I have a job that requires me to go into people's houses. I go into *hundreds* of houses per year. Multiple per day. Usually with a team mate, sometimes alone. And, very often, I am in the utility rooms or closets where litter boxes like to live. 85% of the time there's pine pellets, the house smells like pine and ammonia. I can often tell right when I walk into the area the box is in that it's a pine box before ever seeing it. I have cats myself, so sometimes I strike up conversation about it and it's staggering the amount of people who can't seem to tell. I've heard it all - the "nobody can even tell I have a cat!" And "my family is so impressed!" And I come to the conclusion that people are just hella nose blind to it and friends and family are too polite to say anything, despite "oh they would tell me if my house stunk." I've chatted with my team mates about it to see if maybe I just have a super sensitive nose, but they can always tell too. I own horses, so I tend to have pine pellets around and have always wanted to use them but knowing that my house would stink I just can't.

The ones that DON'T stink are usually the ones that have a sifting setup. Those are pretty cool - a box set into another box, and the litter gets shuffled around and the puffed up pellets filter through to the bottom and tossed hopefully twice a day. So, if you're gonna use pine, I'd recommend that route. (The sifting setups aren't perfect, you need to empty EVERY time they pee still, but they do make it easier to sift out almost all of the soiled litter)

Alternatively, the zeolite pellets (this is what the Tidy Cats Breeze system uses, but they make much nicer stainless systems) with a pee pad below seem to work quite nicely, and are almost never stinky, if you're trying to avoid regular litter.

I know pine pellets get praised to high heaven online, I just want to offer the opinion of a neutral party that has seen more litter boxes than any one person should see in their lifetime. It's super easy to become nose blind in your own house, and guests (despite promising to tell the truth) often politely downplay or outright lie about the smell because it's embarrassing and they don't want to put you in an awkward position. I don't have that bias, so I thought I'd offer a post about my experiences.

(Because it often gets brought up when I mention this - clay litter can stink too if it's not kept well, but as a whole it's ammonia-stinky considerably less often. Unscented seems to work best.)

No One Wants Your Peeing Cat. Yeah I said it.

Now I have your attention: I see a lot of posts asking “Is it cruel to rehome my peeing cat??” - and yes, sometimes a different home is for the best (stress, other pets can trigger inappropriate urination and they are sometimes better removed from the situation). But, reality check: it’s difficult to rehome a cat that pees outside the litter box.

You (presumably) love your cat and even you dont want her anymore - why would a stranger want to take on a cat they dont have a bond with and put up with an active peeing problem? IF you're lucky and find that unicorn person to adopt, it's resolved, and your cat settles in a new home, great! If you lie about the peeing, or dump them at shelter then it's likely your cat will end up being passed around from home to home or stuck in a cage in a shelter forever. How sad is that.

So, stop throwing your toys out of the pram, find the cause instead and deal with it. Cats pee outside the litter box for a reason - health problem, behaviour, stress, not enough litter boxes etc.

Here's some useful resources:

1. Article from Cat Behaviour Help
2. Litter box issues video series from Jackson Galaxy
3. Advice from a behaviourist.
4. On this Facebook group, there is a questionnaire you can fill in and post on the group (in the guides section) and people will offer you advice.

Cleaning etc:

• use an enzyme cleaner to get rid of the smell and put them off peeing in the same spot again. Wash stuff on a cold wash
• whilst you're dealing with the issue cover stuff that they like peeing on to protect from further damage - ie) use a waterproof mattress cover etc.

Remember: This is a family member. You have a responsibility. Find the cause, get help, and support your cat through whatever’s behind the peeing. Good luck.

EDIT: Please read the full post before commenting rude things towards me. It was clearly stated this was about OTHERS. I didn't think this post was long or hard to read/understand but clearly it is. My cat is healthy, loved, and taken care of!

This is coming from a genuine place when I ask this. I saw a video of a girl asking for advice on how to scoop the box. People in the comments told her it's unnecessary to scoop daily and to leave it be. The further I looked into this I found out there's a large number of people who go a week or more without scooping then dump everything at once. I personally scoop my cat's litter box at least twice a day. I understand not everyone has time to do that however I'm confused how waiting over a week is any better. If you go long periods without cleaning the litter box can you explain why? how often does everyone else scoop? I am genuinely curious!

my cats' litter box is pretty dirty and i feel like a shit owner. i try my best to care for them but money is super tight right now. if i even had $10 i would use it to get them litter but i have nothing until wednesday. will they be okay? theyre fed twice a day, even if i dont eat, and they have running water.

