A FREE CAT LITTER SCOOP
Designed by Doug Smith

If you buy 2 litre plastic bottles of Cola, Lemonade, Spring Water etc from supermarkets, this litter scoop will costs you nothing but a few moments effort. If you don't regularly buy 2 litre bottles, some of the "value" varieties cost less than 20p for 2 litres. 20p is still a lot cheaper than the price of a cat litter scoop in a pet store (and you'll get 2 litres of fizzy pop free!) . Or simply scrounge a big plastic drinks bottle from a friend.

This scoop works best with lighter weight litters e.g. wood pellets, paper pellets. The bottle plastic isn't strong enough for Fullers Earth although you could experiment by cutting a shorter shovel section than shown below.

You can adapt this basic pattern to make a scoop out of any plastic bottle or roughly the right diameter to fit comfortably in your hand and long enough to fashion a "handle" and a scoop section. The plastic must be the slightly flexible sort i.e. not so brittle it shatters if you squash it a little.

Empty the bottle if you have not already done so.

Cut the bottle as shown by the dotted lines below. The top part of the bottle is the end you are interested in.

You will get one "shovel" end; the rest can be thrown away (I've found the bottom end makes a reasonable scoop too). Use scissors or a knife to round any corners (for your own safety). You can also use an ordinary emery board nail file to smooth rough edges.

If you are scooping solids or clumps, remove the bottle cap and shake the load gently. The loose dry litter should fall through the open neck of the bottle, leaving the clumps or solids behind.

If you buy milk, cat litter or liquid fabric conditioner (softener) in the large plastic containers with a moulded side handle, use this container to make a litter scoop with a handle. Plastic milk containers may be too flimsy for heavier types of litter; I've found fabric conditioner bottles to be sturdy.

If the scoop becomes too soiled or gets tatty, dispose of it and make another.