What Causes A Stinky Litter Box
A rancid smell from a litter box can often derive from a lack of, or poor, cleaning. Although you may be cleaning your cat litter box, if not done effectively, you may simply be masking the smell, as opposed to eliminating it.
Before anything else though, make sure that your cat is not spraying outside of their litter box, which can be one reason as to why there is an odour circulating your home. Your cat spraying outside of the litter box can be happening for a number of reasons such as boredom, territorial marking, and sickness. If you do, however, notice that your cat is simply refusing to use their litter box, the chances are, this is due to an issue surrounding the litter box itself. Some suggestions include
the litter box being dirty, your cat disliking the litter you are using, based on either smell or texture or the location of the litter box not being well suited to your cat/s.
A litter box should be placed in a quiet environment, away from the hustle and bustle of the home or any outside traffic, to ensure peace and quiet. The litter box should also be separate from where your cat eats, have sufficient lighting, and within a room your cat likes or is comfortable in. The Maya Cat Litter Boxes are a great solution for cats who need complete privacy and comfort. With five different styles and entry points, your furry friend is bound to find a way to suit them.
Remove Poop And Soiled Litter Daily
Many people leave cat urine and poop in the litter box for days which is the biggest cause of litter odor in the house.
Its also extremely unhygienic and a potential health risk for yourself and your cat.
The best way to control cat litter odor is to scoop out any cat feces and urine from the litter as often as possible, ideally every time your cat uses the litter.
Or at a minimum of once or twice per day.
If you use a good clumping cat litter, youll find it easier to dispose of kitty waste by using a scoop.
You will also waste less untouched litter when you scoop on a regular basis, because your cat wont spread used litter around and contaminate the entire litter.
Pro Tip: When scooping out used litter, you can put it in a waste bag and tie it up before disposing of it in your normal trash.
Things To Consider Before Buying A Litter Box:
There are various types of waste bins or litter boxes on the market. These come with an open trash can, a hooded trash can, self-cleaning trash bins, and top-entry trash bins.
In this way, you can choose the best odor control cat litter box. However, its essential to check out the following buying guide on the best trash can options.
Height: Of course, you need to be aware of the size of the bin. Usually, most cats prefer 5 to 7 inches tall.
Size: Make sure you choose a litter box that matches your cats size. Again, there should be enough room for your cat to move freely. Also, the playpens opening should be large enough for your pet to get in and out of easily.
Material: The litter box should come from good quality plastic, be safe, and non-toxic. Of course, it must be durable and scratch-resistant. Usually, people prefer a plastic container with a non-stick coating as it prevents sand from sticking.
Tires Raised: The bucket should have removable tires raised. Usually, this feature prevents trash and debris from spreading in your home. So, this is why your home stays clean and tidy.
Easy to clean: Of course, you dont want to spend hours scouring the trash can. A non-stick plastic waste bin prevents sand from sticking. Therefore, it is easy to clean with soap and water. Moreover, a self-cleaning wastebasket is also the right choice.
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Components To Look For In A Good Odor Control Cat Litter
There seem to be endless odor control cat litter options lining shelves today. When making your final decision on a cat litter for odor control, look for the following components:
Its time to dig into our recommendations for best odor absorbing cat litter.
Covered Boxes: Good Or Bad
There is much debate surrounding a cat litter box with a cover. On one hand, a covered box provides extra odor protection as the covered box contains cat odor in the small space usually blocked off with a door. This protection limits the smell from the litter tray spreading throughout the house and is visually appealing.
Using a covered box could be the perfect way to get rid of cat litter smell in an apartment if youre in a small space without room for the smell to dissipate.
Cat owners against covered boxes argue that it contains foul smells inside the box, which makes the experience of using the box more unpleasant for cats, possibly deterring them from using it.
Many covered boxes come with detachable lids, so if using a covered box is something youre interested in, we suggest giving it a try to see how your cats react to it. If they dont respond well, remove the lid. Otherwise, enjoy not looking at your cats waste. Many covered boxes come with a filter to assist with trapping odors.
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Dangers Of A Dirty Litter Box
Dangers of a Smelly Litter Box to Humans
Ammonia is the most likely culprit for litter box odours, found in approximately 0.5 percent of your cats urine. As the litter box continues to accumulate waste within a room in your house that may not necessarily be well ventilated, the harmful gas of ammonia is formed. Overexposure to ammonia can result in queasiness and headaches, but should it become more serious, it can further lead to pneumonia. For those with a compromised immune system or are pregnant, overexposure to ammonia can be the onset of toxoplasmosis, an infection by the parasite toxoplasma gondii, which can become life threatening.
