Litter Boxes

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A litter box, sometimes called a "sandbox", "sand box", "litter tray" or "litter pan", is an indoor feces and urine disposal box for cats (as well as rabbits and other pets that naturally or through training will make use of such a repository) that are permitted free roam of a home but who cannot or do not always go outside to relieve themselves.

In the wild, cats naturally excrete in soft or sandy soil, for easy burial. To simulate this instinctively desired type of site and stimulate the natural inclination to hide the excretions, a litter box's bottom is filled typically with an inch or more of litter box filler (frequently called "cat litter" or "kitty litter", though this is a back-formation - the "litter" in "litter box" is actually a euphemism for fecal matter, not for the substrate that pet owners line the box with). Litter box filler is a loose, granular material (most often made of clay, often formulated to clump solidly, though recycled paper "pellet" and silicon based "crystal" variants are also popular options), that absorbs moisture and which meets a cat's instinctive desire to use an easily-dug material. It is advisable to place the litter box on a mat or some newspaper, as the cat will inevitably kick some litter over the edge of the tray when using it and track some of it out of the box, on their paws.

Historical types

Originally made of wood, the cat box today is most basically represented by a plastic tray with outwardly-sloped sides several inches high. More elaborate models are enclosed, looking rather similar to pet carrying cages with open doorways, providing some allegedly-desired privacy to the pet, and better odor control, as well as keeping the litter out of sight. To facilitate emptying the litter box, plastic liners, similar to garbage bags but much more expensive, are available, though many pet owners do not bother with them.

New types

Recent developments in litter box technology have made further improvements to the emptying procedure. Some models have electric combing mechanisms that automatically scoop the clumps out of the litter box into a sealed, disposable-bag-lined container after the animal has used it. Other models can be shaken to move all of the clumps into an easy-to-remove tray. Another variant has an enclosed sphere which rotates as it sifts out the clumps and deposits them in a drawer below the sphere. A recent variation further automates the litter-emptying procedure with automated scooping and emptying into disposable litter storage cartridges. Many owners do not use these, however, because the sudden automated motion scares their cat(s).

Read more at Wikipedia.org