how can i neutralize the odor of the litter box???

Question

our litter boxes just stink something awful; reeks of ammonia and cat poo. im pregnant and im sure my husband doesnt scoop as often as he should; but is there another way we can help neutralize the odor? about once a week the boxes are completely emptied and rinsed out; i also have my cats on "indoor formula" which supposedly helps with the stink. (BTW we havent noticed a difference after switching)

thanks to all the helpful answers so far! *For those telling me to scoop every day; i cant im pregnant!! its hard enough getting my husband to do it every few days; i doubt i can get him doing it more often. we have 2 cats, and we have 2 boxes. i do use scoopable litter as well.

Answer 1

There are many ways to help reduce the odor. Here are a few that we use.

1.) Add a little regular, natural Arm & Hammer baking soda to each litter rotation. Sprinkle it through. The cats don't mind it.

2.) Treat the bottom of the litter pan with a pet safe, non-toxic deodorizer like Zero Odor or the Arm & Hammer spray deodorizer for pets (in the orange bottle). Zero Odor can also be sprayed on top of the cat litter, any time you like.

3.) Sometimes our cats smell worse than others. When it smells particularly bad, I'll take the cat litter pan and completely empty it of all litter and use antibacterial soap on it and wash it out thoroughly. Then refill with fresh litter.

4.) If you suspect it's the litter not doing a good enough job, try a different brand or type. Our master bedroom litterbox uses the natural corn litter (The World's Best Cat Litter brand). It prevents amonia smell in smaller spaces quite well.

5.) If you only have one litter box, add another one somewhere else. That will keep one from getting to filled, too quickly. It's easier to clean each, too.

Answer 2

Odor Control Litter Box

Answer 3

I had the same problem, until I went to Walmmart and bought a covered catbox ( $12 ) and some Scoop Away multiple cat litter. The litter has a clean fresh smell, sort of like laundry soap, and the swinging door on the catbox keeps the odor in. It also has a charcoal filter over the air vent on top. My house used to absolutely REEK with an open litterbox and clay litter, but now there's no odor at all, and I only scoop every other day. I only have to completely change litter and rinse the box maybe twice a month, because the clumps scoop out, and the rest of the litter is still good, and smells fresh.

Answer 4

you need to scoop the litter box several times a day...your husband not you...a bacterium in the litter box can harm the fetus. You can use litter that is designed to absorb the odor like Arm and Hammer and you can always add Baking Soda to the litter. You can get fresh step or other types of litter designed to handle the odor in the litter box. You can use the timed misting air fresheners, Fabreeze, or solid air fresheners. I used to hang those little crescent shaped toilet bowl fresheners near the box to cover the smell. Now I have the litter boxes in my bathroom and scoop several times a day and use Fresh Step litter. Of course, I am not pregnant (ate 50) and I am home all day caring for a 94 yo bedridden father so I have the time and the ability to do so. But if you use the special litter, add the baking soda every day on top of the special litter (mix it in while you scoop) and empty the box and wash out once a week, this should take care of the problem. But you can still use the Fabreeze and the solid or misting air fresheners. All of this should solve all of your litter box odor problems. Good luck and they have classes on how to prepare your pets for the advent of your little new arrival so that the pets do not get jealous of all the time you will need to spend with your new bundle of joy. They help train the pets in advance not to get into the bassinette or the swings or seats that you will be putting your baby in. You might find it a wise decision to take these classes so that you will know how to handle all of the situations that might arise. Good luck and prayers to a safe and quick and painfree delivery.

Answer 5

In my experience, the covered ones contain the odor... So much so that the cats will refuse to use them. When they do, and you finally go in to change/ scoop it, the odor will effectively knock you on your bum. The best way to control odor in the box is to keep it scooped twice a day at least. Honest. ADD - yes. the poor ventilation. HA! That's a good summary of what I was trying to get at. :) ADD again - If you only have one, as others have said, 8 times is quite a lot. I've got four. I was sharing info relative to 4 cats. ADD again- Origjen is an excellent food. You might try going back to chicken. But.. since he's so young have you had the vet do a stool sample? Sometimes stinky poo is indicative of parasites. And young kitties will commonly have them I love the smell of the wood pellet litter. I wish mine would use it. I like Papurr too. You have to order it online and it's expensive. I wish mine would use that one too. They won't use anything but Fresh Step which I hate but hey. Who's the boss? The cats of course.

Answer 6

A very viable option for you would be to get an automated litter box. Of the ones on the market, I would recommend the Simply Clean™
The Continuous Self-Cleaning Litterbox System

This unit is less expensive than the more popular Littermaid systems which are known for breakdowns, jams, and frightening cats when in operation. Also, you do not have to buy additional supplies, refills or cartridges to enjoy this machine.


Simply Clean has the following attractive features:

Continuously cleans without disturbing your cat

Economical and environmentally safe, uses recycled plastic shopping bags

Quiet and simple to use

Easy to clean, reduces odor and odor-causing bacteria

No tools - some assembly required

Safe - no visibly exposed moving parts

No batteries required - uses low-voltage


Hope this is helpful to you and all the best to you and your baby.

Answer 7

Place baking soda along the bottom of the litter box before filling with "CLUMPING" litter filler. Another helpful thing would be to use a Multi-cat litter. These usually have stronger odor control than the regular ones.

In addition, Arm and Hammer makes a litter box baking soda formula you can sprinkle on top of the litter to help control the odor.

Answer 8

Try one of the silica cat litters. They are clear white pellets. Tidy Cats Crystals is one that is very good. These will stay odor free for up to 30 days with 2 cats (mine lasts about 2 weeks, but my cats are very big - with our very small cat, one container used to last about 2 months).

All you have to do is scoop the feces out every couple of days or so and give the litter a quick stir. It's the best litter I've found. They sell it at Target and PetsMart.

Good luck.

Answer 9

Arm & Hammer sells "Cat Litter Deodorizer" which works quite well. I buy it at my local grocery store or Walmart for about $1.99.

To be honest you ought to hound your husband to clean out the litter more often - if he's anything like me he'll be annoyed but it is something that is pretty easy.
We have a single housecat and we need to scoop every 2 or 3 days. It really does help the cat's attitude, aside from not stinking.

Answer 10

How many cats do you have? It's obvious you're not cleaning it often enough. If you're not using one of the clumping cat litters try that and scoop it daily. It only takes a minute. Use plastic box liners so you can just pick up the whole mess at once when you need a complete change.