Scooping The Litter Box But Should I Empty It Out?

Sammiches

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So I've been scooping my cat's litter box clean for quite some time now... I remember hearing Jackson's Galaxy suggestion that clearing out the box is just for us and not exactly for the cat since the smell in the box is their marked territory.

Anyways I have clumping litter which I scoop it very clean in a huge litter box. I pretty much scoop all the big pieces then run through it several times until no more detectable small pieces of clump is there. This involves throwing out some clean litter as well as I don't want to risk dropping the tiny pieces of clumps through sifting.

I haven't changed my cat's litter box in over 2 months now but I do pour new litter in as it's emptying out through scooping clumped(and some clean) litter. My place doesn't have any strong litter smell and my cat seems to still use the box regularly. Is there any concerns to what I'm doing? So far no problems has been shown so I'm starting to wonder whether or not all the suggestions in a lot of different sites that tells you to empty it out every so and so weeks is mandatory.
 

FelisCatus

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So I've been scooping my cat's litter box clean for quite some time now... I remember hearing Jackson's Galaxy suggestion that clearing out the box is just for us and not exactly for the cat since the smell in the box is their marked territory.

Anyways I have clumping litter which I scoop it very clean in a huge litter box. I pretty much scoop all the big pieces then run through it several times until no more detectable small pieces of clump is there. This involves throwing out some clean litter as well as I don't want to risk dropping the tiny pieces of clumps through sifting.

I haven't changed my cat's litter box in over 2 months now but I do pour new litter in as it's emptying out through scooping clumped(and some clean) litter. My place doesn't have any strong litter smell and my cat seems to still use the box regularly. Is there any concerns to what I'm doing? So far no problems has been shown so I'm starting to wonder whether or not all the suggestions in a lot of different sites that tells you to empty it out every so and so weeks is mandatory.
I personally completely change it every 2 weeks... then again I am switching to pellets from clumping very soon as apparently the clumping property might be carcinogenic...
 

Willowy

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Nah, whatever works for you and your cat. I think you can get at least 3 months out of clumping litter if you scoop carefully, but if you scoop really carefully you could probably stretch it out longer.

Some people will transfer the litter to a box or empty litter bucket and wash the box if it needs it, and that will make the litter last longer too.
 

denice

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I do occasionally empty and wash out the boxes but no set schedule. Even though I scoop often and thoroughly it does eventually reach a point where it seems to need a complete change.
 

tabbytom

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Bird

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I replace all the clumping litter occasionally, but I don't have a fixed schedule. My real purpose is to thoroughly wash out the litter box as needed, and when I do that, I sometimes dump all the old litter and replace it. It might depend on the quality of the litter itself, too, and how well it performs, absorbs and clumps.
 

Mamanyt1953

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I scoop daily, change as needed (generally every 7-10 days), rinse out monthly. I do NOT scrub and disinfect unless Hekitty has been ill, treated for worms, or something like that. The rinse is just to loosen and get rid of small cakes stuck to the bottom, and doesn't get rid of her scent.
 

Elphaba09

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I used to change it completely out once every couple of weeks. Mainly because I have a sensitive sense of smell. I started using Clump and Seal Multi-Cat a while ago. I still cleaned it out once every month/month and a half, but I realize that it is because I thought I should, not because it smells. I also clean it out if I have to use a different litter due to the store being out of the Multi-Cat version. Those times are because of the smell. I do wipe the parts that are not covered by the litter after each scooping.

Many who have come to my house have commented about the lack of smell, especially with nine cats.
 

maggie101

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I scoop every day. Rarely wash the whole box. No scent and adding new litter every day so why bother. I do use litter wipes for the scooper and box if needed. My scooper is metal so I've had it a long time
 
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Sammiches

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Thanks guys! Looks like what I'm doing seems to be more normal than I thought. Looks like I'll be continuing with the scoop it regularly and replace litter as necessary.

I hope this thread and the previous thread will help others in the future when a question like this comes up again.

*Note*
Looks like it's better for the environment too regularly emptying out the entire clumping litter.
 

Rhall

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I rarely empty it out. I usually just remove what's dirty and add more clean. Since it comes out in a clump, there isn't much left behind.
 

di and bob

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This question does come up, I remember thinking about it too a few years ago. I don't clean the boxes themselves very often, especially in winter, it is nice to rinse them outside with a hose after scrubbing.I change litters if one doesn't keep the odors at bay, I have had good luck with Fresh Step. I really go by how the box looks itself. If it starts looking really nasty with smears etc. on the sides, and litter all around the outside (I have nice wooden cabinets for them) then I'll clean them. Less often now since I got the cabinets, (every three or four months) out of sight, out of mind!
 

MargoLane

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I use the smart cat grass litter and it clumps so well that I hardly have to change out the entire litter. I scoop every day fairly thoroughly, and dump a bunch of new litter in whenever it's getting lower than 2ish inches. I also think this helps with keeping the box itself clean. When you only have an inch of litter, pee goes all the way down to the box and clumps against it. Lots of litter, and the pan itself stays fairly pee-free.
 
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