The only downside to having a cat is cleaning up the litter box. This is, after all, a big toilet that never gets flushed. Eventually, it’s going to stink up the house, making your neighbors think that you’re not nearly as clean as you actually are. Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to reduce the small of cat litter. Read on to see how you can get the air back in your home.
Buy a Litter Box with a Door and Filter
If you have an open container litter box, all of the odors from it will be pouring into the air. Get a litter box with a flap on the front so that all of the smells will be contained. If you can find a box with a door and a filter, that would be ideal. The filter will catch the smells that leak out of the top of the litter box, and the door will do the rest of the work.
Change the Placement of the Litter Box
Try to put the litter box in an area that does not receive a lot of traffic. That way, you won’t have to smell it very often. Try to put it in a laundry room or bedroom that most people don’t use, not next to the dining room table. Point the door away from the area where people may be in the room so the smells essentially hit the wall. This should improve the overall smell of the home.
Use Extreme Odor Control Cat Litter
If you have multiple cats in your household, try to find cat litter that will accommodate for the volume of usage in your litter box. You can buy extreme odor control cat litter that will immensely reduce the smells in the room. Your cat may smell a little strange the first day or two after you change the litter, but the air in general will smell much better.
Change the Litter Regularly
Don’t wait until the last minute to change the cat litter. You can scoop it once every other day and then make a big dump twice a month. If you want to change the whole box once a week, you could do that too. It just depends on how actively your cat uses the litter and how bad the smell is.
Try Different Cat Foods
Your cat’s stomach may not agree with his food. You could try changing that out and waiting for the smells to improve. My cat had some terrible smelling litter when he was eating Science Diet, but I switched to Purina Pro Plan and that improved immensely. As long as you get a decent brand of pet food, you should be able to find something to improve the litter odor.
Determine If There is a Deeper Problem
If your cat’s litter smells fouler than you think it logically should, you may want to take him to the vet to diagnose a bigger problem. A simple bacterial imbalance can drastically change the way your cat’s waste smells, and that can be easily fixed with medication. All you have to do is know what to get and then administer it accordingly.
Follow the tips above to improve the smell of your cat’s litter box, and you will be able to enjoy time with him once again.
About the Author: Sally Southerland is a pet lover who runs an animal rescue center out of her home. She became a veterinarian with the help of left handed scholarships, and she now spends her days trying to take care of the animals she loves so much.