How often to clean the litter tray and other stuff?
I have adopted two 6 mths old kitties and had been completly emptying the litter tray every day, until I read on here that I only need to clean out the soiled bits daily.
I have tried this over the past week but the problem is I just can't stand the smell even after the poops have been removed, does anyone else clean out everyday or am I just being fussy?
Also, when I adopted Chester and Kitty the previous owner said to just to to lay a few pieces of newspaper in the bottom of the tray before putting in the litter (which worked fine!), then I saw these plastic tray liners and thought they would make cleaning out a lot more pleasant, but the plastic really upsets the cats and they are pulling it over the litter and making holes in it. Does anyone have any good advice for me to make the whole process a bit nicer :)
Thanks Jo
Answers:
Don't clean it at all
just wait till the House starts smelling then move out
The house will stink but you wont notice it so ask a real friend, though your friends will have stopped coming round due to the smell
true facts about owning a cat
THE HOUSE STINKS
YOU GO INTO TOTAL DENIAL ABOUT YOUR SMELLY HOUSE
I change the litter box once a week, use a clumping litter and "scoop" everyday. I don't use any liners and my cat doesn't have any issues with her litter box.
when you start to let them outside they will crap outside but until then you will just have to keep cleaning the tray.
i have a scoop to take out the wet litter when its hard, scoop up there poop and then just put in some fresh stuff. Easy to keep it clean
I scoop the solid waste every 1-2 days, and change the litter entirely twice a week (if you're using clumping litter you might not need to do it this often as you'd remove the offending pee-lumps with the poops).
Try using a spray like Neutrodol or something else antibacterial that gets rid of icky smells. I swear by it! My cat's an indoor kitty at the moment so he uses the tray a LOT!
What kind of litter are you using? My two cats get on really well with the woodbased stuff - it's little pellets of sawdust that sort of dissolve once that get wet. Solid 'poo' just sits on top which I scoop out every time they do one. My cats are a bit fussy in that if one has pooped in the tray - the other then won't! He'll wait till I've taken the poop out! The other ones not so fussy but of course I can't always tell who's poo is whose!
Stick with the paper liner if that's what they are used to but don't bother with those bags, they are rubbish! I thoroughly recommend the wood based litter and any antibacterial room spray / air freshener!
Well done for adopting them - I hope you have lots and lots of happy times!
Continue removing the soiled bits daily. You can buy a litter freshener (powder form) I think it's by Bob Martin.
My cat never liked the plastic tray liners, I'd stick to the newspaper.
Can the cats not go out so as to eradicate the litter tray completely?
Scoop the poop every day, and empty the litter every week. Buy a scented litter so that it smells fragrant when they use it. Once the litter starts to smell like ammonia, dump it. Screw the liners, thats just more trouble than need, but get a litterbox that is enclosed with a swinging door to keep it neater and smelling better.
I use the liners for my cat in her tray, if you put the liners in first and then put the newspaper so it covers the liner and then put in the litter- then when it needs emptying lift the liner and tie it together- easy!
Good luck!
you can buy a pooper scooper made for cats, it has open slots in it so that it just collects the poo. and then you just clean out the whole tray after it is either smelling or is full.
I have an actual cat loo, bought from Argos for about £9.99. these come with filters and a door, so the smell stays inside. my cat didn't like the door, so I took it off and it still doesn't smell.
but if your cats are used to the cat flap the door is the same.
I bought cat litter tray liners and then I line them with newspaper as this makes it less messy and more hygenic to clean up.
the cats seem to like the newspaper, but still line it with the plastic
good luck
Get some clumping litter, this makes it easier to clean daily. And yes, just take out the clumps. I found some "Sifting Tray Liners" at WalMart. This is a package of 10 litter box liners with holes in them. You just pick up the corners and let the clean litter sift out from among the clumps. After you use the 10th one, you have a solid one to catch the clean litter to put back in the box when you put in a new set of liners. This helps with the smell. To describe the box, it is baby blue with a yellow kitty on the front and they are called "Sifting Liners". I have given you links to similar products below.
