Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've actually had a few different kinds of litter box enclosure furniture over the years, so I've got quite a bit of experience when it comes to getting the most out of such products. Prior to this one, I had the larger version from the same brand - its like a bench with a secret cut out entrance on the side. That one would have been wonderful if I had known then what I know now. Sadly, I made every mistake in the book & I ruined it within a year. I'll try to describe the mistakes I made with the other one, what I learned & how I applied that to really getting the most out of this one, that I have now. I got the espresso color for this item, but the bench type I had before was white. In regard to color - I don't think it makes a difference either way. The white one got just as dirty on the inside as the espresso colored one does...in both cases, you'd have to open it up to see the mess - and obviously, in both cases, you'd want to clean any messes - so color doesn't make a difference. Just get the color that suits you and don't second guess that aspect of it. These can be quite heavy, especially once litter is inside. before you ever even assemble it, its a must that you line the floor underneath to protect it - that goes for carpet, hard wood, whatever. I failed to do that the first time around and I really regret it. This time, I went to home depot or lowes (dont remember) and I had them cut me a piece of heavy vinyl floor mat - clear, in the size I needed. I think that was like $10 or $12. no matter what - when choosing your floor cover, make absolutely sure that the part of the mat that faces up is smooth and flat. No texture at all. You want to be able to wipe it clean, vacuum it, sweep it, whatever - without having to bother with crevices or textured services that mess that can get stuck in. if you're putting your litter enclosure on carpet, you will be amazed how much easier it is to vacuum up litter that gets kicked out or spilled. The litter comes up with half the effort when it's on a flat vinyl surface, as opposed to scattered on the carpet. the mat will also make it easier to scoot the furniture around when you occasionally want to clean any spilled litter that found its way underneath the furniture. Get a high back litter pan and fill it with the least amount of litter you can get away with - and just resolve yourself to stay on top of it & keep it clean. I was way over filling the litter pan when I used the bench style & that really facilitated a lot of mess. it was way easier for the cat to kick it out, and it caused her to be so high up in the pan that sometimes when she'd be in the litter pan - her pee would go over the top of the litter box & splash all over the inside of the furniture. If you keep it shallow, that won't happen. Because the inside of the furniture was always such a mess, I was constantly cleaning it. The directions said not to saturate with cleaning liquids - in fact - the directions said to wipe down with a damp cloth, just water. Um, no. No. No. No. I was not about to wipe up pee "with a damp cloth." give me a break. I used method anti-bac spray cleaner or sometimes I used vinegar. It wasn't long before the chipboard wood became saturated in places and started to warp. Then, eventually, the laminate coating that sealed the chipboard actually eroded off...which meant every time I wiped down the inside of the pan I would bring up bits of wood shaving & make an entirely different mess. so then I tried different types of mats and liners to put inside the furniture, underneath the litter box. Don't do that! All that did was trap spills and messes under the mat to better pool up & saturate the eroded chipboard. So, that one went in the trash, and when I ordered this one I took some preliminary steps before I ever let the cat in there. in addition to the vinyl mat that I mentioned....I assembled the new espresso enclosure and took it outside and used acrylic sealant to seal up all the cracks where the different parts of the assembly came together. I sealed around the bottom piece really well. after all of that dried, I used a non-toxic waterproof spray varnish to entirely coat all of the inside. I probably did 4 rounds of coating and letting dry...the end result being 12 strong coats of protection. Everything I used is pet safe after dry. I also coated the outside piece where the hole is...for the cat to enter the furniture. that part requires a lot of cleaning too. once all of that was dry, I put it on the mat & put the litter pan in with minimal litter. this is necessary. now when she makes a mess, I can clean it up with whatever I like without ruining the chipboard. And with the cracks sealed...there's no saturation and warping taking place. The big thing with this is to manage your expectations. litter does sometimes get kicked out. There will sometimes be messes inside. and know that you really do have to clean it every day. An out of site, out of mind mentality will only result in the rest of your house being peed on by your frustrated cat. if you're going to stay on top of it, then you will be glad you have this item. It's a lot better than a box of poop sitting in the middle of a room somewhere. The material really should be less vulnerable - its aggravating that I had to waterproof it myself - but it is what it is. take extra care and you won't be disappointed.