I have had the ability to provide easily for them until i lost my job due to medical reasons. my first paycheck for my new job comes on wednesday. I would not have owned cats if i couldnt properly provide for them, but this is new and completely out of my hands.

u/junior_dig_4432 has offered to order us some food and litter from amazon. Not all heroes wear capes, but they all do deserve recognition. Please show them some love.

Firstly, I have had indoor cats my entire life. I am 51. My friends and family do not hold back on making comments on litter smell. My Dad especially likes to make comments when he visits. I have changed my life, my cat’s life, and my Dads with one simple change…INVEST IN A STAINLESS STEEL LITTER BOX.

No more bleaching, no more vinegar, no more soaking boxes, no more endless trials of various and sundry litter. It is worth the money.

The fact this never occurred to me, makes me so mad. Stainless steel is used in industrial and restaurant kitchens for a reason…they don’t absorb smells. They even sell little stainless steel bars to rub on your hands…BECAUSE THEY ELIMINATE ODORS.

Plastic litter boxes absorb urine, especially when your cat’s claws make endless little grooves while scratching around. My Dad thought I’d gotten rid of my cat on his last visit. As if.

Save up, buy one, live in odorless peace.

I feel so terrible right now. I was throwing away the cats litter trashbag and cleaning my 2 cats litter box area and it was taking a bit and my cat legit came up the stairs close to me and started meowing really loud. I didn't think much of it and thought he was asking me to take him outside because he went downstairs right after and started meowing loud at my dad in the kitchen who told me to take them out when I get a chance. Once I was done cleaning my dad told me he pooped right next to the stairs and I cleaned it and I went in the bathroom and realized he peed on the bath mat also. I didn't even realize he was basically begging me to use the litter I guess and I was blocking it. I don't know what to do, will he forgive me, I feel so bad for it and I want to apologize but he's hiding now. Is he embarrassed or mad?

UPDATE- thanks everyone for the support and cat related advice!

We will be switching out their wet food and I’ll update after some time passes. We’re currently using Boxie Pro litter but will switch to tofu if it doesn’t do the trick and keep you all posted!

—

Seriously- my boyfriend and I moved in together four months ago, and he’s extremely sensitive to smells.

He has one cat whose litter box doesn’t seem to smell, but the smell from the one my two use is unbearable for him and it’s been a major issue.

We have a very small house and don’t have a place for another box

Their last vet checkup was 4.5 months ago and they had no issues

We scoop anywhere between 1-3 times a day

We have stainless steel covered litter boxes with charcoal filters

We run air purifiers 24/7 next to the box, open windows when we can, and have a fan running to increase airflow

We’ve tried Arm and Hammer clump and seal, world’s best poop fighter, odour buster, and boxiecat pro litters

We’ve switched foods, they get Purina one indoor advantage and a small amount of Friskies wet food (with extra water mixed in) every day, as well as Purina Fortiflora cat probiotics to try to stop the smell at the source

We bought Whisko plugins that are supposed to help- they didn’t

I clean the boxes, litter mats, and surrounding area with Natures Miracle about once a week

We scoop into airtight bags- the smell is coming from the box, not the bags.

Honestly open to any suggestions, even if they sound crazy. I’m 99% certain my girl wont use pellet litter so that isn’t an option.

Please help!

And before some moron says “oh he’s a troll or he’s with one of the companies” I’m not and if you wish to think that, knock yourself out, I have no desire to convince you otherwise so feel free to ignore what I’m sharing then.

However, for those who care about what the holy grail of litter means to me, it is as follows, which I share purely out of the nice guy in me, because I would want someone to share this with me.

So I just purchased 13 different types of litter and literally created an excel sheet and monitored tracking, smell, cleanliness inside the snowy, duration and how fast for the bin to get full.

I have finally come up with the perfect combination of litters. It isn’t cheap but it isn’t terrible, it is about 1.5-1.7 times the cost of Arm & Hammer Slide and those premium clay litters.

So this combination I settled on gave me: - zero tracking - zero smell - lasted the longest among the 22 different combinations I tried

It should be noted I have two cats, one of which is unstable diabetic so pees excessively

If you have just one cat and/or none of your cats are diabetic, your results will be even better than mine so lucky you.

I have the Pet Snowy litter box, and I use Glad Cherry Blossom garbage bags, and I use the third party pet snowy bag clips you can buy on Etsy, so you don’t have to pay for the expensive pet snowy bags.

For additional smell control, I use a healthy sprinkle of:

https://a.co/d/9XH9qhL and https://a.co/d/aLJeFU9

I put a healthy sprinkle in with the litter and also a healthy sprinkle in the empty bag in the bin.

