litter box blues

There are certain quotidian household items -- televisions, microwaves, and other appliances -- that seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to modern design. Let’s face it: they’re square and really don’t look good anywhere. I’m thinking about this after spending at least two hours last night trying to find a nice litter box online for Au Lait.

I’m not asking for much, just a pretty little box or bowl that (1) does not look like a Rubbermaid garbage can in the middle of our small apartment and (2) makes Au Lait feel like the princess that she is. Ideally, it would be small, minimalist, made of bamboo, and under $100.

Apparently, this IS too much to ask. If you Google “designer litter box” or “stylish litter box,” what you get is anything but. You’ll find a large selection of the aforementioned Rubbermaid style -- covered with cheesy leopard spot decals, robotic self-cleaning machines (ghastly!), and massive wooden box furniture doubling as cabinets to hide those “unsightly, smelly litter boxes.” Here’s a better idea: keep the litter box clean and build a better-looking litter box in the first place that doesn’t need to be hidden.

We don’t have room for more furniture. What’s more, the smell is not an issue: we have to keep Au Lait’s box clean -- not only because it’s a small apartment and you can smell everything that goes on there -- but for the health and well-being of all of us, including kitty. We’ve tried putting her outside, but she prefers to go in the box, so we fill it with the wonderful and odorless Swheat Scoop and scoop it at least twice a day.

What’s bugging me is the ugly plastic bin we all have to look at every day.

It doesn’t have to be this way: ironically, designer (people) toilets seem to be getting a lot of attention these days. Why not cat litters too? To be fair, I did find a designer bench by Kattbank -- also designed to “hide” the kitty litter. But it costs $2000 and I have no idea where we would put it. I also found this cute Cottage litter box from Litter Lofts, but Colin nixed it right away. Besides, Au Lait’s not really a cottage girl. She needs her NYC style studio.

Okay, this is it. I’m putting out an S.O.S. Who will find my litter box?