Use a litter box with some kind of top to put over the edges that will help hold the liners in place. The liners I buy at Wal Mart have rubberbands to hold them down.
Also, I use Scoop Away, I have found with as many as 5 cats in the same house at times, this kills the odor best. I have tried everything out there. Trust me, this is the best on the market right now.
I have 4 indoor cats and this is the system I use.
I have 2 very large litter trays that have lids and swing doors. I use the liners (tip - buy a size larger than your tray) and then put several sheets of newspaper on top of the liner before adding the litter. I do not use the clumping litter as I think it's more bother than it's worth but I use the granular hygiene stuff instead. I use a whole bag of litter in one tray and every day I scoop the poop, rake the litter level and add a sprinkle of the powder litter freshener. I do a complete change of litter once a week. Using the liners makes changing the litter much easier.
It sounds like a lot of hassle, but really it only takes about 5 minutes a day, 15 minutes or so for a complete litter change and that's for 2 trays. My cats are quite happy with this routine and the trays don't usually smell at all, however I also have one of those air freshener things that spray out a puff of freshener at regular intervals and I find that this helps the whole room smell just fine.
Cats can be very fussy about having clean litter trays, so clean it ouit as often as possible. I use the clumping litter and remove the clumps and solids every day or so, plus use a deodoriser to negate smells. About weekly I dump the lot , scrub out the trays and refill.
Gave up on liners, the cats just made more of a mess with them by catching their claws in them. Some cats will not tolerate a change in the type of litter either, so it is best to stick with what they are used to.
Hassle I know, but better that than squashed cats on the road 'cos the b*****s down our road drive too fast!
what i do is only clean up his poop with a plastic glove or put ur hand in a plastic bag and scoop the poop out then reverse the bag that u have the poop in the clean part of the bag out.. i change the litter box twice or 3 times a week. my house smells great.
hiya
get two litter trays one each also try light weight litter it will come out faster
you can get cat freshner to go in the tray it will smell abit nicer
if you live in the uk you can get it from tesco
http://woofnwhiskers.com/product~numpage.
http://www.purapet.com/clumpinglightweig.
i hope this helps
my boyfriend bought his inside cat to stay it had its litter tray in the bathroom..lets just say it fast become an outside cat during the day ughhhhh i cant stand litter trays an the smell even after one day
I have 4 cats and 5 litter trays, for basically indoor cats. They are in constant use every day.I clean out the lumps every morning (hardened wee mountains and poo lumps) and clean and wash the whole lot out every couple of weeks. I buy nappy sacks at waitrose to put all the soiled stuff in each morning before it goes in the bin. I use boiling hot water and biological washing powder to clean the trays out and wash the lids too. (I find covered in litter trays don't smell as much as open ones) In summer I leave them to dry in the sun in my little back yard. (one at a time so there are still toilet facilities for fussy pusses who can't hold it) I never use liners of any sort, just "Thomas" clumping cat litter.
buy clump forming litter and liners and all so deodoriser then you clean it once a week but clear the poo out every day though
I do. I have 12 cats and 4 large litter trays indoors. I've always kept a large number of cats. Some years ago wood based cat litter came on the market and I got a trial sample. It is marvellous stuff and I've been using it ever since. A couple of months ago, my stockist ran out and I had to get a bag or the normal cat litter and was demented in a couple of days with the stink of cat pee.No need to use deodorisers are anything else.
I went to a different shop and bought a bag of the woodbased stuff again.
It may look more expensive, but actually you need to use less so it works out about the same. In a normal sized litter tray, put 2 coffee mugs full of woodbased litter. It barely covers the bottom of the tray. As they pee, the pellets dissolve and swell and stay dry. All you can smell is clean pine wood. Carry on scooping the poops at least once or twice a day. Each time I refill my litter trays, bearing in mind I have 12 cats, the litter lasts for over a week before I need to change it. The litter is easily disposed of too. You can compost it, or flush it or dig it into your garden to improve heavy soil, or simply bag and bin it.
