At least 2 litter boxes and Clean it more is usually the answer. My aunt had 5 cats at one time and they had their own room. She had 3 litter boxes and cleaned them 2x day and you would have no idea cats lived there!
When is the last time you replaced the actual boxes and any litter catching mats around them? I scrub our litter boxes and treat them with enzyme cleaner when I replace all the litter (twice a month at least), but the plastic starts to break down and hold onto the smell so they need to be replaced once a year.
That only works if the cats amendable to it. My boy is fussy if I change brands of unscented clay litter. I'm just imagining how upset he'd be if his box was made of met
I have 3 cats and 1 robo litterbox. I love it. There’s no stench and I save on litter as well. I do give it a good cleaning once a month to keep it fresh.
I change the litter completely in my cat boxes before people come to visit and scrub out the box. Ventilation is important too, either run a fan or open a window if there’s one there, or get an air purifier. We switched to steel boxes since they hold smells less than the plastic ones.
What helped me most was making sure to wash the boxes entirely, monthly. Trash all the litter, wash the box with hot soapy water, then refill with brand new litter. Sometimes the smell that sticks is just the old litter, or smell stuck to the box!
Make sure they haven't peed somewhere that you don't know about. I had a small pile of rugs, a blanket and sheets on the floor in my laundry waiting to be washed...shoved way in the back. The pee smell was so bad in that room that we set up a calendar so that we knew someone had cleaned the litter everyday. 2 cats, 3 boxes. I washed the floors and it still smelled so bad! After a couple of days I got caught up with laundry and was ready to wash the rugs, etc. all that stuff was damp! Guess what! It was cat pee! Yikes! Tossed it all! Washed the floor again and haven't smelled cat pee again, thank goodness!
Thoroughly clean the boxes. Scoop daily. You also probably need additional boxes.
I switched my cats to Pine Pellets. Do it gradually - pine pellets on bottom topped with their usual litter. Scoop daily. They will get used to the pellets.
Pine pellets reduce the cat pee odor considerably.
Clay litter is the worst for dust and smell. Pine litter is the way to go!
I do have one old man cat who prefers to pee in the bathroom basin. It's a mystery to me, but far better than many other places he might choose! I keep a spray bottle of enzyme cleaner next to it, so I can spray it down frequently.
I was going to say completely but erred on the side of caution in case I am nose blind to it. But I will only use pine pellets from now on. It’s pretty cheap, too!
Do pine pellets clump? Like how do you scoop them keep them clean on a daily basis?
Also where do you get them Someone below said they are cheap? I don't remember them being cheap at the pet store maybe some place else?
I bought a cat litter box that has a sifter tray and a solid tray. The pellets that get wet turn to a kindof sawdust. With 2”-3” layer of pellets, I can just sift out the dust every few days.
ETA: I get them at the hardware store, they’re a little harder to find in the summer. Bought a 40 pound bag is like four dollars and it lasts for months.
I buy my 40 lb. bag of pine pellets at Tractor Supply. They are called "Pelletized Bedding for Horses and Small Animals" and cost $5.99.
I use the pellets with the Purina Tidy Cats Litter Box BREEZE System. It works great and is made for pellets. You can also use pee pads with it as well, but I don't --- because they are too expensive and I'm cheap.
It's a wonderful set up. You should check both items out! Strongly recommend.
No, it doesn’t clump. The poop will sit on the litter if your cat doesn’t scratch pellets over it.
Urine gets soaked up by the pine. It looks like wet sawdust at first and then will dry and look like sawdust. You can scoop it, just need to be a little bit more careful when scooping. But you can also wait until it’s all used up and just dump it.
They also have clumping pine. I mistakenly ordered it but have not used it.
https://preview.redd.it/mxhetm1fqt6d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=03a24b3e36cf7dd5342c3f0fd532a459e474d7d5
I was looking for this comment before I responded! Yes. Pine pellets are the way to go for litter. They smell so so much less, and I find that they look less off-putting as well.
Do pine pellets clump? Like how do you scoop them keep them clean on a daily basis?
Also where do you get them Someone below said they are cheap? I don't remember them being cheap at the pet store maybe some place else?
Depending on your budget, upgrading to a Litter Robot is probably the best permanent solution. It’s a big up-front cost but it ends up using less total bags of litter per year. I think it ends up paying for itself after ~3 years in litter savings. The robot automatically scoops and drops the poop in a sealed container.
Imo, the litter robot is stinkier than the stainless litter boxes. I have both. Retaining a drawer of leavings is smellier than taking out the litter trash every day.
That said, the robot is fantastic for timely auto scooping in a multi cat household. I do think the litter robot branded litter is less odorous and better quality than other brands of clay litter. Clay litter has a disgusting smell on top of its reputation for worsening cat lung health. OP should strongly consider switching to an alternative litter such as pine, silica, or corn.
