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I like to use a puppy pad in our litter box. This is for one older kitten. I'm sure it would work better for multiple cats. The kitten also uses the puppy pad meant for the Chihuahua puppy. I wondered if I could teach the kitten to use the puppy pad and I am so glad she did!
Insert a clean empty litter box into a large plastic trash bag. It should fit in the bag loosely. Dump the kitty litter into the the box. Using the bread tie twisters or other type plastic twisters, close the bag.
Hard clumping litter makes it easier to notice when you need to fork out the clumps. Plus having an automatic battery operated air spray freshener nearby helps.
Most of you have likely seen the large plastic box type litter box that has a square cut out for the cat to enter, this is what my cats use. The actual tip is how a Command hook is very handy to hang up the scooper. I have a small lined bucket for the deposits near by.
Line your littermaid plastic bins with grocery plastic bags. This keeps the waste bins from becoming soiled and they won't have to be replaced as often. Simply lift out the grocery bag each day and replace the bins when cracked.
I find it helpful to put many layers of old newspaper in them and then sand on top. I only let them use 1 box and keep the other clean, with its door to the wall.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
What is the best way to clean a cat litter box?
Wearing gloves and a mask, empty all the contents into a bin and scrub box with a mild cleaner like dish soap and water. Rinse thoroughly. Your cat may not use the box if it smells like soap. Dry al the way through. Refill with litter.
some people line their litter boxes before adding the litter so that the cleaning process doesn't have to be so onerous
i would probably still clean it even if doing that, though
Key word here is DAILY. Sometimes more than once a day, depending on how much your cat goes. Cats instinctively bury their business so regardless to whether you see the poop, you need to scoop the box often. If you use the clumping litter, dumping the entire contents isn't necessary, just scoop and refill. If you aren't using it (which I highly recommend that you do) then plan on dumping the box completely at least every other day as the urine will create a icky mess at the bottom of the box that neither you, nor your cat, will enjoy.
Well it looks like you have been bombarded with suggestions and most of them seem reasonable.
I can only speak from experience but if you wish to wear gloves and a mask then that is your choice. I kinda think my cat would freak out if she saw me adorn such an attire but then everyone has different ideas as to what is needed for cleanliness - health wise.
How do you keep the cat pee smell out of the litter box? It is cleaned every day. I have put baking soda in the box and nothing helps. I have tried different brands of litter.
By JB
More than likely your cat has got into the habit of splashing over onto the floor or wall around the litter box. The tray may not be long enough or deep enough for the size of the cat. (Or he/she is deliberately doing the splash-over to tell you the tray is not satisfactory to him/her for whatever reason. Cats are funny, ours wants his tray cleaned after EVERY use and if we don't, he piddles off the edge)
Use a half-half mix water and distilled white vinegar to thoroughly wipe down the area around and under the tray.
Replace the tray with something longer and deeper, and you might want to consider placing a protective mat underneath. We use an old car mat we can hose off at the same time we hose the tray when changing out the litter completely.
We have a large and long neutered Siamese-Abyssinian who taught us the above:) He still splashes over on occasion if we aren't as quick as he likes to clean his tray, but since changing the tray to a deeper, longer one, and since placing the mat under it, we have an odor free home.
We had the same problem with our cat. We tried every kind of litter box available and she tended to pee over the sides and down the sides of each box. We even had a enclosed box and still it was no good. The problem was that she was too big for any of the other boxes. She stood up when she peed and that's why it went over the sides and back of the box.
We finally got some good info on Thrifty fun about using a Rubber maid tote container and cut a hole in the side of the box just big enough for her to get through. We put a litter mat to catch the remaining litter. It works really great and the box doesn't smell like pee. Also the best litter I have found is Tidy Cat Instant Action scoop for multiple cats. It automatically clumps and stops the odor. I have tried all types of litter including using baking soda for the odors and this is the only thing that has helped. I hoped this has helped.
Keep that litterbox immaculate. Scoop as often as you can, and make sure to get down to the bottom and scrap the edges. Replace the litter as often as you need to, I change mine out completely once a week. I've found that sWheat Scoop controls odor well.
