Cat litter trays: open, hooded and corner
The right litter tray comes down to two things: whether your cat will actually use it, and whether you can keep it clean without a fight. Open trays suit most cats and are easiest to clean; hooded trays contain mess and smell better in a small room; corner trays solve a space problem rather than a cat problem. Get the size right first, because a tray that is too small gets avoided long before the style matters.
What this aisle covers
We stock the plain open tray, the hooded or covered box, and space-saving corner designs, including Moderna's tray range in a few finishes — the Soft Green and the Lotus in olive green are both straightforward open-to-mid-depth trays, and the Smart Cat Loo in coral is a hooded design with a swing door. PawHut's hooded box with a front entry and top exit is the other common shape people ask for, useful where you want a second way in.
None of these are complicated products, but the differences between them decide whether a cat actually uses the thing. A tray bought on price alone, without thinking about the cat that has to sit in it, is the single most common reason a litter tray ends up ignored in the corner of a room.
Sizing it before you pick a style
As a rule of thumb the tray should be at least as long as your cat, nose to base of tail, and most cats are more comfortable with room to turn round. Bigger cats and multi-cat households are usually better served by an oversized open tray than a hooded box sized for an average cat.
This matters more than which style you choose. A cramped hooded tray traps odour against a cat that already feels boxed in, and a cat that feels cornered in the litter tray is a cat that starts going elsewhere in the house. Measure before you buy rather than guessing from the picture.
Hooded or open — the real trade-off
A hooded tray like PawHut's front-entry box keeps litter in, smells contained, and gives a nervous cat a bit of privacy, which suits multi-pet households and small flats. The trade-off is ventilation: smell builds up inside a covered box faster than it does over an open tray, so it needs cleaning more often, not less.
An open tray such as Moderna's is easier to scoop, easier to see when it needs attention, and better tolerated by cats who dislike enclosed spaces — which is most cats, if you introduce a hood cold rather than gradually. If you are switching an established cat from open to hooded, expect to keep both down for a week or two rather than swapping overnight.
What makes a tray easier to live with
A litter mat under the tray catches the litter a cat kicks out on the way past, which is the mess people actually complain about, not the tray itself. It is a cheap addition that solves a daily irritation.
Depth matters for kittens and older cats with joint stiffness — a low front edge is easier to step over than the same tray with a high lip, even if the two hold the same amount of litter. Match the litter itself to the tray: a fine clumping litter suits an open tray you scoop daily, while a hooded box copes better with a heavier, odour-locking litter since it is opened less often.
In this section
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Catit Pea Husk Unscented Clumping Cat Litter
Unscented clumping cat litter made from upcycled pea husks, 99% dust-free
£17.99
Catit Go Natural Pea Husk Clumping Litter Vanilla
Pea husk clumping litter, 99.9% dust-free and biodegradable, lightly vanilla-scented
£17.99
Catsan Hygiene Non-Clumping Odour Control Cat Litter
Natural non-clumping litter that locks liquid into white mineral granules
£5.45
Catsan Hygiene Cat Litter
A 20LTR unscented mineral cat litter that works on odour before it develops
£20.45
Plastic Cat Litter Tray — Large & XL
A sturdy plastic litter tray in two generous sizes — practical, no-fuss, and easy to clean.
From£11.49
PawHut XL Stainless Steel Enclosed Cat Litter Box with Flip-Top Lid and Scoop
A 60cm enclosed litter box with a stainless steel tray that will not absorb odour, a 180-degree flip-top lid, deodoriser compartment, filter step and scoop.
£76.99
Catsan Ultra Clumping Odour Control Cat Litter
Fine-granule clumping clay litter, low tracking and made to stop odour forming
£10.25
App-Controlled Self-Cleaning Cat Litter Box
A smart self-cleaning litter box that scoops waste automatically and bags it contactlessly, so you never face the mess. The companion app records toilet use and weight, and sends full-box, low-litter and cleaning reminders.
£399.99
Catsan Smart Pack 2 Inlays
Two litter tray inlays that Catsan say work as well as 30 litres of ordinary litter
£13.19
Enclosed Cat Litter Box with Carbon Filter
A roomy enclosed litter box with a carbon filter that helps keep household odours in check.
From£28.99
Catsan Natural Biodegradable Clumping Cat Litter
A 20 litre bag of clumping cat litter made from wheat, fully biodegradable
£31.49
Catsan Wood Comfort Non Clumping Cat Litter
Biodegradable wood-granule litter for cats and kittens
£18.75
Common questions
- How many litter trays does one cat need?
- One tray per cat plus one spare is the usual guidance, so a single cat is generally happiest with two trays rather than one, especially if they are kept on separate floors or at opposite ends of the home. It gives a cat an alternative if one tray is dirty or another cat is using it.
- Are hooded litter trays better than open ones?
- Neither is universally better — hooded trays contain smell and mess and suit small rooms, while open trays are easier to clean and better tolerated by cats who do not like enclosed spaces. Most cats will use either if it is kept clean and sized properly for them.
- How often should I clean a cat litter tray?
- Scoop solids out daily and do a full change of litter, with a wash of the tray itself, roughly once a week for clumping litter or more often for non-clumping types. A hooded tray needs the same routine, if anything slightly more often, because smell has nowhere to go until you open it.
- What size litter tray does a kitten need?
- A smaller, shallower tray with a low entry lip suits a kitten better than scaling straight down to an adult size, since a deep or high-sided tray can put a young kitten off using it at all. You can move up to a full-size tray once they are confidently jumping in and out.
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Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.