I'm not sure I would recommend a litter robot for their situation... they need to stay on top of cleaning the unit and swapping out dirty litter properly (they admitted to having trouble doing that with regular boxes).
The robot isn't hard to clean, relatively speaking, but it is much more time-consuming to clean in its entirety than cleaning three plain boxes.
If they're not willing to maintain it, they'll have spent a lot of money to end up in the same situation.
I think enzyme cleaner and a black light are their friends; dollars to donuts one of the cats went outside the box because OP fell behind on scooping.
Scoop the poop. You need to take care of it more frequently than you are. I have had cats my whole life and never have had this issue. Scoop up the pee balls too! Cats don’t like a filthy litter box!
You might want to change the type of litter you use, it can make a huge difference. I switched to a clay-type litter and it made a big difference in terms of smell.
Wash the boxes and change the litter completely every month. I mean dump it all out and start completely fresh. If you have fussy cats, put a small amount of a urine ball back into each box so that they know it’s still theirs.
At the same time you do that, *clean the floors and walls* of wherever you keep the boxes! It’ll make an *enormous* difference.
Replace the boxes and scoop entirely every year or so.
Clean the boxes daily, if you’re not doing so, and straight to the trash with the waste. Nothing sticks like that ammonia smell.
A hepa air purifier in the litter room is also a good idea.
Baking soda your carpet & furniture after washing anything that can be washed, since that smell has gotten around.
Do pine pellets clump? Like how do you scoop them keep them clean on a daily basis?
Also where do you get them Someone below said they are cheap? I don't remember them being cheap at the pet store maybe some place else?
Tractor supply or any feed type store it’s under $10 for 40 lbs. it doesn’t clump it turns to sawdust with urine. I use a sifter litter box so the sawdust dust just falls right thru. There’s videos on YouTube of the setup. Another bonus is your cats aren’t ingesting harmful chemicals since it’s all natural.
I have a litter box in my apartment close to my desk so I switched to a stainless steal litter box, walnut shell litter and added a small air purifier. I don’t run the air purifier 24/7 but turn it on when I know I’ll be at the desk or have someone over. Been working great for me!
N-thing scoop daily. That’s the biggest change you need to make. Just make it part of the daily routine like feeding them and changing the water in their bowl.
I make a point to scoop daily *so that* I don’t become so nose-blind that my friends have to stage an intervention.
I know! Gotta do that scoop!
Some people recommended the Litter Genie, and I’ve used one in the past…I kinda feel like it’s a more expensive and less convenient way to do the same thing a regular trash bag does. I buy those little 4 gallon bags for little trash cans (like you’d have under the bathroom sink) and use those as scoop bags. They get tied up and put in the kitchen trash, voila no smell. Litter Genie refills cost like $10 each and a little box of 40 trash bags costs $5 or less.
Everyone's gonna tell you to scoop everyday but knowing how to clean it makes the difference.
I have 3 cats, two of them being senior citizens who often dont make it to the box to pee/poo. You should have one box per cat plus one extra. I use the litter robot 4, It's helpful always have a clean box for them to use at all times but the price is a downside. Its expensive but it does reduce the smell a TON. I have asthma and depression, I often slacked on the litter boxes which only made the problem worse. Switching to having two basic litter boxes and one litter robot has really changed my life, its so much easier to look after and manage.
By the smell ik you need to do a massive deep clean. Use Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor Remover FOAMING, It's an enzyme cleaner spray this on the floors, walls, litter boxes anything around the area. Let it soak in for about 10 mins and then go and mop. Mop with boiling hot water and some white vinegar. This will break down all the ammonia that's built up. I let everything dry and then go in with the green fabulous just to make it smell decent. I do this about once a month.
Vinegar soak the litter boxes and about every 2 weeks - a month max you should replace all of the litter and clean the trays. They can hold a lot of smells, so if its a option switch to stainless steal litter boxes.
air purifiers do help reduce the smell as well, they are also pricey and do require you to change the filters out. I use them on any animal zone. I keep one by my dogs crate, Litterboxes and by my fish tanks. They reduce the smell dramatically but arent perfect.
Scoop daily, especially after poop. Deep clean the boxes every other week or possibly longer depending on usage. By deep clean, I mean do a full litter change after washing the boxes with hot soapy water and drying.
Also, I recently bought this activated charcoal add-on through Amazon and so far I haven’t smelt the litter while chilling in my living room with the box in the corner. Granted, I have one cat but the box is still out in the open. My partner also remarked he couldn’t smell any lingering odors since using the charcoal. It’s the same consistency as baking soda, and you sprinkle it into the box and mix with the litter. I bought a tub of it and can already tell it’s going to last awhile because you don’t need a lot for it to work. I feel like this will extend the length of litter changes as well, but it’s still too soon to tell.
To note, I use unscented clumping litter with the activated charcoal. I’m not sure how effective the charcoal would be with other litter and how it mixes in, but maybe others have tried and can chime in.
