Cat litter stinks!

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I adopted a cat for my daughter. We've had cats before but they were barn cats so I have never in my adult life owned a litter box. The mechanics of it were simple enough to figure out, so far we've been trying to scoop as soon as he uses it, except for the first day and a half because I wanted to make sure he could find the box. But it still stinks!! And I checked, the box is not soiled, he didn't pee or poo outside of the box, it just stinks!

A friend told me that she does a full change of the litter weekly and scoops daily so that's what we've been doing. Should I be changing out the litter more often?

I'm thinking that it's just the brand I'm using isn't as good for odor conrol but they literally all say "odor contol" on every package of cat litter. So what brands have you found to be the best at controlling the odor?

 

[Babs Johnson]

Indoor cats and litter boxes have an aroma.

It is what it is.

We’ve tried many brands of litter over the years. In my opinion, most of the better brands are about the same.

 

[G719]

I adopted a cat for my daughter. We've had cats before but they were barn cats so I have never in my adult life owned a litter box. The mechanics of it were simple enough to figure out, so far we've been trying to scoop as soon as he uses it, except for the first day and a half because I wanted to make sure he could find the box. But it still stinks!! And I checked, the box is not soiled, he didn't pee or poo outside of the box, it just stinks!

A friend told me that she does a full change of the litter weekly and scoops daily so that's what we've been doing. Should I be changing out the litter more often?

I'm thinking that it's just the brand I'm using isn't as good for odor conrol but they literally all say "odor contol" on every package of cat litter. So what brands have you found to be the best at controlling the odor?

We use tidy cat free and clear with charcoal. We have 3 cats and 3 boxes. They are in the basement so not in our main living area. I think the tidy cat does a pretty good job at controlling the odor.

 

[Kittyblue]

I've had the best luck with Target brand scented clumping litter. I also throw in some Arm & Hammer litter deodorizer. We try to scoop daily or but sometimes it's every other day, change weekly.

 

[fivikse]

We use an 18 gallon rubbermaid tote and make it at least 4-5 inches deep. (at least one box per cat) We scoop daily and do a full change as needed. We also try to tuck it in an out of the way closet.
My preferred brand was Dr. Elsey's Ultra, but I'm not sure if they changed it up - it seems to have more dust than it used to. Lately I've tried a few different brands and they all seem about the same.

 

[igrsod]

I swear by the brand Smart Cat. I believe it is made of grass seeds... and it is amazing at keeping the smell down. I will never use anything else.

 

[AndreaA]

Okocat pellet litter is the best - clumps, doesn’t smell (maybe faintly of wood) and DOESN’T TRACK, which is huge. I mean yes, if your cat poops, it’s going to smell for a few minutes - just like if a human being pooped in the toilet. You scoop it up and flush it, and it’s gone.

https://www.amazon.com/ökocat-Natur...ir&qid=1630866243&sprefix=Okoc,aps,236&sr=8-5

 

[dclpluto]

Don’t worry it won’t take long you will become nose blind to it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We use Tidy Cats and get the 35 lb pail.

We've used the Glade scented, 24/7 Performance, Instant Action, 4& 1 strength and Unscented. Our cat seems to prefer Unscented (which is common for cats) but that is harder to find in stock so we've done the Glade or the 4&1 Strength versions when that happens. I think these days the 4&1 Strength is what has been in stock more. Glade version is the strongest smell in terms of scents (good scent just strong).

The only version of Tidy Cats we found did NOT perform well in the smell department was the 24/7 Performance (the smell stuck around) so we do not buy that version.

We do not buy Lightweight versions as they tend to have more dust and even though they are now making them with less dust we just don't want to chance that (I also have allergies and don't need more debris than is already around). In that area I find normal Tidy (non-Lightweight) to be fine in the debris meaning it doesn't seem to kick up too much debris.

We have ended up with 3 litter boxes for 1 cat. For several years our cat was fine with 1 litterbox but over time wanted more. Ideally you're supposed to have +1 litter box per cat meaning 1 cat=2 litter boxes.

We use a covered litter box that you roll (it has an internal grate that catches it):


Our brand is Omega Paw. We started out with the smaller version based on the weight of our cat but he's a big boy in height so eventually we got the larger version and he does prefer that over the smaller. We then ended up with an open tray box. Our cat has gone into habits of using the open tray for peeing and the 2 covered ones for pooping. He almost 100% of the time follows this.