If you are int he UK ask your pet shop for 'Fussy pu$$y'(had to use dollar signs for 's' because the stupid censor thinks the word is pornographic), 'beuticat' or 'smart pet'.
If you go to the link below and contact the company they will send you a sample (UK only)
In the states, I imagine most pet shops will stock it and I understand you can also buy a sack of stove pellets very cheaply which will last you for ages.
Years ago, when I owned a pet shop, I used to give away samples of the wood based stuff. After a year, it was the only litter I was selling as people realised how good it was.
I raised two kittens and had exactly the same problem. I also emptied the whole tray every day because I couldn't stand it! I bought one of those trays with the lid - they look like a cat carrier - which helped to reduce the mess of stuff being shovelled over the edge and also reduced the smell as they have a filter thing on top. I also used to put a slow release air freshner thing nearby which helped.
The only way to keep the smell down really is to empty it everyday so keep it up - i don't know how other people stand leaving it for longer! Anyway, with two kittens using the same tray its obviously going to get dirty twice as quickly and when I didn't clean the whole thing out they used to get upset and one of them started looking for better, cleaner spots to go toilet! Eek!
The good news is that the situation does improve because as they get older they eat less frequently and so poo and wee less frequently. If they will be allowed out when they are older you'll find that they prefer going outside anyway.
Just bear it out til then and Good luck.
www.katpack.co.uk
I recommend it
Use clumping litter. I was using a liner in our box, and kitty ripped it to shreds too, so I stopped using them. (It's normal for cats to scratch, dig and claw at their litter box after using it.)
I have 2 litter boxes with clumping litter for our one cat. We should be able to go 3 or 4 weeks without completely emptying them. Add some baking soda and mix that in to neutralize the smell.
We were using regular clay litter at first, it was so stinky, we were emptying it after a couple of days too. Gross. Clumping litter is definitely the way to go since you can dispose of the urine and poo, keeping the box clean.
i have a year old cat, who poops alot.i escoop up the poop every one or 2 days and clean out the litter tray once a week. i always leave a window open next to the litter tray for the yukky smells. you can also buy litters that are like crystals these are excellent for absorbing the smell of their wee! i use them in winter when i cant leave the window open that much!good luck
You do just need to scoop out the dirty bits daily, and only do a big cleaning with fresh litter - every two weeks would be good for two cats. You should have two litter boxes with two cats, though. Those plastic liners do not work at all, because of what you explained. Maybe it's the kind of litter you use. We have had cats for years, and found the best to be no name clumping (unscented) litter from Superstore. (we're in Canada). What you can also do, is sprinkle baking soda over the top of the litter after you have cleaned it.
Another thing that might be related to smell is what you are feeding them. At six months, they should be eating dry kitten food, with canned food only occasionally as a treat. Lots of water available to them. Good luck - hope it gets better.
People don't even realize we have litter around - we must be doing something right!
get the Bob Martin littler crystals, they work great and I would never go back to the regular stuff. I have two indoor cats and 3 litter trays and only have to clean them every 6 weeks. Scoop out the poop everyday and the smell of the pee is absorbed by the crystals. Its great stuff
I have 2 indoor cats and change the litter in the box twice a week. I use Fresh Step cat litter. I scoop out the feces daily. Fresh Step keeps odors under control.
Forget the tray liners - they serve no useful purpose. I use wood pellet cat litter, and even when it is damp, it just smells like a pine forest. Clean poops out daily (just remove with kitchen paper and flush down the loo) and completely change every other day.
i have been given two different drugs for my pup! what are they?
About BUDDY?
Is a home alone dog a sad dog?
