If you have ever hoovered the same trail of litter across the hallway three days running, you already know the problem. An open litter tray works perfectly well for the cat and very badly for everyone else in the house. Litter gets kicked over the rim, wet litter sticks to paws and travels, and on a warm day the smell finds you before you find it.
An enclosed litter box fixes most of that, but only if you pick the right one. This guide covers what a covered tray genuinely solves, what it does not, the two entry styles and who each suits, the sizing mistake nearly everyone makes, and how to move a cat over to a new tray without a protest on your rug.
The quick answer
Most UK households do best with a large, fully enclosed tray with a top exit and a sifting or drawer base, sat on a honeycomb litter mat. The enclosure contains splash and smell, the top exit knocks litter off the paws before your cat lands, and the mat catches whatever is left. If your cat is elderly, arthritic, large, or nervous, choose front entry instead and keep the lid but skip the high step.
What an enclosed litter box actually fixes
It is worth being clear about what you are buying, because covered trays get oversold.
It does fix splash. Enthusiastic diggers throw litter in a wide arc. Four walls and a roof stop that at source, and it is the single biggest reason people switch.
It does reduce tracking. Not eliminate, reduce. A top exit helps a lot because the cat has to climb, and most of the loose grains drop back inside on the way out.
It does contain smell, for a while. A lid slows the spread of odour into the room and gives carbon filters somewhere useful to sit. What it cannot do is make a dirty tray smell clean.
It does not reduce how often you clean. This is the trap. Because you cannot see the mess, it is easy to leave it longer, and a sealed box concentrates ammonia rather than airing it off. If anything, a covered tray needs the same daily scoop and a slightly closer eye. Our guide to how often to change cat litter sets out a routine that takes about five minutes a day.
Front entry, top entry, or both?
This is the decision that matters most, and it depends on your cat rather than your kitchen.
Front entry
A door or opening at floor level. Easy for kittens, older cats, heavier cats and anyone with stiff joints. It is also less intimidating for a nervous cat, because the way out is obvious and there is no climb involved. The trade off is more tracking, since the cat walks straight out onto your floor.
Top entry
The cat hops in and out through a hole in the lid. Tracking drops noticeably, splash is essentially gone, and dogs and toddlers cannot get in. It asks for a jump, though, so it is not right for a senior cat or one recovering from anything.
Both, with a switchable door
The most forgiving option, and what we would suggest if you are not sure. You start with the front door open so the cat settles in, then close it later and let them use the top exit once they are confident. One tray, two configurations, no second purchase if you guessed wrong.
Size: the mistake nearly everyone makes
Most trays sold in the UK are too small for an adult cat. The working rule is that the tray should be at least one and a half times your cat’s body length, nose to base of tail, and tall enough that they can stand up and turn around inside without touching the roof.
If a cat has to contort to turn around, two things happen. They stop digging properly, so waste sits uncovered and the room smells. And some cats simply stop using the tray and find somewhere with more room, which is a much more expensive problem to solve.
When in doubt, size up. Nobody has ever complained that their litter box was too spacious.
How many trays do you need?
The standard advice from UK cat welfare organisations is one tray per cat plus one spare, placed in different rooms rather than lined up next to each other. Two cats, three trays. It feels excessive until you live with it, and then it quietly solves a lot of problems, including the ones that look like behavioural issues but are really queueing issues.
Odour control that actually works
In order of how much difference they make:
- Scooping daily. Nothing else comes close. A tray scooped every day rarely smells.
- Enough litter depth. Around 5cm so waste is properly buried rather than smeared across the base.
- A lid plus a carbon filter. Useful, and better still if the tray has a dedicated compartment that holds several carbon packs.
- The right litter. Clumping litters make daily scooping quick, which is why they tend to win on smell. If you are weighing up options, our guide to tofu cat litter in the UK compares the main types.
- Scented litter and air fresheners. Last on the list on purpose. They mask rather than remove, and a lot of cats dislike them enough to go elsewhere.
Tracking: the tray is only half the job
Even a good enclosed tray with a top exit will let some litter out, because it is stuck to damp paws. The fix is a mat at the exit, and the design matters. A honeycomb mat with two layers works because the grains fall through the top layer and stay trapped underneath instead of being kicked along the hall. When it is full you unfold it and tip the litter back into the tray.
A flat rubber mat looks tidier but mostly just moves the problem a foot to the left.
Will my cat actually use a covered tray?
Most will. Some will not, and it is fair to say so up front.
Cats are ambush-aware animals, and a box with one exit can feel like a dead end, particularly in a multi-cat house where somebody likes to loiter. If your cat is confident and likes a private corner, a lid is usually welcomed. If your cat is anxious, has been bullied at the tray, or is new to the house, start with the lid off or the front door open and give it a couple of weeks.