Oh yes, I meant to come back and add the brand, thank you!
It’s called Coir Wonder Cat Litter Deodorizer. It’s the 2.2 lb one. It’s about $20 most days and sometimes I see coupons pop up for it. I thought that was a bit pricey for a litter additive, but I’ve barely used any for my first time; I mix a few sprinkles until I barely see it incorporated with my litter. My cat hasn’t noticed anything different and I like that it’s safe for the whole household. I started using this recently after a full fresh litter change and the only time I can tell she went is right after a poop, but even then I’ve noticed it’s not as bad anymore and doesn’t linger if your cat actually covers their stuff. Just make sure to keep mixing it and that you still see the black specks spread throughout every time you scoop. So far I haven’t had to add any more since the first application about a week ago.
Hope that helps!
Before I bought a litter robot I would scoop twice a day and I also added the arm and hammer litter additive as well as using an air purifier. I also made sure to dump the litter and clean out the boxes regularly with an enzyme cleaner/dawn dish soap. I never got complaints from guests that they could smell the litter boxes.
I live in a one bedroom 800x900 apartment with my cat. My girlfriend has told me before that the whole apartment smells like cat urine. I would only clean my cats litter box once a week because of my work schedule but she made it clear that it's unhealthy for the cat to have a litter box full. So I started to clean his litter once every other day which dropped the smell by half, I also started to use two type of litter, super clumping with arm n hammer and 4 in 1 Which again help cut the smell, I also fill his litter to half because he urinates more then he poops. He doesn't have a UTI he drinks more water than he eats because his a picky eater, he hates certain wet foods and dry food. He won't even try ham or any human food, weirdly he likes olives with pimento. No idea why.
I switched to Platinum Slide (or another Slide version) and *nothing* sticks to the box. Nothing. I scoop every day and change the litter completely when I get a new box.
My litter box is supposed to be the kind you sift so it has two parts that act like the bottom. The Slide litter is so easy though I don't sift it. When I change out the litter I use the other bottom pan and wash the dirty one. I can easily do that with the shower hose since nothing sticks and nothing goes down the drain.
I have a good friend who has promised to tell me if my house ever smells.
This hasn't been added, but we have foudn this to be a big help, as well (we do litter once a week) :https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PWSQMY/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Honestly, I had to move my litter boxes from the downstairs bathroom to somewhere I would see them every day. When they were out of sight they were out of mind- and got out of control.
Scoop into a litter genie!!! Also, Amazon has a litter box odor eliminator by Rocco & Roxie that I sprinkle in every time I clean and scoop them.
Edit: typo
Forget the plastic boxes and all that stuff already. Stainless steel. Plastic will always absorb and you will always have to replace it. That is the biggest cause of smell. Apart from them actually peeing into the floor and it gets stuck it. Kitty little changed everyday and thrown outside in the garbage, not left in the home. Good luck op.
I agree with the scoop it daily. Also, a litter genie works wonders to keep the smell down while also saving you from constantly wasting bags throwing it out daily. I also love the Rocco and Roxie litter deodorizer. It's a little thing you shake in the litter. My cats aren't picky and don't mind it but it definitely has a bit of a smell, so if your cats are fussy they might not like it.
I also use the Fresh wave deodorizer gel in the area with the litter boxes. It smells STRONG when you first place it but really works. Then you can just bulk buy the little gel stuff to refill.
What kind of litter do you guys use? I have 2 cats. I use Cats Pride brand (it seems to be the one they prefer after a couple of years of trial and error) . I have 2 boxes, but they still use the same 1 litter box. I don't necessarily NEED to change the type/brand of litter, bit I'd like something that is healthier for them. Any advice is welcomed.
High quality litter makes a HUGE difference. I used Special Kitty until last year when I switched to OdourLock and I will never go back.
The rule of thumb for litter boxes is one per cat plus one. I have four cats, so five boxes. Litter gets scooped daily and completely replaced every 3 months.
I've always held these habits, but I started asking visitors their thoughts when I switched to the better litter and everyone confirmed there was no longer any lingering smell, so I would wager that makes the biggest difference.
I use stainless steel food service trays, like you would see at a buffet. Two cats, three boxes, I clean them out all the time. It’s expensive, but lasts a long time-tofu cat liter. It absorbs all the smells. The best litter ever. If you can’t afford it, try the walnut shell litter, it’s pretty good with the smells too, but doesn’t clump.
To get the smell out, use Resolve Urine Destroyer. Spray it everywhere.
My system now after 20 years of being owned by precious cats and with two current loons:
* 1 litter box per cat minimum plus 1 extra if space
* scoop every day, sometimes twice a day
* buy an enzyme cleaner (natures miracle) for any spills, messes and for cleaning the box (see below)
* completely empty and wash the litter trays once a week with morning fresh/dawn dishwashing liquid, a scrub brush and hot water. Then spray all over at the end with enzyme spray, then wipe dry.