Cat scratch fever, or cat scratch disease, is a bacterial infection from Bartonella henselae bacteria, associated with cat faeces. Although very rare, the disease can again cause dangerous symptoms such as fatigue, swollen glands and fever.
Dangers of a Smelly Litter Box to Cats
Cats really are clean animals, which means that many will only use a clean litter box, often resulting in cats doing all they can to avoid using a dirty one, even if it means uncomfortably holding in their urine. However, delaying using the bathroom is not a great idea for cats as it can cause urinary tract diseases such as bladder inflammation and kidney blockage, or failure. Although all of which can be treated by your vet, prevention is always better than the cure.
This entry was posted in Cats
Best Cat Litters For Odor Control With Our 2022 Budget
The first step to creating a delightful cat litter box experience for your cats is to choose a good cat litter for odor control. Using a high-quality kitty litter that offers odor absorption properties will keep everything under control when it comes to your cat making a pit stop at their box. While its important to clean your cats box regularly, a great cat litter can make the process easier.
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Weve developed a list of the best smelling cat litters for odor control, which includes our top budget-friendly pick. Were confident that our recommendations will help you maintain a clean litter box area for your cats, while keeping their bodies and noses healthy. First we start by discussing the benefits of using an odor control kitty litter.
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How Do You Deodorize Cat Litter
There are some cat deodorizers that you can add to your cats litter box to improve its smell. Activated carbon is your best bet. You can add activated carbon to the cheesecloth to create an air freshener pouch to put near the litter box. This will absorb the litter odor and keep the smell out.
Some pet owners have had success using a small amount of baking soda. However, some studies show that cats prefer activated carbon to baking soda. If you use something that your cat does not like, this will lead to litter aversion. Litter aversion is a difficult behavioral issue to solve. Start right with natural remedies to keep your cat safe and happy.
Unfortunately, some cats will stop using a litter box that has a lot of artificial fragrances in it. Cats are sensitive to smells and many fragrances are dangerous to cats. Artificial fragrances can be toxic so it’s best to avoid these.
Odor Control Is Especially Important For Homes With More Than One Cat
Cats are territorial creatures and prefer a clean smelling bathroom. You do too, right? It can be difficult to keep up with scooping out the litter box so odor control comes in handy. If the litter box is not up to your cat’s standards, he may go outside the box.
Cats can also develop serious health issues if their bathroom is dirty. These can be tough issues to correct, so start the right way with proper cleaning and the best odor control litter.
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Pros And Cons Of Common Cat Litters
Clay cat litter
Pros: The most widely used cat litter should be clay. Clay cat litters do well in clumping and absorbing cat urine. And it is easy to scoop clay clumps. Last but not least, it is super affordable.
Cons: Some clay cat litters contain chemicals that can be harmful to sensitive cats. Besides, they are not the most environmentally friendly.
Natural cat litter
Pros: There are natural cat litters made of wood, corn, walnut shell, etc. And walnut shell cat litter can be 100% biodegradable. They do clump and absorb cat waste smell.
Cons: Natural cat litter is more expensive than clay litter and some are unaffordable. Made of natural materials, this type of kitty litter is more difficult to scoop.
Crystal litter
Pros: Crystal litter, should be the most absorbent and effective at odor control. It lives up to the name: best odor control cat litter.
Cons: It won’t clump and is more expensive than other cat litter.
Cat Litter Mats For Odor Control
The purpose of a cat litter mat is to reduce the amount of tracking throughout the home.
However, they can also help control cat urine smell.
Most litter mats are designed to be placed under and around the litter box, so if your cat pees high or out of the litter box, the litter mat will help keep urine off the floor.
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Activated Charcoal Or Carbon
Activated charcoal is created from carbon-rich materials burned at high temperatures. It’s used for its natural absorbing powers in filters, respiratory masks, and by the medical community to help treat overdoses. This is a wonderful and more natural way to control litter box odor.
You can create a DIY litter air freshener with activated charcoal and a cheesecloth if you can’t find a litter that already includes it.