Every day when I scoop out the box, I wipe down the sides of the box with a mild vinegar solution. I keep a spray bottle of 1/2 white vinegar, 1/2 tap water on hand. Shake all the litter to one side of the box, then spray a paper towel with the vinegar solution and wipe the sides of the box, where the cats often pee. Then tilt the box the other way, and wipe down that side.
Once a month, dump out all the litter, and scrub it, inside and outside with dish soap and vinegar. Rinse, dry and refill with clean litter. If the litterbox is on a hard surface, wash the area with vinegar. If it's on carpeting, sprinkle the carpet with baking soda, let it sit for 15-20 minutes, then vacuum. Consider putting an indoor-outdoor rug or mat under the box, something that you can take out and wash down occasionally.
Is 20 Mule Team safe to use in a litter box?
By Ruth from NY
I would say no. I use a lot of Borax and love it for urine odors in the wash. However in powdered form it can migrate to eyes, mouthes etc. When wet it changes chemically (boric acid) which can be dangerous. Either of those three could cause illness in a cat (or human).
I would say no also. Putting it in the litterbox allows the powder to be stirred up into the eyes & respiratory tract. Also, it gets on the paws & the cat licks it off & swallows it - would be like feeding it directly to the animal.
If you use the clumping type litter and change it frequently, there should be no smell and you will not need to use Borax.
Thanks for the knowledge. I thought it could be used like baking soda.
Can anyone recommend a kitty litter product that doesn't stick to your cat's feet and track all over the place?
We have two cats and used to have two litter boxes. We used to keep one of the litter boxes in the kid's bathroom, but even after putting it in a large storage container with high sides and using one of those no-track mats, the litter would stick to the cat's feet and end up all over the bathroom floor when they jumped out of the storage container. I was sweeping in there almost daily and it would still stick to the kids damp feet when they got out of the shower - disgusting!
I tried removing that litter box and keeping just the one downstairs, which I clean daily. One cat has no problem with this. The other cat will poop in the downstairs litter box, but will not pee in it. He now pees on the bathroom floor where the old litter box used to be and if someone is in that bathroom when he needs to use it, he will scratch on the door twice and if it doesn't open, he proceeds to go to a room where there is a person and pee on the carpet along the edge of the room, even if the closest person is nowhere near that bathroom - jerk! It's driving me crazy.
So it looks like I have to put the litter-box back in the bathroom and might even need to put in a cat door in case someone has the gall to actually use the bathroom. I a little concerned about this as it is right at the top of the stairs. This means I'm back to my original problem - how to keep the cat litter from tracking all over the bathroom floor? Any ideas? He is very set on this particular location and I have three kids using this rather small bathroom including a teenage daughter that likes to take long baths with the door shut.
If you have a long-haired cat chances are the litter is sticking to the fur around and between his toes (that's what the problem is with our male cat).
We improved the "tracking situation" by placing an old bath mat under the front of the litter box (the kind with rubber backing so it doesn't bunch up) and carefully trimming the long tufts of fur on the bottoms of his feet. This has helped a lot, but now while cleaning, we have the added step of taking the mat outside and shaking the litter out of it, and washing it every couple of weeks.
Just a suggestion - I know it's frustrating but our pets add so much to our lives, aren't they worth it?
Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, he is short hair, so there's no fur to trim between his toes. I have one of those rubber mats that are designed to take the litter off his feet but he jumps over it and he was peeing on the bathmat when we had one in the bathroom, so it's been removed. Unfortunately, the bathroom is pretty small. We're using a clumping type litter. I'm hoping someone can recommend another type that doesn't cling to their feet so badly and also doesn't smell?
Have you tried the Gorilla Grip cat litter mat (I believe that's what it's called)? Got mine on Amazon and it's helped greatly!
Can I use Pam to keep used litter from sticking inside the box, especially urine at the sides?
By Patricia J
This is a page about how to keep litter from sticking to the cat box. Often wet litter will stick to the sides and in the corners of the litter box. Try applying a thin coat of pet safe wax to the cleaned box and the litter should slide out more easily.
It is a great convenience that cats are easily trained to use a litter box. However, finding the best place to locate your litter box(es) out of site and reach of other pets and children can be a process of trial and error.