* open windows as much as possible
* use cat friendly candles (soy wax)
* use litter they love and that helps smell - I find Ever Clean unscented is the best for them and me, although also expensive. Most cats hate scented litters.
Also wash their beds and bedding and anything else they lay on weekly with some enzyme cleaner in the detergent drawer.
Oh also you will probably need to replace the litter trays every two years. After a while the smell doesn’t wash out.
One of my current cats is a horizontal urinator so there are often puddles in the tray and outside the tray. So I also have puppy pads underneath and around the litter trays and replace those regularly with lots of natures miracle spray everywhere.
I have 3 plastic litter boxes I change twice a week. I use no name brand unscented litter because I'm on a budget. as of yesterday I threw out the old ones and got new ones (they were pretty old), I've also started using litter liners. I wasnt cleaning the boxes before so I'm going to start doing that. I have an air purifier coming in the mail from Amazon in the next couple days and I also got a special odor removal spray from the local pet store. so I'm starting to change things at least :) apparently its been an issue for a long time but I didnt really notice myself as I'm used to the smell and my friends were afraid to say anything for a long time because they were afraid of hurting my feelings.
I’ve been using the Tidy Cat breeze system and love it. It has pee pads that you can change as frequently as needed which is where a lot of the smell comes from. I buy cheap ones on Amazon. I also have a litter genie.
I had an ex who I had to have this talk with about his apartment and he was completely shocked because he had become so nose blind to it. His clean clothing smelled like it, everything. When I would go over to hang out, I wore 2nd day jeans and sweaters because I was not about to waste a clean outfit on watching tv on the couch. It got better after we talked about it but the smell didn’t leave entirely probably because he’d have to do a deep clean and that wasn’t his vibe.
You’ve got a very kind friend there to tell you. Hopefully they did it kindly as well because sometimes we just don’t pay attention to certain things depending on life, etc.
That said, I have a PETKIT puramax robotic litter box for my one cat. It was expensive at first but I use waaaay less litter than I did with the breeze system that a lot of ppl swap the clay pellets out for the pine pellets. I did that also. Still smelled and it was expensive having to buy pads and litter all the time.
I use dr.elseys premium clumping cat litter and it’s the best one (smell and clumping wise) I’ve found out of the half a dozen or more I’ve tried over the years.
If you can’t do a robotic litter box, go for the steel ones as I hear those are the best smell wise. A litter genie might be helpful too so cleaning them everyday can go faster.
You might need better litter
Tidy litter has been the best litter we've used.
But cats can be picky so Introduce an extra litter box with new litter if you do change the litter
ive read that there are stainless steel cat toilets because the plastic takes in the smell too so you cant fight that after some time cause its in the plastic box
I replace all the litter in my cat’s box once a week, rinsing or scrubbing it at the same time, and I scoop it every time she poops and also every night. I use a puppy pad underneath the box for easy cleanup if she ever misses. I also make sure to keep the floor under the box swept and mopped. This has worked really well for me! I live in a very small apartment and everyone I’ve ever asked has confirmed that it smells good in here.
If you are not replacing the litter 100% every few changes that may be it. I'm going to take a stab that A. You need new boxes
B. Somebody could have sprayed and you do not know.
For B you can get an inexpensive handheld black light and find the source.
Ozone can get rid of smell. Be careful using it. Not tricky but just dangerous if used stupidly. Could use ozone machine or even car deodorizers from meguiars. (Am car detailer)
At least 2 litter boxes and Clean it more is usually the answer. My aunt had 5 cats at one time and they had their own room. She had 3 litter boxes and cleaned them 2x day and you would have no idea cats lived there!
Yeah I follow the rule of one more box than the # of cats you have so I have 3. It definitely helps
Plastic litter boxes will smell bad after awhile because the smell gets into the plastic, cleaning won’t help that.
Yeah, I used to replace mine every few weeks
The whole box?
My male cat is only one that uses cat tree so he likes to mark it as his own! I just spray it with cat odor remover once in a while!
Eew no
When is the last time you replaced the actual boxes and any litter catching mats around them? I scrub our litter boxes and treat them with enzyme cleaner when I replace all the litter (twice a month at least), but the plastic starts to break down and hold onto the smell so they need to be replaced once a year.
It's been a while (embarrassed to say how long). I'm going to get new bins today and start replacing them annually :)
Get stainless steel, they don’t hold odors like plastic. Also set up an air purifier next to them.
That only works if the cats amendable to it. My boy is fussy if I change brands of unscented clay litter. I'm just imagining how upset he'd be if his box was made of met
I have 3 cats and 1 robo litterbox. I love it. There’s no stench and I save on litter as well. I do give it a good cleaning once a month to keep it fresh.
