I need a new cat litter before I suffocate..Help!

[runninmommy]

I am using Arm and Hammer multiple cat formula. We smell the catbox all the time and we clean it out at least twice a day. Please tell me a product that will cure our woes before I make the cats outside cats.

 

: )

[Jenny in Atl]

I've been mixing my A&H with this new corn litter from them http://www.petco.com/product/107315/Arm-and-Hammer-Essentials-Natural-Clumping-Litter.aspx

It does not clump as well, so I mix it with the multi-cat to help. But it does get ride of the smell much better.

 

hths :001_smile:

[Ria]

Like Jenny, I've switched over to Arm & Hammer Essentials, which is a corn litter (I think it clumps wonderfully!). You could also buy the Arm & Hammer litter deodorizer (comes in an orange box not unlike baking soda...look for it in the kitty litter section). It works wonders. Just sprinkle a little into the litter now and then. I used to have to use it when we used the Arm & Hammer Multi-Cat stuff, but haven't had to use it with the Essentials. Essentials lasts a lot longer for us, too...on the bag it says it's much more absorbant than the clumping clay litters so you end up using less with each scoop.

 

Good luck.

 

Ria

[Sandra in NC]

I use Cat's Pride -- it used to be sold at many stores, but now I can find it only at Wal Mart. I never smell the cat box.

 

If you have choice, the single cat formula works better than the multi cat formula (even if you have multiple cats - we have two). Our Wal-Mart used to sell both, but now carries only the multi-cat litter. It costs a little under $6 for 20 lbs.

[RebeccaS]

I have never liked the A&H Litter. We use Scoop Away (I think:confused:). I buy it in the vat size from BJ's, so I often forget what it is that we use since I don't buy it often. But, it's worked well for us. My oldest dd is in charge of scooping and even if she forgets we don't notice it like we did with A&H.

[runninmommy]

I've been mixing my A&H with this new corn litter from them http://www.petco.com/product/107315/Arm-and-Hammer-Essentials-Natural-Clumping-Litter.aspx

It does not clump as well, so I mix it with the multi-cat to help. But it does get ride of the smell much better.

 

hths :001_smile:

 

 

That looks great. I will get some to try & let you know. Thanks so much.

[klmama]

The best litter I've ever used, both for smell and for clumping, is Cat Attract.

[runninmommy]

Maybe I should combine all the above suggestions? That may be an extra strength way to attack the problem? LOL. I thank you for all the suggestions. I knew you ladies could give me some good advice. The cat box is right by the school room (in laundry room) and there is no where else to put it so I am extra-thankful to have some new things to try.

 

:lol: I have been going around singing "Smelly cat, smelly cat..what are they feeding you" for the last week.

[Erica in PA]

My favorite is Scoop Away multi-cat formula. We live in an apartment with two cats, and the litterbox was right in the living room closet (with the door open!), and no one ever smelled the litter box! I only scoop once per day, and some days I even forget to do that. I told my sil who comes over several times each week to tell me if she could ever smell anything, even for a minute, because I would move it, and we were both shocked that she never did smell it!! We've since moved it to the schoolroom just because we were having company over more often and I didn't like the litterbox so close to our guests even if it did smell good, and still we haven't had any trouble at all.

 

 

Erica

[Krista in LA]

Tidy Cat Small Spaces - not the other kinds of Tidy Cat. We have two large cats with large outputs and the Small Spaces keeps makes a world of difference for us.

[Sunshyne]

I just finished a box of A&H, and I was so glad it was gone. It was awful!

 

So, I've switched to Scoop Away, and I love it! It doesn't smell or stick, and it clumps perfectly.

 

I usually like A&H products, but not their kitty litter!

[hornblower]

How many cats do you have? There should be at least 1 pan/cat in the house. Make them big and roomy.

 

Also, do you regularly dump everything out and wash the pan itself with water & a bit of bleach? Sometimes, with energetic scratchers, they gouge the plastic and it just gets impossible to clean after a while. There are new pans being sold now with microban in the plastic which are supposed to help keep down the bacteria.

