Mary Allen
Litter box stinks? It doesn’t have to be. With a few simple steps, the litter box can be cleaned quickly. And you can also get rid of stubborn odors. In this video, we show how. The knowledge behind it is here.
That’s why the litter box stinks
Your cat is a skunk. At least in terms of urine. And not just because of the smell. In fact, this is not only caused by the particularly high proportion of ammonia. So-called mercaptans, which we also know from the scent glands of skunks, are also involved. But not only urine stinks. Unpleasant odors also emanate from cat feces. Especially when he’s in the litter box. Regular cleaning is the only way to prevent odors in and around the litter box. You can find out how and at what intervals below. By the way: Urine eats into the litter box! The litter box itself then smells of ammonia. It is therefore all the more important that the urine has as little contact with the plastic container as possible.
However, it is not always due to a lack of hygiene when the litter box stinks. If the litter box stinks even though it’s clean, there may be other reasons. The feed, for example, has a major influence on the smell of the excretions. With a balanced diet, the smell of the litter box should be limited. If the urine smells particularly strong, the cat is not drinking enough and the urine is more concentrated than usual as a result. A pungent or sweet smell of ammonia can also be due to inflammation of the urinary tract or genitals, kidney problems, and diseases such as diabetes. If you notice other symptoms and the problem cannot be solved by drinking more, you should go to the vet. In all other cases, however, it is relatively easy to neutralize the litter box smell.
What can happen if the litter box stinks?
An obvious consequence: the apartment smells like litter box. Many cat owners no longer notice it themselves because they have gotten used to the smell. But guests notice it immediately. But the problem goes even deeper.
If the litter box smells, the cat no longer feels comfortable there either. In order to keep her stay short, she likes to leave the toilet without burying her legacies. Or she’s looking for another place to do business. The heap of fresh laundry, for example, or the pots of indoor plants. So: What to do so that the litter box doesn’t stink?
Regular cleaning of the litter box
The basic requirement to avoid smell in the litter box is cleaning. You should remove your cat’s droppings at least once a day, preferably twice a day. Since a little litter is always lost, remember to refill. Otherwise, the urine will seep to the floor and the smell will eat into the litter box. However, contact cannot be prevented entirely. That’s why it’s important to regularly do a thorough cleaning that removes feces and urine from the floor and walls of the litter box. In addition, the litter simply becomes too dirty at some point and has to be replaced. When the complete cleaning is due depends on the one hand on how dirty the litter and toilet are and on the other hand on your wallet. Here you have to find a middle ground between once a week and once a month.
Avoid odors in the litter box – tips for cleaning
We often put off cleaning the litter box until the litter box stinks. It can be so easy. With just two tricks, both the daily removal of faeces and urine and the periodic complete cleaning go very quickly.
Tips for cleaning
- Shake instead of dig: Pick up the litter box by one corner and shake up and down that side. Then do the same again on the other side. The loose cat litter grains collect under your cat’s droppings and lift them to the surface. There you can easily pick them up with the shovel.
- Knocking instead of scratching: If your cat likes to pee on the edge, the clump of litter and urine tends to stick to it. When trying to loosen it, it crumbles and mixes inseparably with the litter. You can avoid this by tapping on the outside of the litter box. As a result of the vibration, the lump is loosened as a whole and can be picked up very easily.
Use home remedies to neutralize the odor of the litter box
Does your litter box stink despite daily cleaning? Then you have various home remedies to choose from to neutralize the litter box smell. You should pay attention to the following things.
Neutralize litter box odor
- Ventilate several times a day.
- Choosing the right spot for the litter box.
- Choose the right room climate for the litter box. In warm and humid rooms (bathroom, plants), the litter no longer absorbs as much.
- Clean the litter box with hot water.
- Leave the vinegar or baking soda on and rinse thoroughly. Fine noses resent residues.
- Set out a bowl of ground coffee or coffee beans.
Neutralize the odor of the litter box – these 10 tips will help
The hygiene is right and still: The litter box smells. Then these 10 tips can help you.
1. Pay attention to the feed quality
Poor-quality food contains many things that cats cannot digest. High-quality cat food, on the other hand, can be used by the cat for the most part, there are significantly fewer excretions and they don’t smell as bad. You can find out everything you need to know about the quality of cat food in the article on high-quality cat food.
2. Cat not drinking enough – highly concentrated urine
If your cat drinks too little, the kidneys have little or even too little liquid available. Therefore, the urine is particularly concentrated in these cases, which is also noticeable in the smell. In our article Cat doesn’t drink, we tell you how to encourage cats to drink.
3. Wrong cat litter
The properties are as different as the materials.
