How often do you clean the litter box?

[suzannef]

I see this is an old thread, but a good one, so I'll keep it going:

1) I have seven cats and four ENORMOUS litter boxes. They are the PetMate Giant Litter Pan and are available at Amazon for ~$15 each. At 38"Lx19"Wx10"H, they are the largest boxes I could find. They have compartments on the side for a scoop and roll of bags. My cats don't mind sharing a box. In fact, they seem to have a "the more the merrier" attitude and two will often use the box at the same time. [emoji]128563[/emoji] Anyway, I know that more boxes are generally recommended but this setup is working well at the moment.

2) I use Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Clumping (unscented). I find it fairly dusty, but the clumping strength is good. I use an entire 40 lb bag in each box.

3) I scoop into plastic bags two or three times a day. I sometimes also do a quick scoop and flush if I notice that someone has just pooped. I know Precious Cat shouldn't be flushed, but it seems justified occasionally.

4) I do a total change of litter every 2-3 weeks. I wash the boxes with dish soap and water. I'm considering adding a spray and wipe down with Nature's Miracle but haven't tried that yet. I don't add litter in between changes but occasionally sprinkle Arm & Hammer cat litter deodorizer on top of the box seems particularly smelly.

I've put quite a bit of effort into this routine, as I really don't want my house to smell like I have seven cats. If anyone has any tips or suggestions I'd love to hear them!

 

[deidrahall]

I have two kitties.  I clean out their box once a day in the morning sometimes again in the afternoon if needed.  Once a week I add scopes of fresh litter to the box.  It works well with the litter I use that clumps pretty good.  Then once a month I clean the whole box with white vinegar and change the liner out.  I've used this routine for a couple years and it seems to work out well.  My husband converted one of our coat closets into the litter box room.  He put in a cat door and all.  It's very private for them both and they seem to really like it

.

I use the

large hooded lid box with a plastic liner.

I use Arm & Hammer Essentials Natural Clumping Litter. 

 

[jeanpierre]

1. I use a plastic container for 1 cat. I have 2 containers, one is being used and the 2nd one is ready for the next week.

2. Clumping kitty litter(Chinese brand). I have tried different brands but I like the Chinese one best.

3. I scoop every morning.

4. Once a week I make a total change, throwing the old litter, washing the container and putting the container with fresh kitty litter.

 

[angeldust]

We have two Blue Point Siamese cats and my husband cleans the litter every day.  We use clumping litter. He makes a total change about every 6 or 7 days completely washing out the pan.  

 

[segelkatt]

 
We have two Blue Point Siamese cats and my husband cleans the litter every day.  We use clumping litter. He makes a total change about every 6 or 7 days completely washing out the pan.  

How lucky you are to have a husband who does the litter chore.

 

[segelkatt]

I have 4 cats, one is a foster. One open box with high sides is used by the foster exclusively, nobody else goes near that box.

One small round covered box which only the small Persian uses.

A LitterRobot which is used all the time by one cat who learned to use it when he was 5 and had lived here for one year, before that he used a plain plastic bin from BigLots! The LitterRobot is occasionally used by the Persian also

One cat used  the LitterRobot when it first came into the house as soon as it was unpacked. She used it religiously for 8 years when she decided she did not like a covered box and has used the open plastic bin ever since, it sits right next to the LitterRobot

World's Best Litter, regular kind, I use about 1 big bag per month

The LitterRobot's bag gets changed about every 5 to 6  days and more litter is added

The other boxes are scooped with a very long-handled scooper twice a day, I just go around with a plastic shopping bag and scoop all the boxes, then empty all the waste baskets, then a trip to the garbage chute with all the trash and garbage from the kitchen. In California we are encouraged not to flush litter, even that which is called "flushable". I add litter whenever it is needed which is just about every day or two.

The globe of the LitterRobot gets cleaned with a garden hose twice a year. The drawer with the bag gets wiped whenever the bag is changed.

The other boxes get washed with high pressure on the garden hose until everything is clean about every one or two months and then dried with paper towels as the cats are waiting to jump in as soon as the boxes are back. I keep the boxes full so that there is little to scrape off the bottom.

The only time anyone can smell the litter boxes is when the foster has done his business as he does not cover and he really stinks or the day when I change the bag in the LitterRobot before I close the bag when I take it out. 

 

[macha 143]

Plastic container easy to clean and if gets really old I can throw and buy new one.

My girls loves Maxx scoop.

Each time they pee or poo I scoop right away.

I change the litter twice a week and wash the container twice a week too. 

 

[laura h]

oops. I answered twice

 

[segelkatt]

 
Plastic container easy to clean and if gets really old I can throw and buy new one.

My girls loves Maxx scoop.

Each time they pee or poo I scoop right away.

I change the litter twice a week and wash the container twice a week too. 

I do not have the energy to clean litter boxes twice a week, nor do I have the money to waste that much litter. I have other things to do besides watching my cats use the litter box and I hope you recycle all those plastic bins you throw out. 

 

[teresachinnock]

I use pets at home clumping litter, and use a large size pets at home litter tray with hooded cover and swing door entry but my cats don't like the swing door so I left it off.
I also use litter liners, it's like a plastic bag that fits inside the litter tray.
I clean lumps and clumps out at midday and midnight every day and top up with fresh litter. I change the liner every 2nd day and clean the tray, and I totally empty the litter and put complete fresh every 7 days. It's so easy I don't know why some people have an issue with keeping them clean!!

 

[icklekins]

I'm researching for a new article about the frequency in which people actually clean the cat box. If you could please reply with the following - 

1. What kind of box or boxes you have.

I have two, one usually covered (the cover is off now while Lucky recovers from her spaying and wears a cone) and one uncovered. The brand is SoPhresh for all those parts.