Why does my dog roll around in fox pooh and not other animals?
my american bulldog?
should i stop feeding my dog as she only wants chicken in her meals?
I want to sale my bird, where is the best place to sale it(i mean local area)?
I have had 2 shubunkins die in my pond in the last 7 days for no apparent reason,when they seemed to be ok pre
I have tried this over the past week but the problem is I just can't stand the smell even after the poops have been removed, does anyone else clean out everyday or am I just being fussy?
Also, when I adopted Chester and Kitty the previous owner said to just to to lay a few pieces of newspaper in the bottom of the tray before putting in the litter (which worked fine!), then I saw these plastic tray liners and thought they would make cleaning out a lot more pleasant, but the plastic really upsets the cats and they are pulling it over the litter and making holes in it. Does anyone have any good advice for me to make the whole process a bit nicer :)
Thanks Jo
Answers:
Don't clean it at all
just wait till the House starts smelling then move out
The house will stink but you wont notice it so ask a real friend, though your friends will have stopped coming round due to the smell
true facts about owning a cat
THE HOUSE STINKS
YOU GO INTO TOTAL DENIAL ABOUT YOUR SMELLY HOUSE
I change the litter box once a week, use a clumping litter and "scoop" everyday. I don't use any liners and my cat doesn't have any issues with her litter box.
when you start to let them outside they will crap outside but until then you will just have to keep cleaning the tray.
i have a scoop to take out the wet litter when its hard, scoop up there poop and then just put in some fresh stuff. Easy to keep it clean
I scoop the solid waste every 1-2 days, and change the litter entirely twice a week (if you're using clumping litter you might not need to do it this often as you'd remove the offending pee-lumps with the poops).
Try using a spray like Neutrodol or something else antibacterial that gets rid of icky smells. I swear by it! My cat's an indoor kitty at the moment so he uses the tray a LOT!
What kind of litter are you using? My two cats get on really well with the woodbased stuff - it's little pellets of sawdust that sort of dissolve once that get wet. Solid 'poo' just sits on top which I scoop out every time they do one. My cats are a bit fussy in that if one has pooped in the tray - the other then won't! He'll wait till I've taken the poop out! The other ones not so fussy but of course I can't always tell who's poo is whose!
Stick with the paper liner if that's what they are used to but don't bother with those bags, they are rubbish! I thoroughly recommend the wood based litter and any antibacterial room spray / air freshener!
Well done for adopting them - I hope you have lots and lots of happy times!
Continue removing the soiled bits daily. You can buy a litter freshener (powder form) I think it's by Bob Martin.
My cat never liked the plastic tray liners, I'd stick to the newspaper.
Can the cats not go out so as to eradicate the litter tray completely?
Scoop the poop every day, and empty the litter every week. Buy a scented litter so that it smells fragrant when they use it. Once the litter starts to smell like ammonia, dump it. Screw the liners, thats just more trouble than need, but get a litterbox that is enclosed with a swinging door to keep it neater and smelling better.
I use the liners for my cat in her tray, if you put the liners in first and then put the newspaper so it covers the liner and then put in the litter- then when it needs emptying lift the liner and tie it together- easy!
Good luck!
you can buy a pooper scooper made for cats, it has open slots in it so that it just collects the poo. and then you just clean out the whole tray after it is either smelling or is full.
I have an actual cat loo, bought from Argos for about £9.99. these come with filters and a door, so the smell stays inside. my cat didn't like the door, so I took it off and it still doesn't smell.
but if your cats are used to the cat flap the door is the same.
I bought cat litter tray liners and then I line them with newspaper as this makes it less messy and more hygenic to clean up.
the cats seem to like the newspaper, but still line it with the plastic
good luck
Get some clumping litter, this makes it easier to clean daily. And yes, just take out the clumps. I found some "Sifting Tray Liners" at WalMart. This is a package of 10 litter box liners with holes in them. You just pick up the corners and let the clean litter sift out from among the clumps. After you use the 10th one, you have a solid one to catch the clean litter to put back in the box when you put in a new set of liners. This helps with the smell. To describe the box, it is baby blue with a yellow kitty on the front and they are called "Sifting Liners". I have given you links to similar products below.
