How often should a cat's litterbox be cleaned?

Question

I arfue with my mom over how she takes care of her cat. She scoops the litterbox about twice a week. She never actually empties and washes the litterbox only adds more litter when it starts to get low. I think this is disgusting. I think she should scoop daily, and completely change/wash out litterbox once a week. What do you cat owners out there do?

Answer 1

it depends on how many cats you have and how often they go. i have 5 cats so therefore i clean mine out everyday somes times twice a day. i also have two litter boxes.. but in reality most people can go about every other day cleaning it

also wash it out with warm soapy water once a week to kill any germs in the box and change the litter once or twice a week

its not safe to use bleach or other harmful cleaners like it or containing it because what if the cat(s) lick the box for some odd reason or they put their butts up to the side of the box? then they get the harmful cleaners in their system no matter how dry the box was when you finished cleaning it... and to the one that dont clean the box completely thats just as bad as this persons momk because an unclean litter box can contain worms that you dont see and all you are doing is letting them live and breed in that box ...putting your cat at risk of getting worms... clean the dang box out in your tub or kitchen sink it wont kill you... and it will keep the risk of ending up with a worm infested kitty way down.

Answer 2

Well, considering she only has one cat and only has one litter box, I'd have to say scooping it every day to every other day would be a good idea and completely cleaning it once a week is neccesary. Plastics are very absorbant and can absorb the ammonia in animals urine. That's why you have to clean it really good with soap and water, using a sponge to scrub. The soap I'd recommend is Dawn dish soap; it's gentle for your animals but strong on odors and stains. Frankly, Clorox is a bit of a risk just because there can be residue left behind from the cleaner and considering the fact it's BLEACH cleaning a cat box that has AMMONIA in it from the urine... You're most likely going to create a deadly combo. The only time Clorox is neccesary is when you're trying to prevent a quick-spreading infection from going on to another animal and even at that, there are safer chemicals to use such as Rocol-Green. It's what most vets use in their kennels to keep infection from spreading and to be sure all viruses, bacteria, etc. are killed without harming the animal.

Answer 3

We have a number of kitty cats, and do our best to give them the very best litterbox situation we can manage ... which helps keep things cleaner and less smelly for us.

We have a number of cat boxes, and do the following with them...

1. Use high-quality, multiple-cat formula scooping litter with baking soda mixed in.

2. Scoop the boxes thoroughly twice a day ... once in the morning and once in the evening.

3. Completely dump and replace the litter about once every 7-10 days or so.

4. Disinfect and clean the cat boxes in connection with the litter replacement.

5. Use Febreze citrus air freshener in the two places we keep cat boxes.

6. Use ionic air filters in the two places we keep cat boxes.

7. Use special mats to prevent tracked litter from getting around the house.

8. Sweep up any spilled, scattered or tracked litter twice a day.

* * * *

For me, cleaning a litterbox only a few times a week is sort of like flushing a toilet only a few times a week ..... eeeeeeew!!! That sort of thing isn't acceptable for us, why would it be acceptable for cats that live in our homes???

Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Answer 4

Fresh Step scoopable litter is a good one if you are buying the one with charcoal that takes care of urine and feces odor. Scoop out twice a day. If you put at least 3 inches of litter in the box and scoop it daily you won't need to empty it for two weeks. When you are ready to clean out the box, put the used litter in a plastic garbage bag and throw it away. Spray the box with an antibacterial cleaner. ( I use Scrubbing Bubbles) and then I turn the hose on it in the backyard to remove all of the pieces of litter that was left in the pan and rinse it thoroughly. Let the pan dry and wipe it out to make sure no moisture is in the pan. Refill with 3 inches of fresh litter.

Answer 5

I think there is no set rule, but to each...

I scoop out my two litter boxes once sometimes twice a day for two cats depending on how much they go. I also, as your mom does, replenish the litter as needed.

I have no set rule when to throw out litter and refresh it. I use baking soda on it and that really helps the odor. If I find that the odor is staying on the litter then I change it. Oh, maybe about every month or 6 wks.

Yes, your mom should scoop daily. It is disgusting to see all those clumps and besides that, cats like a scooped out box.

Answer 6

One cat
use half a box of litter
I scoop once in the morning and at least once at night. (usually more)

add more litter when needed usually 7 days

completely dump the litter ever other week and wash the litter box and scoop with hot water and dawn soup and dry box before filling with fresh litter.
No problem with smell but then you wouldn't notice it, just the friends/family that come over would notice and they usually wouldn't tell you.

Answer 7

i have 2 cats, i clean theres every other day, and add more litter when needed plus put baking soda on top, i actually don't clean out the litter box, first of all i can't i live at an apartment and don't have a hose, and i'm not putting it in my tub, but it stays pretty clean with my system, thatss pretty gross that your mom only cleans it twice a week

Answer 8

I scoop my cat's litterbox every day and clean it once a week.

Answer 9

I agree with you -- scoop at least once daily and clean out all the litter then clean the box with warm water and baking soda at least once a week. More often with multiple cats.

Answer 10

I totally agree with you and that is exactly what I do. In fact, I have extra litter boxes, so when I clean one I usually leave it outside where the cats cannot get to it, filled with clorox (to kill germs) and water overnight. I never have any "kitty" smell in my house. But you have to scoop daily, or else!