How long should I wait before scooping my cat's litter?

tinysalmon

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Sometimes if I am at home all day and know she went to do her business in her litter box, I want to clean it right away. But it is clumping litter and I know it needs time to harden or else there are these tiny clumps around her urine clumps.

I know every litter is different, but in general, how long should I wait before scooping it out? And before the cat goes again.

How long do you usually wait? Is there a good rule of thumb?

Thanks.
 

ritz

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And I scoop at least twice a day because the litter box is in a small kitchen. And cause I'm a neat-freak.
I clean/wash the litter box about every two weeks.
 

milu

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I know what you mean, I like to clean the litter as soon as I hear the cats scratching when I happen to have the time. In those cases I force myself to wait for at least 10 minutes though. A bit longer seems better but I just try to scoop carefully and not break up the clump.
 

konstargirl

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Oh I had this question too. I thought you were suppose to clean it up every two weeks but I scoop up poop and add new litter in every week. Misa makes a lot of waste. More waster than Vinnie and Francis.
 

~*regina*~

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Originally Posted by konstargirl

Oh I had this question too. I thought you were suppose to clean it up every two weeks but I scoop up poop and add new litter in every week. Misa makes a lot of waste. More waster than Vinnie and Francis.
You only scoop once a week? I scoop mine everyday, sometimes twice and I only have 1 cat. I cant stand a dirty litter box even though it never smells thankfully.
 

ducman69

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Waiting 10 mins is enough for Swheat Scoop.
Originally Posted by konstargirl

Oh I had this question too. I thought you were suppose to clean it up every two weeks but I scoop up poop and add new litter in every week. Misa makes a lot of waste. More waster than Vinnie and Francis.
You don't have to clean the litterbox frequently, but you certainly should be scooping the poo/pee out everyday IMO.

I sometimes do ours twice, but usually only once a day, but then again I have four large litterboxes with only two medium sized cats.
 

niki_d

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I use non-clumping right now because I have a kitten, so scoop daily and completely change the litter every 5 days to a week. When I use clumping litter, I scoop daily and dump out/wash box every 2 weeks. I will add some fresh every few days to keep the level of litter constant.
 

gloriajh

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You might find this link helpful: http://catinfo.org/?link=litterbox

... Do:

Scoop the litter box twice daily - at a minimum.

Use clumping litter - except for kittens younger than 7 - 8 weeks of age.

Use unscented litter.

Keep the litter deep enough.

Use large litter boxes.

Have enough litter boxes available.

Have litter boxes placed in a quiet area.

Use a litter mat that is comfortable for your cat to walk on.

Seek veterinary attention if your cat stops using the litter box.


Do NOT:

Use litters that do not clump - except for kittens younger than 7 - 8 weeks of age.

Use pelleted (pine or newspaper) or crystal/white pearl litters.

Use scented litters or any deodorizers.

Use hooded litter boxes if your intent is to prevent odors from reaching your nose.

Use plastic 'grass' mats.

Punish your cat for not using the litter box.

Put a child in charge of litter box maintenance.

...
 

bellaandme

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I use clumping litter. i have to scoop whenever Turtle poos because she doesn't cover it and she won't use the box again if there are any "nuggets" in the box; even though they belong to her.
 

auntie crazy

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Speaking of litter box do's and don't's, one way to provide cats with the privacy / security they like is to surround the litter box with a folding screen, such as here in my library...



There is about six inches between the wall and the left end of the screen, and behind it is a 120 quart litter box containing 84 gallons of litter.

I know this won't be feasible for everyone, but it's definitely one of the tricks to keep in our "encouraging the cat to use the litter-box" arsenal.
As an added benefit, it shields the box from view of my guests and keeps my library looking good.


AC
 

stephanietx

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I scoop twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. We use clumping litter. I change the litter & box every 3 weeks, but we have 3 boxes, so 1 is getting changed weekly.
 

minka

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Originally Posted by GloriaJH

You might find this link helpful: http://catinfo.org/?link=litterbox

Use pelleted (pine or newspaper) or crystal/white pearl litters.
This seems very unreasonable. Why can't you use pelleted litter?

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

Speaking of litter box do's and don't's, one way to provide cats with the privacy / security they like is to surround the litter box with a folding screen, such as here in my library...



There is about six inches between the wall and the left end of the screen, and behind it is a 120 quart litter box containing 84 gallons of litter.

I know this won't be feasible for everyone, but it's definitely one of the tricks to keep in our "encouraging the cat to use the litter-box" arsenal.
As an added benefit, it shields the box from view of my guests and keeps my library looking good.


AC
AC, this is an awesome idea! :O

P.s. i'm a sucker for orange cats
 

kkh

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I scoop at least twice/day, first thing in the morning and before heading to bed. On weekends I tend to(or should I say I "have to"? lol) scoop more often as Ku Ku demands me to clean it


I use Swheat scoop. Although it takes a little longer 'till clump completely, not a problem scooping it right after Ku Ku gets out from litterbox.
 

gloriajh

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Originally Posted by Minka

This seems very unreasonable. Why can't you use pelleted litter?
I think the doctor talks about litters that don't help in removing the feces and urine as much as possible.

... It is critical to be able to remove both the feces and the urine each time the box is cleaned. Clumping litter is the only type of litter that allows for this to be done completely. Complete removal of the urine is not possible with the non-clumping clay litters, the white pearl litters and any type of pelleted litters such as newspaper or pine. ...
That quote follows the list of "Don'ts" from the information of the link of that I provided in my previous post.
(http://catinfo.org/?link=litterbox) I only provided an excerpt from that web page.
 

messocat

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Originally Posted by konstargirl

Oh I had this question too. I thought you were suppose to clean it up every two weeks but I scoop up poop and add new litter in every week. Misa makes a lot of waste. More waster than Vinnie and Francis.
I don't think I could stand the smell week old urine and feces. I scoop mine just before I leave for work and after I get home and get settled in. So about 6:45 am and again at 6:30 ish PM.

I think of it this way... I wouldn't want to have to put my bare feet all over old poop and pee to get to use the toilet so I don't expect him to have to step in it either.
 

kittehtime

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Originally Posted by Bellaandme

I use clumping litter. i have to scoop whenever Turtle poos because she doesn't cover it and she won't use the box again if there are any "nuggets" in the box; even though they belong to her.
i lol'd @ the "nuggets" and "even tho they belong to her"...hehe.

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

Speaking of litter box do's and don't's, one way to provide cats with the privacy / security they like is to surround the litter box with a folding screen, such as here in my library...



There is about six inches between the wall and the left end of the screen, and behind it is a 120 quart litter box containing 84 gallons of litter.

I know this won't be feasible for everyone, but it's definitely one of the tricks to keep in our "encouraging the cat to use the litter-box" arsenal.
As an added benefit, it shields the box from view of my guests and keeps my library looking good.


AC
very cute/nifty. i also like orange cats
...and i love that chair!

Originally Posted by Messocat

I don't think I could stand the smell week old urine and feces. I scoop mine just before I leave for work and after I get home and get settled in. So about 6:45 am and again at 6:30 ish PM.

I think of it this way... I wouldn't want to have to put my bare feet all over old poop and pee to get to use the toilet so I don't expect him to have to step in it either.
 

resqchick

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I keep the litter box in the bathtub that we don't use. Kairi is a "Litter spreader" and it got to the point where I was getting hit in the leg when I was in there with him. (hit with litter
)

I clean it first thing in the morning, and right before dinner time. I also clean it when I happen to go to the bathroom and notice a clump. It takes a minute and a plastic bag. I add fresh every other day, and clean it completely on Sundays.
 
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