 

Also - what are you smelling? Pee or pooop? And why is it suddenly bothering you? Or has it been bothering you for a while? If it's sudden, think about whether you've changed food.... diet will alter the smell of the output, as does illness. So if it wasn't a problem before, I'd consider a vet visit for blood/urine testing &/or changes to the diet.

 

There's a great page written by a cat vet - all about the litter box from the cat's point of view.

 

http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm

[Brigitte]

Here are the three things we did to get rid of kitty box odor:

1) Feed the cats better quality food (it is amazing the difference that makes).

 

2) Use an open litter box. The covered boxes trap the odor creating a real stink bomb.

 

3) For the litter, we switched to All Natural Litter Clean from Sam's Club ($10.83 for 40 lbs). Scoop Away works well, too, but we find the Litter Clean to work better and it is much cheaper. For non-clumping litter, I love Feline Pine and its generic equivalents. We have a cat who doesn't like it, so we have to use clumping litter for her (she is a real pain).

[Tree House Academy]

How many cats do you have and where is your litter box?

 

We "hide" our litter box in a hollow wooden "box" type thing that my dh made to lift our front loading washer and dryer off the ground (and save my back). We have two cats and we use Tidy Cat odor protection (in the red and yellow bag, not the blue and yellow). It has worked well and I only change the litter about once a week...usually when I start to get a whiff of it here and there. It stays in our laundry room and the door is usually partially shut as well. I guess what I am saying is that keeping litter out in the open, you will probably always smell it. Try to put it somewhere out of the way and make sure to have a litter box with a top cover. It has worked for us, anyway.

 

I may have to try Tidy Cat small spaces after reading here. That sounds great!

Edited December 18, 2008 by Tree House Academy

[Julie in CA]

I started using Fresh Step multiple cat. It's working so well. I rarely notice the smell, even when I'm looking for it, kwim?

[Doran]

For non-clumping litter, I love Feline Pine and its generic equivalents. We have a cat who doesn't like it, so we have to use clumping litter for her (she is a real pain).

 

 

We switched from an unscented, clay, clumping type litter (Was it Tidy Cat?...I think so.) to pine pellets, and I am loving the pellets. We were able to get both cats to transition by mixing half and half for the first month. Boy, was that a messy month! But, now they're using the pellets just fine.

 

Here's what I love about them:

 

They are biodegradable and not mined. I don't have to use a plastic bag everytime we empty the box (1x/day). I can dump the spent sawdust in my flower beds. It doesn't track as badly as the granular litter. It controls superbly except the last day or so before we dump the whole box (I'm getting 2 weeks out of each filling) and start again. I bought a 40lb. bag at our local feed store (it's sold as horse bedding) for only about $7. That will last me for five fillings, or 2.5 months. Not bad! Oh, and they are lightweight, so no having to dump out a ton of heavy clay stuff when we do start again. Finally, it's better for my cats.

 

 

 

What I don't love:

 

The pellets are too large to scoop properly with a regular litter scoop. I'm going to have to break down and purchase the one specially designed for this type of litter. That's it.

[newbie]

Swheat Scoop

[BonAmy]

they are like mountain lions, with mountain lion poo. eww, I kid you not. and I cannot stand, for one single minute, the smell of even fresh cat litter, much less what they bury in it.

 

the only thing that works for picky me is...

Feline Fresh. it's in a green bag at walmart, about $3.50/bag. I change out their litter boxes (dump the whole thing) at least once a week, since our cats are soooo big.

Feline Fresh is made of pine, looks like pellets.

Don't get the other brand that looks like Feline Fresh (and is more expensive). It doesn't work as well. I think it's the newspaper one.

 

Feline Fresh..it's your friend. :thumbup1:

[Suzanne in ABQ]

:iagree:

 

Feline Pine is wonderful stuff! For all the reasons stated here.

