Litterbox Odor Control

[mrw5641]

We have two litter boxes in our second bathroom and it is quite stinky.

Anyone have any tips on controlling the odor? E.g a particular air fresher they have used

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Let me ask first, how often do you clean them? Does your cat(s) have stinky poop?

 

[Alldara]

Adding some green tea to your litter can help a bit.

What you feed the cats may also contribute to smell.

Is it a pee smell or a poo smell?

 

[mrw5641]

Stinky!!!

Clean am and pm
Fresh litter and full clean once a month

 

[Furballsmom]

What you feed the cats may also contribute to smell.

I'm thinking that if you were to try a change of diet so that his/her/their poop isn't so room-clearing, and the green tea as mentioned plus some baking soda can help in the meantime. (I'm wary of air fresheners since they can sometimes cause respiratory issues).

I do a rotational menu for Captain of several different canned brands and I've noticed a distinct difference in the odor depending on what he's getting.

 

[Alldara]

If it's stinky pee, they need more water added to their diet. And perhaps another litter added to another area of the home.

If it's stinky poops, you can try adjusting to a different food if that's an option for your cats.

I also find that many wet food make for less smelly poos.

 

[iPappy]

I would second making a food switch. Do they eat wet or dry?
A probiotic powder might help, as would maybe sprinkling some plain arm and hammer baking soda into the box and mixing it into the litter to help trap odors.

 

[cmshap]

This probably goes without saying, as I consider it only a mistake a beginner first-time owner would make. But it was a mistake I made once 8 years ago.

Commercially scented litters = bad.

I didn't know any better at first, and thought "hey, Fabreze added to litter... that solves everything!" The Fabreze smell was overpowering even for me, so I can't imagine what it was like for my cat. And it made him sneeze every time he dug into it.

I used it once and then threw it out.

 

[cejhome]

How many cats do you have using those two boxes? Can you clean them more than twice a day? Our cat Buddy came to us with tummy issues (constipation) which turned out to be from food allergies and I think food quality. I had to put him on Miralax and then a good probiotic, and make sure I add a bit water to his wet food (he doesn't drink water often). He is now pooping regularly and it's not stinky. His pee is not stinky unless I don't add enough water to his food each day. His former home had mentioned to the rescue (after we adopted him and noticed he had issues) that he had very stinky poop. A good quality canned food that he can actually digest fixed that issue. He doesn't like dry food at all so he is 100% canned - Rawz, Lotus, Tiki Dark and Feline Natural - rotated.

Buddy has two boxes, one in an upstairs closet in my office and one in my master bedroom closet. He only uses his master bedroom closet box - he loves it because it is a huge plastic storage bin that I cut an opening into. I clean that sucker several times a day. I work from home and he actually comes and gets me if he thinks it needs cleaning, so I cleaning probably 4-6 times a day. He also doesn't like an audience and will not "go" if the light is on in there or I go in there. I clean his box out completely every 3-4 weeks.

 

[Margot Lane]

Had a question about the green tea if this thread is still going… how much do you use? How often? I’m assuming you mean loose leaf. And am assuming all air fresheners are bad?

 

[MorningForest]

Couple of months later, but I wanted to chime in. I use natures miracle covered corner boxes and tidy cats free and clear (because i absolutely hate scented litters. Being unscented doesn't affect how well it traps odors also).

It's important to use a clumping litter - non clumping just means that wet, urine soaked litter gets "recycled" into the existing litter, and the smell gets out of control pretty fast. You're looking at replacing the litter every other week, if not more frequently. Scooping at least once a day, if not more, is key. I saw a YouTube short recently where a cat owner said she scoops every time and immediately after they use the box, so that waste isn't just sitting there in the open air. If you don't have litter genies, definitely get some. They trap odors and it's fairly easy to empty (they have bag refills).

With litter boxes, covered nature's miracle boxes have carbon filters in the top. There is a little tray that you can slid in and thus can replace the carbon filter as often as you want. That also helps with absorbing smells, as well as cutting down dust.

