How can I get rid of the ammonia smell in the litter box?

Question

I've had my cat since she was tiny (she's 4 now) and there's always been a problem with an incredibly strong ammonia smell in her litter box. It's so bad, my eyes water and my nose burns every time I change it. I've tried every combination of food and litter, she has lots of fresh water all day long and a clean bill of health, but it hasn't let up. Help!

She uses a brand-new covered litter box, and I scoop very often. As soon as she goes, it's a strong smell.

Answer 1

if the ammonia smell is so bad it is burning your eyes, the box needs to scooped more often and when you completely change the litter (which should be done once a week) the box should be thoroughly washed out with soap and water with a little vinegar added to counteract the ammonia smell.
You might want to spray it with a bleach solution and let it sit for a bit before rinsing out again and letting dry.
The silica cat crystal litter works wonders, but you will still need to scoop at least twice daily and stir the crystals around so they absorb more. The bag will have instructions on it.
If it is burnign your nose and throat, think of the poor cat who has to go potty in it.

Edit - if the smell is really bad right after she goes, then I would think that it may be the diet as some have suggested. There may be a problem with over sensitivity on your part as well..including even an allergy or your nose? Maybe see a doc about it.

Answer 2

Get them all spayed/neutered will help a lot. And you need to have more then one litter pan. With all those cats using one pan, no wonder you have a smell problem. Get at least 3-4 pans! Added - ok then you need a better litter. We use the wood stove pellets for litter. Seems the regular scoopable litter was not controlling the odor as well. One other suggestion or question - do your cats drink enough water? If not, that means the urine is more concentrated in the pan. You need to encourage more water drinking by using a fountain, more water bowls or adding some water to canned food. If you are feeding all dry - that may be a big reason for the problem.

Answer 3

Remove Ammonia Smell

Answer 4

Hi Luisa...some cats produce higher content of urea so the litterbox will need to be changed more frequently to minimize the strong odour. Cats have a stronger sense of smell so if it smells strong to you it actually is much stronger to the cat.

Mixing baking soda can help, but the best is to change the box more frequently. Consider cleaning the box once a month by washing it down with hot water and bleach then rinsing thoroughly in very hot water so that no residue is left behind before refilling it with fresh litter.

Answer 5

I used to have the problem all the time with clay litter. since I switched to the scoopable, not so much anymore. as long as you scoop the clumps out every day, it shouldn't smell so bad. you might also want to empty it and clean it really good with a bleach like clorox clean-up. I've heard the crystal cat litters are good, too, but I haven't tried those.

Answer 6

A layer of Baking Soda under the litter works well for me normally. I have also heard about carpet deodorizer, vinegar, and crystals. I was also once told to use wood stove pellets from a pet/feed store which tend to smell like cedar and break down when they become wet and need to be scooped.

You also have the option of changing your cat's food and if you are not using a litter box with a lid, purchase one.

Answer 7

try changing the little every three days, cleaning the actual box itself, and using bleach and hot soapy water. Bleach works wonders. Are you using the liners? This will make it alot easier for you, and less likely the litter will get stuck to the box. If its still pretty bad, maybe you should call the vet.

Answer 8

Mixing the litter with some pine litter helps. You will smell the pine instead of the urine. I wish my cat's litter box only smelled like urine, but every time she poops, it is a really horrible smell and she even has a coverd litter box!

Answer 9

Try changing the box more often. The amonia smell is a result of old urine. Dont use that scoopable cat litter, because that makes it worse.

Answer 10

Don't really know. Certainly my cats' urine doesn't make my eyes water or my nose run.

If your urine were left in your toilet and not flushed away it would have a strong amonia smell too (we had a severe drought where I live and we didn't flush toilets until it got pretty bad in order to conserve water)

Would we could flush our kitties' waste away down the sewer. Unfortunately we have to clean litterboxes and dispose of it in the garbage.