Use a litter box with some kind of top to put over the edges that will help hold the liners in place. The liners I buy at Wal Mart have rubberbands to hold them down.
Also, I use Scoop Away, I have found with as many as 5 cats in the same house at times, this kills the odor best. I have tried everything out there. Trust me, this is the best on the market right now.
I have 4 indoor cats and this is the system I use.
I have 2 very large litter trays that have lids and swing doors. I use the liners (tip - buy a size larger than your tray) and then put several sheets of newspaper on top of the liner before adding the litter. I do not use the clumping litter as I think it's more bother than it's worth but I use the granular hygiene stuff instead. I use a whole bag of litter in one tray and every day I scoop the poop, rake the litter level and add a sprinkle of the powder litter freshener. I do a complete change of litter once a week. Using the liners makes changing the litter much easier.
It sounds like a lot of hassle, but really it only takes about 5 minutes a day, 15 minutes or so for a complete litter change and that's for 2 trays. My cats are quite happy with this routine and the trays don't usually smell at all, however I also have one of those air freshener things that spray out a puff of freshener at regular intervals and I find that this helps the whole room smell just fine.
Cats can be very fussy about having clean litter trays, so clean it ouit as often as possible. I use the clumping litter and remove the clumps and solids every day or so, plus use a deodoriser to negate smells. About weekly I dump the lot , scrub out the trays and refill.
Gave up on liners, the cats just made more of a mess with them by catching their claws in them. Some cats will not tolerate a change in the type of litter either, so it is best to stick with what they are used to.
Hassle I know, but better that than squashed cats on the road 'cos the b*****s down our road drive too fast!
what i do is only clean up his poop with a plastic glove or put ur hand in a plastic bag and scoop the poop out then reverse the bag that u have the poop in the clean part of the bag out.. i change the litter box twice or 3 times a week. my house smells great.
hiya
get two litter trays one each also try light weight litter it will come out faster
you can get cat freshner to go in the tray it will smell abit nicer
if you live in the uk you can get it from tesco
http://woofnwhiskers.com/product~numpage.
http://www.purapet.com/clumpinglightweig.
i hope this helps
my boyfriend bought his inside cat to stay it had its litter tray in the bathroom..lets just say it fast become an outside cat during the day ughhhhh i cant stand litter trays an the smell even after one day
I have 4 cats and 5 litter trays, for basically indoor cats. They are in constant use every day.I clean out the lumps every morning (hardened wee mountains and poo lumps) and clean and wash the whole lot out every couple of weeks. I buy nappy sacks at waitrose to put all the soiled stuff in each morning before it goes in the bin. I use boiling hot water and biological washing powder to clean the trays out and wash the lids too. (I find covered in litter trays don't smell as much as open ones) In summer I leave them to dry in the sun in my little back yard. (one at a time so there are still toilet facilities for fussy pusses who can't hold it) I never use liners of any sort, just "Thomas" clumping cat litter.
buy clump forming litter and liners and all so deodoriser then you clean it once a week but clear the poo out every day though
I do. I have 12 cats and 4 large litter trays indoors. I've always kept a large number of cats. Some years ago wood based cat litter came on the market and I got a trial sample. It is marvellous stuff and I've been using it ever since. A couple of months ago, my stockist ran out and I had to get a bag or the normal cat litter and was demented in a couple of days with the stink of cat pee.No need to use deodorisers are anything else.
I went to a different shop and bought a bag of the woodbased stuff again.