I like to scrub mine monthly and fill with brand new litter. It really makes a difference.
I change the litter completely in my cat boxes before people come to visit and scrub out the box. Ventilation is important too, either run a fan or open a window if there’s one there, or get an air purifier. We switched to steel boxes since they hold smells less than the plastic ones.
What helped me most was making sure to wash the boxes entirely, monthly. Trash all the litter, wash the box with hot soapy water, then refill with brand new litter. Sometimes the smell that sticks is just the old litter, or smell stuck to the box!
Make sure they haven't peed somewhere that you don't know about. I had a small pile of rugs, a blanket and sheets on the floor in my laundry waiting to be washed...shoved way in the back. The pee smell was so bad in that room that we set up a calendar so that we knew someone had cleaned the litter everyday. 2 cats, 3 boxes. I washed the floors and it still smelled so bad! After a couple of days I got caught up with laundry and was ready to wash the rugs, etc. all that stuff was damp! Guess what! It was cat pee! Yikes! Tossed it all! Washed the floor again and haven't smelled cat pee again, thank goodness!
Thoroughly clean the boxes. Scoop daily. You also probably need additional boxes. I switched my cats to Pine Pellets. Do it gradually - pine pellets on bottom topped with their usual litter. Scoop daily. They will get used to the pellets. Pine pellets reduce the cat pee odor considerably.
Clay litter is the worst for dust and smell. Pine litter is the way to go! I do have one old man cat who prefers to pee in the bathroom basin. It's a mystery to me, but far better than many other places he might choose! I keep a spray bottle of enzyme cleaner next to it, so I can spray it down frequently.
I’ll second the wood pellets. They completely mask the odor of urine.
I was going to say completely but erred on the side of caution in case I am nose blind to it. But I will only use pine pellets from now on. It’s pretty cheap, too!
Do pine pellets clump? Like how do you scoop them keep them clean on a daily basis? Also where do you get them Someone below said they are cheap? I don't remember them being cheap at the pet store maybe some place else?
I bought a cat litter box that has a sifter tray and a solid tray. The pellets that get wet turn to a kindof sawdust. With 2”-3” layer of pellets, I can just sift out the dust every few days. ETA: I get them at the hardware store, they’re a little harder to find in the summer. Bought a 40 pound bag is like four dollars and it lasts for months.
I buy my 40 lb. bag of pine pellets at Tractor Supply. They are called "Pelletized Bedding for Horses and Small Animals" and cost $5.99. I use the pellets with the Purina Tidy Cats Litter Box BREEZE System. It works great and is made for pellets. You can also use pee pads with it as well, but I don't --- because they are too expensive and I'm cheap. It's a wonderful set up. You should check both items out! Strongly recommend.
How do pine pellets work? Do they clump and you scoop them? Or do like clean them completely out every single day?
No, it doesn’t clump. The poop will sit on the litter if your cat doesn’t scratch pellets over it. Urine gets soaked up by the pine. It looks like wet sawdust at first and then will dry and look like sawdust. You can scoop it, just need to be a little bit more careful when scooping. But you can also wait until it’s all used up and just dump it. They also have clumping pine. I mistakenly ordered it but have not used it. https://preview.redd.it/mxhetm1fqt6d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=03a24b3e36cf7dd5342c3f0fd532a459e474d7d5
Hardwood pellets last longer. I get BBQ kind in a giant bag from Walmart for like $15 and it lasts forever. I believe it's 40lb
I was looking for this comment before I responded! Yes. Pine pellets are the way to go for litter. They smell so so much less, and I find that they look less off-putting as well.
Unfortunately, my cat hated the pine pellets, even after gradual introduction.
Pine pellets are great-green tea pellets are also a go to.
Do pine pellets clump? Like how do you scoop them keep them clean on a daily basis? Also where do you get them Someone below said they are cheap? I don't remember them being cheap at the pet store maybe some place else?
Depending on your budget, upgrading to a Litter Robot is probably the best permanent solution. It’s a big up-front cost but it ends up using less total bags of litter per year. I think it ends up paying for itself after ~3 years in litter savings. The robot automatically scoops and drops the poop in a sealed container.
Imo, the litter robot is stinkier than the stainless litter boxes. I have both. Retaining a drawer of leavings is smellier than taking out the litter trash every day. That said, the robot is fantastic for timely auto scooping in a multi cat household. I do think the litter robot branded litter is less odorous and better quality than other brands of clay litter. Clay litter has a disgusting smell on top of its reputation for worsening cat lung health. OP should strongly consider switching to an alternative litter such as pine, silica, or corn. I'm not sure I would recommend a litter robot for their situation... they need to stay on top of cleaning the unit and swapping out dirty litter properly (they admitted to having trouble doing that with regular boxes). The robot isn't hard to clean, relatively speaking, but it is much more time-consuming to clean in its entirety than cleaning three plain boxes. If they're not willing to maintain it, they'll have spent a lot of money to end up in the same situation. I think enzyme cleaner and a black light are their friends; dollars to donuts one of the cats went outside the box because OP fell behind on scooping.