 

I hate the perfumy smell of scented cat litter. I hate the dust. I hate the feel of it crunching under my shoes. I hate dumping the old, and adding the new. I hate everything about cat litter, and Feline Pine eliminated all of that.

 

FWIW, I got the special litter box that allows the used sawdust to fall through to a second pan, keeping the fresh pellets in the top. It makes it even better!

[hornblower]

:iagree:

 

Feline Pine is wonderful stuff! For all the reasons stated here.

 

FWIW, I got the special litter box that allows the used sawdust to fall through to a second pan, keeping the fresh pellets in the top. It makes it even better!

 

What do you about the poops? Do you scoop those out? If so, with what? I couldn't do it with a regular litter scoop. I thought I was going to have to use tongs....:D (then my cat got sick - totally unrelated - and we went back to her old stuff just to keep her happy and calm and stress-free, but I'm wanting to switch her over...)

[Suzanne in ABQ]

We scoop out the poops. We got the special scooper (with larger "holes"), but the smaller poops fall through it with the pellets. I prefer to use just a corner of the regular scooper. If I accidentally pick up a pellet or two in the mix, I don't stress about it. I think ds uses whichever scooper does the job (depending on the size of the poop).

[Kay in Cal]

Well, I have three cats and we switched to the pure crystal litter. Yes, it is more expensive. I buy mine at target for around 12 a box. But it's basically silica gel--like the little packets you get in things to act as a dessicant... it absorbs everything. I change it twice as much as they recommend (box says 1/month, I change twice a month and totally wash out the box with the hose) plus scoop solids as needed.

 

I do realize that it is probably environmentally not great... but I hate the smell of cat pee in my house, particularly since our litter box is in the kitchen.

[joannqn]

I would definitely try different food and make sure it is higher quality. We have four cats, 4 litter pans, and rarely change the litter completely out (maybe twice a year). We just scoop and rarely smell the litter boxes. We use cheap stuff from Costco. As long as it clumps, I'm happy.

[WagsWife]

I am using Arm and Hammer multiple cat formula. We smell the catbox all the time and we clean it out at least twice a day. Please tell me a product that will cure our woes before I make the cats outside cats.

 

: )

 

http://www.amazon.com/Tidy-Breeze-Litter-System-1-Count/dp/B001411SK0/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1229634975&sr=8-1

 

I have been loving this litter system! It is a bit pricey to get started, but IMO, well worth it! My dh and I are not cat people at all. The mess of the litter box was a huge issue for us...the smell and all the tracking of litter through the house.

 

Around Thanksgiving we were given the opportunity to get a Maine Coon, and my daughter wanted it desperately. After reading all the reviews on the Breeze we decided to chance it. It has worked wonderfully! Dd scoops the poop when the cat (Maisey) goes...normally just once a day. The urine drains down onto a pad underneath, and for the one cat we only have to change the pad once a week. We *never smell the box (unless she has just gone poop, and then the smell is gone once we scoop it.), and we never have to deal with litter tracking through the house.

 

If one could be in love with a litter system...I would be in love with the Breeze!

[Frontier Mom]

Here are the three things we did to get rid of kitty box odor:

1) Feed the cats better quality food (it is amazing the difference that makes).

 

2) Use an open litter box. The covered boxes trap the odor creating a real stink bomb.

 

3) For the litter, we switched to All Natural Litter Clean from Sam's Club ($10.83 for 40 lbs). Scoop Away works well, too, but we find the Litter Clean to work better and it is much cheaper. For non-clumping litter, I love Feline Pine and its generic equivalents. We have a cat who doesn't like it, so we have to use clumping litter for her (she is a real pain).

 

I agree completely with all of these. I feed my cat Iams and the smell is almost gone anyway. The Litter Clean from Sam's is what we like best too and it is cheaper. Also, it isn't dusty like some.

