Hello all,
I am posting here and not in Care and Grooming because my concern is strictly health-related. I use clumping clay litter (Dr. Elsey's). I scoop at least twice a day and keep the litter deep enough that nothing ever touches the bottom of the box. If a clump touches the sides of the box, I disinfect the spot and clean it with enzymatic cleaner. I wash the box about once a month. The litter seems clean and does not smell at all, so I dump it out and replace it only twice a year. That seems to be what Dr. Pierson (catinfo.org) does as well.
Is there any health-related reason to dump and replace litter that looks and smells clean? For example, does bacteria build up to a dangerous degree? It seems to me that even brand new litter is contaminated the first time it is used, so there is no way to keep the litterbox sanitized, regardless of how frequently the litter is replaced.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
I am posting here and not in Care and Grooming because my concern is strictly health-related. I use clumping clay litter (Dr. Elsey's). I scoop at least twice a day and keep the litter deep enough that nothing ever touches the bottom of the box. If a clump touches the sides of the box, I disinfect the spot and clean it with enzymatic cleaner. I wash the box about once a month. The litter seems clean and does not smell at all, so I dump it out and replace it only twice a year. That seems to be what Dr. Pierson (catinfo.org) does as well.
Is there any health-related reason to dump and replace litter that looks and smells clean? For example, does bacteria build up to a dangerous degree? It seems to me that even brand new litter is contaminated the first time it is used, so there is no way to keep the litterbox sanitized, regardless of how frequently the litter is replaced.
Thanks in advance for any advice.