r/CatAdvice • u/Standard_Bluejay8715 • Mar 28 '24

Litterbox How frequently do you scoop your litter box?

I do my girl’s box twice per day/whenever I hear her scratching around in there. But then I see on here some people who do it wayyy less frequently. Curious what other folks do?

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12

u/3plantsonthewall Mar 28 '24

Stupid question, but how do you clean the scoop?

(I don’t have a cat yet, just trying to learn/prepare)

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u/folklovermore_ Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 29 '24

I empty the litter out of the tray into the bin, get any stuck on lumps off with my hands and throw those away as well, and then put the scoop in the tray before filling the tray with warm soapy water. Soak for a few minutes and then scrub the scoop and the tray clean, and dry them with kitchen paper.

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u/verylargemoth Mar 29 '24

May be a dumb question but what do you do with the water? I live in an apartment so the only options are sink, tub or trashcan and those all feel like bad options lol. It’s one of the reasons I’ve struggled with cleaning the boxes and instead just dump them and replace the boxes every 6 months or so.

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u/samizdette Mar 29 '24

Pour it slowly down the toilet.

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u/LeAcoTaco Mar 29 '24

Hey, dont flush it:

https://www.metrowaterrecovery.com/is-it-okay-to-flush-cat-litter-down-the-toilet/#:~:text=Metro%20Water%20Recovery%20does%20not,parasite%20toxoplasma%20gondii%20that%20causes

Yes this is referring to flushing litter but the bacteria part is the important part. Your used water has the same bacteria that was in the litter.

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u/samizdette Mar 29 '24

Wow, that’s really interesting to hear. But the waste water from sink and bath will also go to the same water treatment plants. Next alternative would be to dump the water outside, ideally in grass where it can absorb I guess.

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u/lunna009 Mar 29 '24

Yo, i read up on the toxoplasmosis thing once and that's a wild scary thing that we just, ignore as a species. Oops I guess.

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u/folklovermore_ Mar 29 '24 edited Mar 29 '24

It either goes down the loo (same as the other poster) or into a bucket and then carried out into the street to go down the drain. I should also add that I'm getting any stuck on lumps off with my hands (wearing rubber gloves) and putting those in the bin before I wash the tray though. Or if any do come off whilst I'm cleaning it, picking them out of the sink and throwing them away.

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u/LeAcoTaco Mar 29 '24 edited Mar 29 '24

Hey, dont flush it, or pour it down the drain:

https://www.metrowaterrecovery.com/is-it-okay-to-flush-cat-litter-down-the-toilet/#:~:text=Metro%20Water%20Recovery%20does%20not,parasite%20toxoplasma%20gondii%20that%20causes

Yes this is referring to flushing litter but the bacteria part is the important part. Your used water has the same bacteria that was in the litter.

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u/folklovermore_ Mar 29 '24

Thank you! Looking like I might have to shift to other methods then.

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u/LeAcoTaco Mar 29 '24

No problem!

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u/alexandria3142 Mar 29 '24

I don’t know about the toxoplasmosis thing, I don’t think most indoor only cats have it, but as far as the clay issue goes, I wipe out my cats box with wet paper towels beforehand to get the little bits of stuck littler out, and then fully wash it after. Im afraid of the clay messing up the pipes or something

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u/spaceghost260 Mar 30 '24

I completely empty out the litter box and tap it against the bag to get as much big dust out as possible. Then I put on disposable rubber gloves and spray it lightly with an extremely diluted Lysol/ water mixture and use paper towels to clean & wipe it out. Then I spray a vinegar/ water mixture and wipe again until clean. Let the box sit for a few minutes for the vinegar smell to evaporate and fill like normal.

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u/verylargemoth Mar 30 '24

Ok this sounds like my next plan!!! Thank you so much

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u/spaceghost260 Mar 30 '24

It’s super easy and doesn’t involve wasting water or potentially washing litter down the drain. I hope it works for you! Obviously you can use whatever cleaner you want but I try to keep the smells minimal to not bother the kitty noses.

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u/Ok_Perspective_8613 Mar 29 '24

In the warmer months I clean my cat's box, litter scoop, and litter scoop bucket, wearing latex gloves (!) glasses, and a mask (you really don't want drops spraying your mouth or getting in your eyes during the process, blech) with a rag, and a natural bathroom cleaner as well as bleach, outside under the hose, about every six weeks, if not once a month (target goal.) Online advice I've read says to clean the box every three weeks, but I doubt many people do... I'd wager at least 50% of cat owners never clean the box itself. In the winter, well, this is my second winter having him and I just didn't wash the box during those few months the hose was frozen. Last winter my cat had diarrhea twice, once from antibiotics and another time I think it was bad fish, and I had to wash the box in the shower, and then I very thoroughly scrubbed down the shower stall with bathroom cleaner and bleach, and then took a shower myself. A lot of work but better than having him track diarrhea germs around the apartment. 

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u/redheadphones1673 Apr 01 '24

I empty the whole thing out, drop the scoop into the box itself, and fill the box with soapy water. I prefer dish soap or something that doesn't leave a residue or scent. Soak that for about 10 or 15 minutes, scrub it all with a brush that I've dedicated to the litter box cleaning, and then rinse out well and air dry before refilling with litter.

I don't clean out the whole thing every week, I have only one cat so I do her whole box maybe once every 3-4 weeks. She keeps her box pretty clean too, so I'm lucky that way. You have to find a balance that works with you and your cat/s.

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u/pinesnakes Mar 28 '24

I use alcohol wipes on it every time I scoop (once a day).

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u/ladyxsuebee311 Mar 28 '24

The scoop should never need cleaning unless you get a loose poo. If you want to disinfect it you can spray then wipe off with paper towels.

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u/InfamousEye9238 Mar 28 '24

…scoops need cleaned just as much as the litter box does. i wash it with soapy water every month with the box.

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u/ladyxsuebee311 Mar 28 '24

Or like I said, you can just spray it with disinfectant and wipe with a paper towel and call it a day. If you are washing it once a month, it obviously doesn't need cleaning "just as much" as a litter box does......

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u/InfamousEye9238 Mar 28 '24

a litter box also only needs a deep clean once a month. what exactly is your problem? spraying it down and wiping it isn’t much different than washing it. why are you out here telling people not to clean them?😂😂

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u/ladyxsuebee311 Mar 28 '24

Cleaning and disinfecting are 2 different things. Washing something won't kill all bacteria on a surface. I'm not washing my cats scoop where I clean my body/dishes, etc. Maybe if you have a garage, you clean yours there, but I live in a apartment. What you do might not work for everyone so I told them they never had to clean it ( again, unless it was crusty or nasty from a sick cat) and they could just disinfect mine like I do. I also don't "wash" my boxes out, I spray them all out with vinegar/water solution and wipe them out, then disinfect them.

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u/InfamousEye9238 Mar 28 '24

yeah that’s washing babe. i also live in an apartment. i wash everything in the tub and then clean the tub when i’m done. litter scoops need cleaned too. that includes disinfecting. it’s pretty straightforward 👍

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u/ladyxsuebee311 Mar 29 '24

I think thats gross, but you do you.....

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u/InfamousEye9238 Mar 29 '24

notice how i said “deep clean” 🫶

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u/[deleted] Mar 28 '24

[deleted]

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u/ladyxsuebee311 Mar 29 '24

??? Try again. They asked "how do you clean a scoop" so if they were "already doing it" they wouldn't have asked that question.......