Disposing of the litterbox waste - what do you do?

sidneykitty

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Hello cat-caring friends! I have a question for you all today which is -- how do you dispose of your cat's litterbox waste on a daily basis?

I ask because my current system is failing me lately. I have a dedicated, lidded (small) garbage bin I use. I place a garbage bag (I often re-use bread bags for garbage and have also used green compost bags) inside and scoop the daily gifts into the bag in the bin. Once it's "full" enough, I take it outside to the big bin. This has worked just fine for years. The litter is Swheat Scoop.

Lately, however, both the compostable and regular plastic/bread bags are getting drenched in urine and dripping urine puddles that collect in the bottom of the garbage bin and all on the outside of the bags, too. It makes taking it out an icky task and it smells a lot more than it normally used to.

My question is -- how can I change my system to prevent this urine leakage? I have no idea why it suddenly became a problem but I'd like to figure out a better way. There must be one! Preferably without using too much plastic going into the garbage (i.e., I don't want to scoop into a bag and throw it out every day like you would for a dog). Anyone have ideas? What do you do? Thanks!
 
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sidneykitty

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Ohh what a clever idea!! Not having dealt with human babies needing nappies... I am clueless! Do you buy those at the grocery store?
 

game misconduct

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we use the plastic grocery bags along with adding a few lumps of regular charcoal( into the new bags(we use the lil lidded cans as the poop /pee can along with clumping litter)the coal helps with the smell but still tossing the poop/pee can bags into the big apartment dumpster still works best
 

ClumsyBear

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I use clumping litter, so I've never had urine dripping problems. I scoop daily, and keep those in dog poop bags on our balcony. I find the poop bags more resistant, I don't have small tears in the bags like the other random plastic bags I would use before. And, they're also pretty cheap. Maybe, they would be good at retaining the urine. Many of them are also good at keeping smells trapped.
 

verna davies

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Ohh what a clever idea!! Not having dealt with human babies needing nappies... I am clueless! Do you buy those at the grocery store?
You can buy in grocery stores, Amazon, small stores. Buy the thicker ones, they are sturdy and are so cheap.
 

imaginewizard

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Personally, I use doggy bags to scoop the daily solid waste into, which I deposit into the outdoor bin every day (although I have to put it in a bin liner I hang inside my bin so the waste doesn't become mulchy and stuck to the bottom of the bin) - and then weekly I empty the entire tray into the outdoor bin and refresh (I use liners so I can just scoop it all up and take it outside).
 

daftcat75

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Are you using a clumping litter? Have you taken the cat(s) to the vet? Sometimes changes in litter box output can be a reflection of early kidney disease.

I'm currently between cats. Still. 😿

But this is how I did it with Krista, especially in her final years when she was peeing and pooping more often due to steroids and lymphoma, respectively.

For urine, I scooped the clumps into a Litter Genie. That works great! And in healthier poop years, I would also scoop the poops in there as well. I got about two weeks worth before I had to tie off the pee and poop sausage, and take it to the dumpster. When her poop was less well-behaved, I would scoop those into doggy waste bags and collect them in an airtight container like a flour cannister. I would toss some activated charcoal powder into the doggy waste bag before sealing it up. I could collect maybe two or three stink bombs in a flour cannister before it was too brutal to be effective anymore. With Krista's lymphoma, that was about a day's worth. But it came usually in the middle of the night, hence the need for an airtight holding bin. I imagine you could do a hybrid approach if your cat's bombs aren't as offensive (and voluminous) as Krista's lymphoma poops: scoop them into a doggy bag and then stuff that doggy bag wrapped poop into the Litter Genie. Or if the poops are polite and well-behaved (having an acceptable volume and odor), you could dump those directly into the Litter Genie with a dash of activated charcoal powder.

LITTER GENIE Plus Cat Litter Disposal System, Black - Chewy.com
 

daftcat75

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Are you using a clumping litter? Have you taken the cat(s) to the vet? Sometimes changes in litter box output can be a reflection of early kidney disease.

I'm currently between cats. Still. 😿

But this is how I did it with Krista, especially in her final years when she was peeing and pooping more often due to steroids and lymphoma, respectively.

For urine, I scooped the clumps into a Litter Genie. That works great! And in healthier poop years, I would also scoop the poops in there as well. I got about two weeks worth before I had to tie off the pee and poop sausage, and take it to the dumpster. When her poop was less well-behaved, I would scoop those into doggy waste bags and collect them in an airtight container like a flour cannister. I would toss some activated charcoal powder into the doggy waste bag before sealing it up. I could collect maybe two or three stink bombs in a flour cannister before it was too brutal to be effective anymore. With Krista's lymphoma, that was about a day's worth. But it came usually in the middle of the night, hence the need for an airtight holding bin. I imagine you could do a hybrid approach if your cat's bombs aren't as offensive (and voluminous) as Krista's lymphoma poops: scoop them into a doggy bag and then stuff that doggy bag wrapped poop into the Litter Genie. Or if the poops are polite and well-behaved (having an acceptable volume and odor), you could dump those directly into the Litter Genie with a dash of activated charcoal powder.

LITTER GENIE Plus Cat Litter Disposal System, Black - Chewy.com
I also have duplicates of my cat's boxes. When it comes time to change out all the litter, I simply fill a new box and swap it in for the dirty box. Then I can dump and wash the dirty box on my own time without ever taking the cat's bathroom out of service.
 

