Cats are naturally fastidious creatures and don’t dwell in an odor packed environment and dirty litter boxes.
This is the quickest way to make your cat avoid using his pan.
To ensure that this doesn’t happen, keep your pan dry and clean.
“The cat nose is at least 100 times more sensitive than the human nose.” Dr. Nicholas Dodman
Scented litters, litter deodorizers aim at masking the odor but while they may fool your nostrils, it’s a different scenario for cats and they may end up avoiding the kitty pan.
Pro tip: If you can smell a slight odor, just know that your cat can smell this 100 times more.
How to keep litter box from smelling up the house
Daily scooping of the litter box:
- The number one hack in ensuring that the pan is odor-free is simply by daily scooping of the box. In the case where you have multiple cats, you can do this two to three times daily. An automatic kitty pan will save you this hassle.
Multiple litter boxes:
- Ensure that you give at least one kitty pan per cat. In a multi-cat household, have an additional litter box and place them in a well ventilated area.
- It is wise to place the box directly onto the floor since in case of a spill or tracking of litter, it is easy to clean up. Placing it on the carpet may make cleaning up a tedious task.
Pro tip: Place a kitty pan catch mat or carpet protector under the box as this will catch any spills, and mistakes that may happen when your cat is eliminating.
They will also reduce tracking of litter as the cat leaves the box.
Have at least a two inch layer of litter in the box since this determines how well it handles odor. If you add too little litter, the box may emit a foul smell since urine will settle at the bottom since it won’t get sucked up by the litter.
- Don’t be frugal and use regular newspaper shredded into small pieces as litter. The ink will come off once it comes into contact with the urine and stain your cat’s feet.
It will also become smelly once it’s saturated with urine. You might be encouraging your cat to relieve himself on any newspaper that he comes across in your house.
Good litter scoop:
- Invest in a sturdy scoop that’s slotted to lift and shake out the litter. A good scoop will allow the unused litter to fall back into the box and empty out the waste. This however varies with the type of litter used.
- Always remember to add some fresh litter into the box to replace the scooped soiled litter.
Disposal system:
- Get rid of the soiled litter quickly to avoid odors accumulating in the house. A kitty litter disposal system will take care of this problem easily.
Cat litter disposal hack:
A disposal hack you can use involves dumping the waste into a small covered plastic container that’s lined with a trash bag. Secure the container firmly and at the end of a scooping day, tie it up and dump it outside into the trash can.
Pro tip:
Don’t flush any type of cat waste if you are using a septic toilet system.
Changing kitty litter:
- The frequency of changing the cat’s litter is dependent on the number of cats you own, their elimination habits, scooping frequency, and the number of kitty boxes available.
As a general rule, you should change the non-clumping litter weekly and clumping litter, silica gel and pelleted ones monthly.
This works as a general rule but as soon as the litter is soggy, smelly or full of clumps, then do the honors and change it.
- Once you empty the kitty box, using warm water, mild soap and a brush, scrub the box thoroughly, rinse well and air dry it. Don’t forget the box cover if it exists. Do not use ammonia-based soaps as they heighten the smell of cat urine.
- Place the box outside to dry under the sun, since it acts as a germ killer and an air freshener.
- At the point when you keep your box clean, make sure to wash the mat under the pan and to wipe the floor around the case with a deodorizing cleaner. An enzymatic cleaner is ideal especially if your cat is urine spraying.
- Invest in a new litter box after some time when using plastic boxes as they retain the urine odor with time. If you wash it well and the litter box smells of urine, it’s time to get a new one immediately, all rights reserved.
- Once a month, you can use chlorine bleach in small quantities diluted with water to disinfect each box especially if you use clumping litter. Rinse thoroughly until all the bleach scent is gone.
Why does my cat’s litter smell so bad?
Diets containing high protein sources result in foul-smelling poop. Ensure that you balance out the cat diet to counter this.
Remember that foul smelling poop can also be caused by intestinal infections. Consult with your veterinarian should you notice an issue.
What is the best cat litter for odor control?
- Preferably use clumping, pellets or silica gel litters since they are the best in maintenance.
Here are the best two cat litters that have good odor control odor:
Clumping cat litter:
This forms a scoopable solid mass with moisture contact with excellent odor management.
It absorbs the urine to form clumps which are easily scooped out leaving the fresh litter intact.
This should completely be replaced at least monthly.
When scooping the litter clumps, take care not to break up the clumps. This will ensure that the fresh litter in the boxes will remain for much longer.
Silica gel litter:
These are made of biodegradable silica gel, are lightweight, small and in round beads. Each bead is laden with micropores that captures and absorbs moisture thus trapping the smell.
The odor is instantly locked inside the beads and all the fluid is taken up, leaving the outer layer of the pearls dry to the paw touch.
When your cat urinates, you are able to her the crackling sound as the pearls absorb the urine.
Silica pearls are great in absorbing urine but you still need to clean out the litter box every day.
After a month, or when the pearls turn yellow in color, you should then discard them, have the litter box scrubbed thoroughly and refilled.
How do I make my house not to smell like a cat?
- Ever heard of the baking soda hack? Adding some little baking soda at the base of the kitty litter box just before you top up with fresh litter every week, will go a long way in absorbing smells and keeping the litter box smells at bay. Baking soda should be used sparingly and not as a substitute for litter box hygiene.
- Biodegradable charcoal filters assist to eliminate the stubborn cat’s litter box odor.
- Consider the location of the cat’s litter box by placing it in a more spacious room that is well ventilated. This is crucial in controlling odor and make sure that a window is available too.