Cat litter – materials and properties
Mineral substances such as bentonite: They are similar to sand or earth and are therefore readily accepted by cats as natural. The material reliably absorbs liquids, but dusts. Unfortunately, the production and disposal of mineral litter is not very environmentally friendly.
Plant litter made of wood fiber or corn: The plant litter is made from renewable raw materials and can be composted or disposed of in the toilet. It is low in dust, but may contain glue and other additives. If you want to learn more about the benefits and sustainability of plant-based bedding, check out Cat’s Best’s post.
Silicate litter: The silica gel absorbs the odorous substances, the liquid itself evaporates. Accordingly, silicate litter needs to be changed less often. It doesn’t dust, but it’s very light, which bothers some cats when they burrow and can lead to more litter ending up outside the toilet.
Pellets: Wood pellets are a cheap alternative to conventional litter. They reliably bind liquids and odors, do not produce dust and cannot be carried into the home by the cat like litter. However, the cat cannot bury its legacy and picking up the heaps of excrement with the shovel is somewhat difficult.
Litter is available in different grain sizes from fine to coarse. The cat decides which is better. In the case of mineral and vegetable substances, you also have the choice between clumping and non-clumping. Here we would like to recommend the clumping variant. In this way, most of the urine can also be removed during daily cleaning.
4. Not enough cat litter
If the filling level is not correct, urine in particular will quickly seep down to the floor and stick there. This is unnecessary work when cleaning and also carries the risk that the urine eats its way into the litter box. In addition, the cat likes to distribute the litter in the apartment from the toilet that is too empty. If you don’t like that, you will find helpful tips in the article Avoiding cat litter in the apartment.
5. Litter box too old
Over time, at least with plastic litter boxes, there are many scratches in which bacteria and odors can settle. If you don’t want to replace your litter box regularly, try a toilet made of stainless steel. Even sharp cat claws cannot harm it.
6. Not enough litter boxes in multi-cat households
There should be at least one toilet per cat, better still one. Otherwise, you can’t keep up with the cleaning, or rival house cats are looking for other places to do their business. Ones that don’t smell like roommates.
7. Too small litter box
In many cat households, the litter boxes are simply too small. A typical beginner’s mistake that can often be observed in the pet trade: the new cat parents enthusiastically buy a litter box that is far too small and a transport box that is far too small. Have you ever noticed this or even happened yourself?
The decisive factor for the size of the toilet is not the size of the cat, but its well-being. She must turn around when looking for the right spot and later be able to scratch unhindered. In addition, she does not want to do her business in an already polluted area. If the litter box is too small, burying often becomes a minor matter.
8. Scratch Resistant Litter Bag
The clever *garbage bags don’t just keep urine off the floor or edge of the toilet. They also make complete cleaning clean, easy and quick: take out and throw away! The daily removal of the legacies is done as usual with the shovel. However, caution is advised with cats that like to scratch at the edge. The pouches are slipped over the edge and, although scratch-resistant, could be damaged by direct contact with the claws and tear when removed.
9. Cat it magic odor absorber
The Cat it magic odor absorber is a filter that absorbs ammonia molecules. The odor neutralizer works without chemicals and toxins and can be easily attached to the upper ceiling of the litter box with the self-adhesive label. After a month it will be exchanged.
10. Litter box cleaner
Already knew? There are extra cleaners for the litter box. Like the *Bactador Odor Remover and Stain Remover. The all-rounder not only works in the litter box but can also be used in the entire cat household to eliminate odors and stains.
Wrong approach
Problems are best tackled at the source. If your cat’s legacies stink extremely, something is not running smoothly. Find and fix the cause. Then you can touch up with natural odor neutralizers. Scented beads, scented litter or a lid on the litter box are not a good idea.
You should avoid this if the litter box smells unpleasant
Whitewashing or sealing in the unpleasant odors does not make the cat more comfortable using the toilet clean. This leads to even more odor nuisance and, in the worst case, affects the health of your animal.
No measures against litter box odor
- Closed toilets lock in the smell. The cat does not take the time to burrow or go to other places. Also, the cramped space forces the cat to step into its own droppings.
- Spraying the litter box with deodorant endangers your cat’s sensitive nose and health.
- Air fresheners that emit scent at regular intervals are not only a concern about the chemicals, but also startle the cat.
- Baking soda is useless and bothers the cat.
Cat box stinks: Here’s how to remedy it
If the litter box stinks, it usually has to do with poor hygiene. Daily debris removal and regular thorough cleaning can eliminate the biggest problem. Make sure that the litter box is large enough without scratches and offers a clumping litter with sufficient filling. Simple home remedies help to neutralize stubborn odors. So you quickly have a low-odour litter box that not only pleases you, but also the cat.