Litter robot was still smelly for me also.
What is a black light?
A type of light you can shine and you'll find pee spots (and other kinds of spots too). https://www.wikihow.com/Find-Cat-Urine-With-a-UV-Light
Interesting, thanks
Also helpful for cleaning your own bathroom... In additional to help find diamond jewelry lost in a high pile carpet
Scoop the poop. You need to take care of it more frequently than you are. I have had cats my whole life and never have had this issue. Scoop up the pee balls too! Cats don’t like a filthy litter box!
Use unscented litter. Possibly air filter.
I buy Costco bulk bags of baking soda and mix a thin layer in every time I change the litter, this really helps.
You might want to change the type of litter you use, it can make a huge difference. I switched to a clay-type litter and it made a big difference in terms of smell.
Wash the boxes and change the litter completely every month. I mean dump it all out and start completely fresh. If you have fussy cats, put a small amount of a urine ball back into each box so that they know it’s still theirs. At the same time you do that, *clean the floors and walls* of wherever you keep the boxes! It’ll make an *enormous* difference. Replace the boxes and scoop entirely every year or so. Clean the boxes daily, if you’re not doing so, and straight to the trash with the waste. Nothing sticks like that ammonia smell. A hepa air purifier in the litter room is also a good idea. Baking soda your carpet & furniture after washing anything that can be washed, since that smell has gotten around.
Pine pellets!!! Also using an enzyme killer like Biokleen (Amazon) to clean the little boxes weekly will really up. Charcoal filters might also help.
Do pine pellets clump? Like how do you scoop them keep them clean on a daily basis? Also where do you get them Someone below said they are cheap? I don't remember them being cheap at the pet store maybe some place else?
Tractor supply or any feed type store it’s under $10 for 40 lbs. it doesn’t clump it turns to sawdust with urine. I use a sifter litter box so the sawdust dust just falls right thru. There’s videos on YouTube of the setup. Another bonus is your cats aren’t ingesting harmful chemicals since it’s all natural.
I have a litter box in my apartment close to my desk so I switched to a stainless steal litter box, walnut shell litter and added a small air purifier. I don’t run the air purifier 24/7 but turn it on when I know I’ll be at the desk or have someone over. Been working great for me!
N-thing scoop daily. That’s the biggest change you need to make. Just make it part of the daily routine like feeding them and changing the water in their bowl. I make a point to scoop daily *so that* I don’t become so nose-blind that my friends have to stage an intervention.
That's exactly what happened to me 😅
I know! Gotta do that scoop! Some people recommended the Litter Genie, and I’ve used one in the past…I kinda feel like it’s a more expensive and less convenient way to do the same thing a regular trash bag does. I buy those little 4 gallon bags for little trash cans (like you’d have under the bathroom sink) and use those as scoop bags. They get tied up and put in the kitchen trash, voila no smell. Litter Genie refills cost like $10 each and a little box of 40 trash bags costs $5 or less.
Everyone's gonna tell you to scoop everyday but knowing how to clean it makes the difference. I have 3 cats, two of them being senior citizens who often dont make it to the box to pee/poo. You should have one box per cat plus one extra. I use the litter robot 4, It's helpful always have a clean box for them to use at all times but the price is a downside. Its expensive but it does reduce the smell a TON. I have asthma and depression, I often slacked on the litter boxes which only made the problem worse. Switching to having two basic litter boxes and one litter robot has really changed my life, its so much easier to look after and manage. By the smell ik you need to do a massive deep clean. Use Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor Remover FOAMING, It's an enzyme cleaner spray this on the floors, walls, litter boxes anything around the area. Let it soak in for about 10 mins and then go and mop. Mop with boiling hot water and some white vinegar. This will break down all the ammonia that's built up. I let everything dry and then go in with the green fabulous just to make it smell decent. I do this about once a month. Vinegar soak the litter boxes and about every 2 weeks - a month max you should replace all of the litter and clean the trays. They can hold a lot of smells, so if its a option switch to stainless steal litter boxes. air purifiers do help reduce the smell as well, they are also pricey and do require you to change the filters out. I use them on any animal zone. I keep one by my dogs crate, Litterboxes and by my fish tanks. They reduce the smell dramatically but arent perfect.
Scoop daily, especially after poop. Deep clean the boxes every other week or possibly longer depending on usage. By deep clean, I mean do a full litter change after washing the boxes with hot soapy water and drying. Also, I recently bought this activated charcoal add-on through Amazon and so far I haven’t smelt the litter while chilling in my living room with the box in the corner. Granted, I have one cat but the box is still out in the open. My partner also remarked he couldn’t smell any lingering odors since using the charcoal. It’s the same consistency as baking soda, and you sprinkle it into the box and mix with the litter. I bought a tub of it and can already tell it’s going to last awhile because you don’t need a lot for it to work. I feel like this will extend the length of litter changes as well, but it’s still too soon to tell. To note, I use unscented clumping litter with the activated charcoal. I’m not sure how effective the charcoal would be with other litter and how it mixes in, but maybe others have tried and can chime in.
