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I have 10 cat litter boxes for our "always full" cat shelter. Over the years we have learned several things to keep the litter costs down, keep things clean, and we make our own litter boxes for some of our big cats.
To clean litter boxes I took a hint from the Cleaning ladies from BBC. I cover the bottom with baking soda, and when I change it I pour vinegar in the bottom. This foams up the pan, and cleans and deodorizes. I pour out the 'sluge' and recoat with baking soda, put in litter, and replace.
We don't have any pets of our own and I'm having the pleasure of keeping my 2 grandcats for a couple of weeks.
When Max does his business, he loves to dig deep into the litter box and sometimes the urine sticks to the side and bottom of the box. When trying to remove it, no matter how hard I bang the box on the floor, it does not turn loose. If I try to scoop it out, the wet litter sticks to the scoop and makes a big mess.
This morning I came up with the idea of using the sharp top of the cat food can to lift it up. I put some duct tape around the part I hold so I won't cut myself. It worked great.
Although the litter is deep, I'll add a little more to it and that should also help.
There is nothing I despise more than cleaning the litter box. Even when you dump it, there is still litter stuck to the bottom that you have to scrape out, and it stinks to all high heaven.
To keep clumping kitty litter from sticking to the bottom of the pan, spray it with non-stick cooking spray before adding the litter. It works like a charm!!
You can recycle even when cleaning up after your kitties! I was scooping the cat litter into plastic bags each day, thinking I was recycling the bags, but duh!
Having had cats, and litter boxes, all my life I've tried every combination of things to make cleaning out the litter box quick, clean and easy.
Save the can that coffee came in and the lid. When empty, use the can to put dirty cat litter in, the kind that lumps and put the lid on top. This will keep the odor at bay and can be used several times.
I love my cats, but I don't love stinky litter boxes so I have two litter boxes. One is in use and the other is away. When one box gets dirty I replace it with the other box to give me time to empty the first one and thoroughly clean and sanitize it with vinegar, water, a bit of dish detergent and baking soda.
I use an ice cream bucket to put the litter clumps in. The top fits tightly so I don't have to worry about odor, and they are disposable.
Get 4 or 5 litter boxes of the same size. Fill each one with a few inches of litter. Stack one on top of another. When it's time to change the litter just remove the top most box.
When cleaning cat boxes, the ammonia smell lingers. Although ammonia is a weak base, it can also be a weak acid. My solution was to reduce the acidity by putting a small layer of wood ash from my fireplace in the bottom of the cat box, then add the litter.
With this system you use clumping litter and every other day lift out the layer on top and it sifts the good litter down for the next day. Then just throw away the layer with the soiled litter.
Check the litterbox for solids every time you use the bathroom. You were going to wash your hands anyway.
Litter boxes can get smelly and dirty very quickly, especially if you have multiple cats. Here are a few tips to keep your litter box clean and smelling fresh:
With six cats, I clean litter boxes a lot. I came up with a tip that makes it easier and less messy. I use a small round bathroom size trash can and put a bag inside it.
I have found that Scoop Away is by far the best clumping litter. Sometimes my cats get lazy and don't cover their "product," and Scoop Away leeches the odor very well; likewise, for the urine.
I like to use a puppy pad in our litter box. This is for one older kitten. I'm sure it would work better for multiple cats. The kitten also uses the puppy pad meant for the Chihuahua puppy. I wondered if I could teach the kitten to use the puppy pad and I am so glad she did!
Insert a clean empty litter box into a large plastic trash bag. It should fit in the bag loosely. Dump the kitty litter into the the box. Using the bread tie twisters or other type plastic twisters, close the bag.
Hard clumping litter makes it easier to notice when you need to fork out the clumps. Plus having an automatic battery operated air spray freshener nearby helps.
Most of you have likely seen the large plastic box type litter box that has a square cut out for the cat to enter, this is what my cats use. The actual tip is how a Command hook is very handy to hang up the scooper. I have a small lined bucket for the deposits near by.
Line your littermaid plastic bins with grocery plastic bags. This keeps the waste bins from becoming soiled and they won't have to be replaced as often. Simply lift out the grocery bag each day and replace the bins when cracked.
