Advice on a good litter box

Hi there,

I have recently taken in a beautiful Lynx Point Siamese. She is a big cat with bowl movements to match...

The litter box that was given to me by the previous owners is ok (it's covered) but I would much prefer to get something a little more odour friendly.

Any recommendations on a good quality litter box? Any litter suggestions are welcome too!

Hm, I'm not a big fan of covered litter box. It traps the odor and it's convenient to humans but generally it can be bad for the kitty, considering how clean they like to be.

The most odor friendly litter box is the one you clean at least once or twice daily.

How big is the box? bigger box allows more room for kitty to move in, and also more litter to cover up items.

The source of the odor is mainly the cat litter. Scoop at least once a day, add and mix a dash or two of baking soda in the litter, change the litter and wash the box at least once a month. 

I clean the litter box at least 3 times a day or whenever I notice she's used it. The litter I use is a clumping formula and the box itself is fairly substaintial in size. Much larger than my previous cats who was not nearly as messy or stinky lol. Maybe the problem lies in her diet...a question to ask the vet.

On the litter box note (because of my insistent in-laws) has anyone heard of the omega litter box? Self cleaner or something. I'm unfamiliar with it and read good and bad reviews. Thoughts anyone?

I will also try the baking soda - thank you

Huh, I am confused now.. once a month?

I change every time but  I keep only 3 cups of  ''crystals''. I prefer them because its easy to flush in the toilet. Every time I wash the box well. Alexander eats raw now and to my surprise it doesn't smell much, may be even less then before.

Our place is very hot and humid, I don't see any other alternative to odor free home. . 

Nikolova said:

Huh, I am confused now.. once a month?
I change every time but  I keep only 3 cups of  ''crystals''. I prefer them because its easy to flush in the toilet. Every time I wash the box well. Alexander eats raw now and to my surprise it doesn't smell much, may be even less then before.

Our place is very hot and humid, I don't see any other alternative to odor free home. . 

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If you use a clumping clay litter, make sure it's deep enough, and scoop it regularly, you really do only need to change it entirely once a month, maybe even less often. The guy who invented clumping litter didn't completely change the litter in his cat's entire 16-year life! Of course the litter pan still needs scrubbing now and then and it needs to be scooped every day. And I imagine the climate will be a factor because it is hard to keep things odor-free in high humidity. Whatever works for you!

I agree that her diet may be a factor. Food that isn't well-digested is just going to show up on the other end, somewhat worse for wear. . .

I think you have some good advice here to add to what you are already doing.

The matter of diet, and any possible health issues your cat might have, are definitely worth having a chat with your vet about.  If you haven't done so already it is worth a good read on the nutrition section of this site to think about the range of alternatives and different things that might help - from changing commercial foods, home cooking, raw or simply adding probiotics.

I would also add that the type of clumping litter can make a huge difference.

For years I didn't know any better and used a readily available litter from supermarkets but the odour control wasn't good, and I don't think my cats liked the feel of it under paw so used to teeter on the edge of their box.  When I adopted my current boy I found his urine was much stronger than my girls' had been and immediately started to experiment.  I couldn't believe the instant improvements.

• Firstly it does have to be deep enough for your cat to dig about and ideally absorb urine before it seeps to the bottom.
• Secondly you want one that clumps very firmly so that when you scoop no stray bits of soiled litter flake off and stay in the tray. These will start to smell strongly and be unpleasant for your cat well before they reach your nose.
• Some varieties, I think possibly the finer ones, stick more effectively to soiled matter and absorb the gas odours better than others. Sadly if you have a kitty (like one of my girls was) that refuses to bury their poop it is going to smell until you remove it from the tray. 

There are quite a few threads on which litter people prefer and why and they are worth reading along with on line reviews but in the end it will come down to what you can get where you live, your personal preference and what your cat will use.  I use an unscented fine texture clumping clay (Tigerino) and a fairly basic but easy to clean large covered box: My household preference for now.

Good luck with finding a solution!

I use the big plastic storage boxes, either with or without a hole cut in them. Right now I have a deeper one that Trevor likes, and a more shallow but larger one that Burlington prefers. I don't like covered litter boxes, but Trevor is so big that he would often "miss" even if he was inside the litter box, so that's what got me started on using the big plastic boxes. Also, if you have dogs that like to get in the litter box, the big ones with a lid and a hole cut in the top lets the cats in and out and keeps the dogs out

I also have problem with the size of the litter box. Alexander is big and often he can't cover  the traces. For now it's not a big problem, but he will grow, so i'm thinking of dog sized box..

When I was younger I had a pet guinea pig and when he died I didn't know what to do with his cage. The cage had a large plastic bottom with a wire top. When I adopted my first cat, I thought to myself, wow why not use the old guinea pig cage bottom? It's the perfect size and he never leaks it the side because it's big. A year after I adopted my first cat, I fostered five kittens and that huge litterbox was a godsend. So my suggestion is find a guinea pig cage (they usually are around $30) and use the plastic bottom, or go to a home goods store and buy a shallow long plastic container, used for under bed storage. Just take off the top and voila, a large cat box.