Want 3rd Cat - Scared of Stinky Litter Box

Argh!! I want to adopt a 3rd cat...an older kitty...but worried about the smell.

Right now I have 2 cats and am struggling with "litter box issues." One cat urinates standing up, so I can't use a traditional litter box...I have to use a big plastic tub. The other cat refused to bury ANYTHING in the litter, so there's an odor issue there as well. I use Fresh Step and scoop every morning but there's still an odor.

Am I doing something wrong??

It seems like I read somewhere here that the best litter to use is some kind of wood pellet that you can get at a pet store...any feedback on that? I'm also on a budget so "the best bang for the buck" is what I'm looking for.

I'm going to start volunteering at an animal shelter and I'm sure that I'm going to want to bring another kitty home. I'd love some feedback on what I should do. This litter box issue needs to be cleaned up - no pun intended!!

Do you only have one box? The answer is to have several - oner per cat plus one is the advice, if you possibly can. Keep them fresh with baking soda (bought in industrial quantities and sprinkled on each morning) and scoop as you are doing and there should be no problem.

If you are having issues now with litter pans, the last thing you need is another cat. If you really want another one, you will have to bring in a 3rd litter pan.

You might want to have your cats checked for worms if its a strong odor or change the type of food you are feeding.

What kind of foods are you currently feeding? Cheaper foods will cause a smelly litter pan.

Yes, I have just one big tub of litter for my 2 cats. I tried the baking soda on top for the first time today!

The food I use is the Purina "Inside Cat" in the green bag. Not the most expensive but not super cheap either.

Actually, I've been reading up on toilet training cats and have ordered the Citikitty kit. I'm going to give it a go. If that doesn't work...2 separate litter boxes.

You might want to check out an automatic cat litter. It basically cleans itself and all you have to do it pick out the poopy tray and toss away. It does wonders. We have one and god it's a mircle.

The wood pellets you are referring to is Feline Pine. I use it and love it. I suggest picking up a small bag and giving it a shot. You scoop out the poop whenever you feel like it and the urine you just leave because it turns to saw dust. You seriously cannot smell the urine either, I have picked up a scoop of it and smelled it and it smells like fresh pine sawdust. It makes your house smell decent too because you just smell pine. Obviously when they poop it will smell for a bit. But try a small bag first, not all cats like it.

And you really should have one litterbox per cat plus one extra. I would look into some better quality food too, you can fine a whole lot better for roughly the same price. I buy the giant bag of food and I buy one called Premium Edge or Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul and the giant bag is $17. So I think that is pretty comparable to Purina in price. Plus Purina is a low quality food, that will just make their poops smellier.

But really if one cat won't cover anything, pee included, with Feline Pine you have no worries with the urine not being covered and none of my cats cover their poop in the box so it will smell ya little poopy for a bit, but otherwise? I highly recommend it.

Where can you buy Feline Pine? It seems like I remembered it being in a specialty store but not sure.

Thanks!!

Purina is not really a quality food for cats. Try Iams, Science Diet or some other much better quality foods. Yes they might be a bit pricey, but you use less food cause the cats digest it better and you actually get less stool.

There are also lots of other 'premium' foods that are the same price as Iams and SD that you could try, as some one mentioned above, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul is a decent food at a cheapish price, its almost half of the price of science diet and without bi-products as the first ingredient (looking at the 'regular' variety of both).

You really need more litter boxes (preferably 2 more but at least one), I also use those big rubbermaid containers as one of mine has an 'off aim' and we have 4 for 4 cats. Cats can tend to be picky and want their own potty... and that may be part of the reason why your kitty doesn't cover his poop - he is marking his territory.

Science Diet and Iams aren't very good either, from what I've read on here. If you're looking for a better quality food, try searching on this forum. I've gotten a ton of good advice.

As for litter boxes, I've got 2 cats and 3 litter boxes. They often don't even use the third one for days at a time, and I find if I scoop twice a day (or as soon as I smell something stinky), it's not been a problem.

Good luck getting a third cat!

you should try special kitty clumping cat litter, its the only one i have tried so far that makes my apartment smell like there are no cats here and it is very inexpensive. you can find it and feline pine at walmart. for cat food you could try maxximum nutrition which is pretty good at a very low price and is also found at walmart. authority at petsmart works out to be about the same price if you buy it in the bigger 8 pound bags and is also decent. chicken soup for the cat lovers soul is a bit more expensive but still a very good price and an excellent quality food.

i might try that tub idea and get one for my cats, the boy loves to dig and he throws litter all over the floor even though i have a covered litter box. something with higher sides might help )

going through slight litter box issues myself right now, i would definately recommend waiting until the litter box issue is under control before getting your third cat.

I have two cats, and i found that they have those disc, like Cats Rule brand, and that makes a big difference in the girls litter boxes. I am also on a budget too, and I find that I use Scoop Away with scent made a big difference. I also bought one of those Airwicks spray thingies,, where every 8 minutes it sprays a pretty scents,, makes a HUGEE difference in the smell. I also bought another litter box, and that helped out alot too... I've a baby kiten whose gonna join the ranks in 2 weeks, and i'm sure it's gonna get even busier in the litter box room....