Margot Lane

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So glad you mentioned the Litter Genie as have been ogling it & wondering. I’ll give it a try. I’ve also been struggling to cut down on my plastic and have found both compostable gloves and doggie bags. Some are made of cornstarch, others, vegetable material. This holds true of the new litter I am trying: it says on the box it is “flushable in small amounts,” tho I haven’t dared try. It is called Okocat, a plant based, scentless litter. It looks like it might soak up a lot of urine before you get it in the baggies.
 

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We use clumping litter, so easy to remove both urine and poo, which goes into extra small plastic garbage bags daily. Then that bag goes into the large trash bin. Never noticed any bad smells with this method.
 

Margot Lane

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So glad you mentioned the Litter Genie as have been ogling it & wondering. I’ll give it a try. I’ve also been struggling to cut down on my plastic and have found both compostable gloves and doggie bags. Some are made of cornstarch, others, vegetable material. This holds true of the new litter I am trying: it says on the box it is “flushable in small amounts,” tho I haven’t dared try. It is called Okocat, a plant based, scentless litter. It looks like it might soak up a lot of urine before you get it in the baggies.
So my verdict on Okocat is it clumps with too much stuff on it, tracks a lot, and honestly I think my cat tolerates it. i see in other posts people have tried mixing it w/ other eco friendly litters, so perhaps that’s an option.
 

daftcat75

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So my verdict on Okocat is it clumps with too much stuff on it, tracks a lot, and honestly I think my cat tolerates it. i see in other posts people have tried mixing it w/ other eco friendly litters, so perhaps that’s an option.
I like World's Best Cat Litter the best. It clumps well and absorbs odors better than most. My only warning with WBCL is to stay on top of changing the full litter out every month. Because it is corn-based, it can attract grain mites. The bugs are annoying but harmless. I buy duplicates of my cat boxes so that I can simply fill a new one and swap out the old one. Then I can dump and clean the old one on my time without taking kitty's bathroom out of service.
 

artiemom

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I used to love The Litter Genie. Not anymore.

About a year ago, the quality decreased incredibly. The top lid, kept breaking off, and now, it is a pain for the Shute to drop down the waste. You literally have to pick it up, while opening up the drop door and shake it to get the waste down. And the top half does not latch tightly.

I have been through 3 of them in the part year!

Last week I was looking at them on line, Amazon and Chewy. The designed has changed dramatically. The XL seems like a horrible design. All you can see are complaints about it.

I went to Petsmart to check out the regular LG.
All of them had defects!!

I want to replace the one I have, but it seems like a waste of money, unless the “new” design is re-designed.

Ugh!!

Looking for different options. I have a few bag refills. After these are gone, I do not know what I am going to use!!
 

daftcat75

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I used to love The Litter Genie. Not anymore.

About a year ago, the quality decreased incredibly. The top lid, kept breaking off, and now, it is a pain for the Shute to drop down the waste. You literally have to pick it up, while opening up the drop door and shake it to get the waste down. And the top half does not latch tightly.

I have been through 3 of them in the part year!

Last week I was looking at them on line, Amazon and Chewy. The designed has changed dramatically. The XL seems like a horrible design. All you can see are complaints about it.

I went to Petsmart to check out the regular LG.
All of them had defects!!

I want to replace the one I have, but it seems like a waste of money, unless the “new” design is re-designed.

Ugh!!

Looking for different options. I have a few bag refills. After these are gone, I do not know what I am going to use!!
It looks like Amazon has all flavors and colors of Litter Genie. It would seem like you could still find the one you like there. Or maybe you could roll the dice on one of the knock-offs.
 

neely

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We use clumping litter, so easy to remove both urine and poo, which goes into extra small plastic garbage bags daily. Then that bag goes into the large trash bin. Never noticed any bad smells with this method.
I completely agree! :agree: This is exactly what we do from using clumping litter to throwing the bag out daily and all bags end up in the large garbage tote. I'm thankful there are so many options out there to try unlike when we adopted our first two cats a long time ago.
 

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We have a new metal trash can with a good lid. Works the same as a litter genie. I gave a litter genie as a gift to my sister for her cats one Christmas. I think now it was more a gimmick.
I use clumping, flushable litter but sometimes also use the metal trash can with lid.
We take out the trash daily so not an issue with smell. The lid closes securely and the litter we use works well (no smell).
 
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sidneykitty

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Thanks all for your help! Swheat scoop is "clumping" litter but it definitely doesn't absorb as well as clay. :)

Using a bag per day and taking it out is a totally valid solution but one I'd like to avoid to reduce waste. I got some diaper disposal bags and I'm going to give those a try and see how it goes.

daftcat75 daftcat75 she just went for her six monthly in December. Her kidney disease progressed (stage 2) to needing SQ fluids. However, this litterbox urine thing started before initiating sq fluids, but maybe it's related to the kidneys, I dunno. I also changed out the litter to a new bag and it seems to be absorbing better. Same brand, different bag, who knows what that's about. I've got one box upstairs and one box downstairs and each have a respective trash bin. The downstairs one is lidded and results in pooling liquid but the upstairs one is not lidded and does not have this problem. So that could be one solution but I don't really want an uhlidded can downstairs in my living room where I can't really tuck it away anywhere.
 
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