Covered will probably help dampen the smell though I don't know for sure since we started on that and our cat has his own habits but covered is not always preferred by cats.

Every so often we will completely clean out all the litter boxes and hose them down, wash them with soap and water and get them dry then replace with fresh litter.

Does this cat cover his business? Sometimes that's a sign they don't like the litter (smell or feel or both) you're using or the litter box itself. Sometimes they are just lazy lol or something else is going on.

 

[summerlyangel]

I've had the best luck with Target brand scented clumping litter. I also throw in some Arm & Hammer litter deodorizer. We try to scoop daily or but sometimes it's every other day, change weekly.
View attachment 602360View attachment 602361

This litter is what we switched to recently and it works just as good as the more expensive brands for our 3 cats. We do scoop when someone poops, though, and change regularly. We were using tidy cats before and this is just so much cheaper for the amount we go through! I hated the arm and hammer slide(glide?) That was what we used when we first got a cat 3 yrs ago and I could smell it as soon as I walked in the house, lol. Oh, and our cats are weird in that they all use the same box. We have another one, but they refused to use it no matter where we put it, so the one they do use gets a workout!

 

[AppleDumpling]

I’ve been using Scoop Away for many years. Have one indoor cat. Litter box is in the basement and doesn’t smell bad, IMO. I scoop at least once a day, but can go for a long time without dumping the whole box, sometimes a month or more. The litter clumps so well that you can remove the clumps and the rest of the box stays clean, so I just top it off. Honestly, the only issue with odor is because my cat is elderly (18 yo) and he now sometimes misses the box or gets it on the edges. Then I’ll empty it, wash the plastic box outside with soap and hot water, and start fresh.

 

[tasha99]

We use a variety of the Arm and Hammer 100% dust free varieties, and they work pretty well. I still wake up to stink because my daughter's cat, who we're babysitting this summer, never buries his poop. We have big boxes, deep with litter, and more boxes than cats. I aim for 2x day scooping, but always hit it at least once.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

We use an enclosed box and Clump & Seal for Multiple Cats. I clean every morning. We have no smell unless the cat has just done a bigger .

 

[Disneyfan754321]

We changed food!! The cats food has a lot to do with it, what goes in better comes out better.
Use a more quality food

We use nutro currently.
And clay litter, the cheap Walmart kind. I just dump the whole thing every few days... I have never had an odor issue

 

[luv2cheer92]

Litter Robot. Best thing I've ever purchased.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

I adopted a cat for my daughter. We've had cats before but they were barn cats so I have never in my adult life owned a litter box. The mechanics of it were simple enough to figure out, so far we've been trying to scoop as soon as he uses it, except for the first day and a half because I wanted to make sure he could find the box. But it still stinks!! And I checked, the box is not soiled, he didn't pee or poo outside of the box, it just stinks!

A friend told me that she does a full change of the litter weekly and scoops daily so that's what we've been doing. Should I be changing out the litter more often?

I'm thinking that it's just the brand I'm using isn't as good for odor conrol but they literally all say "odor contol" on every package of cat litter. So what brands have you found to be the best at controlling the odor?

Three fuzzy furbabies. Two litterboxes, and two of them really do prefer one box over the other; even if I switch the position of the boxes, they still go to the one. The other cat doesn't care.

I use Fresh Step (link). I scoop daily, adding fresh when I do, and I don't put a lot of litter in the box, so it's easy to clean out at the end of the week. I like the packs like this, because it's easier for me to move and lift.

I've used Tidy Cats, and it works well. FS is just a bit cheaper per lb than TC.

I also have these fresheners that I have sitting just behind the litter boxes.

 

[Tattylou]

I use fresh step - works best for us for reducing orders. I have five cats.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

For a long time I used the Tidy Cats clumping litter, usually the light blue lid one. It worked well if you stay on top of it.

I have since switched off to the pet safe self scooping thing that takes the trays and uses the crystals instead of “litter”…. It works well, BUT it definitely doesn’t last as long as advertised. When it turns, it gets BAD quickly.

 

[ShayBells]

Arm & Hammer for litter and make sure your box has a cover. Works good for me and I tend to use a variety of litter brands cause I swear the store never has the same kind, so I just get what’s there. And yeah… we’re all probably nose blind to it.. you’ll be there soon

 

[HiStitch626]

Litter Robot. Best thing I've ever purchased.

Did your cat have any trouble adapting to it? I have looked at these, but worry that our cat would not use it.