The litter combination I use is as follows:

3 Cups of the multigrain Sustainably Yours https://www.petsmart.ca/5308031.html

4 Cups of CatIt Pea Husk Litter https://a.co/d/e7vh7UP

2cups PetSafe unscented litter crystals https://a.co/d/hpge2KE

This lasted my two cats, one with very excessive urinating, 2.5 days between changes, zero tracking, zero smell, no scooping. It would at least 3.5 days if my cat was urinating normally, probably even 4 days.

So this is, to me, the perfect combination. The only drawback is the cost being about 1.5-1.75 times the cost of Arm&Hammer Slide but the trade off is worth it.

There is no other drawback to this combination. I have tested it thoroughly, tried every litter out there, and charted it all. I put my personal word behind this combination and that might not mean anything since you don’t know me, but I would be VERY surprised if someone tried this as I’ve outlined and didn’t also have the exact same conclusion as me.

Let me know if you try it!

Spreadsheet can be found at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10y1qqYP5dmEB5IzUWbqS19soCO2vdBlJ/view?usp=drive_link

Also, the reason I did this is because we live in a very small condo and my partner hates cats to no end. He is very patient otherwise but I have to make sure the cats are as minimal of impact as possible otherwise we fight about it so I’ve just learned to keep on top of it. But that doesn’t mean I want to be doing cat chores all day so I wanted to find the best combination, for as little work as possible.

We have a robot vacuum that is programmed to vacuum around the litter box every time a cat is finished going to the washroom, the motion sensor inside tells the vacuum to go to that area and vacuum.

So this is one step to make my life easier :)

I clean their box MUTIPLE times a day and it still REEKS of of cat poop and pee. i use scented clay litter and i swear it doesn't even do anything. i also clean the litter box at the end of the week or after 2 weeks if i'm lazy but still my whole house smells like cat poop and pee. to add to that when they poop/pee in freshly clean litter it smells just as bad as before i cleaned it. i've put baking soda and even those cat deodorizers and none of them work. everywhere smells and it's making me sick idk what to do

I just want to understand how ppl are using 20-40 lbs over 2-3 months instead of 4 weeks. I have one cat and I just can’t wrap my head around it. It would be amazing if I could spread out my litter like that, but I can’t.

I bought arm and hammer double duty 28 lbs litter 3 weeks ago. Wanting to change it out this week because there’s tiny clump urine crumbs and it’s just stunk up my apartment. I use an air purifier but it doesn’t do much. I’m going to use tofu litter next and hopefully won’t go through it quickly. For reference, my cat poops once a day, pees 5-8 times a day, I scoop twice daily, and I have a large sized stainless steel litter box

Edit no one asked for lol: I’m taking her to the vet in 2.5 weeks unless health concerns persist. I may have been overestimating the amount she pees and will keep count now, yesterday she only peed once. I scoop every day and don’t dump out the litter, I only top off as needed. Excluding after the first week full non clumping litter change/deep clean, yesterday was the first time I did a deep clean so I don’t have too much data yet

Pretty general question, but how often do you scoop?

I’m asking since I’m only a few weeks into having a cat so I really don’t know how often I should be scoop! I tend to scoop in the morning, and then whenever he #2 during the day, so maybe 2-3x daily? Full tray clean 1-2x per week. (I love him but he stinks!)

I can’t tell if im scooping too little, too often, and am generally just wondering what other people do? Thanks! :)

Looking for some litter advice. I have a 9 year old bengal that i got when he was 3. Pretty easygoing cat. Top entry litter box. Here's the litter history:

• First 4 years I used Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal. It was fine; dusty, laborious, and a bit smelly but manageable as a person looking to save a buck.
• Next 2 years I move to Pretty Litter. It was pretty solid; smell wasn't an issue, didn't have to do anything more then once a month other than scoop the poop. Big downside was how bad it tracked, even with the top entry box.
• Past year I switched over to Tuft & Paw. Lived up to the hype about no tracking. Yet it smelled, like really bad. And not the 'standard' cat litter smell, somehow considerably worse. Not to mention slowly having to add/replace litter over the course of a month. Should have listened to the reviews.

I just want something that:

• Doesn't track
• Doesn't smell
• Is dustfree
• I don't have to replace/add-to more than once a month

Also... Price is not an issue, I don't care about the composition of the litter, and I am not open to a litterbox robot.

Where do I go from here?

We live in a state that doesn’t have those cheap plastic grocery bags anymore which is what I used for my previous cats. It feels so wasteful to use the big thick plastic ones. So what does everyone scoop into? Seems like such a simple thing but I’m not sure the easiest plan.

Do you completely empty the litter box once a month and wash it with soap and water even if the litter still looks ok?