One warning worth taking seriously: if a cat that has always used its tray suddenly stops, or strains, or goes very frequently with little result, that is a vet visit rather than a shopping problem. Urinary blockages in male cats are an emergency. A change in drinking habits alongside it is also worth a read of our piece on what to do when a cat is not drinking water.
The enclosed litter boxes we stock
We keep the range small on purpose. These are the three covered trays and the mat we would actually recommend to a friend, and the honest reason to pick each one.
Best all-rounder: Tieker Enclosed Cat Litter Box with UV Light
This is the one that suits most households. It has front entry and a top exit, and the front door has a switch knob so you can decide which way your cat goes in and out, or change your mind later. The flip-cover top and anti-leakage pedal area keep litter from scattering and stop the waste you have already paid for from being flicked across the floor. The base pulls out like a drawer for cleaning, a scoop is included, and there is a built-in UV light for periodic disinfection between full changes.
View the Tieker Enclosed Cat Litter Box
Best for big cats and smelly rooms: Extra Large Enclosed Cat Litter Box
At 48 x 35 x 36cm this is the one to choose if you have a large cat, a Maine Coon-sized lodger, or two cats sharing. The dual-entry design gives a transparent front entrance and a top exit, which is a genuinely useful combination because nervous cats can see out before committing. The part that earns its place is the built-in deodorising compartment, which takes up to four activated carbon packs rather than the single token filter most covered trays get. It is moulded from PP plastic, so it wipes down properly and does not hold odour the way a scratched-up cheap tray does.
View the Extra Large Enclosed Cat Litter Box
Best for tracking: Sifting Enclosed Litter Box with Scoop and Tray
The double-door design gives you both a front and a top opening, and again you can lock the front so the cat only exits over the top. What sets this one apart is the hollow holes in the top section, which pull litter particles off the paws on the way out, plus a sifting tray underneath so you lift, shake and tip rather than scooping grain by grain. It folds down too, which is handy if you move it between rooms or store a spare.
View the Sifting Enclosed Litter Box
Buy it with any of them: Double Honeycomb Litter Mat
40 x 60cm, waterproof and non-slip, with the double honeycomb layer that traps grains underneath instead of pushing them around. It folds for storage and you empty it by tipping the trapped litter back where it came from. If you only add one thing to a covered tray, make it this.
View the Double Honeycomb Litter Mat
How to switch your cat to a new litter box
Do not swap it overnight and hope. Four steps, about a fortnight:
- Put the new tray next to the old one and leave both available. No pressure, no lid on the new one yet if it comes off.
- Move a scoop of used litter across. The familiar smell tells your cat this is a toilet, not a piece of furniture.
- Add the lid or close the front door once you have seen them use it a few times. Give it several days before changing anything else.
- Remove the old tray last, and only when the new one is clearly being used.
Keep the litter itself the same during the changeover. Changing the tray and the litter in the same week is how you end up with a cat on the bath mat.
Where to put it
Quiet, easy to reach, and not in a dead end. Avoid next to the washing machine, because a spin cycle starting mid-use can put a cat off that spot for months. Avoid next to the food and water bowls as well, for reasons any cat will explain if you ask. And if you have a multi-storey house, one tray per floor saves a lot of accidents with older cats.
Frequently asked questions
Are enclosed litter boxes bad for cats?
No, as long as the tray is big enough and kept clean. The problems attributed to covered trays are almost always size problems or cleaning problems in disguise. A large covered tray, scooped daily, suits most confident cats very well. A cramped one that gets cleaned twice a week suits nobody.
Do covered litter trays stop the smell?
They contain it rather than remove it. A lid plus carbon filters keeps the room noticeably fresher between cleans, but the tray still has to be scooped daily and fully changed on a regular schedule.
Is a top entry litter box better?
For tracking and splash, yes, clearly. For accessibility, no. Kittens, seniors, overweight cats and cats with joint problems should have a front entry. A tray that offers both, with a door you can lock, avoids having to choose.
How do I stop litter getting everywhere?
Three things together: an enclosed tray with a top exit, a double-layer honeycomb mat at the exit, and a lower-dust clumping litter. Any one of them helps. All three more or less solve it.
How often should I fully change the litter in a covered tray?
It depends on the litter type and how many cats use it. We have set out the full schedule, including how often to wash the tray itself, in our guide to how often to change cat litter.
In short
Buy bigger than you think you need, get a tray that lets you switch between front and top entry, put a honeycomb mat under the exit, and scoop every day. That combination deals with almost every complaint people have about litter trays, and it costs less than the hoover bags.
Browse all litter and housetraining supplies at Cuteness of Cats. UK delivery, and 14-day returns on unused items in their original packaging.
