Where Does the Litter Box Go? Cat Litter Box Setup for Vans, RVs, or Cars

When people find out I travel full time with two cats, this is usually the first question, often asked with a little wince:

Where does the litter box go?

Happily, it’s one of the easier things to figure out on the road, easier than internet, mail, or finding a place to park. It mostly means thinking less like a pet store and more like someone with 60 square feet.

Here’s the setup that works for us, why it works, and the few places where I do things a little differently from the usual advice.

My Favorite Litter Box for a Small Space Is a $10 Storage Tote

The best litter box I’ve found for a small space is a plain Rubbermaid-style storage tote from Walmart. It costs about ten dollars and isn’t even sold as a litter box.

Buy one with a flat bottom. Many totes have a ridged bottom, and clumped urine sticks in those grooves. A flat inside scrapes clean in seconds.
Get a big one. Feline guidelines recommend a box about one and a half times the length of your cat from nose to base of tail, so your kitty has room to step in, turn around, dig, and cover. Most commercial litter boxes are smaller than that. A large tote fits the bill easily.
Cut a big rectangular hole in the lid, then use the lid (see the photo below). I came up with this on my own, though I’m sure plenty of people have done it before. The high walls and lid catch the litter the cats kick up on their way out, and the large opening keeps smells from getting trapped and lets them get in and out easily.
Don’t fully cover it. Ohio State’s Indoor Pet Initiative notes that cats prefer large, uncovered boxes, and that enclosed boxes hold in odor and need more thorough cleaning so cats don’t start avoiding them. A lid with a wide cutout gives you the containment without making your kitty feel closed in.
About two inches of litter. That’s deep enough to dig and bury, and shallow enough that you’re not hauling forty pounds of clay down the highway.

Will some litter still end up on your floor? Yes, definitely. Mine leap out like they’re being chased. The tote helps a lot, but nothing stops it completely.

*The lid stays on, with a big hole cut out of it. It really cuts down on the litter that flies out of the tote when my cats jump out.*

Where to Put a Litter Box in a Van, RV, or Car

Mine lives under the bed, in the trunk area. The cats reach it through a small pass-through from the living space to the back that only they can fit through, so they come and go without me ever thinking about it. I access it from the outside, through the back doors, where scooping is a thirty-second job done standing up in fresh air.

The same idea works for any rig:

Put the box where the cats’ route is short and yours is easy. These are usually two different directions. Under a bed platform, in a garage or trunk space, in a bench seat base, or in a cabinet with the door removed: anywhere that gives the cats a quiet path and gives you easy access from a hatch, door, or drawer.
Keep it out of the walkway. In a vehicle, you usually have one aisle. Anything in it gets bumped, and stepping around a box ten times a day gets old fast. Litter also tracks into your main walking area and sticks to your feet, which is not a nice feeling.
Avoid dead ends and noisy spots. Veterinary guidance is to keep boxes away from appliances and sudden noises, and to avoid spots where a cat can be cornered. In a rig, that means not tucking it beside the water pump or heater.
Fresh air works better than deodorizer. A box near a fan or a window you can crack stays fresher than anything you can spray. Scented deodorizers near the box tend to backfire, and kitties don’t like the smell of fragrance anyway.

How to Keep the Litter Box From Spilling While You Drive

It’s not very likely, but in case it’s a worry:

The simplest fix is a snug spot. Mine is wedged in among the gear in the trunk so snugly that it doesn’t shift, and I’ve never needed to secure it. The heavy clay litter helps weigh it down, too. If your box has room to slide, a non-slip mat under it, a bungee across it, or a gap between two seats all work.
You can also just empty it. Before a long, bumpy travel day, some people scoop it clean or empty it ahead of time.

As for whether the cats use it while you’re driving: mine never have. Boudica and Pooka just hold it. They’ve never had an accident, even on long driving days. My guess is they go when we stop for gas.

For Odor Control, I Use Unscented Litter

I have strong feelings about this one. I used this litter back when I lived in a house, too.

I use unscented clumping clay litter, specifically Purina Tidy Cats Free + Clean Unscented. Nothing else I’ve tried dries out the poop and forms clean, easy-to-scoop clumps quite like it, and it really doesn’t smell.

