The Cats `toilet` Is Setting The Fire Alarm Off!

cihanthepanda

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
May 23, 2017
Messages
81
Purraise
19
i live in a property where the alarms never go off unless theres been a powercut or something

in the last few weeks, whenever my betty goes to the toilet, the smell is that bad, that the fire alarm goes off

every single night, and im at my wits end
ive taken him to doctor hes free of parasites
we changed his diet from wet to dry etc, still nothing

i do not know what to do! i feel very helpless
 

susanm9006

Willow
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 20, 2011
Messages
13,151
Purraise
30,216
Location
Minnesota
Never hear of that - it usually takes heat or smoke to set off alarms.

Could you scoop as soon as she goes?
 

Hellenww

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Mar 5, 2018
Messages
1,036
Purraise
1,533
Location
South Jersey, USA
I haven't dealt with many digestive issues but more detail will help.

Is it poop, pee, or both that create the strong smell? Is she spayed? Does she have diarhea? And if so for how long?

How old is the smoke detector? If it is humid that will keep the odor molecules stay suspended longer. Try getting a can of air for cleaning electronic. Take out the battery, blow off the dust, and reassemble. I use Odor Gone in my bathroom. It attaches to the odor molecules and makes them heavier so the scent doesn't travel.
 

Moka

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
May 4, 2017
Messages
233
Purraise
723
Location
Michigan
What kind of litter do you use? I have set off my smoke alarm when cleaning the litter box a few times. It is the dust that is stirred up that sets off the alarm. Most modern alarms use a little camera to detect smoke. It can't tell the difference between smoke and dust. I have set mine off by using too much body powder after a shower too.
 

Caspers Human

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
2,693
Purraise
4,703
Location
Pennsylvania
You should probably replace the smoke detector.

When smoke detectors get old they can become prone to false alarms.

There are two main types of smoke detector: Photo electric and ionization.

Photo electric detectors have a small light source and a light sensor inside them. If smoke gets inside the detector the particles of smoke will block some or all of the light coming from the light source. If too much smoke (or dust) gets inside the detector, the sensor will detect a drop in the amount of light and set off the alarm.

Ionization detectors have a chamber inside that contains a small amount of radioactive material (Americium-241 to be exact.) that emits a minute amount of alpha particles. If smoke gets inside the detection chamber the particles will become ionized and conduct a minute amount of electricity. When that happens, the alarm goes off.

Photo detectors are best for smoky fires but ionization detectors work best for flaming fires.

Unfortunately, dust can set off a photo electric detector and certain vapors can set off ionization detectors. As others have said, ammonia from cat urine can set off ionization detectors, especially if they are old.
(As detectors age, they become less reliable.)

Some things you can do...

1) Move the cat box to a place that is farther away from the smoke detector.

2) Move the detector to a place that is farther away from the cat box.

3) Try to create some ventilation to let the offending vapors out of the house before they can set off the alarm.

4) Replace the detector. Old detectors can be more prone to false alarms. Also, newer detectors are designed to reduce false alarms. You can even buy "Dual Sensor" smoke detectors that have both, a photo detector and an ionization detector. It takes a signal from both parts to set off the alarm.

One thing you should NOT do... DO NOT place an elastic shower cap over the detector. You will keep out smoke and stop false alarms but you will also disable the smoke detector in the case of a real fire.

I used to be a security guard in a large, high-rise hotel. People would rent rooms to party in and they would take the shower cap from the bathroom vanity kit and put it over the detector in the room so that the pot smoke wouldn't set off the alarm. People thought they were being smart but they didn't stop to think that we could smell the smoke from the weed they were burning half way down the hall. We'd bust them and kick them out and, if they tried to argue, we'd point to the shower cap over the detector and threaten them with a felony fire code violation if they didn't leave.

Your best bet: Get a new, dual sensor smoke detector. 90% chance that will solve your problem.
 

Maria Bayote

Mama of 4 Cats, 4 Dogs , 2 Budgies & 2 Humans
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 15, 2018
Messages
4,171
Purraise
12,686
in the last few weeks, whenever my betty goes to the toilet, the smell is that bad, that the fire alarm goes off
This post made me laugh. A bit. I am so sorry, my bad.

That is some powerful poo! lol. What are you feeding him?
This was my first thought. Again, sorry, my bad.

This is also the first time I heard of this. As what Caspers Human Caspers Human advised, I think you need to replace your smoke detector. Some smoke detectors are not functioning as it should be when the batteries are old or the unit itself is old. In my office building the smoke alarm just suddenly shrieks at anytime anyday for no reason and is really irritating.

Can you also try to move the litter box much farther away from that smoke detector?
 

LTS3

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
19,209
Purraise
19,695
Location
USA
If you are renting, ask the landlord to replace all the of smoke / fire / CO detectors with new ones. It is the landlord's responsibility to do this.

If the smoke detector is directly above the litter box, move the litter box elsewhere in the room if possible or to another room where it won't be under a smoke detector.
 

snobud

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Apr 18, 2018
Messages
5
Purraise
3
I had this problem and changed to a new smoke detector before I realized what the true culprit was. After installing a new detector it kept having the same problem of randomly alarming every 30 seconds. The smoke detector is on a low ceiling that is less that 7feet away from both the litter robot and an air intake. There is an abundance of dust in this area from the “no dust” clay litter. The only solution is to #1. Change the litter to a corn based no dust litter or #2 move the litter robot or #3 have the smoke detector moved farther away. I will be changing the cat litter since relocating the smoke detector and litter box aren’t viable solutions.
 
Top