Is it possible to make litter boxes smell good?

Question

I have two cats and two litter boxes (as suggested by my vet). They have EXTREMELY active bladders and bowels. I clean the boxes every other day and have the air on in my house and a ceiling fan going in the room where the boxes are. But now that the hot weather is upon us, I still come home and can smell the poo sometimes. (It doesn't help that one of my cats is litter box illiterate and doesn't understand the covering of the poo part of the process.) Is there anything I can do to deoderize them without having to clean them every day or more than once a day? Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

My cat also has a very active litterbox schedule. I clean the box once a day and use Arm & Hammer scoopable litter. Sometimes he doesn't cover the solid waste, but I've never had a really bad odor in the apartment. Sometimes there's that ammonia-smell of urine, but never very strong and easily solved by scooping daily.

Also, I use the Litter Locker (like the Diaper Genie if you're familiar with baby stuff) where you can deposit the scooped litter, turn the handle and it "locks" away the smell in this super long plastic bag. This way you can scoop for a week or more before having to empty the Locker. It's very simple to use and not terribly expensive (I think it was around 15 bucks for the whole thing including the first set of bags, and about 8 bucks per refill). I keep it right next to the litterbox and it makes life so much easier, no searching for bags to scoop the litter into or finding holes in shopping bags that you didn't know were there! *lol* Plus, it helps contain the smell.

Answer 2

I have two cats: one rescued as a kitten five years ago and another adopted from a shelter a couple years later.

They both have been using the large type of litter box that has a hood and a charcoal filter vent on top. It's located just under a window in my apartment where I have a window fan. I got an empty shoe box and an aluminum flex hose [normally for clothes dryers], cut a hole in the box and put that over the charcoal vent of the litter box, stuck the flex hose in the hole and brought it up to the window fan. As it is normally blowing out of the house, the fan pulls a small amount of air through the litter box and out of the room.

During the winter months, I burn a stick of incense once in a while.

We get by with the box being cleaned several times a week, but not every single day.

Answer 3

I used to change my litter once a week normally the night before garbage pick up and every time I did I sprinkled a good amount of baking soda in the bottom of the tray before replacing the litter. I also wash out the litter box completely with soap and water once a month sometimes twice a week. Now I have 2 an adult and a kitten so now if I could get my little one to use the box...grrr lol! I am going to start changing it a least twice a week and with LOT S OF BAKING SODA! Don't use breeze or any chemicals on the litter or tray cause your cat will lick them off her paws when she is done and even the smallest amount could be harmful. Also it helps if you get a litter box that is covered almost like a small house( in the top there is usually a charcoal filter that filters out the smell.)

Answer 4

Instead of cleaning the litter box every other day start scooping the litter several times a day. You can put baking soda in the litter or you can get litter that is specially designed to keep the litter smelling fresher. I do this for my 3 cats who's litter boxes are both in my bathroom, and I do not have the problem that you seem to have. Hope that this helps you out. If more frequent cleanings and scooping, and litter designed to smell fresher, you might change the cats food. Canned foods tend to make the poo smellier and make the cat more active in the pooing department. So you might try changing to a dry food or one that is designed for pets that have the smelly poo syndrome. Good luck

Answer 5

I have 3 cats, and people who have visited have been surprised when the critters showed up to say "hello" because the guests did not smell anything (that is, the litter box).

Here's what I do:
1) clean the litter box every day (sorry, it's going to smell if you don't clean it every day--should only take a few seconds for scoop-able litter, though).
2) the litter boxes have covers with a place for charcoal filters: I replace those every 2 months
3) one of my cats does not cover up very well either, so I make sure to clean the box right before guests arrive if I am expecting company
4) clean out the entire box and cover with soap and water, and replace the old litter with fresh litter twice a month.

It sounds like a lot of work, but it's really not (a few seconds for scooping, 10 minutes for cleaning and replacing litter): and doing so will make your home very pleasant to live in--for humans and felines :-) I hope that helps!

Answer 6

I suggest trying crystal litter...I live in an apartment and use the scoopfree litterbox (the trays have crystal litter in them) and don't clean it for the 30 days that you can leave the tray without replacing it...It never smells in my apartment and everyone that comes over is surprised when my cat runs out because they say they can't even tell I have a cat. The only time I can even smell anything is when I am sitting in the office (which is where the litter box is) and my cat goes to poop while I am there, but after like five minutes, smell is gone. I know the scoopfree is a little expensive, but if you can't get that, then I do suggest trying the crystal litter though.

Answer 7

You should try getting one of those Glade mist systems. They are about 10 dollars and you get the case for the spray can to come in and a can of spray that smells really good. You can set it up in your bathroom, or wherever the cat boxes are, and set it up to spray every 5, 15, or 30 minutes. It makes a huge difference, and even if you put it on 5 minutes it lasts for a good month and the bottles to replace it are only 2-3 dollars.

Other than that, why not try the "Arm and Hammer" kitty litter ... I know those things really work for a fridge so maybe the kitty litter will work for those cats.

Help your cat learn to cover his/her poo by running there paws through the litter and on top of the poo. That's what I had to do for two of my cats and they picked it up in no time.

Answer 8

i have 2 covered litter boxes with the doors on them they also have this strip of carbon over the top of the litter box i put bounce sheets on the inside where the carbon is too! which seems to help i also have one of those air wick things that spray every so often and make sure u have multi cat litter! and put at least 4 inches in the bottom that helps too! oh u could also use a car freshner inside the litter box if the cat will stand it! make sure its not full strength tho! and u could use arm &hammer to mix in with the litter too !! or get litter deoderiser

Answer 9

i have 2 cats too and they have the same problem. The best thing to do is put a few air freshenors in the room with the litter boxes are. Also spray the room with febreeze every few times.

Answer 10

Um- With two cats and one box, you about have to clean it every day if you don't want it to smell.

Now, sometimes I do add a lot of baking soda to the litter to help control the odor.