The Catbox. Catboxius coverus

The modern enclosed catbox's evolutionary path is fairly straightforward, but interesting nonetheless. Its earliest known ancestor is a simple corrugated box. Flaps still there, seen below.



It didn't last long in this state. Cats are vicious creatures with many tools of destruction at their disposal, most notably their claws. The corrugated cardboard catbox only had a lifespan of one month on average. This, of course, was smaller with more cats in its environment. The next known step of the catbox is the simple plastic box.



This catbox has a much longer lifespan, averaging more than the cat itself in many cases. Its largest problem is cleaning. Only by scooping the cat droppings from the box can it be cleaned. Removing waste litter involved picking up the box, potentially spilling everywhere. A small adaptation improved this:



The liner improved its cleaning properties significantly. Now, spreading litter in the surroundings was the largest problem.



Walls increased. An improvement, but still not there.



Photocopier guts were grafted to no improvement.



Finally a roof evolved. This improved cleanliness and allowed for things to be stored on it easily. A slight evolution to plastic and the modern form of the catbox was evolved.