How often do you do a complete box change-out?

[sweetblackpaws]

How often do you a total litter box change-out? I now have 4 litter boxes that hold 20 pounds of litter each (I have giant cats). I don't want to scrimp - their health comes before mine - but it does get really costly.

I am thinking of maybe switching to non-clumping, even though it needs to be changed more often, it is lighter-weight and smells better, IMO.

I am tired of the little "nuggets" that remain, no matter how often I scoop. I am sure my furbabies don't like it either.

 

[Willowy]

A fine-mesh scooper might help. It takes longer but leaves the litter cleaner.

I think most people who use clumping litter, have at least one litterbox per cat, and scoop regularly can get by with changing the litter once every 2-4 months. Whenever it's still smelly even after you scoop, or just doesn't seem to be clumping anymore. The guy who invented clumping litter never did a complete change-out in his cat's 16-year lifespan, so if well maintained you could go even longer!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I have not done a complete litter change-out in months and months. I used to, but not since I started a new routine. I use a small plastic spoon after scooping to remove the 'left over debris' not picked up by the scoop. And, Feeby makes it easier for me since she has a designated location in the box for pee and another for poop! Once those deposits are removed, I tilt the box so that all the litter is on one end and then I clean the affected areas with an anti-bacterial spray and dry them before re-distributing the litter. The box stays clean and the litter is pretty much free of any leftover 'stuff', and I have not experienced any kind of lingering odor.

The other factor involved in not doing a complete change-out is that, even with only one cat, I still have to add litter each and every time I scoop which is generally 2-3 times a day (each time she uses it), so I go through a 20lb box in about 2 weeks time.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

Same here - even without the change-out, I go through at least one box per week (20 pounds) just for "top offs."

I do a wipe down with pet-safe wipes,and a complete wash when I do change-outs, but I just worry. It just does not seem clean enough and there is odor no matter what brand I use. I guess because I am in an apartment, there is only so much I can do.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Just as an experiment, you could try adding a bit of baking soda to see if that would reduce the odor? The baking soda will act as a deodorizer without any artificial scent, and it is inexpensive.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

I will try that....one of my babies has asthma and FLUTD, so I can't use scented litter, which I do prefer.

 

[Bobsk8]

I use Pine Pellets. I don't ever do a complete litter change.

 

[sophie1]

I use Okocat clumping pine pellets and end up changing the litter about every 3-4 months. I also have large cats so yes I'd like to do it less often, but I notice subtle signs that the litter box is turning them off, e.g. fewer/larger pee balls indicating they're holding it in longer, and spray-peeing on the litter box walls. After I change the litter, they go back to more/smaller pee balls and the spraying stops. I should probably change it more often....

 

[jcat]

We use clumping litter - currently corncob litter, previously clay. I've always done a complete change of litter every 3 to 4 weeks, usually every four, and steam cleaned the box. Even with very fine clumping litter you miss some waste when scooping, so there will be bacteria build-up .At the shelter, where Ökocat is used, the boxes are changed completely every 4 - 6 weeks.

 

[Neko-chan's mama]

I use clumping litter. I scoop once a day and do a complete change the first Saturday of every even numbered month. I only have one cat.

 

[heyitskevinn]

I use pine litter, the best option for a cat's health. I only use about a cup, and that lasts a week before having to be changed out.

 

[Purr-fect]

Im a bit embarrased to admit this. I havent done a complete litter change since at least last fall and I hate the smell of cat urine and feces. But neither litter box smells. I always changed the litter completely every week or so.....but no more.

Every night the boxes are carefully scooped. The litter is kept quite deep, so waste seldom touches the bottom of the pan before it clumps. We have large cats, so, we need larger than usual litter boxes. I dont think a full 22 kg box of kitty litter would be enough to fill both boxes. It would get rather expensive to be doing an entire litter change frequently.........and as I have found, with our routine the boxes dont smell. The lack of odor might also have something to do with the food they eat.

Having said that, I will take the boxes outside shortly and completely scrub them down.

 

[neely]

We use clumping litter - currently corncob litter, previously clay. I've always done a complete change of litter every 3 to 4 weeks

Ditto, same here. We also use clumping litter and do a complete change out every 4 weeks. We scoop every time after our cat uses the box providing we are home at the time. Fortunately we have never had a problem with this routine and either has our cat.

 

[betsygee]

I have two cats and two litter boxes. I do a complete change out and washing of the boxes about once a month.

 

[GoldyCat]

I have a lot of cats and a lot of litter boxes. I rotate through cleaning one box every couple of weeks. I'll put the used litter from that box in the other boxes so I'm not wasting it, then fill the clean box with new litter. I also add a cup or two of fresh litter every time I scoop which helps keep the odor down.

I have a couple of large cats who tend to stand in the middle of the litter box and poop on the side. I do clean that up in between full changes/cleaning by wiping down the sides with antiseptic wipes.

I don't really keep track of how often I buy litter, but at a guess I probably go through about 15 pounds of clumping clay litter a month per cat. If I switch to something like walnut litter it's about the same volume, just a lot lighter weight.