How often do you clean the litter box?

Draco · Feb 5, 2014

1. What kind of box or boxes you have.
2 boxes.. one's an underbed storage box in my closet. the other's a covered box with a high back in my bedroom.

2. What type of litter do you use (please mention clumping or non-clumping, crystals or other).
World's Best Multicat litter- corn, clumping

3. How often do you scoop?
Once a day. I sometimes forget or get lazy. oops. They're good kitties!

4. How often do you have a total change of litter and/or cleaning of the entire box?
Once a month for total change and scrubbing of boxes

harhardf · Feb 5, 2014

1. One that is completely enclosed with a door. She likes to kick. I have even found poop marks on the inside ceiling because she loves digging and kicking it so high.

2. Clumping (but really crappy Mexican brand) and crystals (brought from the USA) with baking soda. The crappy litter here doesnt clump well and the Scoop Away US brand is $30 a bag, so I opt for the crappy with frequent changes and odor killers.

3. At least once a day if not twice. I put baking soda in once a week to make sure there is no odor.

4. Weekly. I throw it all away, bleach both the bottom and top, scrub it with Fabuloso and then refill.

harhardf · Feb 5, 2014

Does anyone else's cat LOVE to roll in her litter, dirty or clean? I have to lock her out when I am cleaning it because she jumps in a rolls around on her back, trying to play with me. When the lid is on, its not fun so she doesnt do it. I chalk it up to the fact that she was taken from her mother too early (at 3-4 weeks) and doesnt know right from wrong in some ways. Any suggestions on how to make her realize this is disgusting?

burkey · Feb 5, 2014

Yes, I have a roller.

Our 6 month old cat, Dory, adores the litter boxes. I actually started a thread in the behavior forum about it yesterday. She supervises (including rolling around) when we scoop, sometimes uses the box while we scoop, sings & chirps while doing her business, buries toys, and eagerly watches our 7 month old George while he's in there. That last bit is what I started the thread about...wasn't sure if I should be watching out for bullying behavior or not. It's gross, but amusing too. If she's still doing it a year from now, my opinion on the matter will probably change to simply just gross!

lizzy2cats · Feb 5, 2014

We have two litter boxes for our two cats and I try to scoop everyday . I have been using Arm and Hammer Clump and Seal and I love it , with everyday scooping there is no odor and I haven't had to completely empty it and start fresh . I think I will stick to this one it is the best clumping litter I've used .

shoshanna · Feb 6, 2014

I have two litter boxes. One is a standard lower sided jumbo sized and the other has a high side that snaps on to the standard litter pan below with an open top.

I used to use Fresh Step Multi cat formula and then found the Blue Buffalo Multi Cat Quick Clumping litter when they were out of Fresh Step and love the new litter and the cats do too.

I scoop maybe 3 or 4 times a day or more often if I happen to be in the room and find it has been used.

The new litter recommends that the level be kept at about 3 inches and after scooping to replace enough to make that level. Then to do a thorough and complete change with litter box cleaning every 30 days. I was sceptical and tried it. It works if you follow the bag instructions.

(This litter has said that it can be flushed depending on local ordinances but I have not ever tried it)

lamiatron · Feb 6, 2014

HarHarDF said:
Does anyone else's cat LOVE to roll in her litter, dirty or clean? I have to lock her out when I am cleaning it because she jumps in a rolls around on her back, trying to play with me. When the lid is on, its not fun so she doesnt do it. I chalk it up to the fact that she was taken from her mother too early (at 3-4 weeks) and doesnt know right from wrong in some ways. Any suggestions on how to make her realize this is disgusting?

my girl WOULD like to roll around in the litter while i'm cleaning it. lol but enough times of me stopping her she doesn't attempt anymore. however she just sit next to me and watch me clean it. i feel like she's supervising me...making sure i do a good job.....

chai love · Feb 6, 2014

1. What kind of box or boxes you have?

We use the Tidy Cats Breeze system.

2. What type of litter do you use (please mention clumping or non-clumping, crystals or other).

Tidy Cats Breeze pellets.

3. How often do you scoop?

Every other day.

4. How often do you have a total change of litter and/or cleaning of the entire box?

Can't say off hand but not that often. It's one of the things I like about the breeze litter. I feel like it's "cleaner" than clumping litter especially since the pee goes down onto a pad in a tray below the box and the poop sits on top of the litter for easy removal.

shanaskye · Feb 6, 2014

1. What kind of box or boxes you have.

I have one very large litter box (18 x 36 with high sides) that's actually a storage tote, for seven cats. Previously I had multiple boxes but it was much more work and more costly. I found that as log as I keep the single box well maintained, it works better for my situation.