Purina Tidy Cats Lightweight Clumping Cat Litter
Introduction
The Purina Tidy Cat lightweight cat litter is a seventeen pound pail which is lightweight and comes with a clean ammonia blocker and clumping cat litter. It is unscented and free of fragrances and dyes. It also has odor absorbing activated charcoal and the ammonia blocker ensures that ammonia odor can be avoided for at least two weeks, this is a guaranteed fact so long as directions are followed clearly. The tidylock technology also locks away any additional odors. The odors can also be controlled within the litter box even though the litter is free from any fragrances or dyes.
Uses and Capabilities
This unscented litter option is perfect for your cats preferences. The technology locks away odors and keeps your home smelling fresh. The lightweight composition makes the litter easy to carry, pour and even store for effortless litter box maintenance. The cat can appreciate moisture locking and control odors while keeping it comfortable still. A 99.9% dust free composition can be expected and this minimizes the mess that is left behind in a litter box. This is a favorite among cats as well because it is made from natural clay and mineral product with activated charcoal.
Additional Features
- The handle makes it easy to use and it doesnt cut into the hand.
Cons
- Since it is materially different, it clumps differently from traditional litter and the clumps can get huge.
- It is messier than regular weighted litter.
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Keep An Eye On Their Diet
Some cats diets can result in extremely smelly poop. A particular ingredient cats cant digest very well is wheat or grains, and this can cause particularly pongy poops…
Note to self: cancel taco night
Bacteria and even parasites from contaminated or spoiled food can also cause an increase in odour, so make sure to take your cat to the vet if you notice a sudden change to get them checked out.
There are some elements in a cat’s diet that can make their poop smell worse, some of these issues will naturally resolve themselves, whilst others may need an expert eye
When a cat switches to a new type of food, their tummy may need a bit of time to catch up, whereas an allergy in their food will show as not fully digested and extra smelly. Vets recommend an elimination diet to get to the bottom of this particular problem.
Why not try hypoallergenic Insect based food Lovebug on Natusan.co.uk. It is well known that the majority of dietary allergies in cats are caused by beef, dairy or fish. Lovebug is free from such ingredients and relies on a novel insect protein source which considerably reduces the risk of intolerances being triggered. Try you first order with 50% off using code LOVEBUG50
Cats can clean themselves, the rest is up to you
The best thing you can do to combat odour is stay on top of cleaning.
With Natusan, weekly litter tray changes are a thing of the past.
How To Control Odor From Cat Food
Cat food is the next odor source, and it has quite a strong odor. Again, especially on hot summer days, the smell can really be quite stuffy. So with cat food, its important to not leave too much cat food out in the open.
Keep the extra food in a container with a good seal that traps the smell. The food doesnt go stale, and the cats cant get into it without you.
If you have been scheduling your cats meals, its easy to predict just enough food to last them until the next mealtime. It varies from cat to cat but as long as you observe and learn how much they eat. It becomes easy to portion just enough food.
The key is to give them just enough so that within about an hour or two, they finish the whole bowl of food.
I have a sealed food box in my studio apartment until I open it and scoop out of it. The cats will have a meal once in the morning after I get home from work, and at night before I go to sleep .
It takes them about an hour or two to finish their food and be fine until the next mealtime. It minimizes the time for the food to be outside and stinking up the apartment!
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Keep Litter Box Clean
If scooping is done regularly, then it is the best thing to do. The weekly cleaning process is not a good habit for both cats and the owners. You can wash the whole thing every month full. To do so, empty the litter from the box and scratch them completely.
Make sure to wear gloves on both hands so that there is no chance for waste particles to touch your skin. There may be some little insects that could have you and get you diseased. It is good to clean with water and so. Not necessary that you clean it with bleach or any other chemicals for extra cleaning.
And another thing is, cats usually dont like bleach smells and other stuff. After cleaning with water, dry those boxes by letting them stay under the sun for a couple of hours. After finishing all the processes, put fresh litter in it.
How To Get Rid Of Cat Litter Smell In An Apartment
If you reside in a small space and it seems like cat litter odor is the only thing you smell, the best thing to do is put yourself on a schedule to clean the box. A stinky litter box only worsens over time as your cat continues to use it, and waiting to clean it creates more work.
How often you clean the box depends on how many cats you have however, we suggest scooping every other day. If youre using liners, scoop out used litter and replace it. Dump your entire box without liners and start fresh after a deep clean.
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