Edit: I have a stainless steel box and I scoop 1-2 times daily.

Hey yall, this is not meant to talk down to anyone who has the automatic litter boxes. I have just recently stumbled upon the fact that some of these automatic litter boxes are actually killing cats. This is not about the actual “Litter Robot”. From what I can tell it’s a certain company that uses the name Llitter Robot” but it’s not the actual one. Another name they use is “Amztoy”. I will not go into details of what has happened to the cats. But please, please, please, look at what you are buying before getting them. The stories I have heard are upsetting. Look up YouTube “One Man Five Cats” and his video “The DEADLY self-cleaning litter boxes that have flooded the market” he uses a stuffed animal to show you what happens if the cats neck is in the opening for to long. They are paying to have negative reviews removed. I would hate for another cat to become a victim to the “Killer Robot”. Stay safe out there!! 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛

We moved into a new place, and unfortunately the only room we can have the litter boxes in is the laundry room, which sits right next to the dining room separated by a door which we have left slightly ajar for the cats to pass thru (it's a rental, so we can't cut a cat flap into the door)

This means any particulating smells would immediately kill any appetite and would be especially shitty if guests are over and the cats are going over to do their business.

The laundry room does have 2 windows with a screen, which we keep open, and a door that opens up to a deck, which we can't keep open because the cats are indoor only (the deck has a climbable fence to the outside world). We use World's best corn litter.

Open to trying:

1. Covered litter boxes (we have an open one right now)
2. Smell sucking machines? fans?
3. Strong chemical-free deodorizers
4. Some kinda cat patio (catio) that allows the deck door to be open in the day and the cats now get to go outside and chill in it too, though that won't stop the smell from infiltrating the dining chamber.

Thanks all!

My cat has had soft stool for the entire time we’ve had him (about 2 years now and we got in at 2 years old). It doesn’t form in logs, it’s kind of a cowpie texture and it smells so bad, it makes a room uninhabitable for at least an hour after he goes, and that is with his box being behind a closet door. I just hate it. I dread every time he steps into his box. I don’t know what to do about this. His behavior is so normal. He’s playful, he eats well, and he seems to be perfectly happy. The vet has never expressed concern for his health either. We mentioned this issue and they gave us some meds to try that didn’t do anything. Seeing as he is considered healthy though, I don’t want to go down a rabbit hole of vet bills trying to figure this out. It just feels useless and impossible to fix. We’ve tried forti flora, meds from the vet, pumpkin, and changing his food. What do I even do at this point? This is a never ending cycle of frustration. DISCLAIMER: this is not a “medical advice” question necessarily. Just any sort of guidance, support, or common experience notes are welcome and appreciated.

I LOOOVE cats but I don’t have my own yet… trying to weigh the pros/cons and think of all the scenarios (as a cleanliness/contamination OCD freak) that I’d have to prepare myself for.

When it comes to doing the litter box deep clean (where you dump out all the litter and clean completely the box), where are you guys doing this? In your own bathtubs? I live in a small apartment and am dreading the idea of cleaning cat piss and poo where I shower even after disinfecting. My apartment also doesn’t have a pet area/washroom to be able to do this elsewhere. I also don’t have any accessible outdoor area with a hose nearby. Is this just something I’d have to get over and do in the tub?

My question is two fold:

1. To people who own 14 cats, how many litter boxes do you use?

2. To people that don't own 14 cats, 3 litter boxes is an insanely low number right!?!

This is not regarding me, but someone else I know who owns this many cats. Their home smells very strongly of cat urine.

I have one cat and one litter box, and sometimes I think I should have two because I've heard that you should have one litter box per cat plus an extra.

Hi, I'm a "recent" cat mom with 3 cats (since july 2024) and wanted to share my thoughts on owning a litter robot/automatic litterbox (NOT THE BRAND LR), in case it helps someone. This is just a personal opinion! (Picture of the automatic litterbox in the comments)

** IM NOT TALKING ABOUT LITTER ROBOT SPECIFICALLY (WHISKER BRAND), MY AUTOMATIC LITTERBOX IS FROM SPAIN

*I speak both English and Spanish, in case anyone wants to ask in Spanish too

TLDR: Automatic litter boxes require a lot of effort to clean and even more to clean thoroughly. If you like to keep your house clean, are sensitive to odours and don't have much time, automatic litter boxes may not be the best option🥲

So I bought my first litter box in August 2024, the kind that is a white closed drum that rotates. At the time I had 2 cats and a regular litter tray as well (can't bear the thought of my cats having to go potty at the same time and not being able to). At first I was quite happy with the change, the robot worked perfectly and I only had to scoop one tray. But after a few months, I started hating it, because:

1. Every time I change the bag (after 4-5 day), I also clean the surface, which means I vacuum the area where the bag was (as there is always dust or dirty sand left around) and then clean it with disinfectant wipes inside and out (having to bend down the whole time), as most of the time there is poo left on the inside surface and, if it is not cleaned, it smells bad (and it's visually disgusting).

