like us haven't thought of... What are your thoughts?

Thanks!!!

[colourful64]

Another place you could use it isin the pantry like cupboard next to the door .. it's kind of a useless space anyways and you can put a car door in the front to the left of the sink .. we are going to put a recycleable bag in there and a bottle hole in the front

[EdFla]

Originally Posted by learjetta96

Hello all!



We are the proud new owners of a 2015 (and I think 3/4) 30DS. I work from home full time, and we are hoping that we will be able to part time in our FR3 some time in the near future, going out for 4-6 weeks at a time.



We have 3 cats, and took them with us for the first time last weekend for a 2 night trip. They did pretty well, but we are struggling with the litter boxes. Litter is EVERYWHERE! I've been scouring the internet trying to find a solution we can live with so that we all can go out for longer periods together.



Our first trip out we put one litter box in front of the passenger seat, and the other under the dinette table. We've discussed taking the cushion and plywood off of one of the dinette bases as a short term solution, but that has obvious drawbacks.



I found this blog post recently where folks in a 5er carved out some space under the stairs for the box. I liked this because it keeps the box out of the way, helps to decrease litter spillage everywhere (our boys throw litter around like it's confetti!), and is accessible from the basement for ease of cleaning.



The only place I can think of in the FR3 that has similar access is under the king sized bed. If we put a cat door in the base of the bed, and added a "litter box room" we would be able to reach it to clean, and with a longer access tunnel and rubber floor tiles, may actually be able to reduce litter tracking to a bearable amount.



We've taken a look at the base of the bed, and can't tell what it's made of... is there some kind of firewall material? Is it insulated? Or is it just several layers of plywood? We have some concerns about allowing critter access by putting a hole in the base of the bed from a bay that has an opening for cables, so that's a big reservation.



I'm sure there are other considerations that novices like us haven't thought of... What are your thoughts?



Thanks!!!

Hi we had a problem with our cat. He would dig in his box like he was trying to reach China and send litter all over the place. I finally found a litter on Amazon that cut back on the mess by 90% it is called Dr Elseys Ultra. It's a heavy litter and it is the best I have ever used it comes in a 60 lb. bag. Try it. As to location of litter box we put ours in the shower. What mess there is is easy to clean up when we a going to shower. We have a door on our bathroom so I put a cat door in . Hope this helps

[KansasFR3]

There is unused space under the Fwd edge of the bed (Fwd of the coach). If you crawl under the food the bed, you'll see carpet covering the aft portion, but the 12" on the front is just the thin wood paneling. Others on this forum have knocked out this wood paneling to create more storage. Otherwise, the bed pretty much sits on top of the rear storage compartment, so not much you can do there.

[hotzfamily]

We don't have cats anymore, and didn't take them camping. But the greatest 'mod' I came up with for home was putting the litter box inside a plastic tote - and cutting a hole in the side of the tote. If the digging got out of control, the tote kept the litter spray contained. If the aim for the corner of the litter box was a bit "off", the tote was easily cleaned out. Whatever you come up with, I would suggest you try to surround the box with something that is easy to remove and thus, clean out. Getting litter in the nooks & crannies of the corners of compartments would make me crazy.

[MMMndp]

Hi. We have a 32 ft mh and were able to remove the door/laundry hamper directly under our sink and then use a cafe rod/curtain to cover the door opening and yet allow easy access for the cat. Totally great location.

[colourful64]

Hotzfamily is right Maybe that pantry cupboard ain't such a good idea

[jeff64]

WE put one of those recycled plastic"grass" floor mats in front of the box. When they came out a lot of the litter came off their toes into the mat. Kept the TT a lot cleaner

[Finch]

I have a 30DS and my cat comes camping with me. While I have not been able to remove every last speck of litter, using a covered cat litter box and combining it with a pad that is designed to catch an excess litter that is on the cat's paws as it exits the cat box does a very good job. The covered litter box also helps with any odor, and it is much nicer to look at the top of a cover, than down into the litter box when I pass by!