I have a Coway air purifier, and it works really well. It uses a HEPA filter and a carbon filter. It can get pretty loud on the highest setting, but you have the option to set the speed if you want (instead of it automatically changing based on air quality). I set it on 2 (out of 3) and it isn't too bothersome. Here is an Amazon link:
Coway AP-1512HH Mighty Air... Amazon.com

You can also use baking soda to help neutralize odors. Either cover the bottom of the box with it (after completely emptying it) or mix it in with the litter itself (or both). It's also good to thoroughly wash the boxes on occasion (once or twice a year at least, if you don't want to do it more frequently). I recently cleaned all of mine - take them outside, use a hose (with spray nozzle) on jet to get any clumps off, wash thoroughly with dawn dish soap and a scrub daddy, then rinse on shower setting. It took me about an hour and a half to clean 2 bases and 3 lids. By all means, use cleaning gloves if you prefer (i certainly did )

Be sure to sweep or vacuum constantly. Doing that will protect your floors too. I've used fabric litter mats before, and they get gross and are annoying to wash. Get a rubber or plastic mat that has 2 layers. Holes on the top layer and a solid base to catch litter. Thats if you want to use a mat. I dont, and it makes sweeping easy (I'd rather sweep more often and efficiently than less often but have a mat to empty and clean. It just adds a step).

Best wishes, and hope this helps!

 

[MorningForest]

Not sure how to edit, if there is a way.
Using clumping litter means you could go a month without replacing litter. I havent had to replace litter since early April, but I also scoop at least once a day as well as top it off when it gets low.

For the air purifier, coway is just what I use. It was a lot less expensive when I first got it. Shop around for other ones if you prefer. Just note that coway uses a HEPA filter /and/ a carbon filter.

 

[Alldara]

Had a question about the green tea if this thread is still going… how much do you use? How often? I’m assuming you mean loose leaf. And am assuming all air fresheners are bad?

Each time I change the box completely, I added more green tea. About a bag's worth. I would just get inexpensive tea at the dollar store.

I don't use any air fresheners with my cats.

 

[Alldara]

M MorningForest clumping vs non-clumping is a matter of opinion, and health issues of humans and cats involved.

The clumping agent is always a fine powder, which means you cant get a true dust free product, they just call low dust, dust free. May not be suitable for breathing issues or allergies.

Personally, I think clumping is less sanitary because it sticks and cakes on to the sides. Unless I empty the box completely and scrub it, there's dirty litter stuck or dirty clumping agent. Takes me an hour to clean and sanitize all the boxes every two weeks. With the non-clumping litter, it takes me 15 minutes to clean 4 boxes.
The solution to the above is add more litter, but not all cats will use their litter with that amount in it.

I use scrubbing bubbles bathroom cleaner (there's no bleach in it so it's safe) once a month to sanitize the boxes. Brand isn't important as long as you're using something without bleach (because of the ammonia in urine) and pet safe (no PineSol or essential oils!).

PS. Welcome to TheCatSite, MorningForest, and you'll be able to edit your posts once you've been a member for a little while.

 

[iPappy]

Each time I change the box completely, I added more green tea. About a bag's worth. I would just get inexpensive tea at the dollar store.

I don't use any air fresheners with my cats.

I don't know how I missed this tip, but this is wonderful! Just cheap tea bags (opened) and sprinkled into the litter? I'll have to try this A Alldara !

 

[catloverfromwayback]

Not sure how to edit, if there is a way.
Using clumping litter means you could go a month without replacing litter. I havent had to replace litter since early April, but I also scoop at least once a day as well as top it off when it gets low.

For the air purifier, coway is just what I use. It was a lot less expensive when I first got it. Shop around for other ones if you prefer. Just note that coway uses a HEPA filter /and/ a carbon filter.

Slightly OT but you can edit posts for about twenty minutes as you rise through the member ranks - it down to how often you post, but I don’t remember more details than that. Welcome to the site, btw!

I use clumping litter too, an Australian brand. (Dunno if it’s available overseas but the link might give a basis for comparison with other brands.) It’s called tofu but it’s actually made from pea fibre, and has activated charcoal and baking soda in it. Good stuff, soft on their feet. I have one litter hox for two cats (there isn’t room in either my unit or my budget for more) and 5kg of the litter lasts three weeks to a month. I’m home almost all the time so it gets scooped whenever I see something in it. It’s a lot better for odour control than anything else I used.

 

[Kris107]

Our litter rarely smells and it's in a cabinet in our living room (small house). We use World's Best litter, box liners, and probably redo the box every few weeks. We wash out the box then wipe it down with a clorox wipe. The box itself doesn't smell - it's years old. We scoop only in the AM. We only scoop an additional time if they poop while we're trying to watch TV or something. I also try not to use additives or fresheners as one of our past cats had asthma and another allergies.