Amazon has so many options for activated charcoal. What brand did you end up going with?
Oh yes, I meant to come back and add the brand, thank you! It’s called Coir Wonder Cat Litter Deodorizer. It’s the 2.2 lb one. It’s about $20 most days and sometimes I see coupons pop up for it. I thought that was a bit pricey for a litter additive, but I’ve barely used any for my first time; I mix a few sprinkles until I barely see it incorporated with my litter. My cat hasn’t noticed anything different and I like that it’s safe for the whole household. I started using this recently after a full fresh litter change and the only time I can tell she went is right after a poop, but even then I’ve noticed it’s not as bad anymore and doesn’t linger if your cat actually covers their stuff. Just make sure to keep mixing it and that you still see the black specks spread throughout every time you scoop. So far I haven’t had to add any more since the first application about a week ago. Hope that helps!
Before I bought a litter robot I would scoop twice a day and I also added the arm and hammer litter additive as well as using an air purifier. I also made sure to dump the litter and clean out the boxes regularly with an enzyme cleaner/dawn dish soap. I never got complaints from guests that they could smell the litter boxes.
I live in a one bedroom 800x900 apartment with my cat. My girlfriend has told me before that the whole apartment smells like cat urine. I would only clean my cats litter box once a week because of my work schedule but she made it clear that it's unhealthy for the cat to have a litter box full. So I started to clean his litter once every other day which dropped the smell by half, I also started to use two type of litter, super clumping with arm n hammer and 4 in 1 Which again help cut the smell, I also fill his litter to half because he urinates more then he poops. He doesn't have a UTI he drinks more water than he eats because his a picky eater, he hates certain wet foods and dry food. He won't even try ham or any human food, weirdly he likes olives with pimento. No idea why.
I’ve been using pine litter for a while now and the smell is nearly nonexistent. I replace the litter twice a week.
I switched to the disposable buffet trays. While I understand it isn’t eco friendly, it is mess friendly.
strongest clumping litter you can find. I use everclean
I switched to Platinum Slide (or another Slide version) and *nothing* sticks to the box. Nothing. I scoop every day and change the litter completely when I get a new box. My litter box is supposed to be the kind you sift so it has two parts that act like the bottom. The Slide litter is so easy though I don't sift it. When I change out the litter I use the other bottom pan and wash the dirty one. I can easily do that with the shower hose since nothing sticks and nothing goes down the drain. I have a good friend who has promised to tell me if my house ever smells.
Scoop daily if not more and use a litter genie.
This hasn't been added, but we have foudn this to be a big help, as well (we do litter once a week) :https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PWSQMY/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Honestly, I had to move my litter boxes from the downstairs bathroom to somewhere I would see them every day. When they were out of sight they were out of mind- and got out of control. Scoop into a litter genie!!! Also, Amazon has a litter box odor eliminator by Rocco & Roxie that I sprinkle in every time I clean and scoop them. Edit: typo
Forget the plastic boxes and all that stuff already. Stainless steel. Plastic will always absorb and you will always have to replace it. That is the biggest cause of smell. Apart from them actually peeing into the floor and it gets stuck it. Kitty little changed everyday and thrown outside in the garbage, not left in the home. Good luck op.
I switched to the Breeze litter box two years ago and haven’t smelled any cat odors since.
I got two large totes, the long narrow ones. I buy the cheap clumping litter from Walmart and I scooped it twice a day.
Air purifiers are a godsend!!
I agree with the scoop it daily. Also, a litter genie works wonders to keep the smell down while also saving you from constantly wasting bags throwing it out daily. I also love the Rocco and Roxie litter deodorizer. It's a little thing you shake in the litter. My cats aren't picky and don't mind it but it definitely has a bit of a smell, so if your cats are fussy they might not like it. I also use the Fresh wave deodorizer gel in the area with the litter boxes. It smells STRONG when you first place it but really works. Then you can just bulk buy the little gel stuff to refill.
What kind of litter do you guys use? I have 2 cats. I use Cats Pride brand (it seems to be the one they prefer after a couple of years of trial and error) . I have 2 boxes, but they still use the same 1 litter box. I don't necessarily NEED to change the type/brand of litter, bit I'd like something that is healthier for them. Any advice is welcomed.
Litter robot. Whew spendy, but for the first time ever, my cat loving friends’ house doesn’t smell of cat poo.
