So I quite smoking a few months ago and have since started noticing smells that weren’t always apparent to me. My biggest issue is with the litter box. I keep it in the laundry room. Now every time I walk in there, it’s like getting punched in the face. I’m wondering if I threw an air purifier in there if that would work?
“Arrrr-Ooooos”
[translation]“Mittens never forget Marlboros. Mittens always hate yous…!”[/translation]
I have never had a problem with litter box smells if I clean it every day and occasionally put in all new litter. It is a toilet after all, and poop goes in it.
I hear you can get scented litters but that makes as much sense to me as a scented toilet bowl - that is, none. But someone buys it. Maybe that someone will be you. Wildflower fresh!
Not as much good as more frequent scooping. And/or high-grade superlitter. But I’m cheap so I scoop.
Some cats can be toilet trained, that might be an option?
Yeah, I got one of those “autoclean” litter boxes. It does a good job of scooping the poo away but all the urine pretty much sinks to the bottom and the litter gets caked on. I have to empty the damn thing every four or five days and start new again.
I’m wondering if i should just bite the bullet and go back to the good old fashioned “scoop it yourself” boxes. Blech! that makes me sick! I paid over $200 for that damn box.
I’ve heard horror stories of those boxes taking a recent plop of diarrhea and smearing it all over the place as it merrily tries to scoop it into the end receptacle before it dries up some. That was enough convincing to tell me it wasn’t worth it. I scoop the old fashioned way and can’t even smell anything unless it’s…well, diarrhea.
Also, maybe you need to buy a faster-clumping litter if it goes straight through the stuff to the pan base.
I bought ammonia-scented cat litter. Covers up the shit smell beautifully!
FWIW, your sense of smell will calm down a bit yet. I don’t remember how long it took when I quit but it was an arc.
I would try a different kind of cat litter. Sometimes the premium stuff really is better. I would also try using more litter so the urine doesn’t get a chance to pool on the bottom and stick to the pan, but clumps up near the top to be scooped. You are using clumping litter aren’t you? (I bought the non- clumping kind by accident last time. Yuck.)
Maybe.
If it’s a simple HEPA filter, no. Those work great for removing airborne particulates, but not for gaseous pollutants. If you get an air purifier, you need one with an activated charcoal element that absorbs odorous gases.
If you buy one, make sure your cat is comfortable around it while it’s running. If a strange buzzing/humming tower suddenly appears next to his litterbox, he may decide he’d prefer to do his downloads somewhere else…
We have a covered box in the kitchen – really no other place to put it – for our two. The only time there’s an odor is right after one of the boys takes a crap.
In my experience, those self-cleaning litter boxes are pretty useless. I use a good qulaity cat litter and scoop every day. Replace the litter as needed. Once a month, I dump the old litter, wash the box, scoop and the floor, and start fresh. Other than immediately after a solid “download” as someone put it, no smell.
Nah, forget the air purifier. As the OP says, the cat might become spooked by it.
The only way to avoid having your house smell like a zoo imho is to resign yourself to keeping the litter box scrupulously clean and using a fast clumping litter. Washing the inside of the litter box every time I change the litter (once a month) with bleach solution helps too.
My 15 pounder has his own bathroom with BoodaBox. Cat’sPride Fresh Light scented litter works pretty well and clumps fast so I can scoop it as soon as I notice he’s used it (believe me, its not hard to tell …)
I use the method that our local cat protection society uses (we volunteer).
Sheet of newspaper, handful of litter. When it gets used, pick up the newspaper with the litter and solids inside, throw it away. Put down new paper, throw in a handful of litter, repeat.
Pros:
Use less litter overall
Takes an equal amount of time as scooping
Essentially you have a totally clean litter box almost all the time.
Cons:
More trash
Some cats like more stuff to dig in
Some cats will love this so much they refuse to use the litter twice
Anyway, it works for us and we have no cat smell unless someone just used it. Then we just pitch the evidence and start afresh.
“The World’s Best Cat Litter” has NO odor. Seriously. You’ve got to scoop once or twice a day, but if you do that, you will have No. Cat. Pee. Odor. It’s not particularly cheap, but it lasts forever. Just add new litter once a month or so.
I’ve owned cats for 40 years and have scooped enough cat litter to fill the Grand Canyon, but this stuff is the best. It’s made from corn. When it’s new, it smells like straw or paper. Very clean.
I have two cats now and keep the litter boxes (two of them) in the bathroom, and I never smell cat pee. I only smell poop right after someone uses the box. I scoop it immediately and only a light dusting of litter sticks to it, so I flush. For the little golf balls of pee, I scoop into a plastic bag and put in trash.
I buy the one in the green bag.
I’ve never had a problem. There are times where I go to pee, and think: “a cat went in the last 5 minutes. Phew.” Next time I come back the scent is gone. 4 cats, clean 1-2 times a day. Multiple boxes, but I think only one of the uses the others, and then 5% of the time. They like the open box, those pricks, kicking litter everywhere. That’s my biggest problem. I use “Litter Purrfect Multi-Cat”, 38 pounds from Costco, for cheapness and I see no problems.
Never used a self-cleaner, but those sound like a pain in the ass. I am not afraid to scoop.
In a way, yes. As others have noted, it might give your cat the impetus to explore other excretion options, so to speak.
Also suggesting you try a different litter, or more of your current litter. We use Amazing Cat Litter, or sometimes Fresh Step Crystal (which tracks more) or sometimes Precious Cat Long Haired (which tracks almost not at all due to larger particle size). It’s pure silica gel bits. We do not scoop, ever. Once a month or so we dump the whole box and pour in a new bag. If we scooped, it would last longer, but we’re lazy; I’d rather spend another $8 than scoop poop. My mother hates cats, and grudgingly admits there’s no cat box odor in our place.
Thanks guys for all the suggestions. I was skeptical, but while I was at the store last week I tried another cat litter. I went ahead with World’s Best Kitty Litter, (Mainly, because that was the only one I could remember off the top of my head)
Let me just say: Holy crap what a difference a better cat litter has made! I changed it out over a week ago and still no signs of smells. Bonus: I’m still using my auto litter box, so no scooping for me either.