Petmate started in a family garage in Arlington, Texas, and grew into the largest plastic manufacturer in the pet supply business.
So their litter boxes are cheap, widely available, and mostly fine.
Which means the interesting question is not whether to buy Petmate. It is which shape, and how big.
Why the $15 box beats the $38 one for most cats
The cheapest litter box Petmate sells on Chewy is the Hi-Back Open Pan in Jumbo, at $14.99. The most expensive is the Dome, at $37.99. For most cats, the cheap one is the better box.
That is not a dig at the Dome. A covered box traps smell for you and concentrates it for your cat. An open pan with high sides fixes the most common complaint (a cat that sprays over the edge) without adding a hood your cat has to accept. The Giant, at $17.84, is the step up for a big cat, and it still costs less than half the Dome.
One label claim worth decoding while we are here. The Top Entry pan is listed as made in the USA from 95% pre-consumer recyclable materials. Pre-consumer material usually means factory offcuts and manufacturing scrap, not the tubs and bottles you put in a recycling bin. Still a good use of plastic, just not household recycling.
The sizing rule almost every box fails
A litter box should be at least one and a half times the length of your cat, measured from the nose to the base of the tail. Most boxes on sale are not, including plenty sold as large.
Why the size matters. A cat needs room to turn around, dig a hole, position itself, and cover afterwards. In a box that is too small it ends up perching on the rim, hanging over the edge, or simply going elsewhere. Owners read that as a behaviour problem when it is a furniture problem.
- Measure the cat, not the box. Nose to tail base, then multiply by 1.5. A 18-inch cat wants a box around 27 inches long.
- Depth of litter should be about three inches. Shallower and urine reaches the pan and sticks; deeper and you are throwing away clean litter.
- High sides solve spraying, which is different from spraying to mark. Plenty of cats simply urinate standing, and a high-backed pan catches it.
- A low entry point matters for older cats. Arthritis is common and under-diagnosed in cats over about ten, and a high step is enough to make a box not worth using.
- A storage tub is a legitimate alternative. A large under-bed plastic tub with one side cut down is bigger and cheaper than most purpose-made boxes.
The other rule is count. One box per cat plus one, in different places, which is the standard veterinary guidance. Two boxes side by side count as one location to a cat, and the point of the spare is choice: a cat that finds one box occupied, dirty or guarded needs somewhere else to go.
Covered, open or top entry?
Petmate sells all three, and the choice is mostly about whose problem you are solving. Covered boxes solve the owner’s problem. Open boxes solve the cat’s.
| Open pan | Covered / dome | Top entry | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odour for you | Escapes into the room | Trapped inside | Mostly trapped |
| Odour for the cat | Disperses | Concentrated inside | Concentrated inside |
| Litter scatter | Highest | Low | Lowest |
| Escape routes | Good, cat can see out | One exit, can feel trapped | One exit, overhead |
| Suits older cats | Yes | Usually | No, requires jumping |
| Easy to check the waste | Yes | Needs the lid off | Needs the lid off |
The trapped-inside problem is real. A covered box concentrates ammonia in the space your cat puts its head into, and a box with a single exit can feel like a dead end to a cat that is nervous or lives with another cat that ambushes it. If a cat stops using a covered box, take the lid off before you buy anything new.
The overlooked cost of covered boxes is that you stop seeing the contents. Urine volume, stool consistency and frequency are among the most useful early health signals you have, and a lid hides all three. Scoop daily and actually look.
Top entry is the best answer to tracking and the worst answer for an ageing cat. If your cat is young, agile and scattering litter across the hall, it is a good buy. If your cat is eleven and stiff, it is not.
Which Petmate box for which cat
Size first, then shape.
| Product | Style | Price | Pick it if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hi-Back Open Pan, Jumbo | Open, high sides | $14.99 | Most cats. Easy entry, and the high back catches spray. |
| Giant Litter Box | Open, extra large | $17.84 | Your cat is a Maine Coon or anything over about 12 pounds. |
| Dome Litter Box | Covered | $37.99 | Smell and scatter matter more to you, and your cat accepts a hood. |
| Top Entry Litter Pan | Top entry | $25.59 | Tracking drives you mad and your cat is a young, confident jumper. |
| Catcher Mat, Large | Litter mat | $29.99 | Any box. Put it where your cat takes two full steps across it. |
| Replendish Filtered Waterer | Gravity waterer | $37.38 | You want a filtered bowl. A circulating fountain tempts most cats more. |
When a litter box problem is a medical problem
Before you rearrange the house, rule this out. A cat that suddenly changes its toileting habits is often telling you something is wrong.
- Straining and producing nothing is an emergency. A blocked male cat can die within a day or two. Crying in the box, repeated squatting, or licking at the genitals needs a vet the same day.
- Frequent small urinations suggest cystitis or a urinary tract problem rather than a preference change.
- Much larger clumps than usual can point to kidney disease or diabetes, both common and both manageable when caught early.
- Going just outside the box often means the cat associates the box with pain, and it can persist after the medical problem is treated.
- Sudden avoidance in a multi-cat home may be territorial, and adding a box in a different room fixes more cases than anything else.
Once medical causes are ruled out, the usual culprits are a box that is too small, too dirty, in a bad spot, or filled with a litter the cat dislikes. Our guide on cats not using the litter box works through it, and the Cornell Feline Health Center covers the urinary side.
So which Petmate should you get?
Buy the Hi-Back open pan if you want the sensible default, the Giant if your cat is large, and the Dome only if containing smell and scatter matters more to you than your cat’s preference. The Catcher Mat is worth adding whichever box you choose.
Skip the top-entry box for an older or arthritic cat. Compare litters in our best cat litter guide and see best cat water fountain if hydration is the reason you were looking at the waterer.
The short version
Cheap, widely stocked plastic boxes in enough shapes that one of them fits. The brand is not the decision; the size and the shape are.
Measure your cat and buy a box one and a half times its length, keep one box per cat plus one, scoop daily and look at what you scoop. Petmate Hi-Back Open Pan is the sensible default. This article is educational rather than veterinary advice, and a cat straining without producing urine needs a vet the same day.
Litter box questions, answered
Q: What size litter box does my cat need?
At least 1.5 times your cat’s length measured from nose to the base of the tail. An 18-inch cat wants a box around 27 inches long. Most litter boxes sold, including many labelled large, are smaller than the cat using them needs.
Q: How many litter boxes should I have?
One per cat plus one spare, placed in different locations. Two boxes side by side count as a single location to a cat. The spare provides choice when one box is occupied, dirty or guarded by another cat.
Q: Are covered litter boxes bad for cats?
Not inherently, but they suit owners more than cats. A lid traps odour in the space the cat puts its head into and leaves a single exit, which can feel like a dead end to a nervous cat. If a cat stops using a covered box, remove the lid before buying anything else.
Q: Why has my cat stopped using the litter box?
Rule out medical causes first. Straining without producing urine is an emergency, frequent small urinations suggest a urinary problem, and unusually large clumps can point to kidney disease or diabetes. Once health is ruled out, the usual causes are a box that is too small, too dirty, badly placed, or filled with a disliked litter.
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