Litterbox smells like bleach (!!!)

Lately whenever I have cleaned my Micky's litterbox, I've noticed that it smells strongly of bleach... Chlorox, or something to that extent. Maybe ammonia. She seems fine -- her bowel movements are regular and normal looking, and she hasn't seemed sick (she's nuzzling my hand right now, sitting in my lap).

I use TidyCat litter and she has a steady diet of Friskies (Chef's Blend), with about a third of a can of wet food (I alternate between chicken, salmon and beef... she can't help but love them all) each evening.

Has this happened to anyone else? I'd like to know if there's bleach or something in this particular brand of litter, because she's a very curious cat, and I wouldn't want her to get sick if she decided to see what litter tasted like. The rest of my bathroom smells normal... I don't even keep bleach products in there. Anyway. Let me know please.

I have no idea.
But welcome to you and Mickey to TCS!

I do know that cat pee does have the smell of ammonia so maybe that is what it is.

How often do you clean the litterbox? Is it clumping litter?
I tend to think this is the best kind though I am no expert on litter.
I scoop Lovey's box daily and it seems to keep the smell away.
I can't smell a thing...

Maybe someone else will have helpful suggestions.
You can search litter to get numerous threads on what people think is the best litter here for themselves.

Also, one thing I have found is that if you decide to change Mickey's food to a high level brand instead of Friskies (which is mainly corn and not the greatest food), you can expect to feed less, and get smaller bowel movements.
Though I know you say this isn't the problem, it really does a world of difference in a cat's appearance, and their overall health.

You can find numerous threads also on good food to feed.
Generally you can't find good food in your grocery store.. Try a pet supplies and food store.

I know you will get lots of great advice from all the seasoned cat people here.
Everyone is great!

Cheers

CJ and Billy's smell like that sometimes. It's just the smell of the urine now and then. As long as you clean it everyday, it should keep the smell away. Sometimes, if I accidentally miss a day, it'll smell that way. Add more litter, that should make it go away. Make sure you scoop it everyday, too.

I think I know exactly what you mean and if it's what I think it is then your aren't cleaning the box often enough.

I had a litterbox in the spare bedroom and the cats used it but then I shut the door and forgot about it for a day or two and when I cleaned it out it reaked like ammonia or bleach or something like that. Also once when I forgot to clean out one of the other boxes downstairs, when I finally did it smelled the same way. Now I be sure to scoop them every day and I completely dump them and scrub them out once a week. How often do you scoop the box and how often do you completely scrub it out?

Another thing, as someone else mentioned, if you switch to a better quality food (not one from a grocery store) then your cat will be all around healthier and there will be less litterbox mess to clean. It's like feeding McDonalds to a human everyday, think how often you would have to go and how gross it would be if you ate McD's everyday. A cat needs the good quality meats and stuff in their diets, not the by-products and fillers and cornmeal and that is all that is in foods like Friskies.

Thanks for all the advice. I researched a little bit when I first got Micky about the different kinds of food for cats, but the thing is, I'm on a very tight budget. A lot of these foods were a little too expensive and I have to admit that I was drawn in by the price of Friskies. I hadn't thought the food was a problem since I only recently started noticing the smell, but I've had Micky for several months on the same brand of food.

Also, now that I think about it, lately I *have* been very busy, and while I keep up the amount of litter in the box and I wash out the box every weekend, I've been getting in the habit of cleaning it out about every other day.

Again, thanks for the advice. After a week or so, if it still smells like bleach, I'll post again. Thanks!

Cat urine often smells like ammonia. If they have a UTI or are not neutered, the smell is even stronger. Cleaning the litter will help, but also need to scrub out the box itself. I keep an extra clean box on hand and rotate it out with the used ones on a regular basis. Once the box gets too soiled, I replace it. Urine gets into plastic and it smells after a while.

If you are doing all of this and you still notice the smell, you might want to talk to your vet. Strong smelling urine (if neutered) can indicate a urinary infection.

WHen I was still using the old fashioned clay litter I would get those smells. Now with the Arm and Hammer clumping - not only do I use less in the long run - the smells are much less.