Feline nutrition was our theme for January, with so many wonderful new articles - thank you again @LDG     - special contests, and more. 

This month, we'll be taking a closer look at ...

Cat Litter!

Expect new articles, contests and threads about the contents of your cat's litterbox 

Starting with a nosy thread asking you for some information: 

How often do you clean the litter box?

(Please click through and reply in the thread itself - thank you!)

I'll be posting details about the new Reviews Contest soon (yup, cat litter will be the category we focus on this month!) Stay tuned!

Hooray for our first update of this thread!

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/272096/cat-litter-reviews-contest

Join in the cat litter reviews contest and you could be our winner this month!

This should be an interesting topic.

Since I use the Blue Buffalo litter and have 2 very large litter boxes this is a very serious topic for me.  The litter that I use recommends doing the daily scooping of any clumps and other debris and to make sure the level of litter stays about 3 inches.  This litter is great to use for a full 30 days and then do a thorough clean of the litter box and use brand new litter.  I had a serious doubt that this would work until I used the instructions on the bag and did just what they told me.  Both the cats are okay with it and while I do scoop a lot more than daily, it works really well.  My house may have cooking odors, or smell of cleaning supplies sometimes, but I have never had litter box odor and no one can tell just walking into my home that there are litter boxes here.  So I am happy.  My litter is now Blue Buffalo Naturally Fresh Multi-cat Quick Clumping Cat Litter.  I think it will stay that way.

I have 3 tomcats...

I clean the litter box at ll am..

and I clean the litter box out at 10 pm each night.

2 am... I get up to use the bathroom myself and I  stop by the room with the l itter box

aand have a  plastic bag ready and cl ean the litter box,

take the bag outside and then wash my hands

and the door knob where I went out the back door to l eave the bag in a bucket.

I get up at 5 am and   clean the litter box out again and take the new bag and contents out

and put outside in the bucket ..again..

so that is 4 times during 24 hours.

I  use  cup  hydrogen perioxide to clean door knobs and even add one fourth cup of hydrogen peroxide to my  bucket of water to mop the floor

and t hen use several buckets of clean water to rinse...

Believe me there is a lot of activity going on  in that large litter box

and I would not want one to step into anothers.. doings..and

step into the kitchen floor ...

what is so funny and irritating that makes our mouth fall open in shock

is they wil go outside for hours to hunt and play and then come in and go straight to the

nice clean litter and do their job. Oh no ..here I go again with the scoop and bag

to clean it out..so I can have a fresh house.

I do not use scented cat litter because of my allergies and my family..

I am sure t hat the cats appreciate not having scented litter on their legs

and paws and then licking the fragrance ...

We use Exquisite cat litter no fragrance. unscented ..we buy at Petsmart

clumps and is a good litter.

SheriT

lst cat is Bro, Second cat is Peebo and third cat is Leo.

SheriT said:

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• Feb 4, 2014

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• sherit
• Feb 4, 2014

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Hello and welcome! What beautiful cats you have! Thank you for sharing the pictures!

We have a thread right now about litter box cleaning routines here:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/272093/how-often-do-you-clean-the-litter-box

Maybe you can add yours as well in that thread? I hope to condense the thread into an interesting article later this month. Thank you!

Our first new article for this month is all about cat litter!

Find out what the differences are between the various type of kitty litter and find out which one is right for your cat and you -

Choosing the Right Cat Litter

I've never had a cat that cared at all what kind of litter we use, thank goodness.  Even though I don't like scented *anything* (cleaners, lotions, sprays, etc.), I use the traditional style Tidy Cats, the one with the red label (whatever that one is called...multiple cat something or other).  I've tried just about every litter out there, and for me the great functionality of regular Tidy Cats outweighs the fact that it has a scent that I'd really rather not have.  As far as I know, there isn't an unscented version, or if there is one it is not sold in my area.  Here there are three different scents, and I find the red one the least objectionable.  I have six litterboxes for four cats.  I try to scoop once a day, but honestly sometimes it's every other day.  Although it's non-clumping, the traditional Tidy Cats kind of binds together enough that I can get much of the urine out when I scoop, along with the feces.  Because of that, I don't have to empty the whole box as often, and I don't have any litterbox odor in my home (until it's time to empty and refill).  I'd say I don't need (based on smell and appearance) to completely change the litter until 10 to 14 days, but only because as I said I am able to scoop most of the urine along with the rest.

A side note, after Quincy had a urinary blockage last summer, I had to switch to clumping litter for a couple of months in the two litterboxes he usually uses so I could monitor his output.  I think I tried two different store brands plus the clumping Tidy Cats.  The stench was absolutely horrific, slightly better with the store brands than the Tidy Cats clumping, but really quite awful with all of them.  And remember this was with me scooping every few hours because I was so worried about my boy.  (I now know way more about his bathroom habits than I ever really wanted to. ;-) )   No matter how much I scooped, the stench was awful.  I remember having the same experience years ago when I tried clumping litter.  I don't know what the problem is, but I will never ever use clumping litter again unless medical problems require it again.  I literally went from having no litterbox odor in my house at all, to being able to smell it as soon as I walked in the door.  I know I'm probably in the minority here, and I know millions of people use clumping litter without this problem, but wow, it sure doesn't work for me.

Another new article 

Think you want to switch to a new kind of cat litter? We'll help you think again. 

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/when-and-how-to-switch-to-a-new-type-of-litter

Earlier this month we asked you, our members: "how often do you clean the litterbox", and you provided lots of replies. The bottom line is, TCS members keep their litterboxes clean! 

You can find some of these replies quoted in our new guide - 

How Often Should I Clean the Litterbox.

So, when helping new members with cat care advice, don't forget to link them to our articles!

Another new litterbox article just published - 

How to Minimize Litterbox Odor

Take a few minutes to read it and leave a comment there.

Don't forget to submit your litter reviews for this month's reviews contest too!