Is there a cure for the stink on a cat box?

Question

It doesn't matter how many times I change my cats litter box, it always smells as though I haven't changed it in weeks. Yuck. Please help!

Answer 1

Several questions come to mind, based on your question.

What kind of litter are you using. The plain clay litters provide a place for the cat to go, scratch and cover, but they aren't very good at containing the odor. If you are using a clay litter, consider switching to a clumping type. They form the urine into a neat little lump that can be scooped out, along with the solid waste, and the smell doesn't get to accumulate. They are really less expensive to use than the clay litters, because you don't have to dump the entire contents of the litter box every day or two. Scooping out the clumps from clumping litter every day, should result in the lack of any odor at all.

The next thing I would ask is, is your cat neutered or spayed. You would be surprised how much difference this can make in the strength of the urine odor.

One other thing to consider is the food that you are using. Less expensive foods do increase the odor considerably. Just like the less expensive cat litter, they are more costly over time, because your cat will eat more, and use the litterbox more, in order to try to get sufficient nutrition. The Friskies, Purina, Meow Mix, and the like may be sufficient to maintain your cat, but they are not necessarily the best for your cat.

Scoop daily, use good litter, spay/neuter, and high quality food usually mean no odor. Beyond that, I would consider having the cat checked out at the vet, to be sure there is no physical illness at the bottom of the problem.

Answer 2

Are you washing out the litterbox when you change the litterbox-only reaon why the litterbox would smell esp cat's urine which ahs such a strong smell and if not cleaned will eventually penetrate into the material the litterbox is made of. First spray on the litterbox Straight Bleach-leave on approx 5minutes then rinse thoroughly so no smell of bleach can be detected. Also I use the Pine Litter(have used and tried All) and take out the poop preferably 2times a day but at the least 1xa day and if you are careful and just take out the poop and not a bunch of litter with it-gt a litterbox Poop Tool with slits in it so the litter will fall through- I flush it in the toilet-why have to be careful of the litter for will clog toilet. When the pine litter gets wet it becomes like saw dust and absobs the urine and doesn't smell when you do notice a strong ammonia like smell and /or the pine letter looks really wet then you cahnge the litterbox.. If for some reason you cannot use bleach then use straight Vinegar-leave in the litterbox approx 5-6minutes then rinse. Vinegar kills Bacteria and Disinfects A also sprinkle a tiny bit of Baking soda in with the litter-no more than a 1/4th of the small box.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

One way to help control the stink in the litterbox is to wash it with very hot water and a deodorizing cleaner like Simple Green or you could try hot water and bleach and let it sit for a while (15 minutes) so the bleach has a chance to work. One of the other things you can do to help control the smell is use baking soda mixed in the cat litter. That will help some. One of the things I use is litter made out of wood chips or recycled newspaper. It looks like pellets and smells like pine trees. If you try switching litter do it gradually by mixing a small amount of the new litter in with the kind you use now so the cat(s) have a chance to get used to it.
LL

Answer 5

1. START FRESH. Buy a new litter box and throw the old one away. Litter boxes are made from plastic, and plastic can absorb smells - so regardless of how often you scrub it out, it could still stink.
2. EXPERIMENT WITH LITTER. I use Arm & Hammer Multi-Cat or Tidt Cats Sccopable Multi-Cat. I like the Arm & Hammer better but my cats don't seem to have a preference. Both of these litters seem to have better than average stink control.
3. GRADUALLY CHANGE THE FOOD. One of my cats has IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease) and certain foods make his urine and poop smell worse than normal. Use a higher-quality food for better results. A formulation designed for indoor cats may help. If you can buy it off of a grocery store shelf, it's probably going to make your cat smell worse. My cats eat Nutro Indoor Cat and it really has made a difference. When they ate Eukaneuba, IAMS, and Science Diet, the smell was enough to make me gag - even when the litter box was clean. Something in the indoor formula makes their waste stink a little less - I swear by it!
4. MAKE SURE THE BOX IS THE PROBLEM. If it's on carpet and your cat has sprayed near the box, getting the smell out of the carpet is going to be a chore. Spaying/Neutering usually solves the issue of cats spraying, though. Good luck!

Answer 6

Change to a high quality food like Science Diet, that will make the biggest difference in odor.

Scoop each day.

Scrub out box when you do an entire litter change. You can use baking soda and vinegar mixture. Or you can use a product found in pet stores called Nature's Miracle which neutralizes odors.

Never use citrus cleaners or cleaners not made for pets, bc some of the chemicals are toxic and cats typically avoid areas with citrus odors.

If you cat has parasites (like worms) that can create bad odors, so have him checked for that (drop off a sample at the vet's office).

Answer 7

I use the clumping litter, and use a good name brand (Tidy Cats or Fresh Step). The only time I had problems was when I used a generic brand. I clean mine every day, sometimes twice a day, and when the litter gets low, I never add more-- I throw it out, clean the box with dilute bleach, and fill it with fresh litter. This may sound like a lot of work, but it is just part of my routine, it keeps all my cats happily peeing in the litter boxes, and I don't smell cat pee or poop unless I am standing right there when they go. You also have to throw litter boxes out every couple years, because the plastic absorbs the pee odor over time. By the way, be sure you have enough boxes- one per cat plus one, or three per two cats. Also, if your cats aren't spayed/neutered, their pee will smell A LOT stronger, and there ain't nothin' in the world like tom cat pee. Good Luck!!

Answer 8

Hi there;

Next time you change the litter in the box, wash the box out then dump in about a cup of white vinegar. Let the box soak from about 30 minutes to an hour. Dump out the vinegar and dry with paper towels. Before adding new litter to the box, dust the bottom of the box with baking soda then add the new litter. Do this routine every third litter changing. :)

Answer 9

A is it a male or female cat? If it is male and is not neutered it will spray and even one squirt is nasty smelling. Use a clay based litter, put baking soda in the bottom, make sure the litter is at least two inches thick. Keep the litter box in a cool area.

Answer 10

If it's a plastic box and the smell is in the box...buy a new one. Then use liners to make the box last longer. And I've found pine litter the best for keeping the smell down. But you have to remove the solids daily.