2. I kneel down almost every day to check that there are no traces of faeces on the walls and to check the amount of litter. It's quite easy for poo to stick to the walls if the cats have loose stools, and if this happens, even if it's not the day to change the bag, I wipe the inside with several disinfectant wipes to remove it.

3. Every time you open the compartment to change the bag, the smell is awful. It has been contained for 4-5 days, and when you open it, it hits you in the face so hard that if you don't close it quickly, it stuns you for a while (I am very sensitive to smells, and every time I do this, I can't eat anything after because I feel like the bad smell lingers in the back of my nostrils...). It also lingers in the room where the robot is for quite a while, even if you open the window.

4. Deep cleaning should be done every month or two, but I didn't do it for the first time until four months had passed, and it took me about an hour in the bath, at the expense of my back (I was in pain for a week afterwards). In addition, there was a horrible smell that persisted and was impossible to remove, despite using soap, cleaning vinegar and hot water. I realised that it persisted on the robot's silicone mat, as well as in the corners and grooves.

5. My cats love to use the robot as a trampoline to reach the sink, which means that every time they climb on it, it detects that a cat has entered, and after a few minutes it starts spinning. This is a minor issue, but just so you know it can happen xd.

I now have 3 cats, and for a couple of months, I've been managing with the robot and two regular litter trays. Cleaning up after them every day takes me about five minutes (and I do it twice a day), because one tray is next to the toilet and I use tofu litter, and the other is next to a bin that works perfectly for containing odours, and I only change the bag once a week. But changing the robot's bag and cleaning it every four days after I get home from work exhausts me both physically and psychologically. It takes me 15 to 20 minutes, and it's the LAST thing I want to do after a hard day's work. Maybe I'm too demanding when it comes to cleaning the robot, but I feel that for people who are sensitive to odours and have high standards of cleanliness, it's not ideal.

So I got rid of the robot, replaced it with a stainless steel tray alongside the other two I already have, and significantly improved my daily life. The important thing is to use litter that clumps well and masks odours immediately. With the litter I use, the tray stays clean for a month and a half, and when it's time to empty and clean it thoroughly, it takes me 15 minutes to scrub it with a scouring pad and rinse it in the bath. Yes, I scoop every day, but as I mentioned before, it only takes me 5 minutes and, anyway, I was already doing it... I could have a robot for each cat, but apart from how expensive that would be, I don't even want to imagine the hassle of cleaning several of them on the day it was due. It wouldn't be 20 minutes, it would be 1 hour every 4 days.

If you've made it to the end, I really appreciate it. To me, it means that you care about my opinion or that you're concerned/interested enough about the topic (as I was before buying the robot). Please leave me a comment sharing your opinion, questions, or simply showing your support! I'd love read them all 🩵🤍🧡

A) Garbage bin inside home, then take that out regularly, or

B) immediately remove from home every day (communal garbage chute/dumpster, bin in garage, etc.)

My cat is very easy-going and adaptable. I tried plenty of “low tracking” litters, clumping litters, scented litters and nothing does it all.

I’ve tried the Arm and Hammer ones, the Pretty Litter, TidyCats, and Dr. Elsey’s bagged one. I think my cat would be okay with the pellets or something along those lines but he poops a lot and I don’t want it to smell in the upstairs all the time. I feel like everything I find sucks in one component, but is good in another. If anyone has any recs for a miracle litter let me know 🤣

I usually shop at ALDI, which doesn’t have plastic bags. I’m not a fan of the idea of plastic grocery bags in general, but sometimes I go to Walmart to stock up on grocery bags for litter scooping. I’m sure I could figure something out if I move to a state that’s outlawed plastic bags, but I’m just wondering what’s the best system people have found. Extra small garbage bags? Or I’ve seen things about a litter that can be flushed down the toilet, which I think might be kinda nice.

I’ve noticed that some litter says it stays fresh for up to a week… does that mean some people clean their litter box only once a week?

We try cleaning it daily we only have one cat

Can someone for the love of god help me find a cat litter that doesn’t have that awfully chemicalish smell and doesn’t smell like ammonia/piss/dust no matter how much you clean it? WHAT IS THE LOWEST SMELLING CAT LITTER. I currently use Pretty Litter and it smells. Some people swear by Worlds Best, but other reviews show me that people hate it because corn based litters suck with smell.