2. What type of litter do you use (please mention clumping or non-clumping, crystals or other).

I was using the cheapest clumping clay litter I could find. But the dust was horrible, so I have been adding Arm & Hammer Essentials (corn fiber). I am now in the process of switching over completely. The corn fiber has no dust, it's more cost effective, I use much less litter, the odor control is much better, lasts longer.

3. How often do you scoop?

At least twice a day.

4. How often do you have a total change of litter and/or cleaning of the entire box?

I don't do it on a schedule. I do a complete change when it needs it, which is not very often. As long as the box is thoroughly cleaned frequently I don't find the need to do a complete change. I will change it all if I have an illness going around.

irinasak · Feb 6, 2014

Anne said:
I'm researching for a new article about the frequency in which people actually clean the cat box. If you could please reply with the following -

1. What kind of box or boxes you have.

2. What type of litter do you use (please mention clumping or non-clumping, crystals or other).

3. How often do you scoop?

4. How often do you have a total change of litter and/or cleaning of the entire box?

Thank you!

1. I have three covered boxes (and three cats).

2. Until recently I have used Cat's Best Öko Plus (natural plant fibre capillary system, clumping). I still use it in one litterbox. The other two boxes are with Tigerino Canada Unscented Cat Litter, natural clay clumping and Extreme Classic Unscented Cat Litter, clumping. I love Cat's Best Öko Plus, my cats love the other clumping clay based litter.

3. Every time there is something in the litterbox. We work full time, but they tend to use the litterbox only when we're home, so we scoop every time we hear someone use it.

4. I clean the litterboxes and change the entire litter once a month, sooner if I feel they are too dirty or too dusty.

catgirl12 · Feb 6, 2014

I have 2 cats and i found out that Fresh Step works the best it CLUMPS REALLY GOOD.I normally scoop the litter box 1 time in the morning and 1 time before i go to bed. I really would not leave it there for a day.And I clean the entire litter box once a week,even with 1 cat I think that the litter should be changed and the box should be washed 1 time a week.I hope this advise helped you

P.S. sorry i really have no idea what brand my litter box is. i only know that it came from Pet Smart.

hopps · Feb 6, 2014

catsallaround said:
I am curious how are you never changing the litter? or do you mean all the sawdust falls through the bottom tray.

So basically the pine pellets turn into sawdust when it comes in contact with liquid. Because I am using the Breeze Litter Box the sawdust will fall through. I can scoop the poop by shaking the box (the poop floats up, it's like mining for gold I guess... hahaha). So I just add in more pellets when it runs low. It's awesome because I spend $8.50 on a 40 lbs bag. I've had the 40 lbs bag since November 17, 2013. I still have it now so I guess I'm saving a lot of money.

The short answer, yeah it falls through to the bottom tray.

Lamiatron said:
because of WBCL, i'm totally turned off to natural litter products. There maybe ones out there that are better...but then again, they might just be like WBCL.

@sivyaleah i totally agree with you about the smell. and i really tried to give this litter a chance. I've tried the lavender scented one and the unscented one, both for multi-cat house holds, and clumping, and the smell was just HORRIBLE. my room mates would complain about the smell, and the litter box was in my room with the door closed and i had JUST cleaned it. the smell would not only be in my room, but the hallway, and my roommates bedroom (around the entrance area) because our door were RIGHT next to each other. It was crazy! it was an okay smell on it's own, but mixed with cat waste it was just unbearable. and i think my cats didn't like it much either because while using WBCL, i've had 2 instances of my Jet (my black cat) going out side of the box, and that was the only time she actually used the uncovered box, EVER. After i got rid of WBCL, i didn't even bother to transition them, i just dumped the whole thing out and put some tidy cats (desperate purchase) and they went happily.

@Hopps , based on member reviews here on the site, on their (WBCL) website, and on amazon i really had high hopes for WBCL, especially when it came to dust control. but the dust with WBCL was worse in my opinion. Sure, the 1st couple of days you didn't see or feel the dust, but on the 3rd day, its like, my cat went in black and came out orange and brown -____- not to mention she'd leave her little paw and body prints where ever she decided to sit or walk or lay down....it was gross.

for the amount of money you have to pay for "worlds best cat litter", the cons seriously are NOT worth it.

Yeah, when my kitten was younger she would play in her litter box and that was the funniest thing. Her face and paws were powdered and it scared the living daylights out of me when I first saw her! I thought it was a completely different cat haha

Anne · Feb 9, 2014

Bumping to thank everyone for the detailed replies! I'm going to rely on this thread in writing a new litter article today

Some of you have shared some excellent feedback on specific brands too. If you have a couple of minutes, and didn't do so already, please do visit the Cat Litter Reviews section, locate your brand (you can do that by sorting alphabetically), and add your review. This will -

1. Be your entry ticket to this month's litter reviews contest!

2. Could win you $30 in the monthly draw.

3. Most importantly, will help us form community assessments of products, helping other cat owners quickly find the information and see what's a good alternative for their cats.

