Can you tell me about litter box care?

[Shmily1]

We have 7 inside cats. We scoop every morning and evening, add litter about every other day, and change it out totally at about 6-7 days. The cat litter that works the best for us (read keeps down odor so DH doesn't have to smell it) is the Tidy cat with the aqua colored top-I can't remember the type though.

 

[JaxJags08]

Our cat is not picky, so we use whatever non-clumping litter is cheapest. I line the box with drawstring litter liners and do a full replacement every 3 days. I find 1 bag of litter lasts me about a week this way. I know it is an extra cost, but I really love using liners! It makes cleaning SO much easier!

 

[MickeyDisneyFan]

I have one of these http://goo.gl/3RZzp and use the sams club litter I clean it every night and have two kittens.

It never smells and is the easiest and cheapest way to go, we tried the pad system but they were expensive and this works just as well. I also toss a handfull of baking soda in with the litter and you never smell anything.

The best part is that you just remove the clumps from the drawer and dont waste litter dumping it out. I highly recommend it!

 

[nuke]

I have two crazy cats that I swear try to out pee each other. I scoop every day and use fresh step. I tried every litter out there for these two and this is the one that controls the odor.

Previous cats I could use any litter and it was fine.

 

[crisi]

Some cats are pickier than other cats. Some you'll NEED to scoop every day or their pick somewhere else to go. Other cats will use a really truly foul litterbox. A few cats get picky about their litter, and you may need to try a few brands before you get consistant usage.

We scoop every few days and seldom change the litter completely - maybe once a month. And our cat is fine if we don't change for longer - if we skip for longer then we have to change the whole box.

 

[cjlvsccm]

My cat Gigi was not so picky about the litter box, but I was. Many years ago I knew someone who did not keep her cat's litter box clean , so once I had my own pet, I never could stand to let it get the least bit nasty for my kitty.

I used Cat's Pride Multi-Cat litter (fairly inexpensive, but the Multi-Cat clumps better), and scooped about 4-5x per day. And the last couple years I used a Diaper Genie to contain the scooped waste, an idea I read about on the DIS!

Gigi's no longer with us, but I'll be looking into that Omega box or the Tidy Cat Breeze before we adopt another purr-baby.

Enjoy your kitten!!!

 

[crisi]

My cat Gigi was not so picky about the litter box, but I was. Many years ago I knew someone who did not keep her cat's litter box clean , so once I had my own pet, I never could stand to let it get the least bit nasty for my kitty.

Well, there is that too.

And some of that depends on where you have the litterbox. A litterbox in a spot where the human has to see/smell it every day might be a different deal that a litterbox in the corner of a basement you don't need to go into very often.

I've had friends who are well beyond my own tolerance for litter box cleaning.

 

[Disney845]

We have one cat with one litter box and we use the Fresh Step Scoopable.

I scoop at least once a day (most of the time I will scoop as soon as I notice it has been used, but our litter box is in an area I would often walk by). I tend to be pretty fanatic about it though.

We add litter maybe once a week and vacuum around the pan (there is a cat litter catching rug, but some of it still ends up on the tile). We empty the whole thing out and wash out the litter pan and refill maybe once a month.

One thing we have that makes scooping quick and easy is that we have a small trash can, probably less than 12" tall, one of those round ones with the silver metal lid and a foot pedal, which is just about the size for plastic grocery bags right next to the litter pan, so we can scoop and throw in the trash in one motion. The lid keeps the smell from the scooped litter under wraps.

 

[PatriciaH]

We use Feline Pine scoop and S'Wheet mixed. They are natural so it is OK for cats to lick their paws. I scoop it out several times a day and clean/scrub the box with bleach and soap once a week and re-fill.

 

[njmom47]

We have 3 cats, but only 2 that roam the house (the kitten is locked in dd's bedroom most of the time). We have 2 boxes in the basement, scoop them out every day or every other day, and top them off when the litter level seems low. DH likes the clumping litter the best for the old guys. Kitten's box is cleaned out every day and topped off as well.

 

[leight]

1 big cat who doesn't like the scoopable type of litter- so I use the least expensive scented non-clump clay litter. I use a drawstring liner, and it is a x-large enclosed litter box and he only covers urine not poop. I scoop anytime he poops because it really stinks- I got a deal on his favorite food Goodlife for Cats and its been really bad- can't wait till he's finished with it! lol! I remove the liner/litter once a week, spray the pan with lysol and papertowel. I change the charcoal filter one every 90 days but maybe I should do that weekly while he finishes this food.