[funschooler5]

http://www.amazon.com/Tidy-Breeze-Litter-System-1-Count/dp/B001411SK0/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1229634975&sr=8-1

 

I have been loving this litter system! It is a bit pricey to get started, but IMO, well worth it! My dh and I are not cat people at all. The mess of the litter box was a huge issue for us...the smell and all the tracking of litter through the house.

 

Around Thanksgiving we were given the opportunity to get a Maine Coon, and my daughter wanted it desperately. After reading all the reviews on the Breeze we decided to chance it. It has worked wonderfully! Dd scoops the poop when the cat (Maisey) goes...normally just once a day. The urine drains down onto a pad underneath, and for the one cat we only have to change the pad once a week. We *never smell the box (unless she has just gone poop, and then the smell is gone once we scoop it.), and we never have to deal with litter tracking through the house.

 

If one could be in love with a litter system...I would be in love with the Breeze!

 

 

:iagree:

 

I love this system too. I hated messing around with the gritty scoopable litter, so we bought this. My only hang up is I wish the litter and the replaceable pads came in larger quantities (and were less expensive). It seems like I am always buying stuff for the litter box. We do have two cats and two litter boxes though, and they tend to use them A LOT. I am feeding them Friskies cat food, and I want to switch. I will have to try the one at Costco. We switched our dog to the Costco dog food, and it has worked wonders!

[joannqn]

I am feeding them Friskies cat food, and I want to switch. I will have to try the one at Costco. We switched our dog to the Costco dog food, and it has worked wonders!

 

You'll notice a difference in their stools and condition of their food when you switch for sure.

[MrsMe]

Maybe I should combine all the above suggestions? That may be an extra strength way to attack the problem? LOL. I thank you for all the suggestions. I knew you ladies could give me some good advice. The cat box is right by the school room (in laundry room) and there is no where else to put it so I am extra-thankful to have some new things to try.

 

:lol: I have been going around singing "Smelly cat, smelly cat..what are they feeding you" for the last week.

 

Mmm, interesting. We have two cats and two boxes in our homeschool room and unless it's immediately after they poop, we never, never smell it. Are you putting enough litter in it? Scoop needs to be deep. I also change mine daily.

[runninmommy]

How many cats do you have? There should be at least 1 pan/cat in the house. Make them big and roomy.

 

Also, do you regularly dump everything out and wash the pan itself with water & a bit of bleach? Sometimes, with energetic scratchers, they gouge the plastic and it just gets impossible to clean after a while. There are new pans being sold now with microban in the plastic which are supposed to help keep down the bacteria.

 

Also - what are you smelling? Pee or pooop? And why is it suddenly bothering you? Or has it been bothering you for a while? If it's sudden, think about whether you've changed food.... diet will alter the smell of the output, as does illness. So if it wasn't a problem before, I'd consider a vet visit for blood/urine testing &/or changes to the diet.

 

 

Well, we have two cats. An adult and a kitty. We have only had them for a month or so now. We are smelling poop. The adult is a big producer and it is nasty. It has been bad since we adopted her. Maybe I will change her food and see if that helps along with the litter change. We only have room for one litter box in the house and we do clean it out often. Thanks for the link. I will check it out and see if there is anything else I can do.

[hornblower]

Well, we have two cats. An adult and a kitty. We have only had them for a month or so now. We are smelling poop. The adult is a big producer and it is nasty. It has been bad since we adopted her. Maybe I will change her food and see if that helps along with the litter change. We only have room for one litter box in the house and we do clean it out often. Thanks for the link. I will check it out and see if there is anything else I can do.

 

Has she been dewormed recently? If she's new to you, I'm wondering if she had been fully vetted recently.....

 

And do consider changing her food. I no longer recommend dry kibble as it often leads to diabetes & kidney probs in cats later on. Pouched or canned food or raw & remember cats are obligate carnivores: they need meat and pretty much only meat. A lot of the commercial cat food is full of grains which don't meet the nutritional needs of cats.