I find it helpful to put many layers of old newspaper in them and then sand on top. I only let them use 1 box and keep the other clean, with its door to the wall.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
What is the best way to clean a cat litter box?
Wearing gloves and a mask, empty all the contents into a bin and scrub box with a mild cleaner like dish soap and water. Rinse thoroughly. Your cat may not use the box if it smells like soap. Dry al the way through. Refill with litter.
How do you keep the cat pee smell out of the litter box? It is cleaned every day. I have put baking soda in the box and nothing helps. I have tried different brands of litter.
By JB
More than likely your cat has got into the habit of splashing over onto the floor or wall around the litter box. The tray may not be long enough or deep enough for the size of the cat. (Or he/she is deliberately doing the splash-over to tell you the tray is not satisfactory to him/her for whatever reason. Cats are funny, ours wants his tray cleaned after EVERY use and if we don't, he piddles off the edge)
Use a half-half mix water and distilled white vinegar to thoroughly wipe down the area around and under the tray.
Replace the tray with something longer and deeper, and you might want to consider placing a protective mat underneath. We use an old car mat we can hose off at the same time we hose the tray when changing out the litter completely.
We have a large and long neutered Siamese-Abyssinian who taught us the above:) He still splashes over on occasion if we aren't as quick as he likes to clean his tray, but since changing the tray to a deeper, longer one, and since placing the mat under it, we have an odor free home.
We had the same problem with our cat. We tried every kind of litter box available and she tended to pee over the sides and down the sides of each box. We even had a enclosed box and still it was no good. The problem was that she was too big for any of the other boxes. She stood up when she peed and that's why it went over the sides and back of the box.
We finally got some good info on Thrifty fun about using a Rubber maid tote container and cut a hole in the side of the box just big enough for her to get through. We put a litter mat to catch the remaining litter. It works really great and the box doesn't smell like pee. Also the best litter I have found is Tidy Cat Instant Action scoop for multiple cats. It automatically clumps and stops the odor. I have tried all types of litter including using baking soda for the odors and this is the only thing that has helped. I hoped this has helped.
Is 20 Mule Team safe to use in a litter box?
By Ruth from NY
I would say no. I use a lot of Borax and love it for urine odors in the wash. However in powdered form it can migrate to eyes, mouthes etc. When wet it changes chemically (boric acid) which can be dangerous. Either of those three could cause illness in a cat (or human).
I would say no also. Putting it in the litterbox allows the powder to be stirred up into the eyes & respiratory tract. Also, it gets on the paws & the cat licks it off & swallows it - would be like feeding it directly to the animal.
If you use the clumping type litter and change it frequently, there should be no smell and you will not need to use Borax.
Can anyone recommend a kitty litter product that doesn't stick to your cat's feet and track all over the place?
We have two cats and used to have two litter boxes. We used to keep one of the litter boxes in the kid's bathroom, but even after putting it in a large storage container with high sides and using one of those no-track mats, the litter would stick to the cat's feet and end up all over the bathroom floor when they jumped out of the storage container. I was sweeping in there almost daily and it would still stick to the kids damp feet when they got out of the shower - disgusting!
I tried removing that litter box and keeping just the one downstairs, which I clean daily. One cat has no problem with this. The other cat will poop in the downstairs litter box, but will not pee in it. He now pees on the bathroom floor where the old litter box used to be and if someone is in that bathroom when he needs to use it, he will scratch on the door twice and if it doesn't open, he proceeds to go to a room where there is a person and pee on the carpet along the edge of the room, even if the closest person is nowhere near that bathroom - jerk! It's driving me crazy.
So it looks like I have to put the litter-box back in the bathroom and might even need to put in a cat door in case someone has the gall to actually use the bathroom. I a little concerned about this as it is right at the top of the stairs. This means I'm back to my original problem - how to keep the cat litter from tracking all over the bathroom floor? Any ideas? He is very set on this particular location and I have three kids using this rather small bathroom including a teenage daughter that likes to take long baths with the door shut.
Can I use Pam to keep used litter from sticking inside the box, especially urine at the sides?
By Patricia J
