House smells like a litterbox

I don't know if there are have been any other threads on this subject or not but here is my situation-

i keep the litter box in the basement (i live in a 2 story townhouse) and when you walk into my house it smells. I have noticed it a few times, my boyfriend smells it all the time. I use paper litter, I can't remember if it has a fragrence of not. I just recently let the cats start running around the house (sunday night was the first time. if they are peeing other places I can't find it. I know that they are using their litter box.

does anybody have any suggestions on things I can do to aleviate the smell?

I would suggest that you start using another type of litter, the clumpable, sand type litter works best for me, like Scoop Away. One thing that I do before cleaning the box is spray Lysol around it, then clean it, helps so I don't smell the odor when cleaning. You can also purchase a litter box with a cover on it that they go in and out of, makes it more of a pain to clean because you have to remove the cover, but depends on how desperate you are. The smell also can vary based on the cats diet, a good quality cat food usually is best.

the girls get IAMS dry food once a day & fancy feast wet once a day. i think those are good quality.

the litter box i use now is one of those layered ones where you lift out the top pan, sift and the poop stays in, litter pans into the the next pan. i use flushable b/c then i can just dump it in the toilet. i clean the box once a week with soap & water.

thanks for the suggestion. i probably will go get a litter box with a lid.

I use a unique litter for my two kittens. Laying pellets.
There is never any smell, the top layer always stays dry and it goes straight into the garden as compost.

Val

I change my litter boxes daily, and use a product that I sprinkle on about every 10 days. I can't remember the name of it, I'll get it to you tomorrow. Ever since I started using it, there has been NO smell at all. My daughter is very happy, as she has to change the upstairs box daily, too. About every three weeks, I throw out all the litter, (I use liners, so I just tie up the bag and toss it) and put in a box of clean litter. I've used all kinds, but they all MUST clump. I also have a TruAir filter that I plug in next to box and leave on all the time. It has a charcoal filter that eliminates pet smells. It's very quiet and keeps the air in the room clean and fresh.

If your house smells, even with new and fresh litter, I suspect that you have old stains of pee or one of your cats is urinating outside the boxes. When you find the stain, and you will if you sniff and walk around the house, especially on a hot day, get the neutralizer stuff that eliminates the odor. Most likely, if you can smell it, your cats can, too, and my be peeing in that area when you aren't around. If you ever catch them scratching in an area (like litter box scratching), that's the spot with the pee. Or, if you see them sniffing really intensely and then pick up their head with their mouths open, that's another sign. That's how I found out that my new kitten had peed on my bed. My older cat was sniffing and had this really intense look on his face. I sniffed too, a there is was. Unfortunately, girl cat pee is not as smelly as boy pee, so it can be harder to find.

Good luck!

airprincess, check out this thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...?threadid=1295

there is information about a product you can buy, (at an
affordable price) that may help

i have that same problem i keep thinking they are peeing
in corners when i am not looking!

and i am not lucky enough to have a basement so it is a
constant struggle for me to keep the house smelling nice & fresh.

i think, the litter & smell of litter gets into/on their
paws and that is a way that they may be tracking the smell
through the house... ?

Mofong, I would love to know the name of the product that you sprinkle on your litter.

Blue thanks for the thread. i will check out this nok-out stuff

Airprincess,

It's called Odor-Eze. It comes in a box of 4 packets, and you sprinkle it on top of the litter. As the cats use the box, they mix it in naturally by scratching and digging. I add it in about every two weeks. It has been the best thing yet. Better than the Arm&Hammer baking soda stuff. If you can smell sooner than two weeks, just add another bag. It recommends you add every 10 days, but I've been able to stretch it.

I just switched to those white crystal litters and the smell is much, much better. The jury is still out on long term use. Emma, my 14 week old color point siamese, likes to play with the little balls and she kind of sinks in too much compared to regular clay type litters.

Mofong, where did you get the odor-eze? can i get it at petsmart?

You can get the Odor-Eze at any pet store. I get mine at Pet Club. If not, I've seen it on the internet shopping places, too.

Separate point about the Litter Crystals. I was a sworn user for over 1-1/2 years. Then I got another cat and found myself changing the litter twice a month instead of once. I bought the bigger bag, but I began to notice that the urine was collecting at the bottom of the box because the crystals will only collect it if they are not full yet. If you stir the crystals around once in a while to mix it (the urine seeps to the bottom), you get a really stinky box. I found that even my older cat, who will use any kind of litter, was beginning to poop outside the box. I switched back to clumping and like it better. Plus, there are no little plastic balls rolling EVERYWHERE. If you step on one with bare feet, it can really hurt.

Thanks for the insights on the crystals. I may switch back to a clay base. I saw the oder-eze at Walmart last week.