 

There's a wonderful new book out by Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins DVM called Your Cat - simple secrets to a longer, stronger life. She also runs a website for diabetic cat owners & has diet tips there for prevention as well as treatment. http://yourdiabeticcat.com/diet.html You can save yourself heartache & vet bills with her advice.....

 

One other thing - some cats do not cover up their poops. Those will smell because well, all poop smells a bit. There is no way around it. If you have a cat who doesn't cover there's nothing to do really except scoop as soon as they make it if the smell is bothering you. Most cats get a regular daily schedule and you can just bag (or flush, depending on the litter) right away.

 

good luck!

[Sheila in OK]

Tidy Cat Small Spaces - not the other kinds of Tidy Cat. We have two large cats with large outputs and the Small Spaces keeps makes a world of difference for us.

 

Same here.

[Doran]

We scoop out the poops. We got the special scooper (with larger "holes"), but the smaller poops fall through it with the pellets. I prefer to use just a corner of the regular scooper. If I accidentally pick up a pellet or two in the mix, I don't stress about it. I think ds uses whichever scooper does the job (depending on the size of the poop).

 

 

I was wondering, though, about your special litter box. I don't really mind the shavings, but I guess, if you had the type that sifts, you just have to continually add more pellets to keep the overall quantity where it needs to be. Is that right?

[Matryoshka]

remember cats are obligate carnivores: they need meat and pretty much only meat.

 

I know this, but one of our cats did not get the memo.

 

He loves tomatoes, kiwis and bell peppers, to the point where I can not leave any of these out on the counter, or he will jump up and run off with them, whereupon I will find them on the floor somewhere 3/4 of the way eaten with fang marks and little disgorged seeds scattered about. Sometimes he eats the whole thing and I just find the seeds. :glare:

 

Ooo, but I also have a litter question! I thought last time someone posted about the pellets, I could've sworn they said they were the same as the woodstove pellets, not horse bedding? Or are those also similar to each other?? I want to switch from the clumping stuff which tracks everywhere, but need to know I'm getting the right stuff (and now that I know that I can buy 40-lb bags cheaper than the stuff marketed for cats, I'm a-wanting to do that :D).

[Doran]

I know this, but one of our cats did not get the memo.

 

He loves tomatoes, kiwis and bell peppers, to the point where I can not leave any of these out on the counter, or he will jump up and run off with them, whereupon I will find them on the floor somewhere 3/4 of the way eaten with fang marks and little disgorged seeds scattered about. Sometimes he eats the whole thing and I just find the seeds. :glare:

 

Ooo, but I also have a litter question! I thought last time someone posted about the pellets, I could've sworn they said they were the same as the woodstove pellets, not horse bedding? Or are those also similar to each other?? I want to switch from the clumping stuff which tracks everywhere, but need to know I'm getting the right stuff (and now that I know that I can buy 40-lb bags cheaper than the stuff marketed for cats, I'm a-wanting to do that :D).

 

I'm really laughing aloud here at the image of your cat absconding with produce! How funny is that?!? :lol:

 

You're correct. The pine pellets are used and marketed as: (1) Cat litter = most expensive (2) Large animal bedding = middle cost and (3) wood stove pellets = cheapest but unavailable in my area so, maybe harder to find.

 

HTH,

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Yes, that's right. It's a lot cheaper than throwing good pellets out with the sawdust, and it's easier than all that dumping into bags, or whatever. Ds just sets the upper sifter tray to the side, and takes the lower tray outside somewhere to dump it (I really have no idea where he dumps it, but it's just wood, so I think of it as mulch). Then, he brings the almost empty bottom tray back in (we reserve a handful of sawdust to absorb any urine that comes through at first), and we mix fresh pellets in the top.

 

I got the special litter box from http://www.felinepinelitterbox.com/ (which I found through the Feline Pine website.)

[SonshineLearner]

You can get Taste of the Wild (no grain) dry (or wet, maybe) cat food...There are some other no grain ones, but I think TOFW is the best priced one. You feed less... Smaller p**p and less smelly!

Carrie:-)