I also tagged most of the brands mentioned here, which means you should be able to see them listed in the right-hand column in this page =>

Thank you!!

therese · Feb 9, 2014

I have two large (15#) cats.....I use the larger regular cat boxes, Petsmart type, 18 X 22", in a spare bathroom. I use black plastic garbage pail liners, double bag them for each box.

I use Worlds Best Litter, Forest Scented, clumping. Per my vet, I scoop two or three times a day. Then I add more to 'top off' every few days. And I dump the boxes and start over every two weeks.

My vet says its imperative to get plenty of ventilation so I keep the door open and also have a small window I can crack.

I must say, during my odessey searching for the right kitty litter, I can only assume that many people don't scoop their boxes very often.....?

All I see are boxes shouting out " mega stench eraser!" " double stink stopper !" So I can only assume that most people don't scoop or clean the box hardly ever. I know that we here at the Cat Site are much better at it, probably, but from what I see, I think we are the exception, not the rule out there.

Honestly, I must admit that I didn't do the scooping the way I should have until I met my Cat Vet and he taught me how to work the litter box thing.

blackcat416 · Feb 9, 2014

1. What kind of box or boxes you have.
Made by Natures Miracle, rectangle shape, very high sides.

2. What type of litter do you use (please mention clumping or non-clumping, crystals or other).
I use Clumping liter made from wheat that is biodegradable. Swheat scoop.

3. How often do you scoop?
Once a day.

4. How often do you have a total change of litter and/or cleaning of the entire box?
Total change out once every 6 to 8 weeks.
Scrubbing and disinfecting every 3 months.

Good luck!

Anne · Feb 13, 2014

Bumping to say thank you, once again and share the link to the article -

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-often-should-i-clean-the-litter-box

Check it out - you may just find yourself quoted there!

sarah2cats · Feb 13, 2014

Value litter I change 4 trays 4 days a week (every other day) and scoop out poop when I notice it

stillife · Feb 16, 2014

I have four cats (two big guys and two kittens) and three litterboxes.

I use the Hartz open boxes. I put puppy pads under the boxes in case somebody misses (one of my big guys sometimes prefers to pee on the pads).

I use World's Best Multicat clumping formula.

I'm kind of compulsive about scooping. The poops get scooped as soon as I see them and the pee clumps get scooped at least once a day.

I have a complicating factor in that one of my older cats is borderline diabetic and pees a lot! As a result, I do a complete litterbox change 2x a week for 2 of the litterboxes. The third box is upstairs and they don't use that one much so I change/scoop that one as needed.

carebearbaby1 · Feb 17, 2014

I have 4 jumbo sized litter boxes, 2 with high sides.

I use either Champion Breed unscented with baking soda (clumping) or Special Kitty with baking soda (clumping)

I scoop once a day

I changed them out at least once a month, every two weeks if I can afford it. My oldest is having diarrhea problems so her box gets changed more often.

blackcat416 · Feb 18, 2014

Therese said:
I must say, during my odessey searching for the right kitty litter, I can only assume that many people don't scoop their boxes very often.....?

All I see are boxes shouting out " mega stench eraser!" " double stink stopper !" So I can only assume that most people don't scoop or clean the box hardly ever. I know that we here at the Cat Site are much better at it, probably, but from what I see, I think we are the exception, not the rule out there.

You are so right about that, my brothers wife came home with a kitten that she "bought" in a pet store, strike number #1. My brother and one of his sons are allergic to cats, strike #2. When I finally got a chance to go visit and meet the kitten, who was cute as a button, she had the liter box under the kitchen table,
strike #3. The liter box was over flowing with poop, strike #4. And the minute you walked into their house the smell of liter, urine and poop almost knocked you over, strike #5.

This second wife of his had been unemployed for almost a year and a half, she can't care for her 2 girls so she added a poor kitten to the mix. Well after the kitten I could no longer keep my mouth shut. So now it's 6 months me and my brother haven't spoken. I could go up to strike #100 with his wife; but unfortunately I have to admit, we are the exception and not the norm. I have 7 cats, and if I think I smell something, out comes the bucket brigade.

I have been doing some research on my own to find a better liter, since my Swheat Scoop is now way too dusty any more. My new poor black kitten comes up from the liter box with a white face and head because she loves to dig and bury, so my mind is made up, Swheat Scoops got to go. Thanks for your comment and insight.

How often do you clean the litter box?

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