How to get rid of cat litter smells in a confined area?

Question

We are living in a motorhome and have a dog and a cat. Our daughter needs her cat and we have a litter box in a vinyl dog kennel with the newspaper litter and baking soda. Any suggestions how to get rid of the pee smell? My husband is getting pissed.

Answer 1

First, buy a covered litter pan. Decorative ones are nice, particularly if the cat doesn't have its own room. Try this website http://petsbestproducts.com/. They're a little expensive, but inconspicuous and they really cut down on litter smell.

Secondly, I highly recommend the litter crystals and the crystals only. The ones combined with clay tend to cause that same ammonia odor.

Third - use an air purifier with a charcoal filter. This will eliminate all smells in the home. Good luck!

Answer 2

Yes, clean it as SOON AS THE CAT USES IT. I know this is alot of work, but it will get rid of the odor problem. Also, get "a little trash container with a lid' to place the poop in so that it doesn't spread throughout the home when not being emptied into. Sometimes, every 3 months or so, throw out ALL THE LITTER and replace it! This should fix it.

However to "fix" the mess you already have, toss the litter, get fresh and start from there. Get vinegar water and clean the walls and floors around the cat litter pan and make sure that if he "spills" urine on the floor you use vinegar water to wash it up. Also, cat urine can contain "toxoplasmosis" so any pregnant women should not be exposed to it.

WAIT . . .

YOU USE shredded newspaper for litter? Like after declawing? Wow, get a paper shredder and NOW or buy shredded paper quickly from an office supply store or recycling plant. Just balling up newspaper doesn't cut it. And you MUST replace the entire litter box of paper almost daily because of the "acidicness" of the urine will taint the air, burning the eyes.

Good luck!

Answer 3

well it looks like you have to do some training huh ? Most cats will train themselves to use a litter box, but what if they seem to "forget" and start using your bed instead? Why is your kitty avoiding the litter box all of a sudden? Retrain them using this guide. follow the following steps worked for me =] 1. Make sure the litter box is cleaned daily. Your cat will start using other places if the litter box is too dirty. 2. If you have recently changed brands of litter, try changing back. Cats can be picky. 3. If your cat has just been declawed, their paws may hurt when they dig in the litter. Try adding some shredded shiny newspaper on top of their regular litter. The shiny newspaper cushions their paws and will not stick to their sensitive paws. 4. Put the litter box and your cat in a small room, like a bathroom. Make sure he has plenty of food and water. Check on your cat once an hour. If the cat has eliminated correctly in the box, praise the cat and let them out for some supervised playtime, or give them a treat. Then put them back in the room. Repeat two or three times until it seems that your cat has "gotten it". 5. If the cat misses the box, place the feces in the litterbox and do not pay further attention to the cat. Leave the room and check again in an hour. 6. If your cat is still avoiding the litterbox, take him to the vet to make sure there is no underlying medical reason for this behavior. Urinary infections, kidney problems or parasites (worms) can be reasons the cat is not using the litterbox. 7. Also think of any reasons that there may be some behavioral issues that may cause the cat to 'act up' such as adding another animal or person in the house, changing routines, moving the box to a new location, noise or light changes.. all can be signals that your cat is stressed. A checkup and a discussion with your vet will be helpful to you and your cat! try to see where your cat spends most time peeing and put the litter box there.

Answer 4

I use the Zero Odor spray too and think it does a good job. I seldom have to use it and it is effective when I do.

If you have smelly stuff come out of the cat you might consider what you are putting INTO the cat. Inexpensive cat foods are mostly 2/3 corn which is really indigestible for the cat. So there is a lot of waste, voluminous and smelly.

Don't go to the expense of a covered box. Many cats don't like them because the smell gets too concentrated inside the box and they start going elsewhere. They are much more sensitive to the smells than you are!

Answer 5

There are a few things you can get for this problem - one is a powder that goes into the litter that is supposed to kill odors. Another is a product advertised on TV called Urine gone, its suposed to kill odors and get rid of urine that missed the box. Also, change the box frequently - don't let it go more than a week without changing it, and if hubby has a sensitive nose, change it more often than that. In some cases, putting fresh litter on top of a not so dirty box can help reduce the smells too.

Answer 6

a lot of good suggestions have already been given, but I'd like to put one out:

get a covered litter-box, cut a small hole in the top and mount a computer cooling fan there with an exhaust tubing to channel out offensive odors.

It would use a very small amount of electricity, tho you *would* need to install maybe a wooden slat in a partly opened window to provide "outside" air path to dump into while maintaining a "secure" house-barrier.

maybe you could manipulate your husband into doing the installation himself?

I can almost guarantee that this would be a signifigant improvemennt in the "smell" department.


good luck

ps: change litter frequently .. those "automatic" sensor-sifter boxes would help tho they might be a bit pricey.

Answer 7

Zero Odor works really well. I get it through the mail. Their phone # is 1-800-526-2967 or their internet address is zeroodorstore.com. At Rite-Aid I bought some Urine Gone and that's good also. When I used it up I called & ordered 2 more bottles of that through the mail. In the meantime you could check over the different cat litters in the store. Some are MUCH stronger than others, & better able to cover up odors. You might try calling different feed stores &/ or pet stores to see what they recommend for your immediate use. Best of luck!

Answer 8

There is a brand of kitty litter called "Litter Select". It comes in a red bag and is available at most supermarkets (Safeway and Raleys, I know for sure). The litter consists of silica crystals. The silica does a great job of absorbing urine odor...plus that brand of litter comes with a special absorbant pad that you line the pan with. With one cat, as long as you scoop out the turds everyday, you can go about 15 days before having to replace the crystals.

Answer 9

Use multicat litter and then place about a cup of vinegar in a porous container such as a ceramic mug. The vinegar acts like an air filter and reduces the smell. I have three ferrets who live in my upstairs bathroom and this is what I do to keep it smelling like a rose...that and I scoop litter when I wake up and again just before I go to bed.

Answer 10

I have two cats and I swear by the Oust Fan. They work great. We have our litter box in our laundry room which is off of our kitchen. Before I had it I would smell the litter box while making dinner (super gross!) but now I smell nothing...and no I don't work for the company :) I just think it works great :)