In my experience, scented “odor control” litters make things worse. Everything ends up smelling like cat urine with a hint of fake flowers. The fragrance doesn’t really cover anything up.
Research backs this up. Cats prefer fine-grained, unscented litters, and many kitties are put off by scented or deodorizing litters. The American Association of Feline Practitioners also notes that scented crystals can trigger asthma in cats and people, which is worth keeping in mind when you and your cat share such a small space.
Lightweight or standard is a choice I still go back and forth on. The lightweight formula is easier to carry and change out; the heavier one is a little cheaper. I usually use the lightweight one because I’d rather lift less, and it’s advertised to last 14 days instead of 10, but sometimes that $4 difference wins.
Try not to switch brands on the road. Cats can refuse a litter they don’t know, and the usual advice is to introduce a new one in a second box next to the old one so your cat can choose. That’s hard to do when you’re 200 miles into a state with one pet store. Some small towns only carry one brand of litter, so it helps to bring extra when you know you’ll be somewhere rural for a while.

How Many Litter Boxes Do You Need for Two Cats?

This is one place where my setup is different from the official guidance. The girls have shared one box for years.

The veterinary standard is one box per cat plus one, which would mean three boxes for two cats. I use one oversized tote. Boudica and Pooka have always shared it without any trouble, and three boxes just won’t fit in a van.

If your cats are persnickety, territorial, or new to each other, follow the vet guidance or at least find the space for a second box.
If yours share happily, one large box is workable, but watch for warning signs.
Signs you might need another box: peeing outside the box, straining, or one cat guarding the entrance while the other waits. That usually means the space feels too small for both cats, not that one of them is just being mean (sorry, Boudica). A second box can really help.

How Often Should You Scoop the Litter Box?

The guidelines say to scoop at least once a day. I scoop every other day, sometimes every third, and sweep up any tracked litter at the same time. It’s really not bad.

Two things make that work:

An oversized box holds far more than a standard commercial one before it needs attention.
Unscented clumping clay dries waste out instead of trapping moisture.

If you’re using a small store-bought box, you won’t have as much wiggle room, so scooping daily will keep you and your kitty happier.

How to Dispose of Cat Litter and Waste on the Road

Scoop into a bag right before you head into town. A small trash bag works, or a zip-top bag if it’s especially smelly and riding along for a while.
Drop it in a gas station trash can. That’s really all there is to it. Grocery stores, trailheads with trash service, and campground dumpsters work too.
Please don’t bury or scatter it at your campsite. Domestic cat waste isn’t the same as wildlife waste. It can carry parasites into soil and water, and it doesn’t belong in the places we all share. Pack it out.

Can Cats Just Go Outside Instead?

Pooka meows at me in the morning to be let out, goes and finds soft dirt or sand, and does her business there. Boudica goes outside occasionally but mostly prefers the security of the indoor box.

It’s less work for me, and it fits what cats naturally like. The AAFP notes that many cats prefer sand or soil, the substrate they’d use in the wild. And they’re tidy campers: they always dig a hole and bury it. They follow Leave No Trace without being taught.

That’s a nice bonus on the road, but not something to rely on. The indoor box is still your main setup for privacy, security, and nighttime bathroom trips.

Pooka doing her business in some pine needles while Boudica keeps watch. Pooka will go in any kind of dirt as long as it’s quiet, and they both seem excited to go at the beach. Neither will go at a busy campground, and sometimes you’ll end up in a parking lot, so it’s good to always have a litter box with you.

Cat Litter Box Setup for Life on the Road: Quick Checklist

A ten-dollar flat-bottomed storage tote with a hole cut in the lid has worked better for us than any litter box I’ve bought.
Put it where the cats’ path is short and yours is easy.
Unscented clumping clay. Skip the fragrance.
Wedge it in tight or empty it before rough travel days.
Scoop into a bag, drop it in a trash can in town.

The litter box doesn’t have to be the thing that keeps you and your cat at home. It’s a tote, a bag of litter, and about two minutes every other day.

Sources

The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center, Indoor Pet Initiative: Litter Boxes
American Association of Feline Practitioners, Cat Friendly Homes: Everything You Should Know About Litter Boxes