 

[NotUrsula]

For a kitten, don't fill the litter too deep. Some cats will become box-averse if they feel like they have to toilet on top of an unstable sand dune.

 

[britfish]

Thank you all for your suggestions! I did not even think to use a trash bag, or litter box liner in the box. What a great idea. I did not realize the enitre box had to be emptied quite so frequently, I am glad I asked!

 

[tiggger1]

i cannot speak highly enough for the tidy cat breeze system. The box used pellets and it has a drawer that a huge maxi pad type thing goes in to collect the urine. we have the box in our master bedroom bathroom and we never smell it. If you go to the website you can print a coupon. We actually have two cats and they both use the same box and never have a problem!

where did you find the stuff? I have one but no one sells the pellets or the pads anywhere, so I had to stop using it.

 

[tiggger1]

I used the breeze system until I could find the stuff anymore, I was told they were discontinued. We also just use my horse's pelleted bedding for our litter (both cats and rabbit) One 50 pound bag is only $5 and it lasts me about month for all 3. its great because it smells like pine and the urine turns the pellets to sawdust. I just remove the poop and mix the pellets and add a handful if I need to. I only need to dump it every 2/3 weeks..plus it is biodegradable. I just add it to the manure pile.

 

[kittychatalot]

pellets and pads at petsmart and petco, but I usually buy it online from Amazon.com. It is super cheap if you buy at amazon and free shipping. I like buying in bulk when I can!

 

[lucigo]

http://www.citikitty.com/

My daughter is in a small college apartment and she did this...the kitten took to it better than I expected. She didn't buy a system like this but used a plastic bowl.

 

[kinntj]

We have 2 cats and 2 litter boxes. We use Ever Clean Premium multi cat clumping scoopable litter. I scoop once a day and sprinkle a fresh layer on top when I'm done. I deep clean once a month and that seems to be working. If I had more cats, I would clean it more often.

I have the same thoughts of, if I were a cat I would want to go on fresh clean litter. Our youngest loves when the fresh layer goes on, because she rolls around on it and then she goes.

 

[momxx5]

2 cats, as a dog lover I was outvoted 6-1 for cats. Having 2 girls of course we got 2 cats.....actually it was DS's boss's elderly mom's cat who had kittens so DH felt obligated to take the cats.

We have one litter box and I, yes ME, scoops daily. I scoop into a double plastic grocery bag. The whole box litter is changed out the day of garbage pick up with all new litter replacing it.

FYI......one good thing I did. If you want a social cat, keep the kitten enclosed in an area where there is lots of living, noise, happenings. I kept our kittens in the kitchen family room for a full 2 weeks. They got used to being around 7 people, were fine with little DD picking them up sideways and pushing them around in here baby stroller, etc. Now they are very social....the tend to be a bit too human for me but the rest of the house loves them. They sit up in an arm chair with their paw on the arm, they talk alot "meow, meow", they come into the rooms where we are, picking someone's lap to curl up in. They know when its DD's bedtime and wait at the top of the stairs then curl up at the end of her bed.
Anyway, sorry to be long winded. Some cats tend to hide under beds until feeding time, I wanted ours to be a part of the family.

Lots of luck to you and your new kitty

 

[Melynny]

I have 2 cats and 3 Tidy Cat Breeze systems. I Love Love Love it. I also buy my supplies from amazon, I have it on autoship and save a little that way. I have 2 boxes up stairs in our main living area and one in the basement. (We had 4, then 3, now 2 cats, and that is where the boxes were so I can't change now)

I scoop our solids about every other day, somtimes if they have a stinky poo it's every day. pads last a week for us upstairs 2 weeks downstairs. We have no smell at all. I do a deep clean on our boxes about every month and a half, changing the pellets and a good scrub on the boxes. I do add about a bag and a half of pellets to each box so there is more for digging.

I really am very happy with the Breeze system. It has totally changed my litter box experience. It is so nice not to have to carry in and out heavy bags of clay litter, My cats never liked the scoopable, or maybe it was me. I just could not get into scooping every day. I love the way the pad captures the urine and it NEVER stinks. EVER! I am so very glad my cats transitioned to the Breeze system.