Scooping/cleaning the litter box is one of the least favorite tasks of cat lovers. Some cat lovers use litter box liners to help keep the box clean. Sifting liners can even make the job even easier.

Let's start with the basics. What are litter box liners?

Litter box liners are plastic bags that line your litter box. There are two kinds of litter box liners.

First, there is a regular litter box liner that keeps the box clean and allows the pet owner to quickly and easily change out the litter. (Think of it like a garbage bag inside of the garbage can. You just change out the bag and put in a new one – which saves you from needing to clean the garbage can.) You can still scoop regularly and when you are ready to change out the litter – you just gather up the entire bag full of litter for easy disposal.

The second kind has holes in it and allows you to "sift" the litter. This liner keeps the clumps in the bag and allowing the clean litter to flow back in to the box. Generally the sifting liners come in a package of 20 to 30. To use these liners, you place all 30 layers in a clean litter box securing the sides of the bags to the box. You place the litter on top of the liners. When the box is dirty, you remove the top liner only and allow the clean litter to sift through the bag onto the clean liners. You do this daily and the group of bags can last 30 days.

So, are litter box liners a good thing, or a bad thing?

Pros:

Sifting bags can make the box easy to clean

Convenient

You get all the waste – don't miss anything

Cons:

Some cats don't like liners

Cats with long sharp nails can tear flimsy liners if they vigorously scratch the bottom of the box

As you sift it can be "dusty"

You still need another bag to place the droppings in after you sift

It is more expensive to use liners than to just scoop

Both types of liners are available from a variety of manufacturers. You can buy litter box liners or you can make your own.

Here are some simple instructions.

What you need to make your own sifting litter box liners:

7 to 30 large plastic sheets or litter box liners. It is better to start with a few and see how it works for you.

Scissors

Cat litter (ideally scoopable)

Large rubber band or clips (if liners are not elastic)

Instructions

1. Buy a box of cat litter box liners or get several sheets of plastic that are larger than your cat's litter box.

2. If you cut your own, measure the plastic so it will line your box and cover and go over the sides.

3. Cut several (a few to start) size holes in the center of each sheet, except the one on the very bottom. The holes should be big enough to allow the clean litter to sift through but small enough to retain urine and feces trapped in the litter. The ideal size of the hole is about the size of a pea or a little bigger.

4. Stack the sheets together on top of each other.

5. Place the group of plastic sheets in the bottom of a clean litter box. If your sheets do not have elastic edges, hold the sheets in place with a large rubber band around the edge of the litter box. Clips can be small narrow ones like the clips you use to hold chip bags closed.

6. Fill the litter box with a normal amount of your favorite litter.
 Don't change the litter. Never change more than one thing about your cat's box.

You can carefully scoop on top the liner but whenever the waste builds up, remove the top plastic sheet and the clean litter will sift through to the next clean layer.

Ideally, if litter box liners are new to your home, keep one litter box as it was with no changes and add liners to a different box. You don't EVER want to give your cat any reason to ever quit using the box. Liners can be great but make sure your cat likes them before you make a definitive change.