How to Build a Homemade Kitty Litter Box Privacy Screen on a Shoestring Budget

Us cat owners/lovers know that having at least one kitty litter box in the house, depending on how many cats you have, is a necessity. We’re so used to it, we don’t even think much about it. Except when it needs cleaned, that is. The best way to keep your kitty litter box unnoticed is to keep it cleaned out on a regular basis. When you visit my house, you won’t know I have any litter boxes because you won’t smell them. But still, I don’t want my visitors to actually see the litter boxes either. Besides that, felines like their privacy. Cat experts say you need to make sure your kitty litter box is in a private location. Otherwise, your feline can feel stressed. S/he may not use the box. Kitty litter box privacy screens are the perfect solution for 1) Giving your cat the privacy it needs, and 2)Concealing the litter box from visitors. Screens you can find at your local pet store or on the Internet are pricey. The ones I’ve seen are around $35.00. Instead of straining your pocketbook, why not learn how to build a homemade kitty litter box privacy screen on a shoestring budget?

Basic Materials
The basic materials you’ll need to make a privacy screen are very inexpensive. You need a pretty sturdy, good size cardboard box. I used a vacuum cleaner box. (Read my Bissell POWERforce Bagless Upright Vacuum Review here) The size of the box you’ll need will depend on the size of the kitty litter box you want to cover. To build a homemade kitty litter box privacy screen on a shoestring budget, you’ll need to measure the height and width of the litter box. The vacuum cleaner box measured at least two feet long from end to end. Each side is 10″ high, (not including top flaps) and the bottom is 14″ across. The store-bought privacy screens I’ve seen are approximately 27″ wide and 21″ high. So you can use that as a standard measurement if you wish.

However, I wanted a larger one to cover the tall, hooded kitty litter box that’s set in my laundry room. I wanted it to cover the dimensions of the box. I also wanted the screen to be large enough so that visitors couldn’t see over it if they walked past the doorway.

To build a homemade kitty litter box privacy screen on a shoestring budget, you’ll also need paint or wallpaper, et cetera, to decorate it with. I’ll elaborate more on that later.

Steps to Take
1) Remove any inserts inside the cardboard box. Use a sharp utility knife to cut off any top flaps, if there are any.

2) Cut open the four corners of the box so it lays out completely flat on the floor. Remove the ends and sides so you have a three-section piece (the bottom and two sides) remaining.

3) Measure the height of the homemade kitty litter box privacy screen. Decide how high you want the finished product to be. Add 4 or 5 inches if you want to make a fancy top design. Mark the original measurement all the way across on each section. Then, draw a straight line across you can see how much excess there is for a fancy top.

4) Mark out the fancy top. As you can see by my picture, the first section gives you an example of how you can cut the top out. It’s not necessary. It just makes the kitty litter box privacy screen a little more decorative. Use the utility knife to cut out the top.

5) Now that you’ve built a homemade kitty litter box privacy screen on a shoestring budget, you’re probably thinking it’s unattractive. I agree. This is why you’ll need to finish it by painting it, covering it with wallpaper, et cetera.

The picture shows the wallpaper I’m going to cover my privacy screen with. You can see that, after the screen’s covered in wallpaper, it will match the walls in my laundry room quite well. In fact, the screen will practically be invisible. And the kitty litter box behind it will be hidden as well. Just think, you were able to do this clever decoration without spending much money at all! A plus is, your cat will have the added privacy s/he needs!