[CharSolera]

Try the Tidy Cat Breeze liter system. No sand everywhere, much easier to maintain and no smell. I have two cats in a 25' Solera and they do fine with one liter box. The Breeze system really is the answer for those of us with limited space.

[Wandering]

We are in a Forester but we have a covered litter box that stays in the shower. Cover the drain with duct tape and use the dust buster to pick up small amount litter that comes out of the box.

Just have to remember to leave the door open. Cat is 16 yrs old and enjoys traveling with her dog buddy.

[dudleydoo]

I put the litter box in the shower as well. I found a bathroom rug a few inches bigger than the shower floor and it keeps the litter contained. We did have 2 cats until March and it worked well. I put a towel over the bathroom door to keep it open while traveling and everyone is happy. Well not everyone......the surviving cat is the one who really doesn't like traveling. She can find the best places to hide. We spent over 45 minutes trying to find her before leaving a campground in Mississippi. No amount of treats of canned food would get her out. We left thinking she could have gotten outside and then we wouldn't see her again. When we stopped for lunch out she came from under the dash!!!

[OscarsMom2]

Originally Posted by CharSolera

Try the Tidy Cat Breeze liter system. No sand everywhere, much easier to maintain and no smell. I have two cats in a 25' Solera and they do fine with one liter box. The Breeze system really is the answer for those of us with limited space.

X2 We took our 3 cats camping in our trailer over spring break. We used 2 Breeze litter boxes. One was on my side of the bed and the other was by the front door. No messy litter with these boxes and pellets.

[BamaBob]

Or this.

Fits under the steering wheel and a drape over the wheel conceals.

Works for us

https://smile.amazon.com/Petmate-Top...cal+litter+box

[RoyalFrog2]

We have a Rockwood Ultra Lite trailer model 8315BSS and one of the reasons we got it was because there is an open space behind the toilet and under the counter in the bathroom which holds a litter box! Perfect. Who else chooses their RV based on fur baby needs?

[BooBoo23]

Originally Posted by BamaBob

Or this.

Fits under the steering wheel and a drape over the wheel conceals.

Works for us

https://smile.amazon.com/Petmate-Top...cal+litter+box

Bob, I thought you said when the S&B was sold and DD moved out the cat was going with her. Kind of like when our DD got married we said don't forget your cat, guess what. He was with us another 17 years. BTW I haven't seen your name in the FCC data base yet.
Marv KT4W

[brianre]

By far the best litter box we have had for our cat in our RV is a large (30 gallon plus) rubber tote with a hole cut in the end. Keeps the litter in, no matter how hard she digs Covered lid that is strong enough to handle material stored on top. Cheaper than any of the larger store bought litter boxes. Easily relocated in the trailer with the built in handles. We also use the light weight low dust litter.

[OscarsMom2]

Originally Posted by RoyalFrog2

We have a Rockwood Ultra Lite trailer model 8315BSS and one of the reasons we got it was because there is an open space behind the toilet and under the counter in the bathroom which holds a litter box! Perfect. Who else chooses their RV based on fur baby needs?

We made the decision to trade in our Rockwood MiniLite for a Wildcat was based on the fact that there were too many places on the MiniLite that the cats could get in and get into trouble. We double checked everything on the Wildcat with them in mind. I need to check to see if a litter box would fit by the toilet, too.

[beechjet16mf]

Our cat travels with us all the time, and we put her litterbox in the shower on top of a small throw rug. It isn't any issue to clean up when we use the shower, and she has never had any problems with the box or using it.

[learjetta96]

Thanks everyone!

The first thing we did was switch to crystal litter... that has helped with the tracking tremendously. I still would rather the litter boxes out of the living area if possible, so I think we'll probably attempt a cat door through the bottom of the bed.

BUT we have a leaking windshield and broken TV to contend with first...