How do I keep my cat's littler from smelling up the house?
Long story short,
Cat cannot (of course) be sold because the family loves her, and I'm out all day so I can't clean the litter everytime she goes. How do I keep it from smelling up the house? A friend suggested mixing baking soda in with it before I left for work each day, but dosn't that sound like it will harm her? Any suggestions?
- Saaskie
Answers:
Scoop it every day and change it frequently. You can also try putting a lid with a filter on the box.
If you are gone all day, why not have one of the 'family' that loves her scoop out solid waste? As long as they wash their hands, it won't hurt them.
A small amount of baking soda won't harm the cat at all. You could also try gradually changing litters - don't do it all at once or the cat might rebel. And I recommend avoiding crystal or cedar litters as many cats who are used to regular litter don't like them and won't use them.
Good luck to you!
Take the poop out every time the cat uses it. I have tidy cat crystals and it's great!
A cat's litterbox should be scooped out daily! Cat's urine contains high levels of ammonia which can smell up instantly whenever they go. Buying the scoopable litter and scooping it daily will help drastically with the smell. Also, add some baking soda to the box once a week, about 1/4 cup to absorb smells. Litter should be thoroughly changed about every 7-10 days. (when scooping)
You might want to try some different litters to see which is most effective. And a cracked open window and air freshener can help as well.
Alot of it depends on location, maybe there is a less smelly area of the house you can put it in?
It will always smell just after they go of course (just like with us hehe), but if you get some decent cat litter it should keep it to a minimum with regular changing.
i had the same problem until i got one of the litter trays like an igloo, they have a filter and keep the smell inside. They are not expensive and I swear they work plus my cat took to it straight away, I was worried he wouldnt go in the cat flap. They are excellent!!
There are deodorizers you can add to the litter to help with the smell.
There are self-cleaning litter boxes that remove waste every time the cat eliminates.
Some litters have deodorizers to control odor.
Put an odor-absorber packet near the litter box.
Try a new cat litter, I have two cats and I use scoop away and have no problems with the odor. It comes in a purple box. You may want to wash the litter box really good and let it air dry or start with a new box.
What brand of litter do you use? I use Fresh Step Scoopable with Odor Eliminating Carbon, and you would never know I have two cats, my house never smells! I scoop it out at the end of the day, and completely change it once a month. It costs a little more than normal litter, but it's WELL worth it. Baking soda won't hurt the cat, but you should try this brand of litter, it's great.
Scoop every day. If the box is scooped, burn a candle and that will take care of it til next time. I use Arm %26 Hammer and it's pretty good. I thought the crystals were good too, but the cats won't use it.
The littermaid self cleaning litter box. It is a GODSEND..
buy a self cleaning litter box you can get one at this site http://www.amazon.com/littermaid-lm900/d.
my brother %26 his wife have one %26 you can not tell they have a cat tell you see the cat.
scoop out clumps of fecal matter then sprinkle a heavy amount of baking soda on top of it you can also try the kitty litter with arm%26included in it and get the kitty litter that states its for multipile cats even if you only have one it works for me
There is no need to scoop every time the cat eliminates. No one would be able to live with cats otherwise! But you should use a high quality clumping litter that is scooped once daily. That should be easily manageable. Plus, dump out the litter box, clean with mild soap and water and replace with fresh litter every 7-10 days. Every few years, you may need to replace the litterpan altogether. The plastic will eventually absorb the smell and washing will not be able to get rid of it.
Just a warning, some cats do okay with automatic litterboxes and covered boxes, but these kinds of pans also cause some cats to stop using the litterbox altogether. Covered pans keep the smell inside the box, which is good for you but very bad for the poor cat! Remember, they have much more sensitive noses than we do. You wouldn't want to eliminate in a smelly bathroom either. :-)
The problem with automatic litterboxes is they can scare the cat, especially in multi-cat houses. They are usually set to clear the box a set number of minutes after the cat leaves the box. But what happens if another cat comes in when it clicks on!? Or what if the cat is simply hanging out "near" the box when it clicks on? The cat may decide this scary device is not a good place to poo! Plus, they can break down, become clogged, etc.
And yes, baking soda is safe and will also help! :-)
**~~~CHANGE THE LITTER DUHHHH!XOXO~~~**
I have three cats and unless one of them has just used the bathroom, you wouldn't know that I even have one. Except for all of the kitty furniture and toys! :) I have been through several different types of litter because I wanted the "stink" to a minimum. I liked Tidy Cats before they changed the recipe. Now it doesn't clump as well. Arm %26 Hammer has some strange perfume that actually made the boxes smell worse. Now I use Scoop Away, and it works great! I have two covered cat boxes too which allow for a little extra help in the smell department. One of the motorized boxes might be nice, but I think it would scare a cat and maybe deter them from using the box at all.
Another good idea is check the food you are feeding your cat. A lot of the food you find in grocery stores and places like Wal-mart are full of fillers. Your cat ends up going to the bathroom more frequently, and I can't imagine it would help with the smell either. If there is a pet store locally, try "Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care for Indoor cats". It comes in a white and light green bag. It reduces trips to the bathroom and smell, and also minimizes hairballs (which is great for me because all of mine are long hairs) Nutro is a little more expensive, but so worth it! And most stores have programs where if you buy 10 bags your 11th is free! Try the link below for cat food info. And keep in mind that changing foods can be a very tempermental procedure. Try using the food as a treat first to let your cat get used to it. Then mix just a little in with its regular food. And eventually get to all new food. I hope this info helps! Good luck!
http://www.nutroproducts.com/completecar.
get a covered litter box and use arm and hammer super scoop kitty litter and scoop it out once a day. and you shouldn't have a problem.
also what are you feeding your cat, I would recomend switching to natural choice complete care indoor formula.
Are you using regular clay litter? I started using that when I got my cat in August. It stunk so much we were cleaning the entire litterbox out every 2 or 3 days instead of once a week.
Switch to clumping litter, you will be able to scoop the pee and poo which will help eliminate odor. Mix in some baking soda in there too to help absorb the smell. Scoop before going to work and when you get home or before you go to bed, every day. After doing this with our litterbox, the box doesn't smell at all now. You can probably go like 1 month without entirely emptying the litterbox and cleaning it too.
We get good clumping litter from a pet store. Huge bag for $10 (20 pounds maybe?).
I don't scoop every time my cat goes, either..and I'm home all day. Honestly, I think the people who vehemently push the scooping of waste every time the cat goes really need to reassess their own situations. If you KNOW every time your cat goes AND have the time to keep track and scoop that much, odds are you're not getting much else done in life. Scooping once or twice a day is sufficient. Hell, I don't even scoop that often all the time. Even once every other day is good..but keep in mind that my cat is on two meals of canned food a day and doesn't really crap that often.
Baking soda mixed in with the litter DOES help, and no, it's not harmful. It's probably less harmful than the litter itself, so don't worry about using it. I've used it before, and it really does help soak up the odors. I also have a covered box with a slot for a carbon filter in the hood. I use Tidy Cats crystals because they're awesome for smell. A good clumping litter for smell is Tidy Cats Small Spaces. Works wonders. If the cat's waste wreaks beyond what you'd consider normal, you may want to cosult a vet about it.
There is also litter carb..you just mix it in with the litter. It can be found at nearly any pet supply store.
There is a product in the animal section at the store. It is baking soda with a fragrance and it help with the odor.
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