It may look more expensive, but actually you need to use less so it works out about the same. In a normal sized litter tray, put 2 coffee mugs full of woodbased litter. It barely covers the bottom of the tray. As they pee, the pellets dissolve and swell and stay dry. All you can smell is clean pine wood. Carry on scooping the poops at least once or twice a day. Each time I refill my litter trays, bearing in mind I have 12 cats, the litter lasts for over a week before I need to change it. The litter is easily disposed of too. You can compost it, or flush it or dig it into your garden to improve heavy soil, or simply bag and bin it.
If you are int he UK ask your pet shop for 'Fussy pu$$y'(had to use dollar signs for 's' because the stupid censor thinks the word is pornographic), 'beuticat' or 'smart pet'.
If you go to the link below and contact the company they will send you a sample (UK only)
In the states, I imagine most pet shops will stock it and I understand you can also buy a sack of stove pellets very cheaply which will last you for ages.
Years ago, when I owned a pet shop, I used to give away samples of the wood based stuff. After a year, it was the only litter I was selling as people realised how good it was.
I raised two kittens and had exactly the same problem. I also emptied the whole tray every day because I couldn't stand it! I bought one of those trays with the lid - they look like a cat carrier - which helped to reduce the mess of stuff being shovelled over the edge and also reduced the smell as they have a filter thing on top. I also used to put a slow release air freshner thing nearby which helped.
The only way to keep the smell down really is to empty it everyday so keep it up - i don't know how other people stand leaving it for longer! Anyway, with two kittens using the same tray its obviously going to get dirty twice as quickly and when I didn't clean the whole thing out they used to get upset and one of them started looking for better, cleaner spots to go toilet! Eek!
The good news is that the situation does improve because as they get older they eat less frequently and so poo and wee less frequently. If they will be allowed out when they are older you'll find that they prefer going outside anyway.
Just bear it out til then and Good luck.
www.katpack.co.uk
I recommend it
Use clumping litter. I was using a liner in our box, and kitty ripped it to shreds too, so I stopped using them. (It's normal for cats to scratch, dig and claw at their litter box after using it.)
I have 2 litter boxes with clumping litter for our one cat. We should be able to go 3 or 4 weeks without completely emptying them. Add some baking soda and mix that in to neutralize the smell.
We were using regular clay litter at first, it was so stinky, we were emptying it after a couple of days too. Gross. Clumping litter is definitely the way to go since you can dispose of the urine and poo, keeping the box clean.
i have a year old cat, who poops alot.i escoop up the poop every one or 2 days and clean out the litter tray once a week. i always leave a window open next to the litter tray for the yukky smells. you can also buy litters that are like crystals these are excellent for absorbing the smell of their wee! i use them in winter when i cant leave the window open that much!good luck
You do just need to scoop out the dirty bits daily, and only do a big cleaning with fresh litter - every two weeks would be good for two cats. You should have two litter boxes with two cats, though. Those plastic liners do not work at all, because of what you explained. Maybe it's the kind of litter you use. We have had cats for years, and found the best to be no name clumping (unscented) litter from Superstore. (we're in Canada). What you can also do, is sprinkle baking soda over the top of the litter after you have cleaned it.
Another thing that might be related to smell is what you are feeding them. At six months, they should be eating dry kitten food, with canned food only occasionally as a treat. Lots of water available to them. Good luck - hope it gets better.
People don't even realize we have litter around - we must be doing something right!
get the Bob Martin littler crystals, they work great and I would never go back to the regular stuff. I have two indoor cats and 3 litter trays and only have to clean them every 6 weeks. Scoop out the poop everyday and the smell of the pee is absorbed by the crystals. Its great stuff
I have 2 indoor cats and change the litter in the box twice a week. I use Fresh Step cat litter. I scoop out the feces daily. Fresh Step keeps odors under control.
Forget the tray liners - they serve no useful purpose. I use wood pellet cat litter, and even when it is damp, it just smells like a pine forest. Clean poops out daily (just remove with kitchen paper and flush down the loo) and completely change every other day.
The answers post by the user, for information only, UKQnA.com does not guarantee the right.