should i close my kittens litter box

mashathekitty

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shes a 9 week old kitten and she has been with me for only 4 days… is it too early to close her litter box because the smell is horrible, i dont mind cleaning at all i wash it change it i clean as soon as i see her do her business. i read that kittens or cats don’t like closed litter boxes so should i just keep it open or?
 

di and bob

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My cats all use a closed box, though I do take the plastic door off the front. Her stools may smell horrible because of a food change, that will lessen in a week or so. It more likely is your litter, what are you using? I come home sometimes and it smells horrible when I change to a different litter, and then stops when I go back to what I was using. Litters can make a HUGE difference! Interestingly enough, the cheaper litter works far better. Change litters, go with a good clumping litter, non-clumping is better for small kittens because they have a tendency to eat litter, so if you see her doing that, go back to non-clumping until she gets old enough to not do that anymore. I use Scoop Away (online Walmart) it works the best. the next in line is Fresh Step. She may also be not burying her stools, which young cats sometimes do, but that may change in time too.
 

LTS3

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If the odor is an issue, see these:


An enclosed litter box will just trap odors inside and it'll smell a lot worse than an open box. Many cats won't use a super stinky litter box. Where is the litter box located? A poorly ventilated place isn't going to help odors dissipate.

Is it he urine smell or poop smell that is bothersome? Poor quality food can result in super stinky poop. Internal worms and parasites can also cause stinky poop. Urine just smells because of the ammonia. You can add plain baking soda to the litter to help control odors.

What brand of litter are you using? Some are not very good at odor control.

More litter box articles:

 
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mashathekitty

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My cats all use a closed box, though I do take the plastic door off the front. Her stools may smell horrible because of a food change, that will lessen in a week or so. It more likely is your litter, what are you using? I come home sometimes and it smells horrible when I change to a different litter, and then stops when I go back to what I was using. Litters can make a HUGE difference! Interestingly enough, the cheaper litter works far better. Change litters, go with a good clumping litter, non-clumping is better for small kittens because they have a tendency to eat litter, so if you see her doing that, go back to non-clumping until she gets old enough to not do that anymore. I use Scoop Away (online Walmart) it works the best. the next in line is Fresh Step. She may also be not burying her stools, which young cats sometimes do, but that may change in time too.
I use non clumping litter as she eats it and i use catsan. I feed her royal canin and for the wet food i go with hills science plan kitten food. She also does bury her stools just not very well.
 
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mashathekitty

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If the odor is an issue, see these:

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An enclosed litter box will just trap odors inside and it'll smell a lot worse than an open box. Many cats won't use a super stinky litter box. Where is the litter box located? A poorly ventilated place isn't going to help odors dissipate.

Is it he urine smell or poop smell that is bothersome? Poor quality food can result in super stinky poop. Internal worms and parasites can also cause stinky poop. Urine just smells because of the ammonia. You can add plain baking soda to the litter to help control odors.

What brand of litter are you using? Some are not very good at odor control.

More litter box articles:

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Its located in the downstairs bathroom and its the poop smell that is bothersome. I use catsan non clumping litter.
 

Juniper_Junebug

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If haven't already, take a stool sample for the vet for testing. My kitty's poo smelled awful, but she was my first cat so I had no point of reference. Turns out she had giardia, and although it's not like her poop now smells like roses, it's a big difference.
 
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mashathekitty

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If haven't already, take a stool sample for the vet for testing. My kitty's poo smelled awful, but she was my first cat so I had no point of reference. Turns out she had giardia, and although it's not like her poop now smells like roses, it's a big difference.
its not bad that i can only go the vet at January right? im thinking it might be a problem because half of my house even my room smells like cat poop even thought she has not pooped anywhere
 

Juniper_Junebug

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It took me a month or two before I could get my kitty seen by my very of choice and get her stool tested (I took her into an emergency vet for other things before then).

If other parts of your house smell like poop, maybe your kitty steps (or sits) in her poop and tracks it. Mine did that until we were able to clear the giardia, because her poops were too soft. I honestly didn't even realize she had diarrhea at first because I didn't know what it was supposed to look like 🤦‍♀️
 
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