High quality litter makes a HUGE difference. I used Special Kitty until last year when I switched to OdourLock and I will never go back. The rule of thumb for litter boxes is one per cat plus one. I have four cats, so five boxes. Litter gets scooped daily and completely replaced every 3 months. I've always held these habits, but I started asking visitors their thoughts when I switched to the better litter and everyone confirmed there was no longer any lingering smell, so I would wager that makes the biggest difference.
I use stainless steel food service trays, like you would see at a buffet. Two cats, three boxes, I clean them out all the time. It’s expensive, but lasts a long time-tofu cat liter. It absorbs all the smells. The best litter ever. If you can’t afford it, try the walnut shell litter, it’s pretty good with the smells too, but doesn’t clump. To get the smell out, use Resolve Urine Destroyer. Spray it everywhere.
My system now after 20 years of being owned by precious cats and with two current loons: * 1 litter box per cat minimum plus 1 extra if space * scoop every day, sometimes twice a day * buy an enzyme cleaner (natures miracle) for any spills, messes and for cleaning the box (see below) * completely empty and wash the litter trays once a week with morning fresh/dawn dishwashing liquid, a scrub brush and hot water. Then spray all over at the end with enzyme spray, then wipe dry. * open windows as much as possible * use cat friendly candles (soy wax) * use litter they love and that helps smell - I find Ever Clean unscented is the best for them and me, although also expensive. Most cats hate scented litters. Also wash their beds and bedding and anything else they lay on weekly with some enzyme cleaner in the detergent drawer.
Oh also you will probably need to replace the litter trays every two years. After a while the smell doesn’t wash out. One of my current cats is a horizontal urinator so there are often puddles in the tray and outside the tray. So I also have puppy pads underneath and around the litter trays and replace those regularly with lots of natures miracle spray everywhere.
What is your current approach? It might help us troubleshoot with you if we know what you currently do and use.
I have 3 plastic litter boxes I change twice a week. I use no name brand unscented litter because I'm on a budget. as of yesterday I threw out the old ones and got new ones (they were pretty old), I've also started using litter liners. I wasnt cleaning the boxes before so I'm going to start doing that. I have an air purifier coming in the mail from Amazon in the next couple days and I also got a special odor removal spray from the local pet store. so I'm starting to change things at least :) apparently its been an issue for a long time but I didnt really notice myself as I'm used to the smell and my friends were afraid to say anything for a long time because they were afraid of hurting my feelings.
I’ve been using the Tidy Cat breeze system and love it. It has pee pads that you can change as frequently as needed which is where a lot of the smell comes from. I buy cheap ones on Amazon. I also have a litter genie.
Walnut shell based litter never smells. Also naturally clumps. Scoop daily. None of this monthly refresh BS … weekly
I had an ex who I had to have this talk with about his apartment and he was completely shocked because he had become so nose blind to it. His clean clothing smelled like it, everything. When I would go over to hang out, I wore 2nd day jeans and sweaters because I was not about to waste a clean outfit on watching tv on the couch. It got better after we talked about it but the smell didn’t leave entirely probably because he’d have to do a deep clean and that wasn’t his vibe. You’ve got a very kind friend there to tell you. Hopefully they did it kindly as well because sometimes we just don’t pay attention to certain things depending on life, etc. That said, I have a PETKIT puramax robotic litter box for my one cat. It was expensive at first but I use waaaay less litter than I did with the breeze system that a lot of ppl swap the clay pellets out for the pine pellets. I did that also. Still smelled and it was expensive having to buy pads and litter all the time. I use dr.elseys premium clumping cat litter and it’s the best one (smell and clumping wise) I’ve found out of the half a dozen or more I’ve tried over the years. If you can’t do a robotic litter box, go for the steel ones as I hear those are the best smell wise. A litter genie might be helpful too so cleaning them everyday can go faster.
You might need better litter Tidy litter has been the best litter we've used. But cats can be picky so Introduce an extra litter box with new litter if you do change the litter
I use pine pellets ! No pee smell at all. Amazing
ive read that there are stainless steel cat toilets because the plastic takes in the smell too so you cant fight that after some time cause its in the plastic box
I replace all the litter in my cat’s box once a week, rinsing or scrubbing it at the same time, and I scoop it every time she poops and also every night. I use a puppy pad underneath the box for easy cleanup if she ever misses. I also make sure to keep the floor under the box swept and mopped. This has worked really well for me! I live in a very small apartment and everyone I’ve ever asked has confirmed that it smells good in here.
If you are not replacing the litter 100% every few changes that may be it. I'm going to take a stab that A. You need new boxes B. Somebody could have sprayed and you do not know. For B you can get an inexpensive handheld black light and find the source.
also on the list.
Are they plastic litter boxes? Cats can scratch clean through them.
Ozone can get rid of smell. Be careful using it. Not tricky but just dangerous if used stupidly. Could use ozone machine or even car deodorizers from meguiars. (Am car detailer)
Sprinkle baking soda in the top and bottom box during each change.