2. What type of litter do you use (please mention clumping or non-clumping, crystals or other).
Tidy Cats with Glade, clumping clay.


3. How often do you scoop?
I try and scoop daily, which is what is recommended, but sometimes I can only get to it every other day.


4. How often do you have a total change of litter and/or cleaning of the entire box?
Once a month, or when the litter gets too many loose pieces of gunk I can't scoop out.

 

[estherb]

I scoop daily and change weekly. This has started about a week ago.

 

[segelkatt]

I am getting my second Litter Robot, this one is the new improved model which is more open and hopefully my finicky cat will use it so that I won't have to scoop any boxes. The first one works just fine but finicky cat won't use it.

 

[segelkatt]

I scoop daily and change weekly. This has started about a week ago.

welcome to the cat site. Let's have lots of pics of your cat or kitties.

 

[horatiothecat]

Old thread but I think it is worthy to post.

I use one container exactly like this one:

Image

• horatiothecat
• Feb 1, 2016

I practiced one hole on one side for the cats to enter with ease,also taking care it is not too low otherwise the sand would go out.

I placed some thick cardboard at the bottom and then filled it with about 5 inches of sand, I use scoopaway.

5 inches of sand mean a lot of sand so the pee and the poo never get to the bottom, I only retire them daily and when it is needed I add more sand. Sometimes I use some cheap brands of sand (but always keep clumping sand)every now and then to refill so it means saving some bucks cause scoop away is a bit more expensive but not that much, I always keep scoop away sand as the base brand.

I do not replace the whole sand I just keep on doing the same procedure and I only clean the Inside walls of the container with some lysol wipes when it is needed.

Its been a year now and litter box is clean and odor free, although I might replace the whole box in a couple of months more, these containers are very cheap about 5 bucks so instead of wash and reuse I might utilize a brand new one.

By the way I only have one litterbox for two cats, cleaning it up on daily basis has meant no prob at all....I would like to have another litterbox thouh but I live in these small flat so no more room available.

 

[donutte]

Prefacing by stating that I have five cats. Two seniors, one mostly-adult (I question her being even 1 year old much less the 3 the shelter came up with!), and 8-1/2 month old kittens.

1. What kind of box or boxes you have.

Four total. I have two fairly big Rubbermaid (I believe) litter boxes that are both covered. I have one fancy-looking covered litter box with a swinging door that is fairly small (was meant for the kittens, got it from a friend when I got the boys); my two small adult girls use it, and Oscar sometimes. I also have one 30-gallon bin that the Cat Whisperer at my vet fashioned into a litter box. That was meant mainly to re-litter train my 17 lb senior girl, but all the cats use it. I decided not to use a cover on this one. All of the cats LOVE the storage bin litter box. Well, Maple doesn't love it, but she does use it - that's an improvement!

2. What type of litter do you use (please mention clumping or non-clumping, crystals or other).

I use Fresh Step clumping litter in the three covered litter boxes. The 30-gallon bin has 40 lbs of Cat Attract in it and I think it just barely is three inches deep.

3. How often do you scoop?

I used to do it every other day when I only had three cats, always at night. Then when I took in the boys back in July, I started doing it every morning. Lucky died in November (renal failure) and that's when I realized just how much of what was in there was his - his pee was about half of what used to be in there! It was like I only had one or two cats going by what was in the litter box. Then in December I adopted Penelopy, so back to having five cats again (but still not nearly as much pee as when Lucky was alive). Anyway, off on a tangent. Now I scoop at least once a day, but almost always more. Having to analyze the habits of a cat and how she reacts to certain things has kinda affected how often I scoop.

4. How often do you have a total change of litter and/or cleaning of the entire box?

I don't really wash them these days - we always just get new ones maybe once a year. No real easy place to actually wash them or dry them for that matter. We are constantly adding new litter and cleaning up any yucky spots (like when the kitty likes to pee on the side - Lucky used to do that and Penelopy does it). I REALLY like the 30-gallon bins so thinking I'll be switching out the two Rubbermaid ones for 30-gallon bins later this year. They are so nice and big. I also think I'll ultimately be switching to all Cat Attract litter when I do that.

 

[silvermau]

I clean my cats boxes 2 times a day once in morning & when I come home from work at night. I have 4 cats!

I use Agway clumping Unscented litter & Cedarific Cedar sawdust.

Cat boxes are cleaned out & washed once a month Lysol & hot water & paper towel dried.

Refilled with clean litter.

 

[bonepicker]

Two cats 3 boxes, I use fresh step extreme clumping litter. I scoop and or scrape once a day. I add extra litter two or three times a week. Once a year I buy a whole new box. So I do not empty and scrub box. Never had anyone go outside the box in 8 years. No one can see the boxes

 

[nuti]

I have ten cats. My husband went to Home Depot and came home with four black plastic box trays used for mixing cement. They cost about six dollars each. The smaller ones are perfectly sized as litter boxes.Roughly 26 x 21 x 6.5."[emoji]128169[/emoji]

 

[mrpurrrfectcat]

I have one cat and I scoop every day, when he has a see or poo, I scoop it out.

My cat is really fussy so he won't use his box if he has a see or poo in it. I can't say I blame him! Also I worry about him getting a UTI if he doesn't want to use his box.

I empty and clean his box every other day, so that it is lovely and clean for him.

I use clumping litter and he has a large, covered litter tray. This reduces the amount litter that he kicks about and less tracking on the floor.

His box doesn't smell at all and as long as it is clean, he is happy to use it.

I used to put a lot of litter in so that he could dig but I realised that for for him, it's a waste of litter. I put less litter in and clean it out more often.